Preparing to Travel

Centuries ago, the vast majority of families left home for reasons of necessity, whether it be lack of resources due to changes in climate or overpopulation, the dangers of war, or some manner of forced expulsion or threat by a political entity. The decision to leave home was quite often fraught with fear and uncertainty, as there was usually a mutual suspicion between the traveler and the ‘foreign’ societies they encountered. This slowly changed as transport became faster, trade interconnectivity more robust, and generally a better understanding that people around the world are fundamentally the same.

Fast forward to today, and there are now quite disparate tracks by which individuals and families pack up and leave home. Unfortunately, the above stated reasons (resource depletion, wars, and political/religious exclusion) remain manifest and show little sign of diminishing. But the flow of humanity for more positive reasons has increased dramatically. Simply doing so for better job opportunities, with an eye to supporting extended family still at home, became a common feature of the 20th Century. And in the last few decades, a new sub-set of travelers has emerged. They might be termed ‘digital nomads’ (people working their own hours and from any amenable location, purely by internet), or just people who have decided to forgo stable salaries and fixed life schedules for the sake of experiencing new places. Perhaps more commonly, it may be a combination of these two types. Whatever the main focus, the decision to go is still very much a launch into the unknown, especially for a family.

The interconnectivity of today’s travel allows for a high degree of detailed planning and how to best prepare for the challenges of the next destination. Transport itineraries and daily living budgets can all be estimated with a fair amount of accuracy. ‘Back in the day’, when I backpacked on my own, the only resources I had were guidebooks (often out of date), and word of mouth. This meant that sometimes I ended up sleeping in a bus station, or was turned away at a border, for lack of sufficient information. I paid for virtually everything in cash, lacking places that could deal with more digital forms of payment. And the only way I knew what family and friends were doing was by letters received at poste restantes and the occasional phone conversation made from a call center. The omnipresent technology of today has made a non-issue of much of that, and while that might dull some of the adventure, it adds a level of security that is bound to be more popular amongst family members.

And that brings me to the buzzkill part, that of the physical preparation necessary to launch a family out into the world. The information in the sections below is somewhat personalized to my own experience, but should contain at least some relevance to anyone.