The Plan B Adventure

Our passports have arrived!!! For those of you who have spoken with us recently you’ve heard us bemoaning the Visa process and worrying that we might have to postpone our trip. Well, the passports came via FedEx this morning. THANK YOU UZBEK CONSULATE!!! They even covered the extra cost of Priority Overnight. This should reduce our stress levels tremendously. Now all we have to do is find our way to the airport.

Jeff’s parents threw a little Going-Away party at their place….We had a blast celebrating our upcoming adventure with a small group of friends and family. Thanks Mom and Dad and to everyone who joined us!!

Alright…back to the trip. We are leaving for Hong Kong on Thursday and 99.9% prepared (although only 50% mentally prepared..HAHA). Many of you have asked about our supplies, clothes, etc. so we laid everything out for you to see what we have for the next eight months. Yea, we know not a lot of stuff, but it’s not like you can plan an outfit-per-day for eight months. Instead we found three shirts, three or four pants, and a few tshirts that we really like. As we continue our journey we will let you know how this philosophy is working out. We (especially picky Jeff) can imagine there are going to be some items we love and others we wish we left at home.

Well, we have quite a few little things to wrap up, so wish us luck and stay tuned for last minute freaking out!!!

Well….Xmas is over and we are in the final stretch. Guess it might be a good time to get started on some of our gear!!! Thank you to all of our loved friends and relatives who kindly provided us with cash for our adventure gear. Everything from our packs to our sink plug will be cherished items on the road as we know you all helped us get to that point. We know this post might not be the most exciting but many people ask us many “prep” questions so we want to answer some of the major ones.

We start with a marathon 5-hour fashion show at REI. We’ve been researching backpacks for weeks and decided first we need an estimate of the stuff that goes in it then we can go find the appropriate pack. It’s good to be in Seattle with REI in your backyard. You can order everything online (at holiday discounts), pick it up in the store and avoid online shipping charges as well as return right at the counter if it doesn’t work. You may ask how you pack for eight months???? Very selectively. As many wise travel writers have documented, packing for three weeks requires many different combinations, but packing for eight months requires three shirts and three pants that you really better like wearing (and washing!!). If you are planning a trip of this length as a first timer I highly recommend checking out Giles Smith and Doug Lansky’s First Time Around the World (Thanks Linda & Nick!!!) I won’t get into the exhaustive list now but will hopefully post it in the future and, of course, you will see them all modeled all over the world in our photos!!

We also just nailed down our Travel Insurance coverage which was much easier than expected. We researched many different insurers and found that using a consolidating broker is the best option. We found the best customer service over the phone at insuremytrip.com. Hint: Always get emergency evac insurance and don’t worry about getting too much coverage as two brokers explained the largest claims they have ever seen didn’t top $100k. Remember we (the good ole’ U.S.A) have the best medical services but also the most expensive.

Lastly, we have dipped our toe into the waters of foreign bureaucracy….VISAs. We have received our double entry Chinese Visa without much trouble after using a Visa Service out of Houston. Just today, we sent off our passports to the Uzbek embassy in Washington DC. We are crossing our fingers as we venture into the do-it-yourself process of obtaining a Visa from an ex-Soviet republic (mucho red-tape, no pun intended). We are going to try most of our other Visas on the road, either at airports, borders, or other country’s embassies. WISH US LUCK!!!!

Hey everybody....we have made our way back to our hometown of Seattle. Chilly, but gorgeous sunny weather.........Can't say we miss the face-chapping, body-numbing Chicago wind off of Lake Michigan. We've just missed what appears to be a nasty snowstorm and ... [Continue reading this entry]