By Ricardo

Imagine walking across the United States (yes, I said “walking”) with only the essentials to live and get the job done, and the mission to teach others that nomading need not require an airline ticket and foreign itinerary. Having myself been involved with The Great Peace March back in 1980s, I was happy to find that some people are trying to make it easier for others to venture off by foot in the near future. Moreover, I was happy to learn that they’ve gotten on board with kickstarter.com, a project and funding showcase that many nu nomads can take advantage of as well.

Starting on July 1st, two budding nomads, Evan Burchard and Jade Applegate, are going to make walking from coast-to-coast much easier for others by blazing a trail and producing a guide book called “The Adventure Access Guide: How to Walk Across America.”

In their words, “A cross-country walk is difficult enough without having to worry about every last detail or unknown variable. The Adventure Access Trail enables adventurers to be informed about these logistical aspects so that they can focus on the fun and interesting challenges of walking across America.”

The book will be based on their 3,400-mile journey from Boston to San Francisco. They are walking an average of 20 miles per day. Along the way, they’ll blaze the trail by placing stickers every 10 miles to create checkpoints, and they’ll even rate each checkpoint based on climate, walkability, provisions, mobile phone coverage and Internet service, and how friendly the locals are.  All of these ratings will be posted online as they explore each area.

Besides typical camping and hiking gear they’ll be packing a bit of technology with them as well, namely, a laptop, a smart phone, a solar charger, and a Spot GPS emergency beacon. They will be in touch via their blog, twitter, facebook, and email whenever they have a serviceable cell phone signal. In the more remote places where they won’t, their GPS will be there to send out an SOS if they need it.

Their decision to go off the main grid for 6 months didn’t come easily. There is a lot of preparation before hand, and ensuring that you have the funds necessary is one of the hardest parts. As many nu nomads know, making money on the road can be difficult. Savings will work great for shorter trips, but if you want to do something really long term, or travel indefinitely, having a source of revenue in place before you travel is essential. This can mean establishing specific clients ahead of time or even get your project funded as you nomad (more on this is available in the Nu Nomad).

While you’re off the grid and away from home, there are many types of work that you may be able to do in a location-independent way. Writing or other artistic pursuits such as photography, et cetera are all viable choices.  If there is some possibility to create a product during your time, then you could consider crowd-funding the project ahead of time. There are a few online platforms for this, kickstarter.com, where Evan and Jade are raising funds and awareness about their project, being the most popular. These platforms are great because they genuinely attract a crowd of people who like to see amazing things happen in the world and are willing to put their own money behind it.  Through kickstarter, backers can can pre-order a signed copy of their guidebook or even lay claim to a checkpoint along the route.

For more info on Evan and Jade’s adventure across America, visit their website at http://adventureaccess.org/. For updates during their journey, follow @adventureaccess on Twitter or on facebook.

We at NuNomad traditionally have not accepted posts from businesses promoting their products.  However, we felt that Network Solutions Business Email Hosting was a service that nomadic businesses could benefit from.  The following is an advertiser supplied post that we felt might be of interest to our audience.

There are a number of advantages to be had from using Network Solutions business email accounts. If you have a business, which relies on email in order to operate, you could certainly benefit from the facilities on offer from a email hosting service.

Network Solutions offer a number of useful tools within their email hosting service. One of the most beneficial features is the provision of an instantly recognizable email address, which can also help promote your business name. This is extremely useful for organizations which are require to communicate with both internal colleagues, as well as external clients.

However, Network Solutions goes one step further, allowing you to benefit from this facility within an email program which you already use and are familiar with, such as Outlook Express. This means that employees are not required to learn how to use new software, and can start to enjoy the advantages of using an email hosting system instantly.

Another advantage of using email hosting systems such as those offered by Network Solutions is that those who are required to use email in a variety of different locations will be able to sync their contacts and calendars. This allows immediate access to this information, wherever you sign in to your email account.

Network Solutions email hosting goes beyond simply email services. In fact, there are a variety of tools which are specifically designed to improve employee communication and productivity. Group projects can be more easily managed through the system’s document collaboration feature and calendar sharing features. Such facilities can prove extremely valuable to businesses where the ability to share information instantly at all levels is essential for maintaining efficiency.

Lastly, one of the main advantages of investing in an emailing hosting system is the fact that you will have access to numerous email support facilities. Should you encounter any problems with your Network Solutions email hosting system, you can relax in the knowledge that a team of technicians are on hand to resolve any issues as quickly as possible. If email is integral to the commercial success of your company, then you’ll want to be confident that the system you choose offers consistent and reliable business email hosting services.

by Ricardo

It’s that time of year again when the air ticket has been bought and the travel insurance is being debated. It’s usually a no-brainer for me since I traditionally go with the same company every year—mainly because of the big price difference between what I’ve been using and what I’ve chosen in the past. However, this year, I thought I’d do some checking around before I leave again for Asia. (I’m currently in the U.S.A.)

Why the second-guessing? Well, I was also prodded to do some comparison shopping after a good friend and fellow world-traveler had touted her insurance provider—one I’ve used before—Travel Guard. Although my friend usually travels for only 1-2 months at a time, where I tend to travel from 5-11 months at a time, I thought I’d check prices just to be sure (and to write a blog on the results). At the end, we were both right. I found that Travel Guard has better prices for short-term travel, where World Nomad was outstanding for the long-term travel.

But, there is more to a policy than price. What happens when you need to submit a claim?

Last year when I was nomading through Thailand I began getting a slight pain in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was due to my having worked-out extensively that month in Bangkok’s “Prison Park” (it’s the old Bangkok prison that was converted into a really nice public park that promotes all sorts of exercising: from Tai Chi to weight training).  Anyway, I thought it prudent to go visit Doctor Nick at Mission Hospital (if you get sick in Thailand, that’s the hospital to visit) for a check-up. After a series of tests (chest x-ray, blood, EKG, some pointed questions by the doctor) it was determined that I was in fine health and that the pain I was experiencing was most likely due to muscle stress.

Whew!

So the next day I submitted a claim to my travel insurance provider—World Nomads. As I’d just mentioned I’ve been using them for the past few years, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to file a medical claim. (BTW, I’ve used the other two major travel insurance providers—Travel Guard and STA Travel—in past years and had made claims with each. None of them made it difficult for me to file claims and I was pleased with their service overall.) Anyway, once I contacted World Nomads they directed me to their on-line claims form. It was simple and quick. As for their response, that too was quick; and they assured me that I was covered. Excellent. But then they “reminded me” that their medical coverage is supplementary to whatever “primary” medical coverage I may already have.

Huh? I hadn’t remembered seeing such a provision when I was ordering the insurance policy on-line.

After it being pointed out to me, I did find it eventually. It was buried deep within the “What We Cover” section of the website, as well as within the fine print of the policy itself. After the claims agent had pointed that exclusion out to me, I assured him that I had no other “primary insurance.” No travel, health, life, auto—or any other insurance. “No problem,” was his initial answer. However, I was then notified that I would have to submit a written NOTARIZED statement made to that effect (that I had no other travel insurance) before they could proceed with the claim.

WTF?

Not only did their policy not make this nuisance provision clear (I’ve still yet to find any mentioning of notarization requirements on their website) but throughout the entire claim process there was no such requirement to have a similar notarized statement for the more important claim questions such as: costs, and if the medical event had actually occurred! (Heck, if one is lying about not having a primary insurance policy, they’d probably be lying even more about the injury itself.) Anyway, after complaining to several higher-ups in World Nomads’ company they eventually relented and let me submit my claim without notarization.

That being said, does this make World Nomads untrustworthy, or a bad value? Absolutely not. After researching and comparing World Nomads with Travel Guard and STA Travel, I found that only Travel Guard offers their medical coverage as “primary coverage.” As for the notarization issue, that seems to be at the whim of the provider and matter at hand. And once I compared policies between the three, I felt that the real issue was now down to the basics: price and the limits of coverage. And guess who blew the competition out of the water? My old stand-by, World Nomads. But, and to be balanced, the other guys had some necessary coverage areas that were better than that of World Nomads. For example with Travel Guard, as I’d just mentioned, their medical coverage is not supplemental but primary. You won’t have to prove that you’re not covered with some other company. As for STA Travel’s edge, it’s in the Damaged Belongings category. They don’t limit electronics, like one’s notebook computer, to that of only $500. So, there are some important differences between the companies besides cost.

Below are my comparison results between the three big travel insurance companies. But, I shall remind readers to read the fine print of whatever travel insurance policy he/she may select. This could make a big difference between reimbursement and getting nothing.

Your comments on travel insurance is greatly welcomed.

* Denotes that this is secondary coverage. If you have health insurance, you must submit your claim to that provider first. Any benefits you receive from your primary insurance provider or from any excess coverage will be deducted from your claim. Note that there may be similar supplemental provisions/limitations within all policies for coverage that may include more than just medical. Although NuNomad.com is a member of World Nomads Partner Network, it is our primary priority to bring our readers balanced information.

On occasion we post important content from our book, The NuNomad. This post is one such excerpt.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to simply follow conventional wisdom. Okay, aside from the obvious choice in my lifestyle design, I’m referring to inoculations and prophylactics that most travelers are recommended to take.

“Oh, you’re one of them!” you snigger.

Not so.  Am I one to not take aspirin even though I have a major headache? Hell no, I hate pain; and aspirin works for me. But, I am cognizant of the fact that taking any medication when not really necessary is generally considered not a smart thing to do. Aside from the negative side effects the accumulative use of any drug may have on a person’s body, extended use of a drug may make you resistant to the drug’s ability to heal you. That’s why, and my previous article on recommended immunizations notwithstanding, I often accept the risks of not taking certain prophylactic measures. The annual flu shot is one such preventative I shy away from. Another (which is the topic of this current discussion) is anti-Malarials.

Does this make me a risk taker? No, I don’t think so. I do take appropriate steps to avoid infection.

Most medical professionals agree that the best way to avoid getting diseases like Malaria, which are transmitted by mosquitoes, is to avoid being bitten by them. This is done by simply wearing protective clothing (long sleeves, pants and socks—as opposed to a beekeeper’s uniform). When you sleep, use a mosquito net and/or burn a mosquito coil or plug in your electric mosquito “pad” heater. Having a fan blowing directly on you also helps a great deal.

Now, let’s look at a few points.

The pharmaceutical option:
Aside from protecting yourself from mosquito bites, there are the prophylactic options, which I’d alluded to a moment ago, at your disposal: Chloroquine Phosphate or Mefloquine. These medications are widely available, but provide only partial protection and can have significant side effects.

Effectiveness:
In some parts of the world anti-malarials simply don’t work. Moreover, many medical professionals say that if you contact Malaria while taking the pills, it can be more difficult to treat.

If choose to take anti-malarials and you experience severe side-effects from the use of them, then you may need to discontinue their use. Do note that these medicines are not effective if taken intermittently. Also, the exact medicine recommended is different for different places due to resistant strains of the Malaria parasite.

If Malaria is contracted:
Treatment for the disease in areas where it is prevalent is often good because of local doctors’ experience with the disease. Luckily, Malaria tablets are far cheaper in countries where malaria is a problem. (They’re quite expensive in the U.S. and European countries.)

Conclusion:
My opinion (and it’s only an opinion) is that if you plan to be in a high-risk Malaria area for three months or less, then go ahead and take the pills. The short term use of them should be tolerable. If, however, you find yourself in a Malaria-prevalent area for more than three months, then don’t.

Resources:
You may wish to research this subject further, consult your immunologist (who will, no doubt, confuse you even more), the CDC, Internet, and books such as Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa & Latin America.

(Special thanks goes to Dr. Nick Walters, MD—tropical and preventive medicine specialist at Mission Hospital, Bangkok, for his help on this article.)