Progress Report #1

Rainy Istanbul, April 2005

Activities (planning aside) to date ...

1. Booked my flight to Istanbul
2. Booked a room in Istanbul for the period before Anzac Day — not really necessary but I like to have my first night's stay arranged before I leave home, as hunting for accommodation while jet-lagged and out of practice with being "on the road" is no fun.  I have no other separate room bookings.
3. Booked an "Anzac Day" tour.  Again, not really necessary as I have done Anzac Day before and know the ropes now, but it saved a lot of hassle.  The tour includes a post-Anzac night in Kusadasi, after which I am on my own.
4. Bought some cheap travel insurance, simply because I needed it for the Anzac tour.  The cover only lasts the first couple of weeks but that's all I wanted it for.
5. Bought a couple of Travelcards denominated in US Dollars, for use in ATMs.  Unlike my bank cards, getting a Travelcard replaced on the road is easy (after all, they were designed for travel) and it's better than risking my precious bank cards in strange ATMs.
6. Bought Euros in mostly  €50 and €100 denominations as my main cash cache.  I'll trade some of the smaller notes in countries where Euros get a favourable rate.  I'll be buying about US$ in mostly $100 denominations but with several hundred in smaller bills (down to US$1).  In some countries the USD still travels better than the Euro, and some countries even use it as an alternative currency - hence the small bills.  The $100s get exchanged for local cash or used to pay hotel bills, the smaller notes get used directly where they will do the most good.  I will try to keep the total value of my cash float below about US$3000 in value as that's the magic number below which most countries don't require a currency declaration, plus it reduces the loss if I get mugged or robbed.

In a month or so I'll apply for a couple of visas — for Azerbaijan and perhaps China.  The former because it's a PITA due to paperwork, the latter because I want multiple entry, which for China is hard to get when applying outside your country of residency.  I want the multiple entry because it's easier on my short-of-free-pages Passport, one page versus up to three.