preparation
there is a lot of preparation work to do for longer journies and stay abroads in exotic countries. especially, if you organize it by yourself and the type of the journey is not the type that the mainstream does. some points have to be repeated before every journey, others not. some tasks have only to be carried out for some special countries. i'm sure you'll find it interesting. the list will be upated after every important step. (to read from bottom to top)
packing for the bicycle
because i won't have much time for doing so when i return from honduras, i have already organized a packing for my touring bicycle. this must be completely packed into a carboard box. this is to protect the bicycle itself as well as the other passengers luggage. if you don't pack it correctly the airline may cancel the insurance protection! i bought this cardboard box from the airport (form the swissport counter).
route planned
i have created a first route plan. after reading me through several bookes and online journey reports, this is what i got. click on the image to enlarge it.
packing list and plan
thanks to my experiences collected during other bike journies it was very easy to create a packing list. i just had to take an old one and adapt it to the new trip. the only thing i had to do was a packing plan. this consists in the two parts "what's allowed by the airline" and "what pieces of luggage are available".
i can carry the following luggage with me:
1 bicycle (costs extra fee, not so expensive)
checkin luggage 20 kg (+ 10 kg for free with singapore airlines after register it!)
7 kg cabin luggage
the free extra 10 kg checkin luggage is a very special thing. i just had to register this extra weight through the trave lagent. it did not cost a thing!
flight to new zealand booked!
today i have booked the flight to new zealand. this i have done with 
globetrotter.ch, a really good company with perfect service (i'm not paid for that). i will fly with singapore airlines as follows:
- january 6th 2008: flight from zurich to singapore (12 h)
- january 7th 2008: arrival singapore, break in airport hotel
- january 7th 2008: flight from singapore to christchurch (10 h)
- january 8th 2008: arrival in christchurch, new zealand
- april 2nd 2008: flight from auckland to singapore (11 h)
- april 2nd 2008: arrival in singapore, short break
- april 3rd 2008: flight from singapore to zurich (13 h)
- april 3rd 2008: arrival in zurich, end of journey
touring bike prepared
i have prepared my touring mountainbike. i hat to fix and install several new parts. 
read more about my bicycle.
get the necessary equipment
this won't be my first bike journey. that's a big advantage, because i haven't to buy all equipment again. the only things i didn't have, i have bought now:
get booking information
in this step i've looked around what flights i could book, which are the better airlines and which flights are the cheaper ones. then i have searched a company, where i want to book the flights. after the not so satisfying service from "kuoni" last year, i needed to find a different company. i have found " globetrotter.ch" and i'm sure this is the better choice! i will book the flights with them, as soon as the flight schedule for new zealand / january 2008 is published.
health preparation & insurances
every country requires specific preparation concerning the personal health. in some countries (ex. in south america, central america and asia) you need special innoculations. these information i've got from " safetravel.ch", which is a swiss site. you can find good information about every country. you may also contact your local medic to discuss your personal needs.
swiss citizen need to have a health insurance. this insurance is only valid in switzerland and the contracted eu-countries. for other countries you need a global health insurance extension. this is very recommended and mostly valid for one year! some companies offer you a combination with an international assistance.
get general information
a next step is to collect a variety of information from the internet, books and maps. a lot of information can be found in the internet. the more sites you consult, the more you get sure about your decision. i bought a new zealand guide book from the german publisher " reise know how". from the same publisher i also bought a map from the world mapping project. when i have time, i'm reading me through this information.
find the right place
this sounds very easy. but it isn't! the reason is, that i have only six months time for my stay abroad and only three months for this bike journey. my personal target is, that my stay abroad starts in october 2007. so i had to find a location on this earth that fits to the following requirements:
large enough to cycle three months through
fit exactly to the other three months (diving)
interesting & secure country
far away from home
that's the reason, why i have decided to go to new zealand!
