Preparation Posts

There was a time when I had over $6,000 worth of camera gear sitting in my computer room. I love photography, and having a whole kit full of professional lens is great to have, but it’s not really very practical to lug that much gear around, especially if you’re trying to travel light. I’ve spent a lot of time over these last few months thinking about what type of camera gear to bring. My first plan was to simply take along a high-end point and shoot camera and make due with that. Given that my old Canon Digital Elph was dying, I went out and bought one of the nicest compact cameras I could find: the Canon PowerShot S90 The Canon S90 was definitely one of the nicest cameras I saw when I was out looking. It sports a 10MP digital sensor and can handle an ISO of up to […]

I decided about six weeks ago that I wanted to have a completely different online presence for my travel adventures. While my personal site has served me well by allowing me to write about personal subjects and technology over the last few years, it’s become somewhat disjointed. So, with conscious effort I have finally managed to put something together with a specific focus: travel. Unlike most versions of my website, which normally take all of about two or three days for me to get online, I’ve slowly been tinkering with this one for the past few weeks. I haven’t had a lot of time, so mostly it’s been 20 minutes here and there before bed, but I think this site is far enough along to finally pull the curtain back. As most people know, I’m about to leave on a big adventure. I’ve spent the last two years living back […]

In just 45 days, I’ll be out of my apartment out in Chilliwack, and essentially homeless for the next 30 days. Truthfully, now that my place is partially boxed up, I’m getting antsy to hit the open road. My current plan is to have a lot of my stuff already in storage around November 1st, so I can possibly go visit a few people in the United States in November. As I mentioned before, I’m also heading to the Mayan Riviera in just three weeks, which will be a nice break from the norm. I haven’t had a vacation in the sun since about the same time last year, so I’m definitely looking forward to chilling out by the pool with some beers and my Kindle. The resort we’re going to is called the Bahai Principe just outside of Playa Del Carmen. We’ve been there once before, and liked it […]

I pulled a pile of boxes out of storage today and started the packing process. I don’t technically have to be out of my apartment until the end of November, but my plan is to have a storage facility rented for November 1st. At that point, there’s no reason why I can’t load it up and get most of the big stuff done. I’m also going to be pretty busy in November (I’ll be in Mexico for a week, and have a few weekend activities going on), so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have then to get it all done. I packed up about 50% of my office today, and the majority of the electronics in my living room. I put a pile of it on craigslist, and hopefully a lot of it will sell. But if not, I have it all ready to go into storage. I […]

Well, according to my little Excel spreadsheet, my trip begins in 96 days now. Depending on whether or not you’re a glass is half full or half empty kind of person, that will seem like a lot of time or not very much. It doesn’t seem like very much time to me, considering how much I need to still do before taking off. First, I gave notice on my apartment the other day. My landlord confirmed it today, which basically means the clock is ticking on this place. I’ve been waiting for October to officially arrive before starting the mad craigslist dash to sell pretty much everything that isn’t bolted down, so I have a few more days. Other than a few items, I’m hoping to hock the majority of what I own. Depending on where I end up later next year, I figure I can simply buy whatever I […]

This morning I put a deposit down on a nice apartment right in the heart of the trendy area in Buenos Aires, Palermo Soho. Soho, of course, is a reference to a hip, upbeat area in New York City. Given that I’m only staying for three months, I thought I would spend my time in the cool part of the city. Palmero Soho is extremely green, with lots of parks and trees. In addition, it’s also full of great restaurants, pubs, patios, and shopping. In Buenos Aires it’s next to impossible to get a super cheap apartment unless you have a local guarantor. That said, the place I’m renting is a pretty good deal at $1,100 a month, considering it’s fully furnished, in a great part of town, and also includes all of the utilities. I could have probably saved a few hundred dollars by waiting until I arrived to […]

I was thinking a few things through yesterday, and came up with a slightly different plan. My last plan was to give my apartment up at the end of December, and then take off in the first few days of January. I’m happy with the January departure date, but not so happy that Christmas would probably involve lots of box packing and moving. So I came up with a plan B. I think I’m going to give my apartment up for the end of November, and be totally homeless at that point. I already asked my dad if it’s ok if I use their upstairs bedroom off and on in December, which they said it was. Plus, I’m sure I’ll be doing lots of last minute visiting around town and in Vancouver before I leave, so I’ll probably be bouncing between couches during that time. By leaving early, I’m saving […]

My goal on my trip is to get myself down to a single backpack when I leave. It’s obviously going to be a pretty technologically heavy backpack, but it’s still going to be pretty light. Most people I know who have traveled say that the amount you enjoy yourself on trips is inversely proportional to the amount of stuff you bring along, and I can totally believe that. That’s not to say you can’t purchase items when you arrive, because that’s what I plan to do. But in terms of what I take along, here’s a short list of what I’m planning on taking: 13″ Macbook Pro (just got it — nice and light) Apple iPad Mini-DV to Composite Cable (I have to buy one yet, but for $20 it means I can hook my laptop up to any TV and watch movies) A few pairs of jeans and t-shirts, […]