Author Archives: Phil

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About Phil

Blogging daily about the biggest Brooke and Phil Adventure yet: our four month trip around the world! We're a pair of ex-Harlem Globetrotters.

Travel Insurance

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Phil

One of the many items on our pre-trip checklist was securing travel insurance for the voyage. First we asked ourselves “do we really need travel insurance?” After all, the insurance is just one more cost. And we’re healthy folks who can handle just about anything, right? After researching and talking with others, it turns out that the answer is an unequivocal resounding “Yes.” For the endless number of possible scenarios that could turn an easy going day in Buenos Aires to a long night in an Argentine hospital, insurance is a must have.

Hunting for the right insurance plan was a whole process in itself. There are dozens of plans that cover hundreds of scenarios. Travel Guard Chartis, CSA Travel Protection and The Divers Alert Network (DAN) are three well regarded and well-reviewed companies we found. We had success using the Travel Insurance aggregate site Squaremouth to sort through the plans.

The particular package that we ended up purchasing has similar coverage as those offered by most other plans. Practical offerings that should keep us covered in a handful of relatively likely scenarios: Travel Delay, Baggage Delay, Personal Items Loss, Life Insurance and 24-Hour Assistance Service. But the biggest coverage for us, the one that is more important than all others combined, is the Emergency Medical Insurance and Medical Evacuation & Repatriation. A lost bag we can deal with. Needing to get back to America ASAP due to an unexpected, horrific and terrifying emergency medical condition is where we would likely need a big helping hand.

We ended up choosing the Travel Guard Platinum from Chartis primarily because they’ve earned top marks on taking care of everything when a medical situation arrives after your day has taken a dramatic turn for the worse. No hospital co-pay, all paperwork covered and if something crazy happens where you need to be flown back home (Repatriation), they handle every single step. Most standard healthcare insurance plans offered by companies do NOT include the repatriation part and can be hit or miss with health care coverage abroad.

We recommend scouring through the plans, fine print and costs to find one that is tailored for your specific trip needs. For example, we had absolutely no need for “Employment Layoff” coverage, but the “Missed Connection” might come in handy to pay for a night in a hotel if needed. We also got a kick out of reading some of the disclaimers. Such as the horrifying yet humorous details on what percentage of your life insurance you’ll be compensated for losing just one leg or a finger & a thumb on a flight. Another example, you may receive compensation if your trip is interrupted by a Hurricane or Tropical storm, but only IF that storm has already been named.  Also, we are NOT covered if we need insurance because we were inciting a riot in another country or competing in a professional sporting contest abroad. Oh, insurance people. You know us so well.

-Phil

Categories: Doccuments, Health, Insurance, Packing, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More Prepping for our Japan visit

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Phil

Continuing our post from yesterday, we’re looking forward to our time in Japan – our second stop on our Round The World trip.

To get set, we recently bought a pair of seven-day JR Rail Passes to help us transverse Japan which has a land area about the size of California. After doing some research, The JR Rail Pass seems like our best bet for getting around Japan. While the cost of the second-class ticket set us back a sweet $350 per pass, it looks like it is going to be money well spent. The pass covers you for a seat on just about any long-distance train (including the famed Shinkasen bullet train), intra-city travel and ferries. There are exceptions on locations, but overall this is designed for tourists. You must purchase the pass before you get to Japan. The handy staff at the Morningside Heights 112th street STA helped get us set.

Yesterday, we shared some feedback from our friend Dax who lived in Japan for a number of years. Below are some more of his incredibly helpful tips based on his own extensive experiences:

Like New York, trains in Tokyo run local and express (plus sometimes super-express). Unlike New York, the trains don’t run at night, so make sure to find out what time your last train leaves. The last train often doesn’t go all the way to the end of the line, so also make sure that it will stop at your station.  If you end up stranded, though, no one minds if you sleep on the station floor. When buying tickets, the price varies depending on the distance, even inside the cities (New York felt like an all-you-can-ride-buffet after Japan), so you have to put your ticket in the turnstile both entering and leaving the station.

 Just for the hell of it, I recommend riding a train at rush hour, simply for the adrenalizing madness. It literally feels like being at the very front of a music festival crowd. I would try to convey the crush to friends and family, but when they visited me, they would still get on a mildly crowded train and say: “Wow, this train is crowded!” And I would say: “Haven’t you read my emails? Do you have both feet on the floor? Does your body not feel like it’s wrapped with a python? Then this train is not crowded.”

 Summer is festival time in Japan, so if you ever see crowds of people and music, go in. The Japanese never mind foreigners entering their festivals. If you see people doing a coordinated dance in a circle, jump in and try to follow along. The Japanese around you will probably laugh and show you how to do the dance.

 For train travel, Excellent portable snacks are onigiri, which are seaweed-wrapped rice balls with a little filling like tuna or pickles. You can buy these in any convenience store. The plastic wrappers are very conveniently designed if you know the correct way to open them, so ask a Japanese person (like the clerk) to show you how.

I think Lonely Planet makes the best guidebooks for Japan (and just about every other country).

Have fun and good luck!!

 

Categories: Japan, Rail, Tokyo, Trip Prep | Tags: , , | 9 Comments

Looking ahead to Japan

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Phil

Yet another question we are asked frequently is, “Which stop are you most looking forward to on your trip?” Certainly hard to choose just one stop since we love each stop we’ve chosen. However, we would have to say that Japan is the country that holds the most intrigue.

We think that the ten days we will spend in Japan are truly going to be like visiting nowhere else. And we really know very little about the country, culture and people which only makes it more exciting.  I had one friend tell me that leaving your chopsticks stuck in rice during a meal is incredibly bad social etiquette and another tell me that most of Tokyo is like Times Square times ten.  But that’s about it.

We’ve relied on others to give us some tips. Our friend, wordsmith and long-time Japan resident Dax Oliver offered us some sensational insight on places outside of Tokyo to explore. Dax lived in the Tokyo area for about eight years in the 00’s working and exploring the country, so we’ve decided he’s probably a better source for info than watching “Lost in Translation” yet again (where the only thing we learned is that for relaxing times, to make it Suntory Whiskey time.)

I’m assuming that you’re already planning to hit places like Mt. Fuji, the Imperial Palace, and the National Museum, so they’re not listed here. These are a bit more off the beaten path. I recommend looking up these locations on Google Street View too, because most Japanese streets have no names. Really. That U2 song was actually about finding an address in Tokyo.

I’ve only been to Kyoto once, so I can’t give you many recommendations there, but it’s definitely worth a few days. Don’t go to Osaka –there’s nothing to do there if you’re a traveler. There’s also nothing really in Nagoya or Yokohama either.

If you have time, Hiroshima is worth a day to see everything about the nuclear bomb. It’ll really drive home the horror of nuclear weapons. On a nearby island in the Inland Sea is also one of Japan’s three official “Best Scenic Landscapes”. I don’t know if I’d say that, but the Inland Sea (a stretch of ocean between the major islands of Honshu and Shikoku) can be very pretty. Hiroshima also has good oysters.

Himeji Castle is worth a half-day, since it’s one of the only original castles left in Japan (at least the materials are original – the castle was taken apart and put back together in the 1950s). It’s also the most beautiful castle in the country, which is why it wasn’t burned down after the Meiji Restoration. Himeji is on the bullet train line.

If you want to eat something weird that you can’t normally get in the States, my most practical suggestion is natto – fermented soy beans. I love it and the best way for you to try it is the breakfast menu at Yoshinoya restaurants (they’re all over the city).  It’s only served in the morning, though. I was also partial to raw horse meat, so try it if you can find it, but it’s very rare in Tokyo (no pun intended).

More from Dax and more on Japan tomorrow!

Categories: Doccuments, Japan, Rail, Tokyo, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting Closer

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Phil

We’re just a couple of weeks away from boarding a China Southern 777 plane at LAX that’s Guangzhou bound (en route to New Zealand) and raising a glass of champagne just before take off.  At that point, we’ll be celebrating the official kick off on a journey we’ve been planning for a long time.

I look forward to not having keys in my pockets for the better part of four months. I anticipate waking up and occasionally not remembering exactly which country I’m in that day. I am excited to be able to discern how Vietnam Coffee compares with Argentine Mate. I want to learn how to say “Thank You” in Hungarian. I’m ready for the challenge of trying to watch at least one World Series game in Scotland and watch at least one real Caber Toss. These are remarkable days indeed.

-Phil

Categories: LA, Random Thoughts, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Making new friends from New Zealand to Chile

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Phil

Strangely, one of the more regular questions that I’ve gotten when telling people of our trip is, “Is your wife going with you?” Even more peculiar, I’m pretty sure I open the conversation by saying “My wife and I are leaving to take a trip around the world.” Confounding. Brooke suggests that it’s the way I’m saying it. Who knows. To each their own and what not, but, yeah, this is a trip built for two and I couldn’t imagine making this trek without Brooke.

That being said, the only person that I’m going to know once our first flight leaves from LAX is Brooke and the only person Brooke will know is me. We’re anticipating meeting new people in just about every city – fellow travelers & locals alike – to trade travel stories, learn about the places were visiting and just pick up some new world views. Maybe even a crew we can travel with for a few days or at least close down a bar one night. However, making new contacts isn’t always easy. We decided that we needed some sort of leave behind. A legitimate looking calling card that will work better than a Facebook URL scribbled onto a bar napkin.

Enter Moo—business cards with attitude and home to some really creative designs and novel ways to say hello. We each decided to get 100 high-quality cards with nothing more than our name, some sort of clever identifier and e-mail address. Because, really, what else is anyone going to need? Simplicity the key:

-Phil

RTW Calling CardCrazy Business Card Deesign

Giant PGiant P

We used Moo.com Promotional Code/Discount Code 2RB2CK, but that may expire soon.

Categories: Business Cards, Doccuments, Packing, Trip Prep | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Getting Vaccinated

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Phil

Not surprisingly, prepping for this big trip of a lifetime has required a fair amount of effort, planning and time. Working hard to take four months off has been our marching orders over the last few weeks. One of the more important chores on our to do list is making sure that we’re set on all the vaccines, immunizations , booster shots, and anything else needed when you’re doing a bit of globe hopping. Ensuring we’re set for healthy travel has ended up being one of the more time-consuming but incredible necessary rigmaroles thus far.

We both have the same general physician: Dr. Jayson Park at Beth Israel Medical Center.  For years, Dr. Park has been attentive, helpful and just a quality Doctor to have in your corner. After a few comprehensive conversations and a thorough review of the countries and regions we’re visiting, Dr. Park was able to prescribe a small battery of shots and oral medications. While there were some risks in rural parts of Argentina and Croatia, it really is our planned visits to China and Vietnam that got us. If not for those two countries, it looks like we could have bypassed this hassle and cost altogether. As it is, below is what the doctor ordered:

  • Typhoid vaccine: Oral prescription for four days and good for  four years. Easy enough.
  • Adult Polio booster. Learned that shots when you’re a child are apparently not enough.
  • Hepatitis A vaccine series:  Two shot series.  One now and the second booster in six months.  First shot is to takes care of us now and gives us sweet, sweet immunity for travel.  Second shot is to get lifelong immunity.
  • Japanese encephalitis:  For the risk that we’ll have in Vietnam.
  • Ciprofloxacin. Unique, international food will likely sometimes give us a bit of traveler’s diarrhea. Symptoms include acute abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea and lots of Phil whining. Should help immensely and immediately.

Much to our chagrin, our insurance (and apparently most insurance plans) cover very little of this. Our costs may total $300 + a person. But the other option is, you know, running the outside risk of getting Typhoid. And that doesn’t sound like much fun at all. For those curious, we apparently don’t need a Malaria Prophylaxis, Rabies Shot or Yellow Fever vaccine at all. Hooray!

There is a lot to get excited for in planning this trip, but there are certainly some pain-in-the-ass-realities like this we’re working to tackle as well. Hoping they give us a delicious lollypop after our shots.

Categories: Health, Medical, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Welcome to Luggage Tags

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Phil

The Beginning of a Blog – Welcome to Luggage Tags!

A freshly minted online journal dedicated to our crazy, once-in-a-lifetime Round The World trip. When we decided to embark on our trip around the world, we knew we wanted a way to memorialize the whole experience and share it with friends, family, fellow travelers, and anyone out there who might be interested. We wanted to share everything we could from photos of Bucharest to a review of what beers are the tastiest in New Zealand.  We’re just getting started and feeling our way through WordPress so bare with us as the blog grows and takes shape. In this blog, we will share the preparation required for planning a trip around the world, as well as chronicle our experiences while we travel.  We are excited to share our adventures, both big and small, and give helpful hints for anyone who may be planning their own trip!

So, how did we happen to find ourselves on the cusp of such a trip?

About 3 years ago, we had planned to go on a short vacation to the Dominican Republic  in February.  We thought going to an all-inclusive resort in the middle of winter would be the perfect getaway.  Unfortunately, nature did not agree and due to a snow storm in Atlanta and volcanic ash filling the air in DR, our trip was cancelled.  No big deal, we got our money back and the Delta SkyMiles we had used for the tickets were refunded into our account.  We scheduled a last minute trip to Las Vegas (it is kind of our “go to” in such situations) ,and on the plane began a dream.  Here we had all these unused SkyMiles–what to do with them?  That is pretty much the moment when our trip around the world was conceived.

We knew that the SkyTeam (of which Delta is a member) offered an around the world ticket that one could pay for using SkyMiles, and so began our saving.  From that day, we became Delta loyalists, paid for anything we could with our American Express SkyMiles card and did all kinds of free promotions to save SkyMiles.  We knew we needed 180,000 SkyMiles for an around the world ticket, but who wants to take all those long -haul international flights riding in coach?  We made it our goal to save 280,000 SkyMiles each in order to fly Business Class on our trip.  Thanks to an incredibly generous wedding gift from several friends (they gave us 133,000 SkyMiles all combined), we were able to save the amount needed in about two and a half years. To be fair with many destinations in Ohio, New York and Atlanta, flying almost exclusively on Delta was rather easy.

Now, here we are.  A lot has happened between the time we reached that magic number and now, but we’ll get to all of that in future blog posts when we talk about the preparations.  For now, just know that this started out as a small dream while we flipped through Sky Magazine on the way to Las Vegas.  Now, we are less than a month away from taking the trip of a lifetime.  People often say to us, “Who does this?  How is it possible?  I could never do this.”  We are here to tell you: If we can do it, you can do it .  If it is something you dream to do, make it happen.  Fortune favors the bold. Seize the Day.  In short, you only live once, so you might as well make it count.

We’ll let you know how it goes for us.  We’ll hopefully share helpful hints and help you to avoid the pitfalls we will likely fall into.  That’s all part of the adventure!

Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment

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