Getting a visa involves completing an application at a consulate or embassy of each country. Many countries have consulate offices located in certain U.S. cities. I located consulate addresses from the “usembassy.gov” website. I located a city I could drive to in order to apply for these visas in person.
I drove to a designated city to apply for visa’s at the consulate’s I needed to go to. I learned it requires a full day for an Indian visa to be processed, but only a few hours for a Chinese visa. Each visa included a substantial fee. China charges $160, while India charges $80. I decided to apply for the Chinese visa first, since it only took a few hours. After I received my Chinese visa, I then went to the India consulate. They offered to overnight my passport back to me, with the visa included, for an additional $20 fee.
Selecting a Backpack
I decided to purchase a backpack to use for my luggage because I wanted to travel as lightly as possible. Since I would be traveling by plane approximately every other day, I didn’t want to be burdened with too much luggage to carry. Plus I could simply carry it onto the plane with me, without having to check it on and later spend time waiting for it in the airport luggage area, and not having to worry about it getting lost as well. After looking around in different stores I purchased a small travel backpack which had various pockets, for a reasonable price. It also featured wheels on the bottom, along with a pole that pulled out from the top for pulling the backpack along the ground (while walking through airports, etc.).
After I purchased my backpack, I spent time each day placing various items into it, to make sure I wouldn’t forget something and to see how practical traveling this light would be like. I would later find out you get what you pay for with having a zipper break and later, on the very first day of my trip, both shoulder straps broke. I’ll go into more details about that in a later chapter.
Packed Items
The items I packed included:
•Three pairs of pants (two were shorts)
•One pair of shoes
•One pair of sandals
•Three pairs of socks (I wore sandals most of the time, in warmer climates.)
•Four shirts
•Six undergarments
•A fleece sweater (which I wore in cooler climates.)
•One ball cap
•One pair of sunglasses (I suggest bringing an extra pair, in case of breakage or losing it. My pair broke during my trip.)
•A small umbrella
•Toiletries included: 3 small bottles of shampoo and 3 small tubes of toothpaste (airport security does not allow liquids greater than 3 oz.)
•A watch with a built-in alarm
I packed my toiletries in a self-sealing plastic bag and did the same for medications, which is required by U.S. airport security. I also packed a couple of rolls of toilet paper since some countries don’t offer this. As it turned out I didn’t use any of my toilet paper and later tossed it, during my trip, making room in my backpack for souvenirs I purchased. I included two small bottles of hand sanitizers to help with being protected from germs and viruses. I also purchased a battery operated electronic razor so I wouldn’t need to worry about different types of plugs.
Lastly,I brought along a few small packaged food items, including: trail mix, jerky and energy bars. This came in handy at times when I wasn’t near an eatery. I also kept on hand a bottle of water, which I purchased early each day.
Managing Worn Clothing
Due to time constraints (and airport security restrictions for carrying liquids, i.e. laundry soap) I chose to recycle my clothing by hanging out in my hotel room, what I had worn during that day to air out overnight. I also included a bar of soap to be placed in with my worn under garments and other clothing, to help with the odor. Having a bar of soap also comes in handy in case a hotel does not provide one, as it did later while staying in youth hostels which do not provide soap or shampoo.
Safety Measures
I followed these safety measures:
•I provided a copy of my itinerary and passport to family.
•I brought along my cell phone.
•I used e-mail, which is available in many hotels and internet cafes, to communicate with family and friends to keep them updated.
•I brought anti-diarrhea medicine, in case food I ate didn’t set with me. Plus, I packed a small first-aid kit.
•I purchased travel insurance.
•I planned to be in my hotel by the evening, not long after sunset.
Preparation Time
The total time it took for me to prepare for my trip, with getting my passport and visas along with booking my flights, was approximately three weeks. I later learned, time could have been saved by applying for a passport in person at a passport office (located in the city I had driven to), and by presenting a flight schedule for same-day processing.
I had arranged to leave on April fifteenth. Time became more critical as each day passed. Just to note, I was also waiting for two airline tickets to be sent to me from my travel agent up until my departure day.
International Date Line
While I was reviewing my final flight itinerary, provided by my travel agent, I discovered I was actually losing one day on my trip. I was very puzzled. I learned this was due to traveling westward, which happens while crossing the International dateline. I had planned for two days to be in Beijing but realized, from looking at my itinerary, I would only have one day. I became concerned because I wanted an extra day to see the Great Wall, which is located up in the mountains outside of Beijing.
Because it would be difficult to extend my trip, since all of my flights had already been booked and paid for, I took a chance by deciding to leave one day early.
2. Time to Go!
Departure
I was scheduled to leave on Tuesday the fifteenth. With realizing I was losing a day and having only one day in Beijing, I made the decision to leave a day early (on Monday), as long as I could receive airline tickets for two flights (the other flights were e-tickets), which were being sent to me overnight from my travel agent. I sat in my home on Monday morning, the fourteenth, and was prepared to leave if my tickets were to arrive that day.
I received a package at around 11:00 a.m. After opening it, sure enough my airline tickets were inside! I then called my travel agent about leaving that day. She said she could make the change for a fee, which I agreed to. I then drove to the airport!
First Stop: Beijing–"A Marathon Flight”
My initial flight was to San Francisco, where I boarded an international flight to Hong Kong at 1:30 a.m. The flight over the Pacific Ocean was extremely long; fourteen grueling hours to Beijing. I brought along sleeping pills, because I don’t sleep very well on planes. After my flight left, I took a sleeping pill and was able to sleep for several hours in my slightly reclined seat. Because the flight was sold out, there were no empty seats were available to stretch out…
I was served a hot meal later. Having a hot meal also became a standard on my remaining flights, unlike flights in the U.S. that only offer the typical drink with a small bag of peanuts. Having a hot meal on the plane substituted with not needing another