- 4 T-shirts, 1 polo, 1 thermal, 1 tank top
- 1 flannel, 1 sweater, 1 hoodie, 1 mid-layer, 1 windbreaker
- 1 jeans, 1 khaki's, 1 travel pants, 1 board / shorts, 1 skirt
- 10 balance bars, toiletry bag, water purifying tabs
- 2 bandannas, 1 scarf, 1 knit cap, sunglasses
- flip flops, sneakers, hiking shoes
- 6 pr socks, 7 pr undies, 3 bras, 1 sports-bra, 1 bikini
- 1/2 tent, sleeping bag, bag liner, sleeping pad, travel towel

- Day pack, camelbak, eye shades, headlamp, mini flashlight, playing cards, travel docs / passports, journal, laptop case (macbook air impending), power cords
- Rugby jersey, rugby shorts, rugby socks, whistle, cards, cleats, 10 PCRFU ref pins, digital watch, electric tape

When the decision is made to embark on an adventure of this magnitude it hits you: there is so much to get done before I leave.  Some of it is fun; flipping through guide books, figuring out the things you'll see in each place, setting up times to meet up with friends around the world and planning a going away party with the friends you're leaving behind.  Some of it is not so fun, but completely necessary.  Leading up to the trip I spent a good deal of time reading books and blogs about making preparations for leaving my life here for 8 months.  Where to put my stuff?  What to do with my cats?  On one hand it can be very satisfying to sort through your life in this way, getting rid of everything you don't absolutely need, and on the other it can be quite stressful.  We all spend so much time and energy acquiring things throughout our lives that the idea of getting rid of most of it can be a bit daunting.  Below is my list pre-trip to-do's (in no particular order):

• talk to family about leaving
• apply for Brazilian and Australian visas (all visa needs can be checked here on the government travel site)
• check on vaccinations needed for countries on itinerary (those can be checked here, at the CDC)
• add pages to passport
• get several copies of passport photos
• get teeth cleaned and checked
• physician appt - general physical
• gynecologist appt
• get new glasses and enough contacts for a year
• put in notice and write resignation letter for work
• clean up and sod over garden
• sell car
• put furniture on craigslist
• get travel insurance
• get plane tickets (see steph's post from 06/16/11)
• bring cats in for annual check-ups
• contact friends abroad about staying with them
• jail break phone and put att contract on hold
• launch website and figure out how to maintain while abroad
• buy travel clothes and camping equipment
• print off all needed documents
• make copies of docs for roommates
• get international driver's permit
• open checking account that doesn't charge international fees (I opened a Charles Schwab Checking Account, they refund all atm fees, both in the US and internationally.  The hitch is, you have to have a Schwab investment account attached to the checking account.)
• update living will
• get in shape (eh)
• make sure all payments are set up to happen automatically
• plan going away party

This list is by no means complete, and it seems like new things pop up everyday.  For example, it doesn't include, 'file police report for the hit and run that happened on my parked car two nights ago' because hopefully most people won't have to deal with that happening to them.  Because it's annoying.  

When we started talking about buying RTW tickets, i was under the impression that a "RTW ticket' meant we would create a route at a set price, and that our dates would be flexible. I'm not sure if that is the way it used to be or if it was a complete fantasy, but regardless, that's not the way it works.

RTW tickets are a package of tickets purchased through a travel agent.  The plus is getting travel insurance included (a must), the negative is that you are locked into a route and schedule (no skipping, no date changes).

The consensus on the internet is that Airtreks through Boots 'n All is the best customized RTW ticket agent. While we debated buying all the flights on our own, between the travel insurance included in the package, and a few legs where the agent was able to get a better deal than on commercial sites, it was worth it.

If you leave it to the travel agent to do all the work, you will end up with an expensive trip with a pretty crappy schedule. Here are my tips to avoid that.  Basically, in order to have the best experience, do their job for them.

Notes on buying tickets through a travel agent:

- BE FLEXIBLE - Start with an extensive list of places you want to go. Group them by region and try to find the cheapest routes from region to region. Set your dates to be flexible by 3 +/- days where you can. Be prepared to chop some destinations out.

- DO YOUR HOMEWORK - You would like to think that agents have your best interests in mind. They don't. They're not going to do the hard work for you until they know for sure that their time isn't going to be wasted. Even then they'll only do so much. Erin and I priced out our trip before committing to the travel agent.  Vayama.com consistently had the best flight prices and options of the airline search engines we used, but many budget airlines like Easyjet (Europe) and Jetstar (Australia) don't list their flights on these. A Google search for "Budget Travel in [country/region]" is an easy way to find these gems.

- KNOW YOUR OPTIONS - Agents get special deals on specific routes and regions. They also have limited airline options. When you're on the phone with them, know the lowest possible prices for each leg (even if the route/schedule sucks).  It will get the agent to look a bit harder before quoting you, or they'll be honest if they can't match the price. We found flights from Edinburgh to Copenhagen for $100 and  he couldn't get it for less than $200. Also, know the peak seasons, and know which routes the agent gets special pricing on. The short trips way in the future may be worth buying separately.

- BE VIGILANT - When you're actually scheduling flights, definitely be on the travel websites. Our agent told us we could only get to Tel Aviv at 3AM. We quickly found flights getting in at 11:30pm.

-SB

So we're way out from D-day (dooms day, departure day, day day), but a trip of this magnitude requires a lot of planning.  Erin is heavy on researching flights, things to do and places to see on the first leg of our trip -  [carribean country that shall not be named], Oaxaca, Bahia, and Patagonia. I have been tasked with Macchu Picchu, Rio and Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires, most of which i haven't started yet.

Apart from the planning the actual trip are the broader goals we want or need to accomplish. Some of the issues we've already discussed are:

•  Telling our families about taking a year off of our lives to travel around the world
• Telling my Brazilian family that not only am I coming to visit them on my RTW trip, but I'm coming with my girlfriend. Right, I'm gay.
• General travel themes for this website
• Finding freelance work on the road to supplement our 'income'
• Refereeing rugby on the road
• Dealing with the professional opportunities that present themselves in our impending absence

More on these coming soon....

-SB