General
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Health

We have had a number of vaccines including Yellow Fever (£32), Meningococcal Meningitis A & C (£6.50), Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus & Diptheria and Polio.  These were kindly provided to us over a period of two months by the nurse at our local surgery.  We also had a private consultation with the GP and he prescribed antibiotics and other medical supplies for emergency use during our trip.  We had a homoeopathic first aid kit made up by Isabel, (our last one proved very useful during our previous expedition).  See packing list for more details.

Travel Insurance

We took out a Gap insurance policy from Boots.  Although they are not the cheapest, they proved very good value for money and certainly seemed to provide the most comprehensive cover, particularly for medical and repatriation services. (and we are still awaiting a result from our claim for the camera equipment etc. stolen in Argentina).

In retrospect, claiming has not been so easy.  I had to challenge a claim for emergency dental treatment - which they later paid.  We are still waiting for them to settle a claim for our camera equipment stolen in Argentina (so far, not looking good) - watch this space for the outcome!

Paperwork

Paperwork requirements can vary dramatically by country.  Michael is travelling on an Irish passport and Sandy on British.  We applied for 48-page passports as we know that border post officials sometimes like to have a clear page upon which to stamp.  We have been informed by a fellow traveller that it is easier to get visas en route, not to mention less expensive.  The same goes for passport photos which are available from most photo shops in Morocco (see journal for more details).  We have made several photocopies of our official documents including our passports, vaccination certificates, UK and international driver’s licences.

We have obtained a Carnet de Passages through the RAC which provides a guarantee to the country visited that we will not sell nor leave the vehicle behind.

Personal

We both had our hair chopped short, which was more radical for Sandy than Michael, going from hair well beyond shoulder length to the nape of the neck!  When we only have a litre of water to wash with, we don’t want to be wasting it on long tresses.

Travelling off the beaten track with limited facilities can sometimes be a bit tricky for a female.  Sandy has packed enough personal supplies to last until Nairobi, where it is easy to restock.  Packing sealable sandwich bags for hygienic disposal in towns is also handy.

Lastly, we have made a mini photo album of our friends and family to remind us of home and the wonderful things we have to return home to!

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