The world journey

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'
-Mark Twain

SIDE BAR

Preparation

Finally the serious preparations have started: I've started taking up the vaccines i've been recommended, and after having renewed the obligatory shots i left behind around 2 months ago, they (the vaccinations department) set me up with a schedule with the various new ones i have to take and when (and they seemed pretty interested in the project as well!), which is supposed to end in mid-january.

After strolling around councils and embassies, i found out i'm eligible to have dual citizenship, meaning 2 passports, and twice the paperwork. I'm sure two completely different ones will come in handy though. Processing time says the most i have to wait is a couple of months, so no problem on that. The last burocratic problem is obtaining an american visa. I know about the visa waiver program, and how it grants me a visaless visit for 3 months: problem is, I will probably (surely) stay a lot more, and getting in and out of canada a few times. So i have to figure it out by having a talk with their embassy.

As for the gear, nothing to worry about, as in other trips i've always been fine with what i took, the weight is okay, and everything functional. The website needs fixing up, but the basics are already working, and lots of content cant be added before we're on the road, so just wait out for that

I'll have to start looking for the one way ticket soon, i'm sure it'll cost me less if i get to catch some offer... but before that, the visa information is obligatory.

As for the psychology of the trip, mine has changed after meeting all the people at the 888 Hitchhiking week in Paris this August (Click to view the details). By later talking to Ludovic, who hitchhiked the world for 5 years, and explaining me that at some point he realized his whole trip was turning out to be something for personal pleasure and decided to give something in return, by teaching and hosting conferences wherever he went, I decided to give something back as well: I just have no idea on what yet. If you have any ideas, just email me or post in the guestbook =)

That's all for the time being. I'll keep you updated about the pre-departure period.

Updates will be more frequent as soon as the site is fixed up and running smoothly...!

15/09/08

Leaving on Feb-Mar 2009