Choice of the destination & circuit

This is almost the most important stage of the trip .The question is rather complicated sometimes, especially that the number of parameters to be taken into account for an Arab is rather high. Sometimes in spite of the personal desire and the great motivation, you are likely to find yourself in confrontation with realities (bad season, too much time for getting visa, etc.) that oblige you to change your destination at the last minute. The good step to be made consists on an anticipation of all the surprises. Do not pass to the advanced stages of the preparation before making sure of your possibility to make this destination.

Falling in Asia into full monsoon and arriving at Brazil one week after the end of the Carnival will not leave you indifferent. To buy all the material of trek for Siberia then having a refusal of visa for Russia is also something which can happen.

Therefore, start by imagining two or three scenarios. Use all possible source of information: travel magazines (That's what I personally do considering they advice the tourist circuits and areas to visit), Internet, tourism offices, consulates, or ask people who have already made this trip, check in forum, etc.

Now you have some circuits at head, a general idea on what you can do, which type of activity and in which area. It is then necessary to check the period in which you hope to be there. Every season is good to travel, but it is a shame not to be able to move in Cambodia during monsoon because quite simply the roads disappear. Finland is splendid but to go there in winter is a little special because it can be dark all the time and it is too bad to miss the sun of midnight and to arrive at north without seeing the sky's polar colors... Many other examples like that: In Argentina, the whales come once a year near the coasts; in Chile the Penguins spend only the summer on the south. Paris by summer is empty of its inhabitants and Venice in winter is simply sad.

Now, that your ideas about where and when to travel is more or less fixed, you will be confronted to the sensible part: The visa request. The problem is not only to get or not the visa, but it can be mainly the delay to obtain these documents, the procedure (sometimes particular to Arabs) or the costs that are sometimes excessive. We detail all these points about visas in our section of visa. However, what is important to know here is not to be sure about your destination if you don't have already your visa in your hands. It is primordial.

Visas

The visa is a very important stone for any Arab traveler. Unfortunately, the visa can be the first obstacle for the travelers from the south. Since few years, the request procedures have become more and more complicated. Certain destinations like the European countries, Australia or North America are simply banished for the majority of the Arab population. But, you should not give up. If you wish to leave to these countries, it is necessary to well study the file one or two years before launching out in the voyage. It is necessary to prepare for the request for visa in the same way as for your preparation of budget for the voyage i.e. a long time in advance.

If you reside in occident, obtaining visa for any country in the world is simple. The only complication remains on the level of the delay. Pay attention, the surprises are various. The consulate of Mexico announces three months to give you answer for visa, Egypt three weeks if you reside in Europe, India a few weeks depending on your country. And of course these procedures concern only the travelers with Arab nationalities. If you find that one day is enough to obtain a visa for Russia , take care because it's for a European or American not for everybody. You have to know that you do not have the same rights. In the same way, and rather often, the procedures of express visa concerns only the Westerners. You will not have this privilege, so it is more then necessary to start preparation in advance.

The preparation of the file is not complicated. The reservations of hotels on Internet are accepted almost everywhere. Some countries (Eastern Europe) claim a ' Voucher' that consists on an invitation letter from a local in your destination country or any travel agency. You can find agencies which make you this paper sometimes after you pay them to make an investigation on you (Example: Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, etc.)

The golden rule remains time, it is necessary to envisage a Maximum of time in advance in order to avoid surprises...

                                                                            See our section of visa information

Vaccins & drugs

Any travel is easy to make, but the most important is to return in good health. The preparation of your travel in this point is vital, and I point out here a sad personal story: in June 2005 a friend with me died by Malaria during a long trip in Africa (after some weeks the medication is no more efficient against mosquitoes). This should never be a reason to cancel a travel (useless to recall that one can have problems of health even in his bed..) but it is necessary to give a maximum importance to this stage, its success is the success of the travel. The opposite can have consequences that you can avoid simply with a good preparation.

So, what is it about? The answer to this question is the heart of medical preparation. Each country, continent presents risks known for the doctors and the centers of vaccinations. Certain airline companies also have medical centers which can inform you and also make for you the vaccines necessary for your destination. It should be noted that certain vaccines require recalls after some three weeks. The rule is to get information as soon as possible also and to ask for a notebook of international vaccines that it is necessary to have for oneself preferably (certain countries as Brazil impose an obligatory vaccine against the yellow fever for example and notebook of the vaccines). Most serious diseases have vaccines but notice that Malaria does not have. Malaria is your enemy number one.

If your destination is in area with risk then do not save the means to make you avoid any risk, it is a question of consuming pills which limit the risk of Malaria (certain types of drugs require to be taken a few days or weeks before the travel) and to use repulsive mosquitoes on the spot. We advise you to consult the specialized sites to know the exact list of diseases by country and the means of preventions.

BackPack

It's over now with the small "headaches" of visa and health. Now it's time for the pleasure of preparing backpack. For lovers of the trekking and travel this step is a pure pleasure. That does not prevent at all from giving all the attention to everything (type of the backpack to be bought, what should be put inside, which material is necessary to have inside, how to choose, how to know if nothing is forgotten, etc.). A multitude of questions are asked and each answer is important.

Let us start from the beginning i.e. the choice of the backpack. The choice depends certainly on your destination and the manner with which you hope to move. The season and the duration of your trip are also important in making your choice. In mountain and Trek, a rather small bag is a must... You will save your energy. In winter, expect that your bag will be full quickly. In Asia, it is worthy to minimize the number of pockets outside to prevent anyone from putting something inside. For a travel to America, choose a bag of good quality which will support the long hours of transport. In Europe, you are likely to find yourself often in the subways with people so a backpack that is not too big is appreciated. What is necessary to retain is that the choice of the backpack should not be done without establishing the link with your destination, its duration and the special precautions that you may have to take.

Now that you have your backpack, make sure that you have not forgotten anything. Make a list of what you need and check well before your departure that everything is there. If in the Andes Mountains in Chile, you realize that you missed your multi-function pocket knife you will be sad during years. In the following page you find a detailed list of the objects that we suggest taking with you. You can organize your backpack in an easy way so that you can use it easily later:

-A pocket for the drugs and repulsive of the mosquitoes
-A pocket for the hygiene and the detergent products
-A pocket for the shoes, socks, held of the sport, mosquito net, etc.
-All similar clothing is grouped in small bags inside the backpack.
-Dirty clothing on standby for a laundry is grouped together in a well closed bag
- An internal pocket can preserve the photocopies of all your documents (medical cards, copies of the visas, useful numbers, blood group, etc.)
- A pocket to group torch, impermeable bag, pen, batteries, binoculars, etc.

Lecture

The primary aim of the traveling remains self culture and discovery. A way to succeed the trip is reading about the countries to be visited before the departure. Being well informed on history, culture, traditions, gastronomy, etc enriches your knowledge and makes your trip deeper and more interesting. Going to Egypt without making the difference between Akenaton and Ramses II or arriving in India without knowing anything about their numerous religions will make you lose invaluable time on your journey to understand what you see.

The choice of what is necessary to be read depends on your interest and your destination. Read on art before a trip to Italy and in architecture before visiting Barcelona. Knowing the history of Andalusia will double the charm of its visit. and reading the book about the trip of Ibn Fadlan is a real pleasure that you will discover once in Scandinavia. the guides books can generally advise you on the traditional books to read before your trip, you can also see movies (films, documentary, etc) If you are curious. Do not hesitate to seek in each country the specialized books (history, photography, etc) to create your library of voyages. For that, just remember that the cheapest places to get these books are not the tourist places. Prepare a small budget for culture and use your guide book (see heading guides) to find the best addresses and references

                                                                                                                            Read more

Sport

Your back hurts you, you are tired, your feet hurt, nausea, sleep, etc Why make a whole way to arrive to Beijing if you don't enjoy it? To leave on a journey not well prepared physically risks quite simply to waste the pleasure of your holidays. You should know that in Asia the majority of the temples are built in top of hills. that in Brazil the festival lasts days and nights non stop. and that to visit a museum like TopKapi or Alhambra, it takes you one day walking. You should know that you will spend hours and entire days walking to visit the cities, villages or in excursion. So, whatever is your destination or your mode of travel, it is very important to leave in a good physical condition. Make sport as much as you can (of course that should not be limited to this period) but for those who are not great sportsmen, it is necessary that they do not trust only their energy and motivation. A few small weeks of sport before the departure provides your body with the freshness that will be useful to support the change of climate, temperature, tiredness, etc.

Some destinations make it possible to make sport on the spot. Find information before leaving about diving in Egypt, the hunting of wild boars in Belarus, the ski in Europe, etc. You can make of Trek even if you had never done it before, it is possible to do it all around the world in group or solo.

Before leaving

These are some advices to be followed before the trip. This may allow you having a well managed travel:

- Made photocopies of all your documents, leave a copy at your family or somebody of confidence which can send them to you in case of loss (passport, visa, insurance, plane tickets, etc).
- You can scan all your documents and send them to yourself by email. In this way, you will constantly have under the hand all your documents.
- Send to yourself by email or write in a paper all the useful numbers (friends, urgencies, somebody to contact in the event of problem, your codes, etc) - Use traveler's cheques.
- Seek and keep with you the addresses of your consulate in the various countries where you will travel.
- Make Identity photographs because it can be useful for request of visa if you change your destination while traveling
- A visit to your dentist is not a bad idea
- After calculating your Budget, ask your bank for the traveler's cheques. They are the safest way of carrying money for travelers.

While traveling

It is very advised to choose somebody of your friends or someone you trust to inform him constantly about your place. You can contact him for example before passing each border, or a long way in plane, train or Bus. Some travelers choose to send an email every day to all their friends to tell them on line their impressions and their adventures. This is in reality also a way of being sure that a maximum of persons can find you if necessary. If you prefer the telephone, find information before leaving about the possibilities and the costs in every country in order to avoid surprises. It is not always obvious to find a telephone and you should known that the mobile phones can work in a continent and not in another.

Keep always with you a cash amount of money that you will never use whatever are the needs (this money is only in a case of high urgency). If you have a bank card, traveler's cheque or cash, fix a sum (for example 150$) that you will never use. This sum will be useful when all banks are closed, you can be into a deep mountain and it is necessary for you to pay a Bus to quit this village; any other type of incident can always arrive.