Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures » Ditch the Cubicle

Getting to Know Our Gap Adventures Tour Leader

jeff — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:00:27 +0000

Govind and I hanging out. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I’ve been traveling enough to know how crucial a leader is in the success of a tour. You put your trust in them to show you the good stuff and take care of any logistical bumps. I found out that Gap Adventures calls their tour leaders CEOs: Chief Experience Officers. I liked that. In addition to letting you know that they are in charge, it told me something about the importance the company places in delivering a good travel experience. And, our tour leader, Govind, didn’t disappoint. Here are 5 ways he made our tour traveling through Rajasthan, India, unforgettable.

First, Govind made sure we got around with ease including helping us negotiate our tuk-tuk fares.
Govind was a font of knowledge, not only about the sites we visited, but also stopping in the streets at food stands and markets to explain what we were finding.
We passed through several markets in India. Govind stopped to help us do a little shopping and gave us a taste of the local mangos, lychees and coconuts.
When we needed it, Govind provided a gentle, but firm hand to keep us on track. Food proved to be the most effective incentive for us.
But, what really endeared us to Govind, is that he wasn’t afraid to let his hair down by getting us involved in a pick-up cricket game or after hours by showing us his Bollywood moves.

The B-Side of Our Tour Leader

I don’t have much to add to what I said above. I just want to thank Govind for a terrific time. Thanks for creating such a great tour atmosphere and helping enable a great group dynamic. While we’re not all in contact on a daily basis, most of us are all still connected up and write from time to time.

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Disclosure: I am serving as the Gap Adventures media spokesman for career break travel. While this series is part of a broader campaign to raise awareness about career break travel, all opinions, tips and advice are mine.

Getting to Know Our Gap Adventures Tour Leader is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Solo Travel Tips During Your Career Break

jeff — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:00:13 +0000

Me in the Galapagos Islands. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

The thought of going to dinner or to a movie alone is being the pale for many people. So, suggesting that they go traveling alone is practically unimaginable. But, for people with intense wanderlust, they are no longer letting it stop them. While some people fear they may be lonely or lack the confidence to explore alone during their career break travel, long-term travelers develop several ways of traveling to thrive on the road.

Tips for Traveling Alone Without Feeling Lonely During Your Career Break

Get to know other travelers at your hostel. Hostels are great for meeting people. For the most part, all you have to do is go camp out and before you know it, you’ll be talking to other guests.
Use technology to stay connected with the folks back home. You’ve got great stories to tell from the road and people back home want to hear from you. So, whether you use Facebook, simple email, a blog or skype, you have lots of ways to stay in touch.
Get an unlocked cell phone. If you plan to use a cell phone on your trip, you need to get an unlocked phone so you can use local SIM cards.
Start in a country that speaks your language before moving on to a country with a foreign language. To minimize culture shock when career breakers first start traveling, I’ve known several people who decided to start in countries that speak their native tongue.
Travel with a small group tour operator like Gap Adventures. Traveling in a small group gives you instant, like-minded travel companions. On my trip to India with Gap Adventures, there were only 12 of us. It was just the right size to meet people from many different places.

My B-Side Solo Travel Tips for Your Career Break Travel

I’m only going to leave you with one tip. And, yes, it is really this simple.

The only question you need to know at the hostel: What do you recommend seeing around here? Travelers love to talk about their travels. And, everyone has an opinion about ¨the best thing to do.¨ So break the ice with that question and let the conversation flow.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Solo Travel Tips During Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Cooking Class in India. Learning Something New on Your Career Break

jeff — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:00:19 +0000

Making Chipati (Indian flatbread) at The Spice Box in Udaipur, India. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Focusing on your personal passions, picking up a new skill or hobby, call it what you want, but all of the above are popular with career breakers. In my case, I learned Spanish fluently, learned to ski and got to develop my photography skills. When I went to India with Gap Adventures, I saw that one of the optional activities on our Rajasthan tour was a cooking class. I jumped on the chance to film this class. The class involves food, travel and passion, the perfect combination for career breakers. Check out the video and see what we learned and more importantly, what we cooked!

What We Learned About Indian Cooking In Our Class at The Spice Box

Store all your spices in a traditional Indian spice box to keep them fresh and handy.
Cook with oil, not butter. Butter not only adds fat, but also prevents the full taste of the spices from coming out.
Cook your spices first to really bring out their flavors.
Use fresh ingredients, always.
Have a good attitude in the kitchen, always

My B-Side Tips for Taking a Cooking Class During Your Career Break Travel

This video isn’t about tips. It’s about showing you an alternative way to get more out of your career break trip. Cooking classes can be found in many countries. Some are for an evening like this one, others last a full day, and others are even more formal allowing you to obtain formal certification. Here are some additional tips to finding a class wherever you’re traveling.

Get the recipes…ALWAYS This is fairly standard and shouldn’t be a problem.
Take a market tour, when possible. It’s not offered with all classes. But, if you can go to the local market with your chef-teacher, take advantage. You will learn even more about the local cuisine.
Find a class that allows you to participate. There are a few courses out there that merely show you how to prepare the dishes. You will have much more fun and get more out of the class if you are the one doing the cooking.
Here are links to some of the recipes from my cooking class in Udaipur at The Spice Box:

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Cooking Class in India. Learning Something New on Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Why Consider a Small Group Tour Operator During Your Career Break

jeff — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:00:28 +0000

Me at the Taj Majal on my tour with Gap Adventures. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Backpacking on your career break is not incongruent with hooking up with a tour during your career break. In fact, during my career break, I joined tours through the Galapagos and the Amazon. I found mixing it up to be nice actually and had great experiences. But, I don’t like just any type of tour group. It has to be small. I don’t like being one of many. It makes for odd group dynamics and interferes with your experience visiting places.

In June, I headed to India with Gap Adventures for a 15-day tour of Rajasthan. There were only 12 of us on the tour which I loved. We weren’t so big as to overwhelm the destinations we visited. And, we were small enough to get to know each other even though we all came from different backgrounds and had different travel styles. In fact, there were 2 couples on a career break: one getting settled and the other wrapping up.

Here are a few reasons why I like to mix in SMALL group tours during a career break or long-term trip.

Benefits of Choosing a Small Group Tour Operator During Your Career Break Travel

Get acclimated to the road: Going from the confines of an office to the openness of the road can take a little adjustment. You can figure out how your backpack works while the tour operator will take care of all the rest. In India, after having done so much traveling without a tour, it was reaaaally nice to have Gap Adventures in charge.
Maximize a short amount of time in a country: Sometimes like my time in Ecuador, I had a short amount of time to see a lot. I didn’t have the time or the patience to figure out how to do the Galapagos independently. Jumping on a tour can help you see the most in the short amount of time you have.
Allows you to experience the real destination. Because our group in India was so small, we could jump on the local trains, line up a few tuk-tuks on the fly, and go have dinner at a family’s house in Pushkar. We could get into a good local restaurant, pass through local markets and walk around the cities without fanfare. We weren’t trying to navigate the streets from point A to point B on a big coach bus. Our small group size was manageable and our group could get around almost as nimbly as I would have on my own.
Gives you added peace of mind. Everyone has their own measure for how safe they feel in new, foreign environments. Traveling with our group gave us all added confidence as we walked around. It also helps to minimize culture shock. And, we had our tour leader, our local expert, in case we came across any bumps in the road/on the trip.
Small is BIG. My trip to India was the first time I had traveled with Gap Adventures. I’ve gotten to know them pretty well over the past few months. Here is why I liked this tour and the company’s philosophy.

They have more than 20 years of experience which means they are solid, stable and know what they’re doing.
They have tours on all seven continents, in more than 100 countries. They share the same passion for travel that I have.
They support sustainable tourism by working with locally owned hotels and restaurants. And, from Cambodia to Peru, in partnership with their non-profit Planeterra, Gap Adventures has a number of volunteer and social programs that really work to change and improve people’s lives.
Finally, the tours are intimate and the small group size of no more than 16 means you’re traveling with other like-minded people, you’re not lost in the shuffle, and most importantly you don’t lose intimacy with the places you visit. As I mentioned, on our tour there were only 12 of us.

My B-Side Tips On Using a Small Group Tour Operator During Your Career Break Travel

Here are some of the things that happened during my tour and why it was nice to be a part of the Gap Adventures tour.

In-country, on-the-ground support. My partner had trouble with his flights delaying his arrival. Gap Adventures’ regional manager and our tour’s CEO worked together to help him connect with our tour as soon as he was able to land in New Delhi.
Small group size. Not to belabor this point since I mentioned it above. But, our tour only had 12 people on it. It was just the right size so we could move around the country nimbly and not be trip over ourselves at monuments. It also allowed us to get to know each other well. We had a great time together and I really enjoyed traveling with them.
Focus on using local services: From hotels to restaurants to tuk-tuks, we always used local services. They were the kinds of choices I would have made had I been traveling solo or with my partner. I really appreciated that we could see where our travel dollars were going and whose businesses they were supporting.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Why Consider a Small Group Tour Operator During Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Tips For Getting Around Like a Local During Your Career Break

jeff — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 12:00:35 +0000

In India from my Gap Adventures tour. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Getting around when your traveling is a daily decision. It starts in your planning when you’re trying to figure out if your hostel is close enough to all the things you want to see. You arrive and you have to get to the hostel or hotel. While you’re there will you walk, take a bus, taxi, or a bike? ¨Going local¨ will be your best bet on your wallet. But sometimes making sense of the local transportation system isn’t easy. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Tips for Getting Around Safe, Cheap and Like a Local During Your Career Break Travel

Find out what’s safe and reliable by asking the locals and fellow travelers. Each city has its own rhythm. Some cities like Buenos Aires, Wellington and London are great for exploring on foot. Others like Johannesburg require a reliance on taxis or rental cars to see. Your fellow travelers and staff at the hotel or hostel will help you find the best option available.
If prices are negotiable or if you get into a taxi without a working meter, set the price up front. In many parts of the world, transportation prices are negotiable. So, make sure you do that negotiation before you take off, otherwise, you’ll likely have sticker shock.
Always have a local map with you. It’s inevitable that if you’re out exploring on foot, you will let yourself wander a bit. Have a map so if you get too far off the beaten track, you can navigate yourself back to where you need to be.
Don’t be afraid to get a little lost. Once you’re out exploring, half the fun is exploring the nooks and unknown neighborhoods of a city. While you should always exercise caution, let yourself go with the flow. I like to say that I never know a city until I’ve gotten lost.
When you’re traveling with a small group tour operator, like Gap Adventures, you don’t have to worry about the stress of the logistics. Sometimes it’s really nice to kick back and let someone else drive. When I was in India, we had the benefit of seeing the highlights and navigating the cities and towns under the experienced eye of our tour leader and free time to explore on our own.

Now, my B-Side Money Tips for Your Career Break Travel

There is so much that we couldn’t fit in to the video. So, here are some additional tips for getting around.

Take advantage of biking cities. Many European cities are ideal for renting a bike and getting around. New Zealand has incredible infrastructure for bikers. It gives you more freedom than walking around and you can explore a wider section of the city.
Rent a car with other travelers from your hostel. Sometimes the best sites aren’t in the city center. See if you can rally a group of travelers to share the rental costs with you to get out of the city and go see them.
Buy in bulk. If you’re going to be in one place for a while, you can save a few bucks by using the local mass transit and buying a week-long pass. Plus, just by having the pass, you’ll probably use it more and see more sites.
Allow plenty of time to get to the airport. If you’re going to use public transport to get to the airport, be sure to allow plenty of time. Once in Paris, I took the metro to Charles de Gaulle airport. I thought I had allowed plenty of time, but I accidentally got on the local, not express, train. I barely made my flight!
When possible, use the same driver. If you hit it off with your taxi or tuk-tuk driver, see if you can develop a relationship with them. If they know you are going to use them a lot, they are more likely to give you a cheaper, negotiated rate. And, they may open up enough to show you their favorite parts of the city.
The Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus is your friend. No tourist shame here. While you can easily recreate the route for yourself, don’t be ashamed to get a one or two-day pass to explore the city. And, don’t let pretentious travelers dissuade you.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Tips For Getting Around Like a Local During Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Discovering A Country Through Its Food During Your Career Break

jeff — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:00:37 +0000

What entices you while traveling? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Food. Food. FOOD!!!! It’s an integral part of the travel experience. Whether you go for the street food stalls or a fine dining experience, you will leave a country remembering what you ate. Or in some cases, the food may not have impressed you, which is also a lasting memory. When I talk about my travels with friends, everyone wants to know what the food was like.

Food for me is always a window, dare I say, a taste of into the local culture: What people eat, the spices, how they eat it. There are a lot of ways to experience the country through its food. Here are a few.

Tips for Discovering a Country Through Its Food During Your Career Break Travel

Ask the locals. I have a few favorites types of locals I like to ask: a good taxi driver, the staff at the hotel or hostel or the salesman at the market after you’ve bought that trinket, and your tour leader. Sure they might send you to their buddy down the road, but they are around enough to know what travelers tend to like.

Take a tour of the local markets. So many cities and towns have fresh markets where you can go and pick out the fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, etc for yourself. The one in Santiago, Chile, ¨La Vega¨ even has a set of restaurants next door where everything is made from that market. Spend part of a day to see what’s available.
Find a busy stall when you are hungry for street food. Street food is always traveler favorite whether you’re in New York, Paris or New Delhi. If you’re not sure which cart or stall to pick, go with a busy one. It means they are turning over their product and there’s a need to keep everything fresh to keep up with demand.
Try everything once, just once. Part of traveling is discovering things that are new to you. I remember on a trip to Paris, it became a joke to order off the menu and see what showed up. Often what we expected was not what was delivered. But, it was usually very tasty!
Stick to sealed bottled water. A lot more places have safe drinking water than what you’d expect. But, if you are in a place where you can’t or are unsure, stick to bottled water. And be sure it’s sealed: If you don’t hear the crack send it back! It’s not worth the risk to your system.

Now, my B-Side Food and Eating Tips for Your Career Break Travel

Ask the waiter or staff at the restaurant what the specialty of the house is. These guys know what sells and what people like.
Find a local cooking class. Whether it’s a partial day or full day class, you can get a lot of of the time you spend with a local chef. Make sure you will get your hands dirty and find out if a tour of the local market to help pick out the ingredients can be arranged.
Get out of the hostel kitchen. Budget concerns usually keep people cooking for themselves. But, be sure to explore. There’s usually something budget-friendly and tasty in the area.
Pair up at the hostel kitchen. Rather than just cooking for yourself, get together with some of your new travel friends and make a potluck dinner. Just make sure that someone attempts something local when possible.
Accept invitations to people’s homes. In South America and Turkey, I received several invitations to dine at people’s homes. As much as possible, I try to accept these invitations. It’s a great way to get a home-cooked meal and have a real connection while you’re there.
Go beyond the “known” local dish. If I say, “Argentina”, you probably will think steak. But, did you know that the pasta and ice cream are out of this world? No doubt you should have the stereotypical dish the country is known for. But, there is always more just below the surface.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Discovering A Country Through Its Food During Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Safety and Security Tips During Your Career Break

jeff — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:00:31 +0000

Staying safe is a concern, but manageable. Coyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Writing about security while traveling is a tough topic. You want to help people be prepared. But you don’t want to scare them either. Most long-term travelers will tell you that most safety concerns people have about traveling in the world are overblown. I echo that sentiment. That’s not to say that you don’t have to be careful, far from it. But, most long-term travelers figure out pretty quickly how to mitigate their risk. You will always have a bit of a risk. It’s called life. So, do some up-front preparation and planning so you can act quickly if you do fall prey to a ne’er-do-well.

Safety and Security Tips for Career Break Travel

Address prevention before you leave. Don’t leave without making photocopies of all your key items: passport, credit cards and driver’s license or national ID. Keep a copy with you, scan a copy and email them to yourself so you can print on the road. And finally, as extra backup, leave a copy with a trusted family member or friend back home.
Register your trip with your embassy. The chances that your embassy will have to contact you is pretty remote. But, doing so does streamlines communications in case something happens to you. Many embassies have online forms to make it easy on you.
Get the scoop on safety and security issues from the locals and the other travelers. Many places that have a tinge of danger to their reputation either aren’t, have it localized to places where you wouldn’t go anyway, or have special rules to minimize your risk. Always rely on the locals and other travelers to get the real scoop. If someone wants to give you advice about the safety of place, ask if they’ve been. You’ll be surprised at how many haven’t.
Take only what you need for the day. There is no need to pack your entire life when you go out exploring for the day. Don’t take your passport (copy will be fine), wallet or any credit or debit cards you’re not going to use). Keep your backpack light with just the gear you want or need.
Safety in numbers: Consider a small tour group operator like Gap Adventures. If the idea of throwing yourself out into the world is still a little daunting, then join up with a small group tour operator. In India, we had a tight-knit group so no one ever had to walk the streets alone. It was great to explore the cities and towns with others in our group. And, it certainly boosted our confidence as we explored.

Now, my B-Side Safety and Security Tips for Your Career Break Travel

Keep it all in the front pockets. If someone wants to get into your pants, so to speak, it will be much more noticeable if they are reaching for your frontside rather than your backside.
Consider locking the zippers on your backpack. I’ve seen a few travelers do this to give them peace of mind while walking around.
Make friends in your hostel. Chances are you aren’t the only one traveling solo. So, go to the common area and strike up a conversation with someone at your hostel. They would probably appreciate making a new friend to hang out with too.
Find out how safe it is to go out at night. Security situations are always local. And, it can vary greatly between the day and night. So, always find out if you need to get around differently at night than you do during the day.
Keep your money in the bra. This one’s for the ladies. I’ve had several female friends of mine use this trick to take away the worry about walking around with cash.
Skip the internal money belts. For the record, I’ve never used one. And, most people I’ve met who had one, never used it. If someone in the comments wants to make the case for using these belts, feel free. But, I don’t see the need for this product. There are other ways you can deal with your money when you’re out and about.
Keep your cell phone and iPod hidden. The price of the these gadgets in many countries makes them highly desired by thieves. So, don’t flash them around when you are walking around.
Get black earbuds. White headphones are an unmistakable marker of an iPod. Replace them with simple black earbuds. And, place the cord underneath your shirt so it is harder to notice that you are listening to your favorite songs while walking down the street.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Safety and Security Tips During Your Career Break is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Money Tips for Your Career Break Trip

jeff — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00:05 +0000

Money, money, money! Get it together before you leave. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

This topic always raises travelers’ blood pressure and stress by a few points. Even I still check and double check that I have everything in order before I go. The good news is that most of what you have to do to minimize your risk of being without money can be taken care of before you…when you can take your time to make sure it’s all in order. The rest relies on being street smart while you travel. So, a lot of these will become second nature to you in no time.

Managing Your Money and Finances on Your Career Break

Let your banks know where you’re going for all credit and debit card accounts. You don’t want any surprises while you’re traveling. And, banks have pretty sophisticated fraud systems. So, if you haven’t been traveling and all of a sudden overseas charges start showing up, you WILL be flagged. So, for every debit and credit card you plan to take, be sure you let your bank know to expect constant overseas activity. Even after traveling for a year, I got flagged when I bought a new DSLR camera. Once I called, everything was fine again. It’s good that they are watching. You just don’t want every transaction held up.
Use your ATM card to get local currency. I’m a big believer in using the local ATM. You tend to get the best, most current exchange rate via the bank. Yes, the banks will charge you fees. But, there are some banks that will waive or refund those fees. So, do your homework before you go and move your account as needed. If you have to use an exchange place (it happens), then find one away from the airport to get the best rate. Also, withdrawing the maximum amount you’re comfortable carrying around will minimize those ATM fees.
Always have a backup plan. Sometimes the credit card machine doesn’t work. Sometimes, the ATM is out of money. Sometimes they say they take credit cards . But, when you go to pay, you find out the card machine is ¨not working.¨ So, have multiple options to minimize your hassles.
ATM tips.

1. Exercise caution at the ATM at all times. Find one that’s guarded if possible. For example, in South America, many ATMs have guards so you can feel safe getting money.

2. If you don’t have a 4-digit ATM pin, get one before you leave. It’s the most universally accepted PIN worldwide. I only recently discovered that some banks use 5-digit pins. Make sure you get a 4-digit pin or else you will have a hard time logistically getting your PIN reset from overseas.

3. Some countries have a limit on how much money you can get per transaction. But, know that you can usually do a second withdrawal if you need more cash.

If you’re joining a tour group like Gap Adventures, you can find out how much money they recommend bringing with you. On my tour in India with Gap Adventures, most of the costs were covered. So, all we needed was money for food, tuk tuks and whatever trinkets we wanted to buy. Luckily India is pretty cheap so we didn’t have to worry too much about being without. And, our group bonded pretty quickly. So, if anyone had run out of money, that person would have been covered until we could get to a working ATM or a money exchange place.

The B-Side Money Tips for Your Career Break Travel

Always pay in the local currency. You will always get the best price using local currencies.
Cash is king in most of the world. Outside of Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, cash is preferred, and often the only way to pay.
Don’t use an internet cafe to do your banking. Many banks won’t recognize the computer you’re using. And, even if their security allows you access to your account, a public computer may not have adequate browser security to protect your most personal financial data. Use your own laptop.
Have a VISA credit card. I love my American Express, but many merchants do not. So, be sure that one of your credit cards is a VISA. It’s the most accepted card I’ve seen. Matercard is an acceptable alternative. But, I’ve found Visa to be the most widely accepted.
Set up a power of attorney with someone back home. It doesn’t hurt to have a trusted someone back home able to access your banking information. I have someone and that person has come on handy from time to time as various situations have come up.
Set up a will and trust. When you leave for your career break, you need to have all your affairs in order. And, this includes what to do in case the unthinkable happens. If you have a will and trust already, review it and modify it before you go. If you don’t, this is a good excuse to get one established.

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Money Tips for Your Career Break Trip is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Packing for a Career Break: The B-Side

jeff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:11 +0000

A personal packing fail when I biked down the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Packing for a long-term trip is different than a other trips. On a vacation, it’s usually short enough that you can think through what you will need. Go skiing? heavy clothes. Going to the beach or a cruise? Beachwear. But, on a long-term trip, you could be shifting seasons over time. In Ecuador, you could be in the Galapagos one week (beachwear) then head to the Amazon jungle (cover up) and then go hiking on snow-capped volcanoes (layers).
Then, there’s all that constant moving around: town to town, bus to bus, the occasional plane-ride. So it all has to move easily and safely in a durable bag. You want to travel with electronics? Yeah, gotta figure out how to get that stuff around safely and securely without it getting pinched. And, the list goes on and on.
My biggest theme is to keep it all simple. Here’s why.

You can buy clothing on the road. No need to plan for every possible scenario. Pack for what you need 80-90% of the time.
Except for maybe a dream expedition, you don’t need extraneous gear. And, you might even be able to rent some of what you need when you need it.
You will develop a rhythm while traveling and you’ll learn quickly what you want to keep carrying and what gets left behind.

Top Tips for Packing for a Career Break

[pro-player width=’600′ height=’400′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmHRQ92EXFQ[/pro-player]

Get a side-loading backpack. It seems like most backpacks made now are side-loading. So, if your buddy wants to give you his backpack from a few years ago, kindly say no. Yes, taking that backpack will save you at least $200. But, the hassle on the road will have you wishing you had just sucked it up and bought your own.
If it doesn’t go in the backpack, it doesn’t go with you. When I started traveling, I left home with too much stuff. It all fit, but it was heavy. And, then somehow, I started picking up stuff that I truly needed that I didn’t have. I went right into winter in Argentina and Chile. And, I didn’t have the right jacket or socks, for starters. All of a sudden, I was faced with a choice of what to leave behind. It was at that moment, I knew my packing had to become utilitarian or I’d never survive on the road. That started a long tradition of leaving things behind along the way as my needs changed.
My list of must-have items. Everyone has their list, here are my top favorites.

iPod. Gotta have music for those long bus and plane rides.
Microfiber towel. A lot of small budget hotels offer towel services. But, most hostels do not. These microfiber towels dry quickly so you can shower before you go and not have to pack anything wet when you leave for your next stop.
Small medicine kit. Shockingly, there are pharmacies around the world. So, all you really need are just the basics
Hygiene products. All that traveling around can mean long stretches without the ability to clean up. In some cases, that’s part of the fun like a long hike or bike ride. So, I always try to keep these things on me: hand sanitizer, moist facial tissue and maybe even a roll of toilet paper.
Ziploc bags. There is nothing worse than arriving somewhere to find a bottle with liquid or cream has opened up and soiled everything. One time in Holland, I opened my bag late in the evening. I had the first flight out in the morning, and a little messy surprise awaited my cleaning. Not a fun night! So, keep some ziplocs with you to keep the wet stuff wet, the dry stuff dry and keep your little tchotchkes that can be lost easily well organized.
Use the bag wrapping services at the airport. I love bag wrapping services. And, if you travel with a backpack you should use them too. Backpacks are so easy to get into, rifle through and close up without anyone noticing. By having a wrap around your bag, you make it more difficult for them to get into it and impossible to notice that they did. Remember, thieves are lazy! Also, airport baggage handling systems are rough on luggage. So the plastic is just thick enough to keep the skid marks off your bags. Finally, if your bag has to pass through rain outside, your your backpack will stay dry inside.
Check with your tour operator like Gap Adventures for their packing list. Depending on the kind of tour you take, you made need some special gear. For example, if you go to Antarctica, that slightly heavier jacket you have isn’t going to cut it. So, check and see if you need anything for that trip. There might also be some good second-hand stores or the possibility of renting the extra gear for your trip.

Now, my B-Side Packing Tips for Career Break Travel

Carry on anything you can’t possibly live without or has value. I used to think this one was obvious. Then I traveled with a good friend of mine for a couple of weeks during my career break. I was shocked at what she put in her checked luggage: important papers and even cash. I almost exploded when I saw her packing up one day. That probably wasn’t the best way to communicate an important message. But, don’t trust that your bags won’t be opened or that that the security people won’t steal from you.
Pack the same things in the same place inside your backpack. If you want to be efficient with your packing and unpacking, have a system of where things go so you know where to find them. For me it’s shoes on the bottom, pants and shorts on top of them, then shirts and jackets and underwear on top. Oh, socks go inside the shoes. My shaving kit goes in a fold-over compartment in the backpack. Things like my towels, extra books I might be carrying and other stuff I don’t access much go in the other compartments.
Unpack everything once in a while. You’ll be surprised what you forgot you were carrying around…and maybe don’t need.
Things inside my shaving kit. These are the things I keep 99% of the time.

Shaving cream and razor
Deodorant
Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
Sunscreen and a small container of skin lotion (some places are really dry)
Hair brush
Nail file and clippers
Small container of hair product (comes in handy if you get an invitation to someone’s house)
Cologne (grab a couple of samples at the department store)

Jeans. Some travelers hate jeans. But, I like them because they are comfortable, I hate walking around a city or town in my hiking pants that zip at the knee, and if you want to go somewhere nice or to someone’s house, jeans are universally accepted worldwide
One nice shirt. Again, if you get an invitation out, or want to go somewhere nice, it will come in handy
Shoes: tennis shoes, flip flops and one nice pair of black shoes. If I’m going to be doing a lot of hiking, I might take hiking boots
Shirts for layering. Your travel fashion style will be defined by layers.
Headlamp. If you take an iPod with you, the free Flashlight application can be an acceptable substitution.
Locks for your bags and hostel lockers.
Buff. Good for wind and sun protection, or simply adding an extra layer.
Duct tape. Perfect for first aid for your gear.
Travel-size Febreze spray bottle. Hey, things get smelly on the road!

Check out the other topics covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

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Packing for a Career Break: The B-Side is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Introducing the B-Side of the Gap Adventures Career Break Series, Ditch the Cubicle

jeff — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:00:16 +0000

[pro-player width=’600′ height=’400′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts_iCGh3OuY[/pro-player]

Excited. Not sure how else to describe the launch of the Gap Adventures’ Career Break Video series. Through the course of 10 videos (OK, 9 if you don’t include the introduction video), I’ll take you through the process of preparing for a career break and give you some ideas on how to get the most out of it.

We had a lot of discussion about what to include in the series. After all, we could have made the whole series just about what you need to do to get ready to go. In the end, we focused on the aspects of prepping for and going on a career break trip that will help you get the most out of it. Once we finalized the scope, I got right to work writing the scripts and laying out my top tips and advice on the topics. The videos all stand on their own and you can get straight to them at DitchtheCubicle.ca. Of course, you can also find them here on Career Break Secrets!

But that’s not the end of the story…

The B-Side of the Gap Adventures’ Career Break Series

Let me help you discover more secrets to career break travel planning. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

To keep the videos short, sweet, to the point and entertaining, we limited their run times between 2-3 minutes. Editorially, we had to focus on the most important tips for each topic. But, I felt I had more to say on each topic. It’s sort of like the old 45 RPM records. Side A was always the star and the reason you bought the record. But, the artist always left you with a little something extra…on the B-Side

So, I’m accompanying each video with an extra bloggy goodness. It’s my B-side. In each post you’ll see the video, the tips I had in the video and the extras that we just didn’t have time to include. Without further ado, here is the outline of what is included in the series. Enjoy! And as always, leave me your questions and feedback in the comments.

Topics Covered in the Gap Adventures Career Break Video Series

If you like this post, sign up for our newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with Career Break Secrets’ career break and travel advice.

Introducing the B-Side of the Gap Adventures Career Break Series, Ditch the Cubicle is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures