- Time of past OR future Camino
- See signature.
Hi everyone. I am getting ready to head out in about 2 weeks again and this is my checklist of things to do that you might not have considered. I am assuming that by this time the pre-camino training plan is well underway and all equipment has been purchased, acquired, and worn in where applicable. Note, these would be most applicable to a US resident.
1. Tell the post office you'll be gone. USPS.com has easy ways to have them hold your mail while you won't be able to get it. This only applies to households where everyone will be gone. Obviously if there is someone still at home to get the mail you don't have to do this. If there is no person to collect your mail, and you have not alerted the USPS, then things get sent back to sender which will require a response to a slew of "Have you moved?" inquiries from financial institutions and others.
2. Tell your debit (bank) and credit card companies that you will be traveling (providing specific locations and dates [at the country level only]). This may require a call to customer service but I am able to do it all online now with my providers. It sucks when I land somewhere foreign and ATMs don't feed me cash or credit card purchases are not approved.
3. Get your cellular voice / data plan settled. Now this one has many, many options and opinions about differing methods, and each has its own advantages. I choose to go the "I don't want to think about it that much or worry about such things in country, while I have to figure out how to get to Atocha station or take a taxi from Pamplona or just walk a long ways. So I choose (no haters please), to just log into my att.com account and add a AT&T Passport plan. That means that my existing phone, without any sim card changes or anything, will not deliver crazy data charges after the fact. I will know my data usage abilities and costs beforehand. I choose the 800mb data package for $120 for 30 days because this covers my intensive social medial posts. I can only speak for AT&T here.
4. Learn how to monitor your data usage, and prevent apps and such from eating it up without your knowledge. https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1044949 may help you.
5. Have you selected your flight seats yet? If not try again. Try to get an aisle or window if in Coach. Try to get what you want in b-class too.
6. Set up your auto reply email message at work. This is the best... just defer all incoming questions to your colleagues who are NOT walking the Camino. In my experience, despite all my trepidations about being gone for a while, not much changes in a month or so, and they will NOT figure out that you are unnecessary by deferring questions to colleagues, but will rather figure out your position and knowledge are quite helpful, and they will anxiously await your return. It is also great to remind everyone that you will have limited access to emails while on your travels. This is despite the above steps that ensured you could get anything you wanted should you choose to.
7. Change your voicemail message at work to refer all incoming calls to colleagues. Haha.
8. Start to water your plants and flowers a little more than usual, or set up a self regulating watering system. I used to set up an elaborate timed drip system to maintain the garden when I was gone, and it works... now however, most of my most sensitive plants have been replaced with hardier ones, so I just make sure to give a good water for 2 weeks or so before I leave and then over water on the day before. Rose bushes and trees tolerate this in my climate.
9. Prepare to trickle charge car batteries. Twice I came home from Caminos to hear that painful empty sound when I turned the key after returning home. I ended up walking to the tienda rather than drive, to pick up a battery charger. My car, sitting in the garage, drains the battery. Something like this keeps it perky when you are gone for a while (not necessary if the car is being driven while you're gone)... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S/?tag=casaivar02-20
Some fun here. But all lessons learned on my part.
Buen camino,
Damien
1. Tell the post office you'll be gone. USPS.com has easy ways to have them hold your mail while you won't be able to get it. This only applies to households where everyone will be gone. Obviously if there is someone still at home to get the mail you don't have to do this. If there is no person to collect your mail, and you have not alerted the USPS, then things get sent back to sender which will require a response to a slew of "Have you moved?" inquiries from financial institutions and others.
2. Tell your debit (bank) and credit card companies that you will be traveling (providing specific locations and dates [at the country level only]). This may require a call to customer service but I am able to do it all online now with my providers. It sucks when I land somewhere foreign and ATMs don't feed me cash or credit card purchases are not approved.
3. Get your cellular voice / data plan settled. Now this one has many, many options and opinions about differing methods, and each has its own advantages. I choose to go the "I don't want to think about it that much or worry about such things in country, while I have to figure out how to get to Atocha station or take a taxi from Pamplona or just walk a long ways. So I choose (no haters please), to just log into my att.com account and add a AT&T Passport plan. That means that my existing phone, without any sim card changes or anything, will not deliver crazy data charges after the fact. I will know my data usage abilities and costs beforehand. I choose the 800mb data package for $120 for 30 days because this covers my intensive social medial posts. I can only speak for AT&T here.
4. Learn how to monitor your data usage, and prevent apps and such from eating it up without your knowledge. https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1044949 may help you.
5. Have you selected your flight seats yet? If not try again. Try to get an aisle or window if in Coach. Try to get what you want in b-class too.
6. Set up your auto reply email message at work. This is the best... just defer all incoming questions to your colleagues who are NOT walking the Camino. In my experience, despite all my trepidations about being gone for a while, not much changes in a month or so, and they will NOT figure out that you are unnecessary by deferring questions to colleagues, but will rather figure out your position and knowledge are quite helpful, and they will anxiously await your return. It is also great to remind everyone that you will have limited access to emails while on your travels. This is despite the above steps that ensured you could get anything you wanted should you choose to.
7. Change your voicemail message at work to refer all incoming calls to colleagues. Haha.
8. Start to water your plants and flowers a little more than usual, or set up a self regulating watering system. I used to set up an elaborate timed drip system to maintain the garden when I was gone, and it works... now however, most of my most sensitive plants have been replaced with hardier ones, so I just make sure to give a good water for 2 weeks or so before I leave and then over water on the day before. Rose bushes and trees tolerate this in my climate.
9. Prepare to trickle charge car batteries. Twice I came home from Caminos to hear that painful empty sound when I turned the key after returning home. I ended up walking to the tienda rather than drive, to pick up a battery charger. My car, sitting in the garage, drains the battery. Something like this keeps it perky when you are gone for a while (not necessary if the car is being driven while you're gone)... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CITK8S/?tag=casaivar02-20
Some fun here. But all lessons learned on my part.
Buen camino,
Damien
