Trip Prep

Homesick

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Brooke

So, last night I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from a house we are renting in Westhampton, NY.  They broadcast the fireworks live from NYC…I must say, it was quite an impressive show.  Nearly 30 minutes of beautiful displays of light and color all set to patriotic, and sometimes cheesy music.  Here’s the thing—as we were sitting there watching the fireworks I realized something.  I think I’m going to be homesick while we are on our trip.  There was something about watching the fireworks display, especially when they played the Armed Forces Medley that made me realize I’m going to miss America.  I think I’m going to be very excited to return home.

When I mentioned this to Phil, he asked me what I would miss the most.  That’s a tough question.  I think I’ll miss my friends and my family, of course.  I’ll miss my favorite foods and the comfort of my own bed.  But more than anything, I think I’ll miss that familiarity that is home.  I’m trying to prepare myself for this now so it isn’t such a shock when it happens.

One way we are preparing ourselves is by sleeping in other beds.  Weird, right?  Well, we realized that we wouldn’t be sleeping in our own bed for a really long time, and we needed to get used to sleeping in unfamiliar places.  Waking up and not immediately recognizing where we are.  Shaking ourselves out of that hazy sleep and figuring out what city we are in.  So, the next few days, we sleep in a bed in Westhampton, NY (pretty comfy, though a little bit bouncy).  We will have3 more nights in our own bed, in our own apartment, and then, it’s different beds in different cities until December!  It is daunting and exciting, and will be a workout for our back muscles, but overall, I think it will be totally worth it.  Just imagine how awesome it will be when we set up our new apartment in Louisville, KY, take out our bed which has been in storage for months and sleep on it that first time, only to dream about the adventures we just had while traveling around the world.  Amazing!

-Brooke

Categories: Homesick, KY, Moving, Random Thoughts, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Home Moving and Storage

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Brooke

One of the major things we had to deal with when deciding to take a trip around the world for four months is what to do with all of our stuff.  We have an apartment, but we didn’t really want to stay here any longer than we had to.  The apartment is fine, but we aren’t thrilled with our neighborhood (the street is quite loud and can be like a nightly party during the summer).  So, we decided that taking a trip around the world would also be the perfect timing  for us to quit our jobs and move to a new city.  After lots of research and visits to cities, we decided to move to Louisville, KY.  The reasons are numerous and we are very happy with our decision, but we’ll save telling you about all that for later.  So, once we figured out where we would be going once we got back from our trip, we had to decide what to do with all of our stuff while we were gone.

Sure, my parents have a basement, but I’m certainly not going to burden them with all of our stuff.  That’s just not cool.  So, we had two clear choices:  One—rent a moving truck, load it up, drive to Louisville, unload our stuff into a storage unit and let it hang out there until we get back.  Then, once we found a place in Louisville, we’d unload the storage unit, pack up a new truck, and move into our new home.  Yikes—that sounds like a lot of work.  The other option:  PODS—Portable On Demand Storage (www.pods.com).  For this option, a PODS unit is dropped off at our apartment and we load our stuff into it.  Then, the PODS people drive it to Louisville and store it until we call and request them to deliver it to our new home.  Then, we unload the PODS and they come take it away.  In case it isn’t obvious, this is the option we chose.  Sure, PODS may be a bit more costly, but ultimately we thought loading and unloading just one time was much more convenient and well worth the price difference.  Also, this will save us the hassle of driving a moving van from New York City to Louisville.

Now, less than two weeks away from moving, we are in the throes of packing up our apartment, boxing everything we own, taking apart Ikea shelving and figuring out what to keep and what to pitch.  This process is always humbling and makes you realize all the stuff you have that you don’t really need.  Phil says he’s never buying anything again!  Famous last words.

One of my biggest concerns now is making it all fit.  The PODS is 16′ x 9′ x’9′, or something like that, and a lot of our furniture can be easily disassembled.  Still, I’ll have to use my skills as a Tetris Master to pack it nicely so it is safe and snug until we have it delivered to us in December.  Exacerbating the concern of making it fit is the fact that living in NYC is a distinct disadvantage when it comes to working with PODS.  Normally, they would drop the PODS off and you would pack it at your leisure.  However, since we don’t have a driveway and it has to be parked in the street, we only have a 4 hour window to pack it (plus we have to pay extra so the driver stays with it—blegh).  Four hours is a fine amount of time if you have lots of help—we are packing it up on a Tuesday morning starting at 8:00 AM, however, and help may be limited.  It will get done, but it could be a very hectic morning.  To top it all off, that day will also be our one year wedding anniversary.  What a way to celebrate!

So, for now I’m thinking about what should go in first and imagining how it will all be organized and fit beautifully.  We’ll make sure to take some pictures when it is here and let you know how it goes.  I just can’t wait until it is done—moving sucks!  We are experts by now—after all, we’ve moved 4 times in 6 years.  We must be gluttons for punishment.

-Brooke

Categories: Moving, Packing, Trip Prep | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Packing

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Brooke

One of the first things people ask us when we tell them we are going on a trip around the world is, “How are you going to pack?” We were wondering the same thing. So, we did lots of research and talked to a lot of people who have traveled on long journeys. First, we had to decide how we wanted to travel. Pretty much immediately I ruled out back-packing. That just isn’t the type of trip I wanted to have–I have no interest in carrying all of my belongings with me at all times. That being said, we know we will have to carry our bags and we don’t want to be burdened with large amounts of luggage. So, the final decision is that we will each pack one carry-on roll aboard suitcase, and one regular sized backpack. So, we figured out what our bags would be, the next thing we had to figure out is what to put in them.

We know we won’t have reliable access to laundry, so we anticipate washing a lot of clothes in the sink. Don’t get me wrong, we can certainly wear clothes that are dirty, but undershirts, underwear and socks really need washing regularly. Plus, we are going to be in Southeast Asia in August so I’m sure we’ll be sweating a lot and we will really want clean clothes. We did a lot of research and what we learned is we should take half as many clothes as we think we need. That is so tough! We are going to be in both cold and hot weather, and we need the flexibility to be casual but also look nice upon occasion. I don’t want to travel the world looking like a total slob.

So, below is a list of clothes I’ve decided to pack (obviously there are other things besides clothes, but we can discuss that in a later post). Keep in mind that this is a list for me, not Phil. We are still workiing on him, but naturally he is much less excited about the clothes than I am.

  • 4 bottoms (1 pair pants, 1 capris, 1pants which convert to shorts, 1 shorts–both pants can convert to capris if needed)
  • 2 short sleeved t-shirts
  • 1 long sleeved t-shirt
  • 2 long sleeve button up shirts
  • 1 black dress
  • 2 camisoles
  • 1 pair running pants which can double as long johns
  • 4 pairs underwear
  • 4 pairs socks
  • swimsuit
  • 1 warm pull-over
  • 1 pair flip flops (especially for shared bathrooms)
  • 1 pair trekking sandals
  • 1 pair sneakers

I am still deciding about bras, I will update this post when I do. As for the clothes listed above, it is important for you to know that they are all lightweight, wrinkle-free, moisture wicking, and quick drying. We went to Paragon Sports in Union Square (www.paragonsports.com, 867 Broadway, New York, NY 10003) to try some things on and get an idea of fit and style. I found I liked the clothing from ExOfficio and also Patagonia. We bought a few things at Paragon and the awesome thing is that for every $100 you spend, they give you a $10 gift card to use at the store. These clothes are definitely expensive, so this is a slight consolation. After leaving Paragon, I went home and bought the remainder of my clothes at ExOfficio’s website (www.exofficio.com). I’ll admit that I had to take a deep breath to spend this much on clothes (around $700 all told) but I did read lots of reviews and figured I’d be wearing only these clothes for months, so spending some money is worth it. I imagine I will be sick of them by the end of the trip, but for now, I can’t wait to suit up and begin!

-Brooke

Categories: Clothes, Packing, Trip Prep, Wardrobe | Tags: , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

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