I hope you all find this as useful as I did!

1. Make two copies of your passport. Keep one in your luggage and one copy at home, so that someone can fax you a copy if needed. If you passport gets lost or stolen, this makes it much easier to replace.

2. Always purchase excess medical insurance. Keep the policy in your luggage and a card in your wallet with the insurance policy and phone number in case of emergency.

3. Keep any prescription drugs in your carry on luggage in the original containers. Also, keep vitamins in their original containers as well, or security may think you are trying to smuggle drugs.

4.Get a prescription from your doctor for Dukoral.  Dukoral is an oral medication taken in two doses. You take it approximately 2 weeks before travelling. It prevents traveller’s diarrhea and is good for 2 years.

5.Get a prescription for Sipro. It’s a general use antibiotic that’s good for infections and has a shelf life of 2 years.

6. Thieves have come up an electronic scanner that can scan the numbers of your passport, credit cards, and debit cards while they are still in your wallet or backpack. To prevent this, wrap your passport, credit cards, and debit cards in tin foil, and the electronic scanners will no longer be able to read them.

7. Always carry $30 USD in one-dollar bills when arriving in a new country. When you first arrive in a country and do not have the local currency, you may need to tip taxi drivers, porters etc., and US dollars are accepted around the world.

8. Take the oldest luggage you have. Expensive luggage is a target for airport and hotel employees. One of the best bags is a hockey bag on wheels. They are a lot stronger than regular luggage, and cheaper too. To further safeguard your luggage from thieves (this tip is for both men and women) buy really, really large ladies underwear (not the bikini type) and soil them with dirt or coffee and put them on top of your clothes. This will deter anyone from going further into your bag.

9. Take a first aid kit packed with pain killers, stomach remedies, a Swiss Army Knife, wipes, antibacterial hand sanitizer, cold/cough medication, bandages, a piece of folded tin foil, string, and wooden matches.

10. Carry a bandana. You can use it to keep the sun off your head, for wiping or washing things, to wrap around a cut to stop the bleeding, and, if it’s big enough, you can use it as a sling for your arm.

11. NEVER pack any valuables in your checked luggage.

12. Pack your clothes in large Ziploc bags and remove the excess air. That way, I if your luggage happens to sit outside for any period of time, your clothes will always stay dry.

13. Take an extra passport photo with you, you may need it for an emergency visa, permit, etc.

14. Reconfirm your return at least 72 hours prior to departure. Airlines have major schedule changes twice a year and often flights.

15. Make sure you have a local number where you can be reached.

The post Professional Travel Tips appeared first on XpatMatt.

Below are a few of my favorites. You can read all of the full profiles on NatGeo’s website.

Ed Stafford
This year Ed Stafford finished his 2.5 year trek along the entire distance of the world’s longest and largest river: the Amazon.  During this incredible journey he walked more than 4000 miles and had to deal with hostile tribes, venomous snakes, and long stretches without food or fresh supplies. Along the way he befriended “Cho” Sanchez Rivera, a Peruvian forestry worker, who accompanied him all the way to the Atlantic. It was the first time Cho had seen the ocean.  This ending also marked the first time anyone had walked the entire length of the Amazon.

David de Rothschild
David de Rothschild is a quirky adventurer. The 32 year-old heir to a European banking fortune had plenty of adventures under his belt when he undertook the strangest of them all.  In 2006 he announced he would sail the Pacific in a boat made only of recycled plastic bottles called the Plastiki (named after Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa-wood raft, Kon-Tiki). Although early models of the boat failed to prove seaworthy, Rothschild set out from California in the spring of 2010. Four months later he, and his crew, arrived in Sydney completing their eco-journey.

Jamie Mitchell
Mitchell is the Tony Hawk of stand up paddle boarding (SUP). For the uninitiated, SUP involves standing on a long buoyant board, similar to a long surfboard, and propelling yourself with a single paddle. Mitchell, a 33 year old from Queensland, Australia, has dominated the sport since 2002. He rarely loses a race. This year he won the biggest race in paddleboarding, a 52-kilometer marathon across Hawaii’s Molokai channel, for the 9^th time. He completed the race, in which racers paddle by hand rather than with a paddle, in just less than five hours, which is no small feat considering that he must deal with large swells, currents, Portuguese man-of-wars, and even getting hit by flying fish.

You can vote for your favorite on the National Geographic website until January 15^th here.

The post Meet the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Contestants appeared first on XpatMatt.

Read the whole story here.

The post The Top Ten Discoveries of 2010 appeared first on XpatMatt.