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I need to check the expiry dates on my passport and driver’s license. Will need to consider the annual things in my life that will come due while I’m on the road, income taxes, car insurance, and other payments… Also, I should let my banks and credit card issuers know that I will be traveling, so they don’t deny my transactions in these various states to “protect” me against identity fraud.
Since identity theft is such an issue these days, I will need to set my financial world up a bit differently. Actually, these are probably good ideas for everyone. I'll switch over and begin receiving digital transmission of all my bank records, credit card statements.
My friend, Bryn Johnson, used to travel all the time for her work, and has many friends who travel, or work out of town for extended periods of time. She recommended that I keep just a small amount of cash in a checking account that is not linked to my savings or retirement accounts. I'll set up a digital savings account where I will keep the bulk of my liquid assets. I will be able to transfer money from that online account, in small amounts, to my checking account. This way, in case my debit card number was cloned, the thieves won’t get much, and shouldn’t be able to hack into the rest of my life.
Of course, the other way to protect against identity theft is to use cash. But then there is the problem of carrying cash around. I think I’d rather risk my debit card being cloned, than worry about stashing cash in my RV.
The Travel Support Team
Bryn suggested that I make a list of all the folks I know across the country, and then ask around among my local friends for contact info for their friends across the country. I should have a list of people who would be glad to advise me on great things about their area, and places or roads to avoid if possible. Maybe they'd even lend me their shower, and washing machine for a quick minute. ;-) I will put these names with phone numbers into my spreadsheet
Maybe there are a few kind folks out there with a garage, who could store, or ship clothes or books I won’t be needing again for a while—to lighten the load in the RV, as the season, or the climate of my location changes. These are great ideas. I am a solo traveler, but no need to feel totally alone out there.
My "Sisters on the Fly" sister, Jean, told me of an area of our group's website that's called Sisters on the Curb, for sisters traveling through an area, to have the support of sisters, even if it's just info about a place to park over night when you find your campground to be full.
Bryn and I talked about how I will store the contact information of people I meet along the way, and I thought I’d get cards made up with the blog title and maybe my email address, in addition to the 21st Century event of everyone whipping out their cell phones to collect each other’s numbers. The idea of remembering who is who, and where we met seemed less daunting when I thought it through this way.
I'll also need a way to journal on a daily basis.
I just went and looked for the illuminated Celtic address book that Mary Callaghan gave me years ago. It is beautiful. I had never quite moved into it as my day-to-day address book, but I will use it on the road, to keep track of names and numbers and a bit of information about when and where I met the other travelers I want to stay in contact with. I have a sense that it might all get lost in a blur if I'm not careful.