Computer:
The decision to bring a computer was one of our
first and most difficult. With the popularity of cybercafes around much of the world, most
die-hard travelers wonder why someone would carry the extra weight of a computer.
There were two reasons why we decided to bring one. The first is to use it not
only as a vehicle to connect to the internet, but a place to store all of our
research. For each country we visit, we have a file full of information on where to
sleep, what to do, travel warnings, etc. We also have personal information from
other travelogues and verbal recommendations from people we have met. We are also
using our computer to manage our money, organize our addresses, and to play hearts.
The second reason for taking a computer is the new
technology of ultra-slim laptops. Laptops are now smaller, thinner, and weigh much
less than they used to. Plus, they come with hard drives large enough to house all
of our pictures and information. So after much research, we decided to purchase the Sony Vaio 505.
It's less than an inch thick and weighs less than three pounds. It also
contains 266MHz, 64MB RAM and a 4.3 GB hard drive. It's absolutely amazing and I now
wonder why anyone would ever purchase anything else. It did come with an external
CD-ROM drive but we decided to leave it at home to save some space.
Camera:
This was another tough decision: a digital camera or
a 35MM camera. On one hand, there is nothing that beats the image quality of a 35MM
camera. The technology of digital cameras has improved tremendously in the last
couple of years but it's not there yet. But the problem with 35MM cameras is buying
and developing film and scanning the photos to publish on our website. For this
reason, we decided to go with a digital camera. The quality of pictures on the
internet is excellent, and we don't have to worry about film. We decided to buy a Sanyo
VPC-X300 digital camera. It has a 3X digital zoom,
a LCD screen to view the pictures, 1024x768 pixel resolution and even a sound capabilities
for pictures. It scored well on a PC Magazine comparison test and the cost was very
reasonable. The only problem so far is it flies through batteries.
Camcorder:
The other decision was whether we should bring a
camcorder. Now, I have always been someone who hates the image of the American
tourist with the big camcorder walking around a city filming everything he sees. We
never really considered it until we saw the new technology of digital camcorders. We
walked into a store to look at digital cameras and pointed at one. We then learned
it was a camcorder. With digital technology, the sound and picture quality is far
superior in half the size. After much research, we chose the JVC DVM5
(it's actually the one we first saw in the camera store). It weighs less than a
pound and is about as big as my hand. Plus it has 100x zoom, loads of special
effects and an LCD screen. We plan to only use it in places such as our safari, our
trek in Nepal and my 1000 foot bungie jump in New Zealand (there had better be film in it
since I will probably only do it once).
Internet Capabilities:
We chose a company called IPASS to connect to the internet solely on their abundance
of local phone numbers in 300 countries. The way it works is we call a local phone
number (say in Nepal) which would route us to our local internet provider (we are using InterAccess) and connect to the internet. The
cost to connect will range from $4 to $12 per hour depending on the country.
Unfortunately that is the easy part. The hard part was finding out which plugs to
bring with us. Every single country seems to use different phone jack
technology. It seems so easy to clip a phone into a phonejack on the wall but in
most countries, its a different shape as well. So, we are bringing adaptors for most
of the countries in which we plan to spend a lot of time in. We are also bringing a
device called an acoustic coupler. This looks like the first modem technology used
back in the 70's -- you attach a phone receiver to it and it connects via the sound.
This way, we will always be able to connect to the internet wherever we are and can even
get on from local phonebooths in rather obscure countries. Because of limitations
with the baud rate, we will probably only use it as a last resort. All of our
connectors were purchased through Magellan.
Travel Insurance:
Since we both quit our jobs, we needed some type of
insurance in case of illness or accidents (if Dave's bungee cord snaps). There are
many companies in the US that offer comprehensive insurance for about $2,500 for the both
of us per year. After researching several, we decided on one and were about to call
to set it up. That's when Dave stumbled on the website of another couple who are
also about to leave on a world trip. They discovered a company in London that
offered more comprehensive insurance with a lower deductible at about half the cost.
The company is TIA and all of their policies
are backed by Lloyds of London, so it seems legit. We saved mucho dinero and have
better insurance. Ben and Vija, if you are reading this, we owe you big time!
