After travelling half means around the globe to finish the Pacific Crest Path in 2022 and now most not too long ago the Appalachian Path in 2024, I’ve a good bit of expertise as a global through hiker coming from abroad. I needed to share some info with different potential worldwide hikers to make their journey as UL and straight ahead as potential. I’m initially from the UK however have lived and labored in over 7 nations around the globe together with France, Switzerland and New Zealand. Travelling abroad for work and play means I’ve spent huge quantity of occasions determining journey insurance coverage, medicine and the assorted postal and supply companies. Here’s what I’ve learnt alongside the way in which.
Bringing medicine into the USA
It is a massive one for me. It’s not tremendous simple to journey with 6 months value of medicine and it’s undoubtedly one of the crucial daunting duties earlier than I set out on every journey. Within the UK most medical doctors will solely prescribe 2 months value of medication at one time. My means round that is to additionally search out a personal prescription and get sufficient for six months. My GP in New Zealand prescribed me 6 months value of medicine into 3 months once I left to do the PCT. It’s value asking if that is potential. You’re not alleged to enter the US with greater than 3 months value of medication.
Make certain earlier than you journey abroad to test what the legal guidelines are on bringing sure excessive threat drugs into the nation. Maintain medication in unique packaging to your flight with a duplicate of the prescription. Once I arrive within the nation I spend hours eradicating the tablets from the bubble sleeves and placing them into small tablet luggage to hold in my pack. I’ll maintain about 1-2 months value of medicine with me at one time and use an AirTag within the bag with my medicine in case I misplace it. (This occurred to me my previous few days on the PCT and value a really costly go to to the Emergency Room in Seattle to exchange them.) I then use the Precedence Mail system on the publish workplace and put the remainder of my medicine in its unique packaging with one other AirTag in a field and bounce it up the path. It isn’t authorized for another person to ship your medicine throughout state strains.
Utilizing a ‘Bounce Field’ for unneeded gear, winter garments, and so forth
I believed all hikers have been conversant in a bounce field system however it seems that it’s a way more common system on the PCT reasonably than the AT. For a global hiker this may make an enormous distinction to your base weight that you simply’re carrying in case you don’t have the posh of a postal tackle to ship undesirable gear or winter clothes to within the US. I’ve been lucky sufficient to have wonderful mates who enable me to make use of their postal tackle to ship a wide range of random stuff to (Shout out to Cool Rocks and Toots particularly!) which allowed me to swap and alter my gear on each trails. You probably have anybody who will help you with this I extremely advocate doing so. It allowed me to scale back my base weight drastically.
The way in which to make use of a bounce field is by utilizing the USPS precedence mail. You’re allowed to ahead it freed from cost (so long as it’s unopened and never taken off the premises) between publish places of work as much as 2-3 occasions (relying on the publish grasp). Basic Supply will maintain it for as much as a month. Write on it ‘Maintain for through hiker and your identify’ together with your ETA date and a cellphone quantity. Alternatively if you wish to ship one thing a lot additional alongside the path on the PCT discover a path angel or on the AT a good hostel to ship it to. Put an AirTag in to ease nervousness and in my case, to recollect the place I’ve despatched it.
Managing dietary necessities within the US
I discovered this extremely troublesome as I don’t eat gluten, dairy, pork and shellfish. I went into each hikes realizing it wouldn’t be simple, nevertheless it was a lot tougher than I anticipated and sadly on many events I needed to eat meals which I knew would make me sick as I used to be so hungry and with out choices. I don’t know tips on how to advise anybody on tips on how to be ready for vegan/ gluten free/ Keto and so forth diets on path, until you come into the US early with time to spend days making resupply containers. It was extremely troublesome to seek out meals I might eat, particularly with the already extortionate and steadily rising meals costs throughout the nation. Having to purchase particular dietary meals added to the price of a resupply. In case you’re coming to the US, anticipate the costs of something which is gluten free or vegan to be overwhelmingly costly. 5 slices of gluten free bread is no less than $7 plus tax.
Shopping for Gear abroad
The US is dwelling to among the easiest gear corporations on this planet. A hub of ultralight, cottage gear manufacturers at your fingertips. I extremely advocate making an attempt to purchase as a lot as your gear in the USA and both getting it despatched to Basic Supply at a publish workplace or at your arrival vacation spot resort or hostel. You’ll save some huge cash on shopping for customized made extremely gentle gear this manner and keep away from paying the costly transport charges and customized fees. Shopping for gear in your house nation may be very tempting so as to strive it out earlier than your hike however in case you have challenge with it, having to return or get it repaired, may end up in loads of issues. I like to recommend utilizing corporations and web sites with nice customer support akin to REI and Storage Grown Gear. They all the time show useful and able to help through hikers ought to something unexpectedly break or not work out as anticipated.
Journey insurance coverage and what to do in a medical emergency
After a number of visits to Pressing Care on my most up-to-date through on the AT, I used to be SO grateful I had chosen a good journey insurance coverage supplier. I actually advocate True Traveller Journey plan and I all the time pay the additional to waive the surplus. It allowed me to obtain 100% of the price of each visits and drugs again inside a few days. When my cellphone unexpectedly broke and I needed to change it additionally they paid a part of that. I’m additionally hoping they may pay the restore charges after a mouse ate my pretty Atom Pack. Going right into a through hike or the US with out medical insurance coverage may be very silly and I extremely advocate this firm!
Getting a US cellphone quantity
Get a US SIM card to make communication a lot simpler. It may be fairly tough with out one. A Verizon sim with limitless knowledge prices between $50-60 per 30 days. Having an unlocked cellphone makes this tremendous simple and I simply add one in as an e-sim and cancel earlier than I depart. It allowed me to not solely make cellphone calls and ship textual content messages to guide lodging and so forth, but additionally if I needed to observe Netflix or Youtube beneath a tree or in my tent, I might. (Properly I did on the PCT- No vitality for that on the AT!)
Guide a totally refundable return ticket
Immigration might be fairly suspicious of individuals coming into the nation asserting they’re going to hike non cease for 5-6 months and sadly not all immigration officer is conversant in the nations nationwide scenic trails. It’s greatest to enter the nation with a return ticket you can cancel and get a full refund on as quickly as you possibly can. Immigration wish to know that you simply’re not planning to remain open ended within the US and a return ticket places your thoughts relaxed. When I’ve a greater thought of once I anticipate to be carried out with my hike I then guide the most cost effective ticket in a foreign country I can discover and am not restricted to sure dates or cities.
I hope this helped anybody planning a through hike from exterior the US! I’m so completely happy to reply any questions from worldwide hikers in case you contact me on Instagram @juliette.outdoor .
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