Administrative procedures: TO DO list before the round-the-world trip
Did you manage to empty your apartment? (if not consult our article here), you will still have some administrative or online steps to do before your departure:
– Termination of subscriptions. We called upon resilier.fr (see our article on this subject) to unsubscribe in 3 clicks from Autolib, gym, Gaumont-Pathé, EDF
– Phone package: We changed our phone package to pay a minimum (5€) just to keep our phone line. You can still go to Free to pay even less (2€)
– For the follow-up of the mail, we have called upon the Courier du Voyageur service which will scan all our mail and keep it until our return. At the same time, a mail transfer by La Poste allows us to redirect all our mail to the address given by Courrier du Voyageur. We have given them a power of attorney so that they can receive all mail with acknowledgement of receipt.
– For tax purposes, the change of address must be made either by phone or online. We gave JB’s mom’s address
– Do not forget also his proxy for presidential votes/elections (valid for 1 year only)
– If you are unemployed, you can ask to defer your rights until you return.
– License: We asked, free of charge, for the international driving license at the prefecture. It is necessary to do it 1 to 2 months in advance (and avoid the summer period when everyone asks for his driving license).
– Passport: Make sure the passport is valid for at least 6 months after your CT scan, that the cover isn’t torn and that there are enough blank pages. We were able to make our biometric passport in 2 working weeks (but take more time in advance, especially before the summer vacations) a passport for frequent travellers. See our application letter here
– For the vaccination, we went to the hospital, there is a specialized service for frequent travelers. Just give the list & departure dates to the doctor, he will advise you on the vaccinations to be done. Remember to do it at least 1 month in advance and keep the documents concerning (e.g. the yellow fever vaccination booklet can be requested before going to the Amazon).
– For insurance, ask about the offers reserved for the round-the-world tour. Personally, we chose Chapka and are very happy with it.
– For payment abroad, we took the international option of Société Générale and redid our cards 1 month before departure. We also gave the list of countries & dates to our bank to avoid any fraudulent operation. If you prefer an online bank, it is better to do it in advance in order to receive your card on time (see the comparison N26 vs. Revolut or Boursorama Ultim). We advise you to absolutely leave with at least 2 cards: a Mastercard and a Visa.
– You should know that at some point, your phone will no longer be able to receive roaming calls, that’s how it is. In South America, for example, my SFR card doesn’t work any more. However, you will need to receive SMS to validate the online payment/login to your accounts. Before leaving, ask your bank for another alternative for online payment, without using SMS (codes to print, email, secret question…). With Société Générale for example, you can have the payment codes directly on the official bank application. Activate the secret questions on PayPal to be able to connect to the account without having to receive the SMS. For all other online accounts (Gmail, Yahoo etc.) activate the secret questions, print the security codes etc. so you won’t be blocked because of this story of unreceived SMS.
– To collect miles: Create your frequent flyer account with the alliance you travel with, you will be asked for this information at each check-in. We have created our account at Qatar Airways which also includes miles from flights operated with One World. If you travel a lot with SkyTeam, why not take an American Express AirFrance card to collect miles.
– Upload a route tracking file to Drive/Dropbox to allow your family to follow you. In case of a problem, they will have all the information to find you. The template of this file can be found here.
