Write a will. Yes, that’s right, order your estate. The way I see it, with the freedom to travel comes responsibility because other people shouldn’t have to clean up your mess.
Suppose, for example, that you drink too much whiskey from the Mekong in Thailand, pass out on the way, and get hit by a slow-moving bullock cart. Unlike maybe, but relatives and friends shouldn’t have to decide what to do with your CV and DVD collection and the thousands of dollars left in your bank account.
Do a search for “model for writing a will” and find one that suits your needs. Obtain a witness, leave a copy with your executor, and check liability box number one. The process of dividing up your possessions is a good exercise as you have to think it through and make decisions.
My will says that I want to be buried Muslim-style: wash the body, wrap it in a white sheet, and bury it before sunset in an unmarked grave. Consequently, I will not have an epitaph. But if he did, he would say “Some loved her, some hated her, everyone had an opinion.”
Write your obituary. Your obituary is your final statement to the world. Do you really want to let someone else get mad? What do you want people to remember about you?
Like the will, writing your own obituary brings you one step closer to accepting your own mortality. And this is part of the travel experience. Once you’ve finished your base obituary, you can update it from time to time to reflect your situation.
If you’re stuck and want an example, my contact details are in the resource box. Email me and I’ll send you a copy of mine. I had such a great time writing it. Very liberating.
Get a living will. Basically, a living will is making your wishes known so that if you find yourself in a state where you can’t act, someone else will. You may be in a coma or on life support and unable to speak.
Do you want the medical guys to keep you alive no matter what or do you want them to disconnect you? I went for the latter. And I made a pact with a couple of close friends. If I’m in that state they inject me with Nembutal or insulin. In this way, calmly, and without pain, I will let myself be carried away by the final adventure, which is how I see death.
Leaving someone with ‘power of attorney’. Careful with this. The designated person has full power to act on her behalf. That includes selling your CDs and DVDs, taking the thousand dollars left in your bank account, and selling your computer.
I once spoke to a woman who said she had no one in her life that she could trust. Sad, very sad. I have left people with power of attorney in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. And even though I’ve only had to use it a few times in 30 years, it’s still nice to have in place.
Write down the reasons why you want to travel. For some it will be finding themselves. Nobel in theory, but if you get lost before you go, chances are you won’t run into the “real you” out there. Others want to opt for adventure tourism. cheer up. And then there are those who are right behind pure, unadulterated hedonism that they can’t afford in their home counties.
Me? I travel to meet interesting people, explore unusual markets, and try different foods and drinks. Oh, and along the way I help out when and where I can. Very simple; very doable.
The idea of recording your original reasons is to compare them with your evolution and see how much your perceptions have changed when you return.
Forward. Once you get to this stage, you’re ready to hit the road. Think of it as “insurance” and chances are if you have it, you don’t need it. But if you don’t, someone else gets to clean everything up.
You are now ready to get your passport and the yellow fever vaccine. Happy travels.