Category ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Two Extreme Climates. One Tiny Backpack. What I Packed.

by Shannon on November 25, 2013 in Backpacking, How To, Travel

Hot and cold tops

When I see women traveling with backpacks larger than mine, sometimes I feel a flash of envy. What are they stashing in the extra space? More shoes? A hair dryer? Faced with the challenge of packing for a six-week trip to Hawaii and Alaska in a 40-liter backpack, I almost gave in to size envy and upgraded.

I’m glad I didn’t. Despite the fact that my backpack was purchased for a nine-week Central American trip that required solely hot weather wear, the same reasons I originally selected it still trumped the enticement of another pair of shoes.

First, a larger backpack would mean frequently being separated from it—checking it at airports, surrendering it during bus rides or airport taxis—and I’m kind of neurotic that way. I like arriving at my destination knowing I’ll have my clothes and other essentials in hand. With six flights on the Seattle-Hawaii-Alaska-Seattle itinerary alone, that would be six times a bag could go astray; and since we’re frequently in places for a short amount of time, often only a night or two, reuniting with an errant bag could be difficult.

Second, being on the move so much means having to re-pack every few days. The less stuff, the shorter amount of time that chore takes.

Third, the bigger the bag the heavier it is to tote around.

The Upside of (Travel) Planning

by Brian on November 11, 2013 in How To, Planning and Prep, Travel

I love it when a plan comes together.

It is the most alluring advice that never seems to work for us. We’re a bit skeptical it works for anyone in any real sense. But we recently discovered an entirely new way in which the seemingly world-wise travel advice to eschew planning in favor of “just going with the flow” fails us.

You’ve Heard Wrong. It’s Easier Than Ever to Buy Health Insurance

by Brian on October 28, 2013 in How To, Money & Finance, Travel

Health Insruance Application

Here’s something you probably haven’t heard: getting an individual health insurance policy is far easier today than it was before the government’s disastrous health insurance exchange rollout. I know that’s not what you’ve read elsewhere, but it’s true, and we’re going to prove it to you. More importantly, we’re going to show you easy ways to shop for health insurance that completely bypass the error plagued website.

By all accounts, the Federal Government’s health insurance site, Healthcare.gov, is a complete mess. That’s the website were individuals were supposed to be able to shop for and buy health insurance plans under the newly enacted healthcare legislation. The site launched on October 1, and promptly failed.

Nearly a month later, few people have actually been able to purchase insurance through the site. The best guess is that it will take at least another month to fix. At this point, though, nobody really knows when it will operate correctly. But even if the site isn’t fixed, you may be surprised to learn that you can still get health insurance quite easily under Obamacare.

Your Questions Answered: Health Insurance for the Perpetual Traveler

by Brian on September 30, 2013 in FAQ, How To, Money & Finance, Travel

It is perhaps the biggest mistake we see long-term travelers make. Foregoing or ignoring health insurance.

We understand the reasons. Budget travelers are, almost by definition, short on both time and money; the very two things most needed to tackle the complicated and expensive health insurance market. But it wasn’t until we stirred up a hornet’s nest last week by diving into the politics of U.S. health insurance reform that we realized how long overdue this article really was. We received so many questions from our readers that we thought it worthwhile to dedicate an entire post to the subject of health insurance.

Here are some of the most frequent questions we received along with our opinions and some resources to help answer them.

Tax Loophole Reminder

by Brian on September 29, 2013 in How To, Money & Finance

This is something we intended to do later in the year but it seemed particularly appropriate given recent events.

Last April we wrote an article discussing a tax loophole available to middle-income earners who also happen to be sitting on some capital gains. You can read the details in the linked article but the basic idea is that it is possible to lock in a zero-percent tax rate by selectively harvesting some of your gains.

Ideally you’d do this in December when you have a clearer picture of what your 2013 income will look like. However, with equity prices just a few percentage points off their highs and with Congress potentially precipitating another financial crisis in just a few weeks by failing to raise the United States debt ceiling, now may not be such a bad time to harvest those gains.