I’m not a big fan of lists. They scare me. They never seem to be manageable, and they never seem to end! Much like my students, I like tasks that have just a few to-do items, finish them and move on to the next job. However, considering what we are going to do, I thought, “Hey, why not. How bad can it be.” Well, success! I am scared!

1. Rent the House

Yes, you might have guessed it, we are renting the house. We will be gone 12 months (13 if we can afford it), so why leave this place empty. It also will give us some extra income to help pay for our trip. I’m not sure where the sweet spot will be to put it on the market. I don’t want the stress of people coming to see it for the next nine months. I think putting it on the market about five months out will be able to get in a good tenant without having it open for every person to hum and haw about whether they want it. We are looking to rent fully furnished. If you do know someone who will be interested in a year rental without possibility to extend, keep us in mind.

2. Fixing up the House

Just like everybody’s house, there are little jobs that never seem to get done. Those small jobs now have a deadline, and I do not want to be doing it the day before we leave. I don’t have the exact list on this yet, but everywhere I go, in every room, there are one or two things to fix. I’m not looking forward to painting, and luckily it’s not every room. 

3. Selling all non-essential stuff

Did someone say yard sale? The first-yard sale already took place during the summer. Lucky for us, we did end up selling off quite a bit of things and making some money along the way. Over the year, we will be selling anything we are not willing to store. It’s funny as we go through the house to see how much stuff you can collect and how few things have an actual emotional attachment. We are also going to rid ourselves of a lot of our clothing. For the kids’ stuff, it’s pretty easy to guess that they won’t be the same size when we return. As for Charo and I, well, I’ll be explaining this in the next list item.

I think we are going to start or attempt to start practicing minimalism. When we go camping, we take what is needed. We plan what to wear and what to eat and take the tools necessary for that. After all, who needs 50 forks for a family of 5? At this moment in time I would like to assure the staff I work with that I am not the cutlery thief in our school. 

The other item I will be selling is our car. I’ll have to admit that it’s been trustworthy and dependable for these past ten years. So why sell it? If you have ever seen my family go camping, you’d know why! With the three kids in the back, you can only pack a Camry with so much before you run out of space. With the kids getting bigger, that space under their feet is no longer “cargo space.” I also think that storing a car for a year would probably cause me more problems when I try to start it up again.

4. Buying a few essential things

So Charo and I will be getting rid of a lot of our clothes. Most clothing we wear, although very comfortable, is not practical when travelling. We are going to want items that will dry quickly, keep us cool, and pack easily. That’s not the description for cotton. If you’ve ever sweat on a hot day in a cotton shirt, you know that sweat stayed with you the majority of the day. When you wash cotton, it takes hours upon hours to dry! So what is the alternative? Smart materials that can wick moisture away. I have to say it’s already made a believer out of me. I’ll be writing a blog in the future of the types of clothes we tried out and why we like it (or not), but needless to say so far so good. It’s comfortable, cool in the heat and does prevent moisture build-up. 

Charo and I were hoping to use our backpacks that we used for our first adventure to Costa Rica and Nicaragua a decade ago, but we seem to have lent them to someone. If you have them and like to return them, thank you. Otherwise, Charo and I will have to buy some new packs. We are debating on having the kids carrying a backpack. We will be doing more research on this over the next few months. 

The last essential we are going to purchase is a water filter of some sort. We know over the year someone will get sick, but why put anyone at unnecessary risk! We will be looking for something light and easy to transport. Again, something we will be researching over the next few months.

5. Research, Research, Research!

For the past few months, if not longer, Charo has been researching where we will be going on our trip. We know that we won’t be able to get everywhere, and if it weren’t for Charo, we would be going places without intent or purpose. I know many of you are wondering where she is going to lead us first. You’ll have to find out in a later blog! Sorry to get your hopes up.

The research I am going to talk about is the stuff we have to figure out before we leave for this trip like travel insurance. Not all travel insurance is equal, and you definitely cannot travel for a year on most plans. So far, I’ve learned that not all insurance will insure a year’s travel. Most need you to return to your country of origin at some point. I’ll be looking into 365-day insurance, and so far, I have found one that will insure our family for approximately $5000 for the year. Yes, another expense, but one I’ll be glad to have paid for.

Along the same line with insurance is my benefits plan through work. As a teacher, I can enroll in my benefits for the year at a cost. Will it be worth it? What reasons will I have to do so?

What do I do with my Health Card? Will we be able to access health care when we return? Will there be a waiting period? I know that your health card gives you some benefits when travelling. I’ll tell you as soon as I get the full details. 

What about the shots that we will need? I know we will be going to a travel clinic in early May to receive what is required. Six to eight weeks before you travel is the ideal time to do this. Don’t ask me what shots we’re getting. The travel doctor will have to explain this to me before I explain this to you.

6. Paying for this whole crazy thing

As a teacher, I’ve been able to set up a payment plan over the past few years. I’ve worked at a reduced salary to “pay me” while we take this year off. So I will have an income, I don’t want to be paying bills while we are away. After all, we still have a house. I’m going to have to set all my bills to automatic payment. This way I don’t have to worry while I’m gone if a bill is being paid or not. I’ll know it will be! 

Getting money is another issue altogether. When you go travelling, you can always use your debit card or credit card. The credit card is great, but not all places accept it, and cash is always welcomed. We’ve all been in the scenario where you are going out to dinner, or out with friends and want to find your bank’s ATM, so you don’t have to pay the service fees. What happens when you are in another country? In most banks, you will be charged with a $5 transaction fee from both banks plus a 2.5% ForEx fee. That’s a lot of money if you consider you can only really withdraw $500 Canadian on a daily transaction. So how do you get around this? The most straightforward answer is Scotia Bank. Scotia bank can be found in several countries in Central and South America. They are also part of the “Global Banking Alliance,” a group of banks that waive the transaction fee if you use a member’s bank card. That means you will only be charged the 2.5% ForEx fee! I think that part is unavoidable but never say never.

Sorry about the long post. These are a few things we are going to be worrying about getting ready for the trip. I know there is more, but let’s face it; that’s enough to worry about for today.

Thanks for reading and Happy adventuring!!!

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