At first, I thought staying at campground/hostel Chez Nelson on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia was a godsend. It’s only $20 the first night, $16 each additional night for a dorm, and several people have recommended it in the BootsnAll forum. Then I checked Couchsurfing on a whim, and was surprised to find 5 results!

I just e-mailed my first couchsurfer from the guest perspective. I’m suddenly even *more* excited to head to the island paradise, if that is possible. While saving a little money would be nice, I’m thinking more about how the experience of staying with a local could enrich my stay. I’ll let you know if I get the green light.

Fun Facts About Tahiti from my Lonely Planet guide (as costly as any other with far fewer pages):

• birthplace of surfing
• lacks malaria (though dengue fever is a risk)
• no poisonous snakes
• December is the rainy season
• I’m going to freakin’ Tahiti in 16 days!

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Less than a week after posting my car for sale on Craig’s List, I’ve taken a cash deposit based on a sale price in my preferred range, and expect to finalize the sale (upon receipt of a cashier’s check) within the next few days. I’ve learned a few things about selling a car, and for those who may be doing it soon, here’s my advice:

• Read and follow the directions given in online “How to’s.” Read the selling version AND the buyer’s version, so you know what the people coming to buy your car have been looking at as well. My favorite was Kelley Blue Book’s 10 Steps to Selling Your Car. I also referenced Guide to Selling Your Car and AutoTrader’s How to Sell Your Car.
• Post, or re-post, your ad on Friday evening. I posted my ad on Monday (probably the worst day) and started to feel anxious when the inquiries didn’t roll in. I even started to lower my asking price. I thought people would schedule time to test drive for the weekend, however I received the majority of inquiries between Friday night and Saturday afternoon. This might have been because daylight savings time is over so people wouldn’t be able to really see the car on the weeknights, or people were simply wrapped up with school/work.
• If you’re in a major metro area, allow your Craig’s List ad to stay up over at least one weekend before shelling out $30+ for an ad on AutoTrader. All of my leads came from Craig’s List (which is free).
• Of the 6 people who responded, 5 wanted a test drive. I accepted the offer made by the first person to test drive it (early bird gets the worm). I politely canceled the remaining appointments once I accepted a cash deposit and a handwritten note with the “terms” of the deal and both parties’ signatures.
• If you only have 2.5 weeks before leaving the country on a trip around the world, your car’s sale price will make up more than 30% of your budget, and you receive an offer within your range from a friendly man who holds a senior position at your own bank, TAKE IT!

What a relief! I was as transparent as a windshield, and didn’t negotiate worth a hoot, however he offered me the exact figure I had in my mind (which was definitely more than I’d get at Carmax), and I felt completely comfortable dealing with him (and his daughter, for whom he is buying the car).

My last hurdle is getting approved for new medical insurance. More on the company/plan I applied for later!

__________

PS - I’ve always based my savings plan on a conservative value for my car (what I expected to get at Carmax). Now that I’ve made a private deal, the difference is like a bonus! It could buy me a extra few weeks in any country on my list, or perhaps something big like a helicopter ride. Perhaps a multi-day sail in Australia’s Whitsundays, or the more expensive trek in Nepal to Everest Base Camp!

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I wrapped up my final immunizations this week, knocking out my third Hepatitis B shot, Meningitis (for all those dorm style accommodations), and the Flu.

Malaria doesn’t exist in Tahiti, New Zealand or Australia, so I won’t need to start popping pills until about January 27, 2009 - two days before I fly to Bali. I’ll then be on them until Europe, which is a long time.

After much research online, I settled on Doxycycline (1x/day). It’s side effects are tied to the digestive system, and sun exposure, which I can manage. It also happens to be the cheapest option (judging by costs in the USA, and we all know we’ve got the highest in the world), and most widely available (at least from what I could tell on the BootsnAll forums).

My findings on Lariam (Mefloquin, 1x/week) were startling and quite scary. Side effects include anxiety (I’m already an anxious guy), nightmares, strange, dreams, depression, and many people believe it has lead loved ones to psychotic episodes, and even suicide. The first article/investigation I read was “The Dark Side of Lariam” on CBS’ 60 Minutes website (2003). I continued to read more, and found some scary comments left in the Guestbook of To Lariam or not to Lariam. Below are a few of the more recent ones:

Thanks for the site … been a year since I have taken Lariam and finally am beginning to feel 100% normal; Can’t believe that they prescribe this drug. — Tim 10/20/07

Suffered similar side effects as described here minus the vomiting and diarrhea. Only took three tablets but the severe effects lasted 5 weeks after the last while dizziness, weakness, memory loss, mood swings and delirium seems to have lasted up to 3 months from last tablet. It was very reassuring to read the story and see somebody else had gone through what I’m experiencing. I felt I was going crazy as the side effects are so weird. My advice to anyone, don’t take Lariam when there is safe alternatives such as Malarone or Doxycycline. — Andy 10/16/07

If you’re planning a trip, do a Google search for “lariam” before picking a malaria medication.

Malarone (1x/day) is a newer drug, however it is cost prohibitive for someone like me planning to be away for a long period of time, at least based on US costs.

Chloroquin (1x/week) gave me no side effects when I took it on my past two trips to Central America, however it has been so widely used, the malaria has become resistant to it in much of the world.

Do you have a preference for malaria medication?

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I posted my car for sale on Craig’s List, AutoTrader (and its affiliates), and VWVortex.  My goal is to have a committed buyer in place no later than Thanksgiving (Nov 22), given I leave the DC area on Nov 29.

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A few months ago, I had read advice suggesting it’s best to wait until about a month before your planned departure to buy airfare, otherwise you’ll spend all your time worrying about whether something will derail you from using those expensive tickets.

It made sense to me, and I cut it real close. Last Friday, I bought the following itinerary through the friendly people at AirTreks.com to kick off my world tour:

• Nov 30 - New York City to Tahiti (direct, with a short stopover in Los Angeles)
• Dec 6 - Tahiti to Auckland, New Zealand
• Jan 2 - Christchurch, New Zealand to Brisbane, Australia
• Jan 29 - Melbourne, Australia to Bali, Indonesia

To get to NYC, I’ll take a $20 bus ride, and then spend my last night in the USA couchsurfing at my friend Kai’s/brother’s apartment. And before I get to Indonesia, I’ll have to buy my next ticket or two so I can show proof of onward travel. The discount Asian airlines seem to have reasonable prices from that point forward. I’ll probably hop to Singapore for a few days, and then on to Hong Kong and beyond.

Oh, and if you’re wondering how much those 4 flights cost, it came out to $2091 (tax included). Given it will get me to the other side of the world during New Zealand’s peak tourism season (summer), I’m fairly satisfied. Once I hit mainland Asia, I plan to rough it overland via trains and buses for awhile.

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After a busy final day of packing, an uncomfortable night of sleeping on the floor listening to a domestic dispute at 2am, and a nightmare about large scorpions emerging from under my oven, I awoke to the unpleasant task of picking up my 14′ Uhaul truck.

Around 8:15am, I drove to the local Uhaul location, where upon exiting my car, I was surrounded by guys who didn’t speak English well, and seemed to be looking for work. I made it into the office, where I had the opportunity to hear a woman get in a loud dispute with the staff about a dolly (the response she got was rather rude). Luckily, everything was in order for me. As I got in my truck, the guy who accosted me earlier showed up again. He and another guy put something in the back. Perturbed, I got out, opened the rear, and found a small dolly. I told them I didn’t want it, and took it out. I got in again to review my map, and the guy began to adjust my passenger side mirror, and though I appreciated the help, I’m still not sure why he proceeded to open the passenger door. I decided to look at the map elsewhere and sped off.

The two movers (hired via emove.com) showed up a few minutes early, and went straight to work. They were about my size, and rather young, however very courteous, friendly, and efficient. Once my stuff was loaded, I realized I could’ve gotten by with a 10′ truck. I also could’ve gotten by with a 25 square foot (vs 50) storage space, though it would’ve been tight. I think the reduction of possessions threw me off. After unloading at the storage unit, we dropped off two pieces of furniture at my friend Phil’s basement, and made it to my parent’s house to unload my TV and clothes with a few minutes to spare (I had hired/paid them for 4 hours).

I managed to drive the rolling deathtrap back to where I got it, and was happy to get into my comfortable VW so I too could speed past the meandering amateurs driving Uhauls. I picked up a few things at my apartment, dropped off the keys, returned the cable equipment, and headed back to my parent’s house for R&R (and a Guinness).

By 10pm, I was completely exhausted, and fell right to sleep. The kind of sleep which you deserve after a hard day’s work.

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This might be my busiest day off ever. It began Thursday night with DC United’s home playoff game. Sadly, they lost the 2-game series by a goal, and their season is over, however it was not for lack of screaming my lungs off and cursing like a madman. Yes, I was in the crazy Barra Brava section 136 again, inhaling smoke bombs and dripping with beer thrown in the air after DC’s two come-from-behind goals in the second half. My friend said his friend saw us on the ESPN2 broadcast, however I accidently deleted my recording of the game!

8am Friday - windshield replaced for $77 less than the previous time, in half the time, and according to the guys, with far better workmanship (the previous replacement sounded like it was a botched surgery to the trained eye)

9am - cancel cable TV/internet and corporate credit card

10am - physical therapy

12pm - sell snowboard bag for $20

12pm - 4pm - pay AirTreks for my first few flights (Dept Nov 30 - NYC to Tahiti to New Zealand to Australia to Bali), get exterior of car detailed, laundry, pack

4pm - photograph exterior of car for advertisements

5pm - 12am - finish packing, drop some stuff off at parent’s house

Bedtime - mentally prepare for driving the big-ass 14′ Uhaul Saturday to 3 different locations in northern Virginia, and pinch myself to ensure this is all really happening!

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Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. — Helen Keller

The “Short and Sweet” Version

I did it! I submitted my notice to my boss at work Monday morning. It was hard, though after I got it all out, I felt a HUGE sense of relief. I agreed to stay on a few days longer than initially planned, through November 21 (the day before Thanksgiving). My boss was both surprised and supportive. He said his boss, peer, and the HR VP were all happy for me. “You’re only young once,” he said. It should start to become public knowledge in the next few days.

The Long “Play by Play” Version

I woke up and went through my normal morning routine. I wrote “Just Do It” on my whiteboard before jumping in the shower. Once in there, I said some affirmations. After getting dressed, I played a few of my favorite Pennywise songs from the DVD I created the night before. I stepped outside of my warm apartment into the chilly 38-degree air. The sky was a brilliant and complete blue - not a cloud in sight (sadly, such morning skies remind me of 9/11).

I continued to listen to Pennywise on the way to work, until I started feeling as though my heart was going to beat through the wall of my chest. I realized mellow music was called for to relax me, and popped on Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” which put me at ease.

After about 15 minutes of settling into my cubicle as usual, I called my boss and asked if he had time to meet with me. He was available immediately. I tend to be diplomatic, and sometimes take awhile to get to my bottom line message. I chose a different approach for this situation, opening with “This is really hard for me, so I’m going to get straight to it.” I then proceeded to tell him about the decision I had made to make a big change in my life, and pursue my passion for travel by embarking on a trip around the world. He responded with surprise, support and curiosity.

When I indicated November 15th as my last day, he suggested a little more time might behoove me given my managerial role and the time of year (we’re busier than normal through Thanksgiving). Four extra days before a holiday would be easy enough, so I agreed to make November 21st my last day instead. Glad I hadn’t bought a plane ticket yet - I want to leave the company in good standing!

I immediately felt a sense of relief and excitement, updated my good friends and parents, and went about knocking tasks off my pre-trip “to-do” list at lightening speed with a clear mind and a satiated soul.

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