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)
bits and pieces
now that the time has come - 12 days before the flight - i pay attention to all the small things that should not be forgotten.
reconfirming the apartment booking
getting the right cash
booking the domestic flight from san pedro sula to utila
the last vaccination (typhus abdominalis)
charging all batteries and accumulators
seeing off my friend
perusal of all documents
scanning the flight tickets and important documents to pdf and save them in a secure webspace
arrange all administrative affairs (business / public administration)
adjusting the web blog
getting all forgotten stuff
medical check, vaccinations & drugs
it's a good to make a basic medical check, before you go on a long journey (especially when its of such an active kind). i needed to renew my medical attest for scuba diving. this is done by your physician by filling out and signing an international form from padi.com. i'm glad to say that i'm ready.
i also had to go to another physician that is specialized on travel health preparation. he checked my vaccination status and gave me the one i didn't have (against typhus). he also gave me drugs against "malaria" (called chloroquine). i'm happy it is not necessary to use it in advance as a prophilaxis - it should be enough to take it with me, due to the fact that the risk is not high.
last but not least - i had to buy sunscreen, insect repellent and the other basic medical stuff, i did'nt have. now i'm well prepared.
packing list and plan
i already have created a packing list and packing plan. the packing plan consists in the two steps "what's allowed by the airline" and "what luggage is available". i'm very lucky, that i have catched a flight over the u.s.a. (atlanta). because that is the reason why the "piece concept" is in effect.
i can take the following luggage with me:
this is very nice, because i have to take the diving equipment with me. this way i haven't to pay an extra fee for that.
participation in required padi courses
on utila, i will participate in the two padi courses "divemaster" and "assistant instructor". these courses are a standard of the worldwide organization "
padi" and require a certain professional qualification! additionally, to the courses in which i have already participated earlier, i have to participate in two further courses, before utila:
padi-efr, emergency first response
apartment on utila booked
i have found several offers on aboututila.com. after study them for some days, i have selected and booked one for three months. i will live in one of the sandstone-apartments. it has all i need: bed, kitchen, a/c, cheap laundry service, balcony and beach view! it is very close to the dive center, what is important. it is also very close to the beach!
flight booked
after booking the dive center, i was able to book the flights. i booked them at " globetrotter.ch". it seems to be complicated to get here. i will fly as follows:
october 2nd 2007: from zurich, switzerland to atlanta, usa.
october 3rd 2007: from atlanta, usa to san pedro sula, honduras
october 3rd 2007: from san pedro sula, honduras to la ceiba, honduras
october 3rd 2007: from la ceiba, honduras to utila
(on december 27th and 28th the same way back)
dive center booked
as soon as i made the decision, where to dive, i have booked the dive center. i will dive and work @ utila dive center.
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!
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 on this site. 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 honduras 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 the diving part. 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:
nice place to dive (interesting sea life & nice island)
fit exactly to the other three months (biking)
interesting & secure country
far away from home
a professional dive center that i can trust
that's the reason, why i have decided to go to utila island, honduras!
get in contact with dive centers
if you want do become a divemaster, you need a dive center which delivers the education, support and infrastructure. i began over a year before to get in contact with dive centers all over the world.
the first step was to create an online application that describes myself and the thing i want to do. you can find it here.
the second step was to collect email adresses from dive centers all over the world i'm interested in. i got those from google, padi.com and taucher.net.
the third step was to send a short email with the link to my online application to all collected email adresses.
fullfill the requirements
before you can become a divemaster you have to fullfill the requirements, defined by padi.com. padi is an international diving education company that defines standards. that ensures, that padi certified dive centers provide a good quality.
learn more about my diving education.
