Planning
an around the world trip is one of the most exciting things you can do. That
is, aside from actually taking the trip. I have ben around the world several
times, some on round-the-world tickets, others at a more leisurely pace. So I
know a little bit making travel plans. There are a fair number of things to
consider when planning a trip like this, most notably that you are generally
limited to a ‘year open’ ticket, meaning that you have to complete your journey
in 365 days. For many people, this is not a problem, but the world is a big
place, and it is easy to get caught up somewhere. Perhaps have a look here to
get yourself started. Voyajo is a good place to get started to get an idea of
what you are after
Another
thing is money. When your ticket is paid for you have less to worry about when
it comes to actually getting where you are going, but you have to be sure that
you save enough or have access to credit in order to keep yourself going. It is
still possible to pick up work along the way, but these days it is much harder
and it never really paid a lot anyway. And besides, you are here to travel, not
work. Best to just work really hard for a while and save, save save. You will
be happy that you did later on when you are riding a motor bike through Laos or
eating croissants in the south of France.
Your
first decision, is what airline to choose. You have to do some research to find
which airline will allow you the most stops for the best deal, which ones will
allow you to make changes while on route without any extra cost and lastly
which ones offer the best air miles plan. That’s right, with an around the
world ticket, you will rack up loads of miles. Often enough for a flight from
LA to Hawaii or Japan. Many of the carriers that do round the world work in
conjunction with sister airlines on the same plan.
Next
is cost of your ticket. Generally speaking, east to west is cheaper than in the
other direction. I have no idea why this is the case but I have seen it many
times. It also works well if flying from Australia or America too, because you
will go to Asia first (generally cheaper to travel in) and then you will save
more for Europe and the States. Also, it is always more expensive if you cross
the equator. Flights that stay in the Southern or Northern hemisphere are
infinitely cheaper, but limit your destinations.
There
are of course ways to save money to get around this, and that is by doing some
of your travel overland. Who wants to see the world from an airplane anyway?
One flight looks pretty much like the next. One other really good idea is to
make sure all your long flights are at night, so that you save one nights
hotel. That leaves you the option of having a splurge somewhere, which we all
need sometimes when on the road for a year.
So
where do you start? Well, look up airline that are in the Star Alliance group,
check Quantas, and look at some of the big Asian airlines (Cathy, Singapore).
These tend to be the best and usually have deals with many of the American
airlines. London, New York, Sydney and L.A. offer the best locations to fly
from, so if you are in the States or Europe, its best to get to one of those
cities and fly from there. From London a good itinerary would be London - New
York to start and then go overland to L.A. You can actually pick up a car
really cheap in the states, though I would recommend buying one in New Jersey,
not New York, and be sure to get third party insurance. I once drove a $200 car
across the country 4 times, until it died. From L.A. get back on a flight to
Australia and from there to Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. Again, use the overland
option to get to Hong Kong and catch a flight back to mainland Europe. Paris is
a good location if you want to spend some time traveling Europe. Then just go
back to London by flight when you are running out of cash. But if you are from
the UK, you can always find work in the EU to extend your stay.
That
is probably the most basic, cheapest option. Of course you can see plenty with
just that and it is technically ‘around the world. But if you want to splash
out a bit more and if your savings are healthy, there are much better routes.
You could start your journey at any of the cities listed, but a perfect around
the world where you would really see
the planet is as follows;
London
- New York, Over land to LA perhaps driving the historic route 66. From there
either overland to Bogota Columbia (this is a hard journey, I have done it, but
VERY worth it) or catch a flight. Again, overland to Santiago Chile or BuenosAires Argentina. Travel overland is cheap in South America and Mexico. From one
of those cities, fly to Australia. Sydney is the best spot as you can usually
fly out of Melbourne later. That will give you a chance to explore the East coast
(forget Perth for now). From here, choose either Asia and then back to London
or if you are super adventurous, choose Cape Town South Africa, and then
overland all the way back to London. The Africa leg is not for the faint
hearted, and much better with a friend or partner. The Sahara stretch through
Niger and Algeria is particularly grueling. But the trip is amazing, one you
will never ever forget.
What
ever way you choose, I can’t stress enough, do your research. There are so many
options out there now, and you don’t need a travel agent anymore. Just a decent
internet connection and some patience.
