Two weeks to go

In two weeks, my trip around the world will have started. But it's not because my departure time gets closer and closer that everything gets done by itself.

I finally canceled my subscription to the newspaper, told the car and home insurances I was going, wrote a will, just in case. Better not to take chances. By taking my car out of the road, I will save some money on registration and insurances. House wise, the beauty of renting a place is there will be no change to my insurance.

I told the SPA that my two cats would stay somewhere else (had to think about that), made photocopies of my traveling documents, credit cards and others, to leave a copy at my parent's house and to have one myself in case of a problem. I also sent it all in my e-mail. Then I'll be able to access my documents anytime.

And I finally ordered my JR pass for Japan. It is a pass for strangers you can order online before you get in the country. You can save on transportation with it. But you must activate it in the three months following your purchase.

Health is expensive

About one month away from the departure time, bills continue to come in. Looks like nothing, but making sure you stay healthy, when you leave for a long time, is expensive.

First big "kaching!" : insurances. You need to shop them around. Really! The prices varie so much it can double from one place to the other for the exact same thing. Obviously, the longest the trip is, the highest the price rises.

Good idea, when looking for an offer, to see how much more it'll cost to take a cancellation/interruption policy or to be covered for lost luggages. In my case, it was only five dollars more.

Each time, I was told my trip would last 183 days and that I wouldn't be covered anymore by the public insurance. The RAMQ website is on the other hand very clear that you shouldn't count the first and the last day as part of your trip outside the province of Quebec. Need to validate. To be continued...

Also, if you plan to visit countries where you can get sick of malaria, it is advised you get prepared for another big "kaching!" for the cost of the medicine. In some cases, each pill cost 5-6 $. And you might need to take one a day for multiple weeks. Still have to see if my insurances cover those.

Another surprise is to figure out all the room that medicine will take in my bags, since they need to remain in their original wrapping, inside the hand luggage. Happy!

Budget wise, I made sure the money I am planning on spending will be available when I need to. In Quebec, with Desjardins, Acces D makes it easy to organize. Think of getting a procuration too. Easy, fast, that can save headaches if you need someone to take care of your money for you at some point.

Finally, in the emergencies department, I still have to fin someone to rent my appartement. And find a way to get that chinese visa. That's a challenge.