Wherever there are people with money, there will be other people trying to take some of that money away. Sometimes this is especially true when you are travelling. You are far away from home and thus you might seem an easy prey.

In 2001 I met a young german backpacker, let’s call him Hans, in the departure hall of Denpasar Airport on Bali. We were both waiting for the same flight to Darwin, so after a while he came over and we started chatting. He seemed a bit nervous and soon after he wanted to hear my opinion about something that had happened to him the night before.

He was just on the way out to get some food, when he was invited to join a few indonesian guys, who were drinking arrak near the reception of his guesthouse. They all got drunk and one of the indonesians, Bun, suggested to go to a bar and later to a nightclub. On the way to the bar Hans was asked if he’d mind if they pick up one of Bun’s friends. Once there, they found a game of poker under way. There was loads of money on the table, lots of banter going back and forth and Hans decided he wanted to watch the cardgame. After a while Bun’s friend had lost almost all of his money and Bun told Hans that this was to be the last game; then they could all go get some drinks. Then sudenly the banter turned to angry discussion. Hans was told that Bun’s friend wanted a chance to win all his money back and eventually his opponent agreed. Cards were dealt, bets were raised. Then Hans was called over to the table. He was shown a hand that apparently couldn’t lose and asked if he wanted to invest some money. Eventually he was persuaded to get all his cash from the guesthouse, close to 1000 USD. On his return the other player got angry again and told Hans he couldn’t come up with that much cash tonight. And the next day he was flying out to Darwin. Coincidentally on the same flight as Hans. So eventually it was agreed to finish the game in Australia. Bun’s friend was paid out and the rest of the money, plus a credit card as security against the cash, and the cards were sealed in different envelopes and entrusted into Bun’s safe keeping. They were all to meet the next day at the airport. Only Hans turned up.

Hans could have done quite a few things differently. For starters, you do not get completely wasted with people you don’t really know and don’t let yourself agree to things that feel a bit dodgy just out of a false sense of friendship. Hans had the chance to just walk away, yet he chose to return with all his money. He got greedy and was out for a quick buck. And that is exactly what those con artists are hoping for. Do not get drawn into their game. You can only lose.

Thankfully, those stories are quite rare and not everybody is as gullible as Hans, but still these things happen. Most of them on a much smaller scale, like being sold a fake bus or ferry ticket or being charged far too much for a certain service. I once paid 20 USD more to get a 2-month visa for Laos instead of just the normal 1-month one, only to find out at the border that there is no such thing as a 2-month visa. I even had a stamp in my passport saying that I’m good for two months! If you travel for long enough you will get ripped off eventually. Maybe getting ripped off is one of those travel rites you actually have to go through to become a true traveler! But it’s up to you to decide how much cash and pride you will lose. Just have some common sense!

When you do get ripped off, then get over it. Shit happens. Meeting the locals is a great experience, and it should be one of the reasons why you travel, so don’t spoil it by thinking that everybody is out to get you! The majority of the locals you will meet are good and honest people! Learn from your mistakes and the next time maybe you will win…

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We also need to have endurance for a lot of other situations, like when talking to the locals, when you don’t share a common language or when you’ve been walking with your backpack for what seems like days and still there is not a single bus/taxi/guesthouse in sight.

Now, if you’re a bit short on patience then you might be having a hard time. But fear not, here’s a 5 point training plan, suited to turn even the most impatient traveller into an enduring machine:

1. The Bus Exercise

   Go to your local bus stop and sit there for a whole day. Resist the temptation to just pop home for a sandwich or your favorite tv show. Take some nuts, for your hunger, and a bottle of water, for your thirst, a deck of cards or a chess board with you and try not to get bored. Talk to your fellow travellers and get them to play a few games with you.

2. The Navigation Exercise

   Stuff your backpack full with clothes, dirty ones will do just fine, pick an address at the other end of town and walk there. Do not have a look at a map beforehand, just ask the ‘locals’ for direction. Do not take local transport, just pretend it does not exist. This training exercise should be attempted on either a very hot day or during a rainstorm to maximise the learning effect.

3. The H2O Exercise

   Choose a restaurant, sit down and order a glass of tapwater. Then see for how long you can nurse that water before having to order another one. As time passes you will probably notice the waiter getting angrier and angrier. At that point maybe it’s time to upgrade to a beer. Try for at least one hour per drink. This exercise will come in handy the next time you will find yourself waiting for your connection flight at an expensive airport bar or restaurant.

4. The Insect Exercise

   Steal your little brothers ant farm (or buy one), catch a few flies, mosquitos and cockroaches and release all of them onto your bed short before bedtime. If you can borrow a pet snake from a friend then all the better. Turn the heating on as high as you can and close all the windows. Get rid of your duvet and cover yourself only with a thin sarong. Then try to go to sleep. If you are actually able to go to sleep, then repeat the whole procedure the next night with double the amount of insects. Alternatively, you can set your alarm clock to ring every 10 minutes, although this is not recommended, because of the lack of realism.

5. The Passport Exercise

   Apply for a new passport. If yours is still valid, then ‘lose’ it. There’s a tiny bit of preparation involved with this exercise. Get a friend to record the following sentences for you: “Sorry, admittance only with proper trousers and shoes” and “Really sorry, but there’s nothing I can do”. Then dress in some well-worn boardshorts and put on your flip flops (yes, even if it’s winter in your part of the world) and walk to your townhall or wherever you usually apply for a new passport. When you’re about to step over the threshold play the first sentence to yourself. Say something like “But I’d have to walk all the way back to my guesthouse”, then play the second sentence. Go back home, dress appropriately, then ‘stand in line’ for about three hours. Eventually go to your case worker and apply for your passport. As soon as she asks for a photo pretend you forgot to bring any and feign surprise. Leave the townhall, get your picture taken, wait another three hours ‘in line’, then finally complete your application.

After undertaking of all exercises, please send photos of proof to my email address. By now you should not have any problems with any boring or tedious situations your travels will throw at you. Congratulations!! You can now pin an ‘endurance traveller’-sticker onto your website (available after reception and examination of said photos)!

DISCLAIMER:
Should you accept this mission and undertake any or all of these endurance training exercises, then Travel-Junkie.com can absolutely not be held responsible for any injuries, physically or, more likely, mentally, or anything else that could, and probably will, go wrong. Basically you’re on your own. Enjoy and have fun!!!

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Here’s some points you might want to consider, especially if you’re a firsttimer:

1. The Decision to go Travelling:

   This might seem to be quite an easy point. Believe me, the first time you decide to go on a long-haul trip is the hardest. You might have an apartment, a car, an unwilling partner, parents, friends and/or relatives that want to discourage you from going away or a well paid job. It might seem quite daunting as well to leave all your familiar surroundings for an extended length of time.
   All these things are quite easily solved though:

   • Rent out your apartment (it’s an extra income, while on the road or it continues to pay for your morgage). Maybe the new tenant wants to rent the place fully furnished. If not you can store your stuff someplace, or sell off as much as you can. You can always buy new things when you get back home.
   • Sell your car or find a place somewhere to store it.
   • If you managed to secure a great job once, then you can do it again. A sabbatical is quite common now as well, plus visiting different countries and cultures can only look good on your cv.
   • If you have a partner that does not want to join you, then this might be a problem. You can always compromise and cut the length of the trip. A strong relationship should withstand being a few months apart. Think of it that way. If you don’t go travelling, although you really want to, then this can’t be good for the relationship, can it?
   • As for the last point, just take a few pictures of your family with you and maybe some other things that remind you of home. Ask friends and family to come see you at some point. Call home from time to time and keep in contact with emails.

2. Setting a date for Departure

   should be the next point on the agenda! Many people just talk about going away. They tell you that they want to do the exact thing like you and tell you stories about how they almost went travelling. What they probably did wrong was not setting a date. Make sure to give you enough time to sort out your stuff. Pick a realistic date. Make sure you know how much money you want to take with you and how long it will take you to save up that amount.

3. Book your Flight

   This is an important step. It basically means that you’re committed to going away. Either that or throwing away the money paid for your ticket. You should do this as soon as you’ve picked a date. Remember that tickets are only valid for maximum one year, so if you stay longer then book one way. Doing this is usually a bit more expensive, but at the same time it gives you more flexibility. Plans always change and you might end up somewhere you never thought you’d visit. Then one way tickets might actually save you some money!!
   I’ve found STA Travel a good place to start hunting for good flight deals, but there’s loads of other options out there on the net. Take your time to shop around and grab the best offer.

4. Get a Visa

   You might actually want to do this before you book a flight. Then again, depending on where you go, you might not even need a visa or you can get a visa on arrival. Just to be on the safe side, see for yourself. Consulate or immigration web pages should have the relevant information. Nowadays you can even get online working holiday visas within a day, so don’t worry too much about it, unless you have reason to believe there might be some problems. Let’s have a look at some of these problems:

   • You might not get a visa for some Muslim countries if you have an Israeli visa in your passport. Harsh, I know.
   • If you’ve been to a TBC high risk country for more than 3 months, then you need to supply a chest x-ray for working holiday visas to Australia and New Zealand.
   • Depending on your country of origin you might need to provide proof that you are able to finance your stay (if you’re from one of the so-called industry-nations then don’t worry about this)
   • It’s been known that Irish people could not get a visa on arrival for Indonesia and were not allowed to board the plane unless they could provide an Indonesian visa stamp in their passports.
   • For most countries your passport needs to be valid for at least another 6 months. It’s probably better getting a new one if you only have a year or so left on it.
   • Regulations change, so if you are unsure about anything, go online and check it out…

5. Get some Shots!

   Make sure all your regular vaccinations, tetanus for example, are up to date. Then, depending on where you’re headed, you need to get some special shots:

   • You definitely need Hepatitis A+B. This is a combo shot and consists of 3 separate jabs. You need to leave 4 weeks between the first and the second and to get a 10year protection you need a third shot 6 months after that.
   • If you intend to go to rural areas in Asia then you should consider getting inoculated against Japanese Enzephalitis. Also consists of 3 separate jabs. The second one needs to be done either 7 or 14 days after the first and the last on day 28 after the first.
   • Going to northern Africa, India or Southeast Asia? If you answered yes, then you probably need a jab for Typhoid. It’s only one shot and it gives 80% protection. I was one of the unlucky 20%. Believe me, you do not want to get sick with typhoid fever, unless you like pain.
   • If you’re visiting tropical Africa or South America, then Yellow Fever inoculation is a must. It’s only one shot, protection starts 10 days after the shot and lasts for 10 years.
   • As for malaria medication: I don’t take it. I usually have some emergency pills with me, that will get me to the next hospital. taking them regularly made me always feel hungover, paranoid and borderline schizophrenic for a few days. It’s my own personal choice though.
   • IMPORTANT: You need to see a properly certified doctor. He or she will tell you what shots you really need. In some countries, like Germany, there are tropical institutes that are specialized on travel inoculations. After a shot you might feel a bit dizzy, unwell or even sick and the spot where you were injected might hurt for a few days.

6. Pack your Gear!!

   Personally I think a backpack is the only viable option to carry around your stuff, so make sure to get a sturdy one. One that withstands the forces of nature, being thrown around, sat on, rained on, stomped on by angry water buffaloes or peed on by silly dogs. The smaller the size of the thing the healthier your back will be after a long walk searching for a spare guesthouse room. Less is more! If in doubt don’t take it with you. It’s better to wash your shirts more often than to carry a supply for 2 whole weeks. This is hard to do if you’re a girl, I understand that *Evil grin, which immediately gets followed by realization that one made grave mistake writing this, but now has to live with the consequences*, but try to keep everything to a minimum. Here’s some more stuff you should consider:

   • Pack some medical supplies. Just the basics should be enough. You can buy whatever else you’ll need when you actually need it.
   • A large sarong type thingy is a good alternative to your usual towel. It’s lightweight and dries within 5 minutes in the sun.
   • Pack a deck of cards, a small chess set or something similar. You’d be surprised how much need you’ll have for that.
   • A small wine opener is a must.
   • Well, these were just some suggestions. It’s up to you what to pack, but remember that you have to lug it around as well.

7. Miscellaneous Stuff

   Almost there. Just a few more bits of advice.

   • If you carry dive equipment or other bulky stuff, then you’re likely to carry more weight than is allowed by your carrier. You can always scam your way on board without having to pay for excess luggage. Just tell the check-in guy that you called their hotline a couple days ago and they said it was alright. Check in early as well, as the check-in people have more leeway then.
   • Don’t forget your passport or tickets!
   • Fly late afternoon or early evening. That way you won’t feel so guilty about emptying the plane’s alcohol supplies.
   • Don’t listen to me on that last one. Alcohol dehydrates you and you’ll be a lot more jetlagged, not to mention the hangover. But still, it’s for free…
   • Take some tissues with you to the airport. There’s probably people needing those. The longer you stay away the more you’ll be needing.
   • Have at least a vague idea about where you’ll be staying for the next few days and how to get from the airport to the guesthouse

So, that’s it but keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive. Plans change. All the time. So just go with the flow and enjoy yourself.

See you out there, people…

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