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Ecotourism Tips:
Trouble-Free Travel Checklist
Traveling is an adventure. And we want your adventures to be trouble-free. Sometimes, all the best planning cannot prevent events beyond our control. But our ecotourism adventures are super-smooth and amazing when we are prepared--especially for the unlikelies. So we created our just-in-case checklist so your ecotravel adventures could all be of the wonderful variety.
Trouble-Free Travel Checklist
ID Prep. When traveling internationally, your passport needs to be good for 6 months after you enter a country. Make sure your current passport will not be expiring anytime during or too soon after your intended travel dates. If your passport has little life left on it, it's smart to go ahead and renew before your trip. Because of the potentially long wait for renewing passports, plan ahead. When you start thinking about your trip, renew that most essential travel document. For the latest information on passport applications and processing times,
check here.
It's also wise to bring two forms of photo identification. In addition to your passport pack your driver's license even if you don't plan on driving or renting a car.
Innoculations. If you are traveling abroad, you may well need certain innoculations or anti-malarial medications before you go. Some countries require evidence that you have had shots for certain potential illness threats. Be sure you check the immunization requirements where you are traveling at least 6-8 weeks prior to your departure so that you can get that all taken care of. For more information on suggested medical vaccinations and health while traveling, check out
Travel Health and Safety.
Rendezvous Ready. We learned this lesson once and that was all it took. But because of our travel trauma, we can help yours be trouble-free. Please allow me to share our brief story with you. My adventure travel buddy and I meet up once a year to explore a country we've never visited before. The day we were heading to Peru, I got a phone call from an unknown caller. Usually I don't answer those but something told me to take this one. It was my friend, borrowing a stranger's cell phone as she was standing in line at the airport. Her flight to my airport where we were meeting had been canceled, so she was trying to get on another airline, which connected through another city, and might have to meet me in Lima, hours after I would land. She didn't have her cell phone or my number with her, but thank goodness she remembered my cell phone number. She did far better than I would have. Now, it all worked out. But there were quite a few domino effects that could have spun out from this to make our first days stressful at the very least, if not possibly, because of delayed arrivals, ruining the timing for connections to the rest of the trip. Our biggest lesson was to have plans B and C for rendezvousing. If you are meeting travel companions midway, or at your final destination, our Rendezvous Checklist can keep your ecotourism adventure on track: • Carry your cell phone with you. Even if you aren't able to use it internationally, you can use it domestically to leave messages if plans change.
• If there are just two of you, plan to leave messages on each other's voice mail, but pinpoint which voicemail--cell, home, etc.
Designate a rendezvous point in the airport to meet or in case you become separated from your travel companions.
• Alternately, or if you are meeting others, for everyone traveling with you, decide on one point-person at home who will be the message center if plans go haywire. Especially if not everyone carries their cell phone, everyone can check in with this single designated contact to let them know how plans have changed and what the new travel and rendezvous plan will be.
• Carry multiple contact phone numbers with you. Must-haves include: friends you are meeting, your designated contact person at home, a contact person for your first destination (hotel, tour group, etc.), and airline or pertinent transportation contacts. We needed to be in touch with our hotel to change our pickup time because we had been told it was sketchy catching a taxi that late at night from the Lima airport.
• Confirm your transportation reservations a couple days before departure and also the day before departure so that cancellations and departure changes can be communicated to all before you are in transit, and you can arrange an alternate travel plan.
Emergency Contact/Coordinator. At least one person at home should have all your 411, just in case you need help from home.
• Leave with them a detailed copy of your travel itinerary, with contact information and schedules for all lodging, transportation, and tour groups you book. Locations, timing, all information about your plans should be included. Just in case you need them to help you change plans, they have the information they need.
• It's also important, just in case, to leave a copy of your passport, your driver's license, and any emergency contact numbers for family should there be a need to get in touch with them on your behalf.
• They should have the number for the emergency contact people for your travel companions as well. If your trip is not trouble-free, at least everyone can be informed at home, and they can assist you if needed.
• If mother nature or political unrest or some other unexpected hiccup happens in your area while you are traveling, please let your contacts at home know your status. Just a simple email saying you are OK will keep everyone at home from worrying about you.
• And if you establish regular check-in times with folks back home, even if your schedule is as loose as checking in once a week, provided you are not in the wilderness with no access to internet, please keep your promise. It's a great way to share your adventure as you are experiencing it, and it keeps everyone at home happy knowing you are well. Dual Documents. When traveling with someone, always make at least 2 copies of your transportation tickets, your confirmations for lodging and tours, and your IDs, including passport. It's also smart to keep copies of any credit cards you bring with you, along with the phone number to call in case you lose them or they are stolen. Keep one copy of your travel and money information hidden in your luggage, and give one copy to your travel buddy. They should share a copy of the same information with you as well. If there is a situation where you need a backup copy of your trip details, or you need information on your companion, you've got it. We don't like to think about problems when traveling, but we're smart to prepare so those experiences can be as trouble-free as possible. Dummy Wallet. It is a smart idea to travel with a dummy wallet. This way, if you are in a situation where giving up your wallet can get you out of a dangerous situation, you won't be losing your current IDs, cards, or much money. A cheap wallet is all you need, with:
• a little cash,
• an expired ID, and
• perhaps a closed out credit card. Cash Stash. Whether you travel with traveler's checks or with cash, stashing is the strategy to follow.
• You never want all your valuables in the same place. Distribute your money in at least three places. Some hidden in one piece of luggage. Some hidden in your daypack. And some hidden on your person. There are a variety of products available that you can wear and hide your money in--zippered pouches designed to hide in belts, boots, underwear, etc.
• Never carry large quantities of money in your wallet. You don't want anyone to see a wad when your open your wallet to buy something.
• Also, carry bills in smaller denominations. I usually take twenties. They are easier to exchange and to make change for when you purhcase something. But they also don't call attention to themselves and any potential thief. Travel Insurance. You may wish to purchase travel insurance, particularly a travel medical insurance policy with medical evacuation coverage if you are on a physically challenging expedition, or in countries with primitive medical facilities. An air ambulance, when not covered by an insurance policy, can cost tens of thousands of dollars. I often get an travel insurance policy for the timeperiod that I will be trekking or on the adventure portion. For the time I'm exploring more tame terrain, like strolling through cities, I typically don't buy extra insurance. International Driver's Permit You may or may not need an International Driver's Permit, depending on your driving/vehicle rental plans and the countries you will be visiting. Beware of scams in the internet offering to sell you an International Driver's License. The proper term is Permit. And for example, in the United States, only two companies are legally allowed to sell International Driver's Permits: the American Automobile Touring Alliance and the American Automobile Association. Remember, travel ease can be planned into your ecotourism getaway, just like you plan your itinerary. Before you get up and go, our checklist for trouble-free travel can go a long way to keeping a smile on your face when the unexpected comes your way.
For Trouble-Free Travel on a budget, check out Budget Ecotravel.
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