>STYLE OF TRIP:
First, decide how you will travel: With a tour / independently / guide / friend / family? This will dictate how you proceed into the planning stages. A tour, of course, takes a lot of the prep pressure off. An established birding travel company is terrific for lone birders, unbeatable for unsure travelers, great for take-care-of-me ease, and often the way to maximize listing desires.
But tours don’t work for everyone—for mixed groups or for the more independent traveler. Another option: Hiring a local birding guide, for all or parts of the trip. If affordable, this is recommended. A guide can help in both the itinerary planning ahead of time, via email, and of course the travel and birding during. Generally, guides are findable through the internet. Try International Birdguide Register or BirdingPal . Word of mouth is helpful, too—ask around.
>ITINERARY PLANNING—LAND, AIR, LAND AGAIN:
You may think arranging airfare is paramount, but actually itinerary planning can save money in airfare. I’ll tell you why in a minute.
Itinerary planning is a back and forth, rather messy process. Have each traveler study the country and communicate their 'must-sees'. Internet (look for birding trip reports), travel books, and guide emails are all useful. Lay out a map of the country and start seeing where all these choices are. Consider how to travel between—internal flights / car and driver-guide / rental car / local public transportation (least expensive, of course).
Now you’re ready to think about that big airline ticket. Is in and out of the major city really the best option? Or how about into one city, out of another (called an ‘open jaw’)? This will often save precious time used up in backtracking to the original airport and the expense of doing so. Maybe a stopover along the way? Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, Honolulu—a bonus destination for 24 or 48 hours—either on the way to break up the trip and help with jetlag or on the return to add a whole new element and put a little icing on the trip cake.
For a complicated international ticket, often a travel agent is still the best bet (even if they charge a booking fee). If you want to book it yourself, make sure you check all the websites—the overview ones, like Orbitz and Expedia, and the specific airline sites. A little trick: Clear your cookies in between visits to the same site.
Next step: Lodging in each chosen area. Guide books and internet for the sources, and email for the tool. If emails aren’t getting returned, don't assume the hotel is booked. Across-the-globe emails sometimes don’t get through. Call or fax, if needed, which is often easier and less scary than you think. Dial 011-country code-number.
Handy Preparation Lists Below. Options: copy/paste/print or download PDF:
*WAY BEFORE LEAVING
-Itinerary / Air Tickets / Lodging
-Travel Advisories: US Dept. of State (Note: Ignore generalized cautions. US advisories are notoriously overly
wintry).
-Passport : Must be good 3-6 months beyond return date, and make sure there are at least 3 empty pages.
-Visas: required for some countries. Check consulate/embassy website.
-Tourist Office: Contact for sent information. Communicate special interest and special destinations.
-Departure Tax: See if needed (paid upon leaving destination). These days, mostly rolled into the airline ticket.
-Medications / Vaccinations: Update. CDC Website (See more on this in Cautions).
-Travel / Bird Books: Buy and study (See Travel Books).
-Birdsong Study: Check websites for downloadable libraries.
-Foreign language: Buy phrasebook (Common mistake: Don't memorize complete phrases—see Travel Tips).
-Exercise: Start walking regularly. And do it for life.
-Credit cards: Set up PINs for cash withdrawals. Doublecheck fees for this. And inquire about rental car
coverage for particular destination (some cards exempt certain countries from coverage).
-Cell Phone: Call or check online for foreign rates and plans.
-Internet: Check booked hotels for service (can help decide whether or not to carry along laptop or netbook).
-Currency: Check exchange rates and see if your bank can pre-order.
-Electricity outlet/voltage information: Buy converters/adaptors as needed.
-GPS/Navigation: Map needed? Available in rental car?
*JUST BEFORE LEAVING:
-stop newspaper
-stop mail (do online at USPS)
-stop or rearrange services: maid / pest control / lawn (overgrown lawn shouts 'not home!')
-housesitter / pet arrangements
-call home security w/ dates
-debit card $ on account
-call credit cards w/ dates, destination (or they may 'freeze' your card due to sudden odd charges)
-check in online and print out boarding passes
-watering / place hoses
-fill hummingbird and bird feeders
-prepay bills
-check birthdays / anniversaries
-tag optics with contact information
-water plants
-clean out frig
-last garbage pickup
-itineraries to friends / family
-home computer / electronics unplugged
-download airline apps or load 800’s #’s into phone
-reset DVR recordings
-travel electronics charged up
-‘When Leave House’ reminder: phone charger, reset A/C or heat, hide laptops, set lights
