If you’re serious about traveling the world, and working as you travel (like we are), then these are some things you’ll have to sort out before your trip. Many of these things take a bit of time to sort out, so it’s best to start a few months before your expected departure date .

1) Make sure you have 2 or 3 credit cards from different banks, and at least 2 debit cards.

While we don’t advocate spending on credit, having credit cards is a security measure. If someone makes an unauthorized payment on one of your credit cards you can refuse to pay it and Visa or Master Card will not charge you the amount. This is different from a debit card where you will only claim AFTER it has been charged to your account. Why have 2 or 3 cards? What if one gets stolen or you cancel one that has been used fraudulently? You will need to have others while it is being replaced, which could take months. Besides, sometimes a credit card might not work in one establishment or country, but a card from another bank might.

Just remember, pay the full amount by the deadline and you won’t have to pay interest on them!

2) Make sure you have internet banking from all your accounts and that you can pay all bills and view all deposits into your accounts online.

This includes all your credit card bills, mortgage payments, and any other expenses you will need to pay on the go. If you have a company account make sure you can use all the features you need online.

Also make sure all your customers can pay you online, either through a credit card gateway, paypal or through bank transfer. When you’re tracking lions in Kenya it might be hard to run down to your local bank and deposit that check!

3) Make sure your passport, drivers license, and any other important documents won’t expire in the next couple of years.

It would be a real show stopper to have to fly back home half way through your trip because you’re refused entry into a country that requires your passport not expire in the next 6 months to a year.

4) Figure out how you want to handle your snail mail.

It’s one thing to be on a one week holiday, but if you’re traveling the world for many months or years you need to have a way to deal with important letters. Mail redirection will only work if you stay in a fixed location long enough (3-6 months), or if you have a p.o. box somewhere in the world that you check during your travels.

You don’t want to have your house re-possessed while away, or get arrested when you come back home, because you forgot to open a letter from your bank about a payment error, or from the government asking you to serve juror duty.

But if you’re going around the world like we are, and you’re not planning on staying in a fixed location for too long, then you’ll probably want to appoint someone you can trust to receive your mail and to let you know if mail from certain places (government, etc) came in and then maybe courier anything urgent to you.

Read Part 2