Long-Term World Travel

Well, has anybody done it? I'm talking hardcore, 2 months or longer-pretty much all the way around the world travel? Staying in Hostels and just taking what fits in a backpack? I'm planning to do something like that, although I'm not sure how long the trip will last. And this trip is probably a ways off because I have to save up the money. And how much money do you think I'll need?

In ideal circumstances the trip would progress as such

USA - Dublin - London by plane
Then Europe by trains to Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, maybe even Madrid or Lisbon. Prague. Rome and Venice. Athens. Then onto Moscow and St. Petersburg.
All the above by train. Then onto Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. Up to Israel and Dubai. Over to Goa in India and then Delhi. Bangkok and Thailand. Then way over to Tokyo and Kyoto. Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well. Then hop on over the Shanghai and then take the train the Beijing. Hong Kong, Macau. Maybe over to Jakarta, Singapore. Down to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne (have friends there, and they wouldn't let me come that close without stopping by) And then of course, New Zealand, both islands. Fiji, just for kicks. Then over to Chile, Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil (Rio), Lima and Machu Picchu before heading home. Also maybe heading up to Toronto and Montreal before heading for Europe at the beginning....

I realize that's a crazy trip, majorly long term, and expensive even staying with friends and in hostels, because planes and trains ain't cheap.

So how can I make the dream reality?

[crystaltriforce]

no but i want to do something like that at least once in my life

[Shevanel]

I'd love to backpack all over the world like that. I wouldn't know though, besides gather lots and lots of money.

Well I'm gonna have to cut alot out of that, because I just priced it on a website that prices rtw trips, and it would be $8,000 to $11,000 and I am looking to budget closer to $2,000 to $3,000 so I guess we're cutting alot out. Oh well.

[Chandra]

I did a 10-month RTW trip about five years ago. I had saved up around $11 000 and I had just over $1000 left when I got back. My itinerary was Europe -> Nepal -> New Zealand -> Costa Rica. I spent 2-4 months in each area. Personally, I enjoy that better than trying to fit too many places into one trip, because you'll get more out of each place you visit.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

-It's definitely cheaper if you buy a pre-packaged RTW itinerary, but you can have some flexibility and still get a decent deal. Don't rely on one website - shop around a bit.
-Do you happen to live in either the UK or Australia? If so, you're likely to find better deals at your local travel agent. I flew from Canada to the UK first and bought my RTW ticket from there.
-Islands are almost always more expensive to fly to than large continents.
-Remember to factor in costs of vaccines, depending on where you're going - they can be quite expensive.

I went to South America last summer with my older cousin. (In Europe our parents let us be more independent). We went ALL over South America because it is SOOO cheap to get around. You can take a bus across a whole country for like 20€! Also, have you tried couchsurfing?

[Z3ni]

Omg, a long LTW is one thing that I need to do before, I go diseased lol.

I don't know 2 months wouldn't be long enough for me, I think atleast 6 months.

[Pandora]

Would absolutely love to do this sometime, but I doubt it'll happen due to money issues and whatnot. Right now would be the perfect time as well so I can just escape everything for a while.

Realistically speaking though, that won't happen, but I could settle for going to 1 or 2 places only instead. Something I really want to do is go on a road trip around the US with a couple of friends for about 2 months or so. Would be an amazing journey I reckon, and driving down Route 66 would be quite special.

One day, one day.....

[Johnnieguy]

Originally Posted by Pandora

Would absolutely love to do this sometime, but I doubt it'll happen due to money issues and whatnot. Right now would be the perfect time as well so I can just escape everything for a while.

Realistically speaking though, that won't happen, but I could settle for going to 1 or 2 places only instead. Something I really want to do is go on a road trip around the US with a couple of friends for about 2 months or so. Would be an amazing journey I reckon, and driving down Route 66 would be quite special.

One day, one day.....

Route 66 is fun, although in many places it is no longer called Route 66 since it was decomissioned in 1985.

Another route I would suggest is the Pacific Coast Highway. Or drive through the Rockies and go see Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Arches, etc.. The mountains of Colorado, Utah, etc are so pretty. I would avoid the Great Plains at all costs.. Boring

Another good route is driving around the Great Lakes, both on the US and Canadian sides. Its New England scenic value in the middle of the country.

Places in the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, etc I hear are very pretty.

My main point: Plan your trip where there are mountains, oceans, lakes, etc and not dusty, wind-swept towns with populations so small, they change the number on the town sign when a baby is born.

[Daniel]

I did a month and a half tour of Europe while I was on exchange in Denmark.

It started with heading to Rome for a week with my school. From there I flew to Germany and saw a bit of Hamburg, then returned to Denmark to repack, and went back to Germany after a three day bike trip in the North of Denmark. Headed to Berlin, went to the Czech Republic. After that I went Vienna, and chilled there for a while. Headed back to Italy again, this time hitting up the north. Lido de Jesolo, Venice, Milan, Florence, Genoa. Then on to Monaco, where an officer urged me to leave the city for inappropriate conduct.

After that schpiel, headed north to Avignon in France. Stayed there for a bit before going to Paris. Really, really, really disliked Paris. Dog fecal matter EVERYWHERE! And very different from the rest of the country.

Then further north to Belgium. And spent a nice, a little too nice, of a time in Brussels. And then north to Amsterdam where!...I learned I am VERY allergic to marijuana. Like hospitalization allergic. After that I headed back to Denmark and didn't go back to Aalborg, but saw Copenhagen for a weekend.

Then I finally went home.

All in all it was amazing. It all depends on how you do things. It cost roughly $3000 to do the full trip. I worked for scholarships (the school trip) and did camp when I could and optimized hostels when it was safe. (Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium).

[Revan]

Just be careful my friend.I know you're not 100% sure who you are orientation wise, but remember some places in the world are not gay friendly, or frankly in some cases, even not American-friendly lol (you're from the States by chance? Obviously I have no idea because ur profile doesn't say)

[blueeyedcutie]

I'm in the process of planning a long term trip and I leave in 48 days. I'm spending 5 months in India with my school and it is all paid for. I'm living in a different country for long term and I'm excited. I would choose places that would be cheaper then your standard of living and in most times those are the more exciting places to go anyways. Enjoy your trip and be safe. Be careful of where you go. I would suggest reading A LOT about places before going, it will help in planning and keep your options open in where you want to go. I know the US has a travel advisory site and I would check that also to see where it is safe to travel for Americans.