Nowhere in Particular

In 2015, we learnt a few fun and a few tough lessons while preparing for our 2016 round-the-world trip . We’re sure the lessons will keep coming but here are six important lessons we recently learnt. Lessons learnt in 2015 when preparing for our travels (Image source: https://pixabay.com/en/school-books-desk-chalkboard-chalk-926213) 1. Admin never goes away A long-term vacation is the dream for most. You unrealistically also tend to think that it will be a vacation from the soul-destroying admin that comes with life. But before you can go to most countries, especially as a South African, you need valid visas to legally enter. Not matter how organised you are with your documentation, this is always a hassle . Be sure to draw up checklists to help you submit all the right paperwork, and always make a few more copies of documents than you think you’ll need. 2. Never underestimate the power of the pencil pushers Linked to the above lesson, you will need to work with many admi...

When escaping from a normal life to become a traveller, you are excited that you will be moving away from the day-to-day drudge and are now entering a care-free existence. Then reality strikes in the form of visa applications. It can be enough to dampen any travel plans, especially as South African passport holders, as the places you can travel to without a visa are very limited. It is really complicated We are already welcome in some countries, but even this is not straightforward. We have a visa for the US but the visa appears in old passports that we will have to carry with us (as well as our marriage certificate as it was issued in Lauren's maiden name). Then we have a visa for Australia but it does not appear in our passport - we simply have a letter from the Australian government. Another difficult one to explain to a customs official who wants to see a visa for your end destination. A special kind of admin hell (Image source: https://pixabay.com/en/writing-write-pe...

The great travel plan has been a little vague, and intentionally so. We want to have some level of spontaneity on our travels, but flights still need to be booked, and visas still need to be secured. Earlier this month we booked the flight to our first destination – Vietnam. The country has been on our bucket list for some time, mainly due to rave revues from other travellers. We were ready to click ‘buy now’ on Expedia but hesitated when we realised we knew very little about where we wanted to go and even where in Vietnam we wanted to start. The easiest way to get a quick overview of the must-see sights was to look at some of the package tours. Although we want to explore the paths less travelled on the trip, we certainly don’t want to miss the iconic sites. After researching al little, we have decided to start in Hanoi, explore the northern areas including the mountains and lakes, and slowly make our way south over a period of a month to Ho Chi Minh City. After Vietnam, we wa...

The last six weeks have been a whirlwind of change in our lives. We have packed up our previous life by selling our house and are in a somewhat no man’s land state. Our new adventure is yet to begin and so much still needs to happen, including the ever looming goodbyes. Our adventure is a little different in that we are not only travelling for a few months, but our end destination is a new home in a new country – Australia. This has caused me to be emotionally torn. Embarking on a world tour is what most people dream of, but I keep thinking about the lovely people I have in my life and that I, unfortunately, can’t take them all with me. I know our world is super connected, and it’s easier than ever to stay in touch, but there is something special about clinking wines glasses and sitting next to each other on the couch laughing about the craziness of the week that has passed. Although, we are now seasoned travellers through short vacations , I have never lived more the 5...

It is important to try to blend in as a tourist. When you stand out like a sore thumb, you become an easy target. Touts easily see you coming and can hike their prices. Scam artists could also easily take advantage. We recently joined some friends at a Halloween party and dressed as travel nerds. These get-ups are a great example of what not to do. Do we blend in? Schalk and Lauren (Travel Nerds), Halloween Party, 31 October 2015 It is worth remembering that when you are as tall as Schalk is and have the pale skin we both have, the places where you will look like a local are quite limited. I am also cautious to commit that we definitely won’t be captured on camera looking somewhat close to the above photo. It is going to be a long trip and practicality may quickly outweigh any fashion sense.

When you are planning to travel for a couple of months, you begin your preparations months in advance. Part of our groundwork was to do some maintenance on the house and put it on the market. We anticipated that the sale would take about three months if everything went smoothly. Our house was sold after only two weeks! And as an extra shock, it was sold on the condition that we also moved out within two weeks. For an incessant planner like myself, this turned my world upside down. We had to pack up a three-bedroom house that had been our home for six years in a matter of days – you accumulate a lot of junk over six years. Selling your house in preparation for your travels might happen much faster than you anticipate.  Here are the necessary steps to take to pack up your house in 14 days: 1. Build a list The first thing you need to do is put together a list of all the furniture and equipment and then price it. You’ll be surprised with how much you can quickly sell if yo...

Watching the airport baggage carousel empty out without your bag appearing is a nightmarish situation. No m atter what type of trip you are on, this is going to be a big inconvenience, to say the least. This four-minute video clip of comedian Rhod Gilbert on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow (2009) about losing your luggage is a classic piece of comedy that always gets me laughing.    My personal lost luggage nightmare was in February 2011, landing in Montreal, Canada for a week of temperatures of -10 °C lower. It is one thing if you need to buy a swimsuit and shorts for an island hop trip, but requiring full ski gear for extreme temperatures is something else. The biggest mistake I made was not to go shopping immediately and buying some necessities. Instead, we travelled to our remote ski village only with a tiny convenience store and a very pricey ski gear outlet. Luckily, I had packed a change of clothes in my partners luggag e  –  a great travel tip ...