To Do List

General planning - General dreaming

Read and read, then talk and then read some more about the possible countries you might visit. The children love it and it takes you through the time waiting for it to happen. The more the children are involved in the process the easier it is to explain the sacrifices they have to do saving the money for the trip. We for instance cut down on teamparks, movies, expensive clothes etc

Tickets

When you are about to buy your tickets, it is well worth to compare the prices at several different travel agencies. We found that the price could differ as much as 25 percent between travel agencies. Start planning your trip at least six months before you will leave. First you need to decide where you want to go and then the travel agency takes there sweet time to get you a quote.
You can of course buy your tickets through one of the travel agencies at internet. While planning the trip we felt it was a good thing to have a real person to speak to, our travel agency turned out too be an excellent one

Passport

Make sure that the family members passports are valid for at least 6 months before they expire. Some countries would not let you in if you have less than six months left on your passport.

Visa

Your travel agency should have the facts about which countries you need visa to visit. But to hundred percent sure check the at the embassies.

Vaccination

Be sure take the proper vaccinations before you leave. As soon as you decide the route, talk to the hospital and they tell you what the necessary vaccinations are. Be an early bird there are some shots that you need to take months in advance.

Credit Cards

Look into the costs of using your credit card abroad. And it could be a good thing to have two different brands, depending of which one is the most common.

Travel insurance

Yeah, what a surprise, you need one. Check the prices and rules before you decide which one to buy. In Sweden our home insurance covers the first 45 days of travel and some credit cards include some coverage if the tickets are bought with their card.

Booking Hotel

We only booked the first two nights at every stop. It is always nice to know that you have somewhere to sleep when you arrive. We did the bookings trough internet during our trip and it worked out fine. The first day at every new stop we spend some time talking toother travellers, to figure out where to sleep next.

International driver licence

Some countries demand that you have a international driver licence. And some of the car rentals will not let you rent their cars with out one.

For rent

If you will be out on the road for a couple of months it could be a good idea to rent out your place meanwhile.

Business as usual at home

Not for you perhaps, but life goes on even without you around. Anyway see to that someone take care of your home, post and bills during your travel.

Packing

The art of bringing as little as possible

Personal items

• Backpacks
• Padlock for backpack
• Underwear / 4 pair
• T-shirts / 3 pair
• Socks / 3 pair
• Jacket / water and wind resistance
• Sandals
• Trainers
• Jeans / 1pair
• Sweater / warm
• Shorts / 1 Pair
• Bath clothes
• Personal products / toothbrush etc.
• Sunglasses
• Book
• Gameboy / children
• mp3player / adults (A great thing is to download some children stories for the youngest in the family, does boring car trips easier.)
• General items
• Digital camera
• Multi adapter for electricity
• Multi tool Swiss army knife or similar
• Plastic bags
• Small backpack for day tours
• Mobile phone, GSM phones works in most countries
• Notebook and pencils
• Play cards
• Earplugs
• Washing powder

Travel pharmacy

• Band-aid
• Sunscreen for adults and children
• Mosquito repellent
• Elastic bandage
• Nose spray
• Headache tablets
• Fever reducing medicine for children
• Fever reducing medicine for adults
• Disinfectant
• Tweezers

Budget

All the good things in life are for free. Well, sorry to say but this is not.

The costs are calculated for two adults and two children. It is all Swedish prices and probably a difference depending on which country you live. And of course you can travel cheaper than this and if you have all the money in the world why not go for a more expensive trip

It costs about what a fairly good family car costs in Sweden, but who will remember a car in thirty years from now?

Contact us

Have you done a similar trip with your children? Write and tell us about it. If you have any complaints or ideas for this site please send us an email.

contact@aroundtheworldwithchildren.com

Best wishes

The Norgren family