Round the World

Pocahontas

Hi all!

Just starting into the planning stages of my round the world trip and was wondering if anyone has any top tips on the route to take?!?

Definitely plan on taking in Central/South America, then heading to Oz/NZ, followed by China, SE Asia and possibly India. (sounds like a very optimistic itinerary i know!)

Would appreciate any feedback on the best way to navigate the globe, esp where to avoid!!

Ta

johnnypc

I've covered most of the places your talking about, but before I could answer any of your questions, I'd have to know

1: How long do you intend travelling for?
2: Are you travelling alone (I'm presuming your female from the name)?
3: Whats your budget?
4: Do you plan to work along the way?

Pocahontas

yep, 3 females goin. plan to take 12 months. budget will prob be tight enough (cheapo accommodation and travel where possible). planning on working in Oz for 3 months between S America and Asia.

was thinking i'd need 10k to survive the year, but that's being optimistic with the saving, therefore will def need to work. expecting good money from contract work in Oz though.

did you do it all in one go?

aviendha

If you're spending time in Central America, my only advice is to avoid Belize and spend more time in the other countries. It's very expensive for what you get and is plagued with cruise-ship elderly American tourists.

johnnypc

Spent over two years travelling, and didn't cover as much as your intending. It's a bloody big world out there. Don't try to do too much. More enjoyable to relax than constantly on buses/trains/motorbikes/tractors/donkeys/elephants!!! One of the biggest expenses is getting from A to B, the more land you cover, the more it costs. 12 months = Round the world ticket so. Start getting quotes (Trailfinders, STA, USIT, Club Travel etc), then decide your favorite route. Trying to fit in central america will be hard because it's another continent trying to do both will really push up the price. Same with trying to fit in China India and SE.

10K isn't bad though. Know some who've travelled on a lot less, but you'll need to be very careful. SA can be pretty expensive at times. I spent close to 25K, maybe more in the 2 years, thats with working in Oz and Nz, on a fairly tight budget (thank god for credit cards). Should survive on that though.

Be careful everywhere... a lot of people get robbed. SA gets a lot of bad press, and I heard more stories there than anywhere. But most of it is oportunistic (turn your back, your bag is gone). Just keep the most imporant stuff out of your backpack and in a money belt, and never keep everything in one place. I never had a problem and found the people fantastic. Get decent travel insurance. Some travel books will be full of scare mongering, but you'll find a lot of time it ain't true... but not all the time. Talk to travellers...and don't be naiive.

But where to go... from what I know:
Brazil: Rio (expensive) but absolutely fantastic (careful at nighttime), Ilha Grande, Igauzu Falls (better on Argentine side though). El Salvador if you can fit it in. Never got to far north, but heard it's fantastic.
Argentina: Cheaper than Brazil. Patagonia a big must. Buenos Aires is like a European city (in a good way). Tango!! Rosario.
Chile: Salsa!! Most expensive in SA. again Patagonia. Santiago just ok (stay in Bellavista suburb), Nice trip into Bolivia from San Pedro de Atacama (go see valley of the moon)
Bolivia: DIRT CHEAP!!!! La Paz is cool!! Death Road. Salar de Uyuni a must, Potosi (get your cheap art here), Copacabana and Sun Island on your way to Cusco
Peru: Cheap as well. The usuals obviously. Chill in Cusco for a while... great craic. Mama Africa... if you like that sort of thing (go figure). Some lovely beaches north of Lima.

Columbia is probably best avoided if safety's an issue. Didn't have time for it myself, but have freinds (lads) who needed Mitary escorts at times. In saying that the people went out of their way to be friendly, but if you must research research research. Same goes for Venusuela.

Aus... no need for advise there... other than maybe go see the West Coast (Oz) if drunken backpackers aren't your thing (east coast piss up... great craic though), but get a taste of the outback. You probably won't have time though. Just don't get stuck in Sydney for the three months!
Nz: Fantastic! If only it was about 10000 miles closer to Ireland, I'd still be there now.

Asia (good bit cheaper than SA):
Thailand: The islands, the islands. Kho Pan Nang (Full moon Party). Kho Phi Phi. Trekking in the north. Don't stay on Khao San Rd in Bangkok... stay near.
Laos: Ah wonderful Laos. Very poor but infinitely genorous people. Maybe not the most stunning country in the world (mostly jungle), but the people make the place.
Vietnam: Most geographically stunnning probably. You'll get a bit pestered by people trying to sell to you. There's only really two options: Go north or go south. Pick your palces on the way. Hue and Sapa were personal favs, and Sapa is good way into China.
Cambodia: Though if your the sensitive type (poverty etc). Angor Wat!!! Chill by the lake in Phonom Pehn (and smoke the nights away). Don't be surprised if the kids start speaking Irish to you. They make a mint at it.
China: Never got there. Big
Inida: Again with the big. Prepare to be pestered... and you though Vietnam was bad. Not everyones cup of tea, but some peoples vintage wine.

Could waffle on for years. You'd think i miss it Main thing is check what your flight options are and then start choosing your places. Be realistic. You'll find out most of the stuff once your on the road from other travellers. Travel light!!!! Your bag will expand. Any above all enjoy!!

Use throntree.lonelyplanet.com for info. Best on internet.

ShiverinEskimo

Cambodia was the dark horse of SE Asia for me. Went to China, Thailand and Cambodia and Cambodia was a lot of fun but quite grim at the same time. See Angkor Wat temples - do a 1 day because frankly after 3 or 4 temples you get numb to the architecture. I do not know how people get a weekly pass and keep themselves amused.

Phnom Penh has a good bit to offer despite a grim undertone - The Killing Fields and the associated S-21 Prison Complex in the city are harrowing but very interesting. Also - find a tuk tuk driver and ask him to take you to a shooting gallery. $25 dollars gets you 25 rounds with an AK-47 and it was EXCELLENT. I could have gone and spent about $1k on RPGs, Grenades, they even had a tommy gun you could fire!!!

Thailand - definately Koh Pha Ngan. Paradise for 10 euro a night. We stayed in Milky Bay Resort and it was absolutely gorgeous and the South Africans that own it are involved with their guests and will entertain you for the week. The food they serve on the resort is excellent but is expensive (its how the resort makes their money) so if you stick to having your free breaskfast and then get out into Haad Drin or Thongsala for food later where its much cheaper. Truely beautiful place - make sure you climb one of the hills through the forests - worth it even though you'll sweat your weight.

Can't offer much advice for China becaue we didn't see the nice part - we just visited ex-pat friends of ours in Shenzhen - the border city for Hong Kong. Think a city the size of Leinster with 22 million people where all streets are motorways and you get the picture. Night life was great in spots and it was quite cheap but yea, get up to Shanghai and Beijing and the Great Wall if you wanna see China.

As for Oz - I've just finished doing the east coast and it was excellent. So much to see and do (not just bungies and skydives either) and plenty nightlife for the piss ups. Just book your bus and islands package with any backpackers travel place. Don't pay more than 600-650. Think about paying extra for the Greyhound bus rather than Premier because there's 3 buses a day instead of 1 between Brisbane and Cairns.

I'm getting specific now though I'll leave it. I've just settled in Melbourne (a week) and got to see the Australian Open Quarterfinals which is excellent. I'm having trouble finding a job because universities are still on their summer hols so all the jobs are filled with actual Aussies. Loving Melbourne though and looking forward to the Grand Prix.

Oh - if doing White Water Rafting try to do it north of Sydney in a place called Coff's Harbour in Febuary - its the best and feb is the ideal time because the water is at optimum levels. Like I said specific - if you want specifics let me know - post here or PM me.

Pocahontas

woah, thanks dudes!! i'm on information overload now. have a serious amount of research to do. thinkin of booking the flights next month. but i guess most of the decisions can be made on the road.

definitely take on board the 'tryin not to fit too much in' advice...there's plenty of time. i just get so excited...i want to go everywhere...!!

i'm sure i'll be back on in a while for more help.

ta!

ScumLord

If you want to meet the locals and get free accomodation then sign up on couchsurfing.com it does exactly what it says on the tin.

For budget travel advice also go to http://www.travelpunk.com they have info on just about all every country and you can book hostels through it. The best part is you can get advice from the 100's of experienced travelers that go there.

ShiverinEskimo

Also whenever you think you have enough money - save more. I've spent 7 grand euro in 4 months on the road. In fairness I'm not living by a strict budget but Australia is expensive - at least the same as home and in some cases more expensive. Drink especially. Cheapest beers to buy by the bottle are about AUS$1.90 which works out at €1.13. The cheapest ****e in Ireland is €1 a bottle.

Beer is cheapest up the east coast and there's always "goon" - 4 litre boxes of cheap wine for about 10-13 dollars. These are good for groups but don't make plans for the next day or two after drinking it!

Definately though - even with plenty of research I still found my money going quicker than expected and sometimes its so easily done. Either be extremely disciplined and good with your money or bring 30%-50% more than you were planning to spend. Try to resist a big weekend out at home to mark your departure. I blew 400 euro just saying goodbye to my friends on one big mad weekend. That's a months rent here in Melbourne.

empirix

Personally i don't think 10k is enough these days, i spent 14k in about 5-6 months travelling, although i did partywhen i was away every night and lived it large. As for woringin OZ, you have to be qualified and have a few years experience to get near decent money there, otherwise you'll only be geting $10 -$12 an hour, Oz is expensive, not as expensive as here but still expensive. Being on the road is tiring and can be hard going, try not to fit too much in, you have plenty of time in life to do some of the other countries, personally for me Phi Phi island id my favoured destination of all time, was there before and after the tsunami, never been to a place before where you automatically forget about the rest of the world/worries etc. Check it out.

Afuera

I'd say you could get away with 10k for the year, but you'd have to restrict yourself to certain countries. Your money will go far in places like Honduras, Guatelmala, Argentina, Bolivia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India... If you limit yourself to only a few weeks in countries like Australia and New Zealand then you could certainly get away without working at all.