The point is.... we'd all like to make "sometime" be "some other time".

The point is........ to make "sometime" be "some other time".

I like to travel through south east asia, and usually go every other year if not every year. Cellphone coverage over there is great! I have a very simple phone I bought in singapore, that I take with me. As soon as I get off the plane in whatever country I am in I buy a simcard, plug it in and call home to let them know my number for the next X days. Cellphone coverage in most of SE Asia seems to be better than the US, not sure if a similar situation would work in Europe.

We did the same thing in Europe. We bought a cheap phone , about $30, and switched sim cards in different countries as the time on the card ran out. It worked well.

One thing my wife and I will do differently next time is getting 2 phones. It is easy to get separated , especially in the bigger cities, and one phone is not much help finding each other.

Might I suggest for the "big girls" next year doing the Kettle Valley Trail from Midway to Kelowna then depending if all the "big girls" are older than nineteen hitting a bunch of wineries between Kelowna and Osoyoos before being picked up at the border.

Well Aerohip, guess by now you have figured out there are two rings in the decision target. The center ring is centered around attitude, mental fitness for solo life, skill and equipment preparation. This center ring, like any hub or target is the most important. Without the hub all the rest falls. Also, taking care of that has a higher payback than things in the outer ring. The outer ring are the relatively less important things. They are the things that can be winged along the way. An example, is a cell phone. It isn't necessary. But it can be a great convenience as long as it isn't the primary emergency communication device.

One thing to be prepared for is a major change in perspective once you spend significant time by yourself and cope with a couple major emergencies on your own.

Have fun!