Book #3 - First-Time Around the World

This blog is a year old today. Our first post was actually April 9, 2007 but it was Easter Monday just like today . . . so it's not exactly one year old but you know what I mean. I think I made a very brief mention of this book way back then as well. A girl named Jessica (who is a niece of someone I work with) told me it had helped her in planning her RTW trip. She and her husband are currently in South Africa and have been through much of South America, the Antartica, Australia and New Zealand. They're still travelling and, from what I hear, having the adventure of their lives (it's also their honeymoon, imagine).

Anyway, back to the book. It is called First Time Around the World but the sub-title says it all: "A trip planner for the ultimate journey". Yes, indeed. Put together by the team from the Rough Guides, this handy little paperback is (in their words) "not a travel guide, it's the book to read before you go, a planning handbook." The first edition was published in March 2003. Here's what I liked about this book:

• colour photos (got to have those)



• regional profiles and maps - the maps even have overland travel times and prices for local transport so you can do a rough calculation of some costs



• weather charts for regions so you can try to hit the best weather or at least avoid the worst - we are simply aiming not to need heavy clothing for the whole year



• info on essential gear to bring and how to pack it



• tips on planning your itinerary - and warnings about the mistake of planning too much



• the usual stuff about health and safety, insurance, visas and vaccinations



• tips on finding work abroad and/or volunteer experiences



• interesting section on foreign toilets - good to be aware of these things, in order to prepare the children of course



• potential costs/ things to consider - although this is nearly impossible to figure out. Asking "what would it cost to travel the world for a year?" is pretty much like asking "how long is a piece of string?" It really depends on alot of variables such as your comfort level with basic accommodations, where you want to go, and what kind of activities you want to do.

But the book does do a good job of costing out each region of the world across three categories: lowest and roughest (i.e., staying in the cheapest dorm hostel or camping, nights on trains, that type of thing), middle (cheap but hopefully clean hotels - I think this will be our category), and upper (decent hotel, private rooms in hostels). Within those categories, you get a rough idea of what your daily costs might look like. Obviously, staying in a cheaper country (usually a developing country) can save you a ton of money on a long trip. Hence, we will park ourselves in South-East Asia for quite a while. At least, that is the plan at this point. If we do make it to Japan (could not choose a more expensive country if we tried - it is mainly because it is Mitchell's #1 choice of place to see and that has something to do with Pokemon and Nintendo we're pretty sure), it won't be for more than a week or two even though it would be fascinating place in which to spend a long, long time.

I liked the little doses of reality injected into the book as well. This quote is an example of that:

"It's hard to pick up a travel magazine, brochure or guidebook without seeing an exotic cast of faces. The unspoken message seems to be that this is who you'll meet in these countries. The people you're far more likely to encounter, however, are other travellers. And the local people you'll mostly come in contact with are vendors, taxi drivers, guides and hotel clerks - people serving you. To make more genuine contacts takes some effort. Volunteering or working in a place is one of the best ways. But even if you're just looking to take a picture of someone, a thoughtful approach might lead to a more meaningful connection; see p. 208 for more advice."

Aha, you will have to read the book yourself to find out the advice on p. 208.

What else? There's a neat little chart found in Ch. 4 on "Costs and Savings". It's called the "Spendometer" and it judges how many days of travel you could accomplish with $1000. With $1000, you could last approximately 67 days on the road in India but only 14 in Japan. In France, it would apparently last you 20 days while you could live for 54 days in Bolivia. Australia is in the middle at 40 days. Lots of interesting little charts and calculations like this can be found in the book. As usual, though, very little about special considerations for families. I guess the people who write these travel books and guides don't think that we families get out much. Newsflash to the Rough Guides editors: you don't have to be a twenty-something, completely broke, unwashed hippie wannabe to enjoy seeing the world beyond Disney.

All in all, though, a very useful book. I will leave you with another funny travel quote I came across:

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list."

Susan Sontag

C'est Fini

Once again, I have to say felicitations to Ted! He has passed the arduous French oral exam required for his job with the Government. After approximately 15 months of intensive, daily French language training, he is finished! Tout fini! With his "levels" in hand, he returned to work this week and could not be happier to be back. The pressure and stress of this past year has melted away and we are all feeling a little lighter . . . now if only the snow could do the same.

I know of at least one person who is still hoping for even more snow, for the sake of his "project". Check out this enormous snow tower one man in east Ottawa built . . . it now stands at 16 feet.

Uncle Bob, Minor Hockey, and the Occasion of Our First Video Upload

We had a surprise visit from Uncle Bob! Uncle Bob is my brother from Saskatoon who was here in Ottawa briefly to attend the annual Canadian Film and Television Production Association's (CFTPA) Conference. We always have interesting conversations about this industry when he comes to visit. You can read more about his company, Angel Entertainment, or about their new TV show, Rabbit Fall, by clicking on these links.

Another interesting conversation . . . the habitual worrying that modern parents do about their children (I don't think our parents' generation worried much about us at all, why is that?)

Anyway, here is a quote shared by Bob that I found inspiring and well, I guess, a bit reassuring when I think of my one of my offspring in particular: "School is a place where former A students teach mostly B students to work for C students". Hmmm . . . rich food for thought there, no?

I was trying to find the original source of that quote and stumbled across this article from the August 2007 issue of Maclean's magazine . The author argues, citing considerable evidence, that grades don't really matter and that it is indeed the C students who end up running the world.

And lastly, youngest offspring Jackson had the thrill of the lifetime a short time ago when he and his minor hockey team-mates got to play a short scrimmage on the big ice at the Ottawa Civic Centre. It was the intermission between 2nd and 3rd period of an Ottawa 67s game against the Windsor Spitfires. The place was packed and the energy was amazing. What a great memory for him. We've never tried to upload video before but here goes . . . double-click and enjoy. Go Jackson, #23!