RTW 12 month Trip - Advice Needed!

v.e.r.b.a.l

Hi,

Myself and my girlfriend have been planning a 12 month round the world trip for a while now. It's come to the point where we are picking the cities / countries we want to visit. So far we have:

• Delhi, India
• Beijing, China
• Tokyo, Japan
• Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Vietiene, Laos
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Phnom Penh / Siem Riep, Cambodia
• Saigon, Vietnam
• Singapore, Singapore
• Perth, Australia
• Melbourne, Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Nimbin, Australia
• Brisbane, Australia
• Cairns, Australia
• Nadi, Fiji
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Santiago, Chile
• Buenes Aires, Argentina
• Rio De Janero, Brazil
• Lima, Peru
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Havana, Cuba
• Kingston, Jamaica

Our flights budget is between 2500 and 3000. Our spending budget is around 15000 ish for the year.

Let me know what you think of our route! Should we go clockwise / anticlockwise, how long should we spend in each place (feedback from anyone who has been in any of these places before or done an RTW trip would be greatly appreciated!)

Also, we're having a lot of trouble trying to get to Cuba and Jamaica (and these are a must!), so I'm hoping to get there from Mexico on our own seperate budget. Does anyone know anything about how to go about this?

Cheers!

Glowing

Santiago, Chile is not really worth a lot of time. Although you'll probably have to go there since it's the only city you can fly to from Australia (I think).

Don't just limit yourself to Beijing - south west China has a lot to offer and is a great place to visit - cheaper than the east coast and the food is WOW!

v.e.r.b.a.l

mmmm... chinese food. of course, there they just call it "food"!

I'd love to spend more time aroud china, but seeing as I'm going to see so much I don't want to have too much to handle. I think that maybe to return to china in a few years and travel across by train. but for this trip I can't refuse a trip to the great wall.

I think you're right about Santiago. Is it really not worth seeing? any advise on how long I should spend in Lima? i.e. is there much to see besides the inca trail?

Neamhshuntasach

Not sure about which direction to go as you don't mention when you are going. One thing to look at is the seasons so you can avoid rain and colder climates. And the other is price. You can get good deals heading east in low season.

I can't speak for the Asian/Australia part of your trip as i've never been to the countries you listed apart from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. But it seems a fair few of them are expensive cities so be prepared to spend a good bit. You also seem to list big cities. For me personally i always spend the least amount of time in the big cities and most of my time in smaller towns where it's more relaxed and there are more things to do and it is cheaper. Also are you just planning on flying in and out of the cities listed or traveling overland to each one with the exception of the ones seperated by oceans? Because if you are planning on flying from each one you'll get bored of cities.

It's not difficult to get to Cuba. You simply buy your ticket as normal with Mexicana/Cubana/Taca/Copa/Aeropostal and you will get your tourist card valid for 30 days which you can extend for 30 more while there. But none of them airlines will let you fly to Cuba without a return or onward travel ticket. You can easily fly to Kingston or Montego bay from Cuba.

As for time i'd suggest 3 months in Asia, 3 months in Australia/New Zealand, 4 months in South America and 2 months between Mexico, Cuba & Jamaica.

v.e.r.b.a.l

Thanks for the reply.

We're gonna be travelling overland as much as is physically (and mentally!) possible. Flights will be only used when needed. We figure we'll get a real feel for the different continents if we bus in on the back of a chicken coop across south america! do you really think we'll need a whole 3 months between Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica?

I might have listed a few of the bigger cities, but that's really just from looking at airports etc. For example, it wouldn't be Mexico City we'd intend on spending too much time in, more like Yucatan etc.

We're also hoping on working in Australia and maybe New Zealand.

Neamhshuntasach

Yeah overland is the only way to go in my opinion unless you have no interest of whats in between 2 points.

I spent 2 months between Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. 5 weeks in Thailand and the rest between the other 3. And when i left i felt i could have done more.

I've been to much of South America and it's a continent you could easily spend 12 months in alone.

To really see Mexico you'd ideally want over a month. And for Cuba you'd want around 3 weeks. As for Jamaica, well lets just say i wasn't into it. It's a package holiday place for the most part and expensive.

I said 2 months between Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica but if it was me i'd try do it longer. I don't have any interest in Australia so i wouldn't be having that on my itinerary so that would free up a few months.

You can always see places pretty quickly but if you keep up that pace it becomes tiring. A 20 hour bus journey might sound grand now but there'll be days where you'll just want to say **** it and hang out longer in the one place. That's why i always like to allow for that when budgeting time periods to place.

And if your planning on working in Australia that must mean you are planning a few months there. That doesn't leave much time for the rest of your itinerary. Well it does but it's pushing it.

dory

That is one hell of an itinerary!
Don't judge India on Dehli, it's not the nicest of cities. Make sure you head to Agra (which is worse than Dehli but has the Taj). The hills of India are great, and JAipur for the desert.

I would agree with what someone above said, don't limit yourself to cities. I much prefer the country side and islands. I presume you've that taken into account but just name cities to give yourself a general direction to go in.

You might save some money getting a basic around the world flight and using Tiger Airways and Air Asia to go between some of the places you have to fly between. Getting an rtw flight with lots of stops is expensive.

You asked about Lima as well. I lived there for 3 months and I loved it. But I seem very alone on that. Other than mid Dec-March it is constantly over cast. When my mother visited she said it was the most depressing weather she had ever experienced. General rule is, less time in Lima, more time in Cusco! Lima has a water fountain park that is the biggest in the world. Sounds crazy but it's really cool. I also went to a water park with slides and things. Lima's biggest problem is the Lonely Planet doesn't do it justice, and all my favourite things from there aren't mentioned.

Have fun!

v.e.r.b.a.l

dory wrote: »

I would agree with what someone above said, don't limit yourself to cities. I much prefer the country side and islands. I presume you've that taken into account but just name cities to give yourself a general direction to go in.

Dory, that's exactly it. The cities I've named are, in general, just based on where we'll fly into or a direction to head to. I don't plan on spending much time in the cities either, want to get off the beaten track a good bit and really see a real different culture.

So, I went to trailfinders on Saturday for advice. They were pretty helpful. I gave him my list of countries and budget for flights (which if I haven't mentioned already would be between 2500 and 3000). Worked out what I can and cannot get in:
(its a bit of an essay so I broke it down to different continents, so just read whatever you feel fit to!!!)

I'll be doing it anticlockwise, which suits really because I'll have the more expensive South America, Cuba and Jamaica out of the way before working in Australia and finish with the relatively cheaper south asia.

Central America
Starting in Mexico (probably fly into Mexico City, then get the hell outta there and get to somewhere like Yucatán maybe, spend 2-3 weeks there) then fly to Havana in Cuba, spend 2 weeks there, fly to Montego Bay / Kingston in Jamaica and spend 2 weeks between the two cities (hopefully more of Montego Bay, but not sure where yet - meeting a relative who lives there), the either fly back to Mexico or Panama which is just a necessary fliight to get to South America. This is a separate ticket to our RTW ticket so we'll have to be rigid on times, but is included in the 2500 - 3000 price of our ticket.

South America
Fly to Quita and make our way to Lima. Spend some time there (thanks for the info on that Dory, I might look for more from you!!), then head overland to Rio de Janero in Brazil, Iguassa Falls, Buenes Aires and Santiago in Chile all overland. Spend maybe 12 weeks here Has anyone done this before? It's kinda necessary for us to do this because of the price of flights - let me know if this is a doable task, the guy in trailfinders seems to think so.

Australasia
Fly to Auckland and stay there for 5 weeks, then fly to Fiji for a week before flying to Cairns in Australia. Spend a few weeks doing the East Cost (Cairns, Brisbane, Nimbin, Fraiser Island) work in Sydney for a few weeks and Melbourne too possibly. Anyone with advice on how to organise work over there would be greatly appreciated. This will probably mark the three-quarters part of our journey. Unfortunately according to trailfinders we wouldn't be able to include a flight to Perth in our itinery because of our budget, so I think we'll have to cut that out.

South Asia
Fly to Singapore and overland / boat it to Saigon in Vietnam. Go overland through Cambodia (spending a little time there) and to Bangkok and Kopanang in Thailand. Overland to Vietienne in Laos. And overland to Hong Kong. Then fly/overland (not sure if we can afford this part) to Beijing. Anyone know if its feasable to overland it from Hong Kong to Beijing?? Or am I completely crazy? We really wanted to get Tokyo into our trip, but it seems we can't afford that extra flight. Anyone help us on this? According to trailfinders, we can't afford Delhi either. Now I'm thinking that a more detailed interail overland trip between India and China might be a trip of its own again. I still really wanna finish my trip off with the Great Wall in Beijing and would love to get Tokyo in. Anyone with advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Then back home!

So, phew! Sounds pretty crazy, but I'm thinking its a lot more believable now cutting out Perth and Delhi. I'm especially worried that we've taken on too much of a big task overlanding across South America. Trailfinders seem to think it's very doable, but I just wonder when I look at the sheer size of the continent. I'm also very bummed at missing Tokyo and my girlfriend reckons we skip China altogether, but I'm determined to at least get Beijing in (not too pushed about Hong Kong). For those who have lasted to the end of this thanks for reading and give yourself a round of applause!

bren2002

One piece of advise, 15K is not nearly enough money for a 12 month trip. I spent more than twice that on a 9 month trip. Australia, New Zealand & Chile are as expensive as Europe. Car hire in Australia & New Zealand helps get you off the beaten track and to places you want to go. There are always day trips and other things worth doing when you get to new places, sailing on Whitsundays Islands, vineyard tours, Ankor Wat, Halong Bay, Milford Sound cruise, fun stuff in Queenstown, Great Ocean Road drive, a couple of internal flights (Air Asia) that you haven't planned on, posting home stuff (you can't carry nearly as much as you think you can). Plus you will have to refresh your clothes for the season and area you are heading into, for example you are planning a trip that straddles the equator that goes deep south in Argentina & New Zealand where the weather is totally different.

For 2 people we'd spent 7K before even leaving Ireland - flights, shots, bags and stuff, insurance.

Your Friends;
Air Asia
Hostel World (.com)
Wicked Camper vans


(Should say, myself and GF spent more than twice that, ie. 30K total budget)

dory

I lasted!! That will be one hell of a trip.

In Central America, I would pick Panama to fly into if possible. But maybe that's because I've never been to the Carribean and loved the raggae and white sand.

In South America, it is possible! I bused it all over the place. From Buenos Aires, right down to the tip (c. 30 hours) then back up going the back road, on bus ride was 36 hours. Then bused it to Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile. You didn't mention Bolivia in you plan. It was my favourite and the favourite of everyone I met. I found Brazil and Chile expensive, so Bolivia was a God send to my budget. Also, everyone who read my blog on Bolivia said it made them want to go!
If you want to know anything else about Lima let me know. I'm still friendly with a family there who can give me the low down on what's good.

Also, cheap flights in South America are rare. If you bus it over the border of whereever you're going you could get a cheap flight in the country, then bus it over the next border. Like, in Peru, it's 24 hours of bumpy, curvey roads from Cusco to Lima. But a one hour flight costs less than 50 Euro, bus is 25-30 euro. To go from on capital to another is usually €300-450.

For you Asian woes: if you really want to go to Delhi; my flight from Singapore to Chennai cost €80 with Tiger Airways. Then with AirDeccan you can get to Delhi for €20 (last time I checked anyway).

Also, you seem to be going backwards, going from Singapore to Vietnam to Bangkok. You can easily go from Singapore to Bangkok overland, or with cheap flight, taking in a few white sandy beaches on the way. I'm seem to have a thing for white sandy beaches.....

v.e.r.b.a.l

---

Listening to: Spoon - Don't You Evah via FoxyTunes

bren2002 wrote: »

One piece of advise, 15K is not nearly enough money for a 12 month trip. I spent more than twice that on a 9 month trip.

(Should say, myself and GF spent more than twice that, ie. 30K total budget)

Is that that you spent 30K between you or each??? We're really just planning 15k each. We also plan to work in Sydney or Melbourne for a while.

I'm aware that there are a lot of things like shots and visas that still need to be sorted out, and its the trips and excursions when we're away that scare my wallet the most!

v.e.r.b.a.l

dory wrote: »

I lasted!! That will be one hell of a trip.

For you Asian woes: if you really want to go to Delhi; my flight from Singapore to Chennai cost €80 with Tiger Airways. Then with AirDeccan you can get to Delhi for €20 (last time I checked anyway).

Also, you seem to be going backwards, going from Singapore to Vietnam to Bangkok. You can easily go from Singapore to Bangkok overland, or with cheap flight, taking in a few white sandy beaches on the way. I'm seem to have a thing for white sandy beaches.....

Yeah I was kind of aware of the Singapore issue today when looking up Google Maps. Is it really easy to get from Singapore to Bangkok overland? Buses I presume? We were half thinking of scrapping Singapore altogether, is it really worth seeing? Dee, my girlfriend has relatives there so we were thinking of visiting, but not if it upsets our whole trip.

As for Delhi, I think at this stage its out the window until a seperate future trip. I'm still determined to to finish off the trip with a few days in Beijing to see the Great Wall. I wonder is it possible to overland it from Laos?

youcrazyjesus!

Any suggestions for figures for spending money?

Each trip is different obviously but ballpark figures.

breadmonkey

bren2002 wrote: »

(Should say, myself and GF spent more than twice that, ie. 30K total budget)

Over 9 months that works out at about €55/person/day average which is insane. Doesn't sound like you were on too much of a budget!

Neamhshuntasach

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

Central America
Starting in Mexico (probably fly into Mexico City, then get the hell outta there and get to somewhere like Yucatán maybe, spend 2-3 weeks there) then fly to Havana in Cuba, spend 2 weeks there, fly to Montego Bay / Kingston in Jamaica and spend 2 weeks between the two cities (hopefully more of Montego Bay, but not sure where yet - meeting a relative who lives there), the either fly back to Mexico or Panama which is just a necessary fliight to get to South America. This is a separate ticket to our RTW ticket so we'll have to be rigid on times, but is included in the 2500 - 3000 price of our ticket.

Mexico city is a great city and is absolutely huge. I'd at least spend a few days there. It's as dangerous as any other big city. Just use common sense and you'll be grand. A little to the north of the city is Teotihuacan where there are these pyramids. Try get up to them. And you should try take in Oaxaca and the Chiapas region which are pretty much en route to the Yucatan. Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las casas are great places to spend a few days. There are a lot of indigenous towns around here. You also have a cool pacific beach place in Puerto Escondido a couple of hours away. An fair amount of the popular towns in the Yucatan are really touristy. Don't spend much time in Cancun. Isla Mujeres is a brilliant island to chill out on. Merida is also interesting. Tulem and Chichen Itza are also worth checking out. And if you want to try your hand at diving head on down to Cozumel. Since your so close you can always try check out Tikal in Guatemala or get down to Caye Caulker in Belize.

I reckon your cheapest option to get to South America would be flying with Copa out of Kingston to Quito via Panama City. Should be less than 300 Euro. Flights are expensive enough in this region. But if you fly back to Mexico or to Panama and then try looking for another flight i think it would work out more expensive. Unless you got a good deal on a return flight to Cuba and got a cheap flight to Quito from Mexico City or Cancun. Taca are a good option for that.

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

South America
Fly to Quita and make our way to Lima. Spend some time there (thanks for the info on that Dory, I might look for more from you!!), then head overland to Rio de Janero in Brazil, Iguassa Falls, Buenes Aires and Santiago in Chile all overland. Spend maybe 12 weeks here Has anyone done this before? It's kinda necessary for us to do this because of the price of flights - let me know if this is a doable task, the guy in trailfinders seems to think so.

As interesting as Lima is i wouldn't spend too much time in it. There is a lot more to Peru such as Cusco which is way better than Lima in my opinion. Iquitos, Arequipa, Nazca, Trujilo, Vilcabamba, Puno, Puerto Maldonado and Mancora are a few of the names of places i remember i liked. There is a lot more but without checking i'd never remember the names.

If you are heading overland to Rio go through Bolivia which is an amazing country. Although it's not the easiest of journey's overland it sure will be memorable. There will be a few buses and trains. You'll pass through Campo Grande i think it's called where you can take a tour to the Pantanal. It's like the cheaper version of the Galapagos Islands.

3 months should be doable for what you want to do but it may be a bit rushed at times because the continent is huge. And what may look like a short enough journey on a map is actually a lot longer. Ideally you could do with longer because you'll probably end up limited to a week or two in Ecuador, 2-3 weeks in Peru, 1 week in Bolivia, 2 weeks Brazil, 2 weeks in Argentina and 2 weeks in Chile. You'll see a lot but you'll be moving around a lot. It will get tiring especially with the heat.

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

South Asia
Fly to Singapore and overland / boat it to Saigon in Vietnam. Go overland through Cambodia (spending a little time there) and to Bangkok and Kopanang in Thailand. Overland to Vietienne in Laos. And overland to Hong Kong. Then fly/overland (not sure if we can afford this part) to Beijing. Anyone know if its feasable to overland it from Hong Kong to Beijing?? Or am I completely crazy? We really wanted to get Tokyo into our trip, but it seems we can't afford that extra flight. Anyone help us on this? According to trailfinders, we can't afford Delhi either. Now I'm thinking that a more detailed interail overland trip between India and China might be a trip of its own again. I still really wanna finish my trip off with the Great Wall in Beijing and would love to get Tokyo in. Anyone with advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

A flight from Australia to Thailand via Singapore is not much more expensive than an actual flight to just Singapore. Singapore is only really a lay over city for most people. I reckon a boat journey from there to Vietnam would be quite long. And if you travel overland you go through dangerous parts of Southern Thailand.

You seem a bit ambitious with some of the places you want to see on this trip. Beijing and Tokyo are both expensive and a bit out of the way as in terms of the rest of your itinerary. They'd probably be best kept for a separate trip if you really want to see them.

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

So, phew! Sounds pretty crazy, but I'm thinking its a lot more believable now cutting out Perth and Delhi. I'm especially worried that we've taken on too much of a big task overlanding across South America. Trailfinders seem to think it's very doable, but I just wonder when I look at the sheer size of the continent. I'm also very bummed at missing Tokyo and my girlfriend reckons we skip China altogether, but I'm determined to at least get Beijing in (not too pushed about Hong Kong). For those who have lasted to the end of this thanks for reading and give yourself a round of applause!

Overlanding it in South America is very doable. But you will be on a lot of long bus journeys. And while it sounds grand now to say it's only 8 hours here and 10 hours there it will be a different scenario when on the road. You'll be sick of long journeys. Traveling without much deadlines eases the long distance travel situation as you can take longer breaks between the trips. You could always cut Australia short by a month or 2 if you think you'll need more time elsewhere.

And in my opinion 15K should be well enough. Depending how much you spend in Australia and some of the more expensive cities you should well manage. I've managed longer than 6 months on 5k in South America. And i'd last een longer in Central America. And SEA is much cheaper.

v.e.r.b.a.l

First of all, thanks for all that info Neamhshuntasach!!!

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

Mexico city is a great city and is absolutely huge. I'd at least spend a few days there. It's as dangerous as any other big city. Just use common sense and you'll be grand. A little to the north of the city is Teotihuacan where there are these pyramids. Try get up to them.

Teotihuacan is definitely on our itinerary!! I was probably a bit harsh saying we'll get the hell outta Mexico City, I really meant that we'll explore around the city more... Still loads of research to do on individual places, but just trying to get a ballpark kinda notion of what there is to see in each places at the mo so that we can pick approximate times to stay in each country.

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

I reckon your cheapest option to get to South America would be flying with Copa out of Kingston to Quito via Panama City.

I think that's what we'll be doing. Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica down to Quito via Panama is a seperate ticket to our RTW ticket, but included in our budget of 2500-3000 and what you said above is exactly what the guy in Trailfinders told me too.

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

A flight from Australia to Thailand via Singapore is not much more expensive than an actual flight to just Singapore. Singapore is only really a lay over city for most people. I reckon a boat journey from there to Vietnam would be quite long. And if you travel overland you go through dangerous parts of Southern Thailand.

Seems at this point, it really looks like we're gonna be cutting Singapore out of our list altogether. I feel like I'm neglecting South East Asia by limiting myself to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, but in terms of time all over the world, we have to really to not go mad!! My girlfriend has become fixated on what you said about "the more dangerous parts of Southern Thailand" (thanks a lot!!!)... any specific places?

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

You seem a bit ambitious with some of the places you want to see on this trip. Beijing and Tokyo are both expensive and a bit out of the way as in terms of the rest of your itinerary. They'd probably be best kept for a separate trip if you really want to see them.

I agree with you about this. I'm already saving these for another seperate trip again, but I'm still really determined to get to Beijing for a couple of days at the very end to see the Great Wall. I really hope this is possible. I know, its a bit out of the way and could affect our flights, but I'm hoping someone has some info on overlanding it from Laos (or is that a crazy idea?) or a cheap maybe Air Asia flight from Laos to Beijing and then have our home flight from Beijing?

We're heading up to Dublin again this Saturday to see what Trailfinders have to say about our amended trip and get a quote that I hope is believable.

v.e.r.b.a.l

So before we book our flights (in the next 2 weeks), we need to know a ballpark idea of how long to stay in each country / continent. Central America (Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica) will be rigid, but the rest is fairly flexible... Here's our first thoughts, let me know what you think:


Mexico...................3 weeks
Cuba.....................2 weeks
Jamaica.................2 weeks

South America..........12 weeks (3 months)
specific times in each country will vary here I reckon, because of huge travelling time overland (which is part of the attractions really) and tbh I just don't know how much to spend in each place and want to stay pretty flexible

New Zealand..........5 weeks
Fiji.......................1 week

Australia...............18 weeks (a bit over 4 months)
we'll be doing a lot of travelling around the East Coast of Australia at the before or after working in either Sydney or Melbourne... probably a month of travelling?

Vietnam................2 weeks
Thailand...............3 weeks
Laos....................3 weeks

a week of travelling time for South East Asia and a couple of days for Beijing...

ARGH! I keep messing around with the amount of weeks, even as I type... I really need help on a believable amount of time needed for each place!!! I keep changing my mind! :eek:

v.e.r.b.a.l

Also for anyone who knows anything about cameras please check this thread out!

Neamhshuntasach

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

My girlfriend has become fixated on what you said about "the more dangerous parts of Southern Thailand" (thanks a lot!!!)... any specific places?

Thailand is a really safe country overall. The islands in the south are safe and are heavy tourist places. But there are a few provinces in the south that you would go through if traveling overland through Malaysia that you would otherwise never be in if for example, you fly into Bangkok. The main ones to avoid are Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Satun and Songkhla. There is almost daily violence there and bombs have gone off as recently as last month.

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

I agree with you about this. I'm already saving these for another seperate trip again, but I'm still really determined to get to Beijing for a couple of days at the very end to see the Great Wall. I really hope this is possible. I know, its a bit out of the way and could affect our flights, but I'm hoping someone has some info on overlanding it from Laos (or is that a crazy idea?) or a cheap maybe Air Asia flight from Laos to Beijing and then have our home flight from Beijing?

As far as i know Laos into China can now be done. Just type into Google Laos into China overland and you're bound to find something. In fact here's someone's account of it in 2006.

http://www.travelblog.org/Forum/Threads/8031-1.html

jackdaw

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

Hi,

Myself and my girlfriend have been planning a 12 month round the world trip for a while now. It's come to the point where we are picking the cities / countries we want to visit. So far we have:

• Delhi, India
• Beijing, China
• Tokyo, Japan
• Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• Vietiene, Laos
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Phnom Penh / Siem Riep, Cambodia
• Saigon, Vietnam
• Singapore, Singapore
• Perth, Australia
• Melbourne, Australia
• Sydney, Australia
• Nimbin, Australia
• Brisbane, Australia
• Cairns, Australia
• Nadi, Fiji
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Santiago, Chile
• Buenes Aires, Argentina
• Rio De Janero, Brazil
• Lima, Peru
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Havana, Cuba
• Kingston, Jamaica

Our flights budget is between 2500 and 3000. Our spending budget is around 15000 ish for the year.

Let me know what you think of our route! Should we go clockwise / anticlockwise, how long should we spend in each place (feedback from anyone who has been in any of these places before or done an RTW trip would be greatly appreciated!)

Also, we're having a lot of trouble trying to get to Cuba and Jamaica (and these are a must!), so I'm hoping to get there from Mexico on our own seperate budget. Does anyone know anything about how to go about this?

Cheers!

2500 - 3000 ??? for flights !!! with that itinerary ? impossible surely ?

and 15K each spending ? or between you (again surely impossible?)

v.e.r.b.a.l

---

Listening to: Animal Collective - For Reverend Green via FoxyTunes

jackdaw wrote: »

2500 - 3000 ??? for flights !!! with that itinerary ? impossible surely ?
and 15K each spending ? or between you (again surely impossible?)

3000 for those flights - not impossible my friend! we're just back from Trailfinders (and I think you quoted my original list from which I cut out a few countries like Singapore and China / Japan - see post #17 for the ammended list) and they quoted us with €2965 for that list!!! We'll be doing each continent overland and flying between each.

I'm really happy now that I know I can get the flights I need for the amount I had budgeted!!!

15K each for spending money, which from talking to a lot of people seems to be a believable amount (at least I hope so!)...

Thanks to all for your help on info regarding flights and believable overland expectations btw! Trailfinders were a very good help too!

One thing that we were told, I don't really get? Maybe someone can help us understand? Trailfinders said not to book our tickets now - to leave it for a month or two. Supposedly they can only book flight times up to 9 months ahead or something and then we have to change our flights... doesn't really make sense to me?

youcancallmeal

If your booking that far in advance then generally the only date that is set is your departure date. As for waiting that doesn't make much sense to me. When I booked my RTW flights with trailfinders a few weeks ago they said that the sooner you book the better because prices can go up in line with rising oil prices

dory

Yea, it's true the can't be booked that far in advance. Maybe they meant wait a month or two so you can book your departure flight and any others within 9 months, meaning less booking on the road.
But definitely book as soon as possible. It's not much hassle arranging flights on the road, just make sure it's all electronic tickets. I got paper off USIT and it was annoying, but changing dates was free. That was handy, make sure you can change dates without paying a crazy amount.

v.e.r.b.a.l

We kinda realised also that we were a month off on our calculations. The way we had it leaving end of january, meant that we'd catch rain season in Lima for a month and supposedly they close the Inca trail for that time. Also we'd have a bit of winter (like a month again) in Oz.

So if we depart the end of February instead, it should be ok weather-wise. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we'll have nice weather everywhere if we are in these countries around these times:

Central America: March - mid April
South America (North to South): mid April - mid July
New Zealand & Fiji: mid July - start of September
Australia (Cairns / Brisbane and the coast): start of September - mid October
Australia (Sydney & Melbourne): mid October - end of December
South East Asia: start of January - end of February

I'm really happy now to have Xmas in Sydney too!

dumbyearbook

Hi

OP can you put up the prices you were charged? and how many flight stops excluding the over land travel you are getting.

The gf and I are looking at 3K for a seven stop (overland between Bangkok and Singapore).

It does'nt seen to take in half of what you have got !

RATM

OP it is possible to bus from Laos to China, I did it a few years back from Kumming to Luang Prang. I will warn you though its rough travel, took me a solid 27 hours to complete the journey. It doesnt look that far on the map but theres a couple of mountain ranges on the way which makes for very slow driving but also some stunning scenery.

RATM

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

I'm really happy now to have Xmas in Sydney too!

Try to be in Sydney for New Years Eve, the fireworks they let off over the harbour bridge are worth sticking around for. Maybe spend Xmas day on the beach and then spend the next 5-6 days doing day or 2 day trips out of Sydney like to the Hunter Valley wine region or the Blue Mountains and then get back to the city for NYE.

If you want something different in Sydney then try to stay at the newly opened Cockatoo Island camping ground in the harbour. It has a view of the harbour bridge from your tent and could make for a good place to watch the NYE fireworks. You dont need your own tent, they have permanent ones set up and it costs $75 per night for 2 ppl, a bargain considering the million dollar view you'll have ! I'd book now if you want to stay there NYE though....

Ive just had a look at their website, they are taking booking for NYE on the island sometime in July or August, heres the link:

http://www.cockatooisland.gov.au/events/calendar.html#NYE

breadmonkey

Jesus, $75/night ($37.50/person ~ €22) for camping! That seems really expensive. I've stayed in reasonable hotels in Barcelona and Paris for the same money! Or is the view the gimmick?

Meathlass

Are you going to Santiago for any other reason other than you have to fly into or out of it? If not than I would skip it. It's not really worth it when you have such a short period of time and if you're going Quito-Lima-Rio-Ba-Santiago then you are doubling back on yourself. Mid April to Mid July is winter in South America which means Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego are pretty much off limits for hiking and overland travel unless you can budget for delays. Pity as Torres del Paine National Park in Chile is amazing, easily one of my Top 5 in SA.

paddylonglegs

Meathlass wrote: »

Are you going to Santiago for any other reason other than you have to fly into or out of it? If not than I would skip it. It's not really worth it when you have such a short period of time and if you're going Quito-Lima-Rio-Ba-Santiago then you are doubling back on yourself. Mid April to Mid July is winter in South America which means Patagonia, Tierra Del Fuego are pretty much off limits for hiking and overland travel unless you can budget for delays. Pity as Torres del Paine National Park in Chile is amazing, easily one of my Top 5 in SA.

Meathlass.Would you have any idea what weather is like in SA from mid jan to mid march?

Was hoping to get down to the national park in chile maybe late jan,Inca trail will be closed for a month around that time too so need to arrange things fairly precisely

paddylonglegs

breadmonkey wrote: »

Jesus, $75/night ($37.50/person ~ €22) for camping! That seems really expensive. I've stayed in reasonable hotels in Barcelona and Paris for the same money! Or is the view the gimmick?

In fairness, smack bang in the middle of one of the most famous cities in the world on the night of it its world renowned NY celebrations, really isn't that bad.

Meathlass

Paddy

Mid Jan to Mid March is sort of Sept to Nov here if you know what I mean, so it'll vary alot. Up around the equator it won't make a difference but I would say if you want to go to TDP then try and make it before mid Feb. I went trekking the week before Christmas and the weather was perfect - long days, good sunshine but it still rained heavily, lots of wind and snowed in the passes. Inca trail is closed in Feb isn't it? So I would try and do that first (buy your permits as soon as possible, the months either side of the closure always book up really fast) and maybe head down through Chile or whatever, don't know details of your itinary. I left Brazil at teh end of March and it was 30c in Rio, same in BA.

v.e.r.b.a.l

Meathless, we're pretty much only going to Santiago because its the only place you can fly to New Zealand from. But we're going with an open mind, different people like different places for different reasons!!

Is that really true about weather in South America in those times? The girl in Trailfinders assured us that we'd have nice weather there if we arrived in late-April / May and left the continent in mid-July... Was she just lying to us??? We even postponed our trip by over a month so that we'd "miss" the rainy season in South America and supposedly the Inca Trail is closed for that time...

paddylonglegs

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

Meathless, we're pretty much only going to Santiago because its the only place you can fly to New Zealand from. But we're going with an open mind, different people like different places for different reasons!!

Is that really true about weather in South America in those times? The girl in Trailfinders assured us that we'd have nice weather there if we arrived in late-April / May and left the continent in mid-July... Was she just lying to us??? We even postponed our trip by over a month so that we'd "miss" the rainy season in South America and supposedly the Inca Trail is closed for that time...

verbal check out the gapadventures.com site, it gives exact dates on when the trail closes and opens again and also what dates permits are sold out

v.e.r.b.a.l

Thanks for that. I'll check it out...
Still kinda worried that we might end up getting ****ty weather in SA. Worst case scenario for us would be catching that rainy season...
Anyone suggest any sites that give good info on climates at different times of the year in different countries / continents? Tried googling it, but didn't find anything I could trust...

paddylonglegs

Lonely Planet will give you a good idea, but guess you have to roll with the punches. No one can predict the weather.....well,except weathermen n that

Meathlass

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

Meathless, we're pretty much only going to Santiago because its the only place you can fly to New Zealand from. But we're going with an open mind, different people like different places for different reasons!!

Is that really true about weather in South America in those times? The girl in Trailfinders assured us that we'd have nice weather there if we arrived in late-April / May and left the continent in mid-July... Was she just lying to us??? We even postponed our trip by over a month so that we'd "miss" the rainy season in South America and supposedly the Inca Trail is closed for that time...

Well it depends where you're going in South America. It's a huge continent that straddles the equator. A bit like asking will June be nice in Europe - do you mean Greece or Iceland? Southern Argentina and Chile will be very cold, most of the mountianeous border crossings will be closed because of snow and some areas will be completely impassable. There's a high probability of getting stuck in towns for days as you wait for roads to clear and buses to start again. Not good if you're on a tight timescale. The Lonely Planet website is very good for generalised weather so look that up. Their forum Thorn Tree is also good. I'd imagine that Late April to mid July might be okey if you are going from BA to Santiago but not sure, you won't have extremes of weather but it will probably be mild (a bit chilly) and not sunbathing weather.

Santiago is fine if you have to go there. It's a nice European city with a great PreColombian museum just off the main plaza. Nice views of the Andes from the city. It's just very European compared to lots of Andean South America.

catbear

regarding traveling by bus in SE asia, a lot of the services are overnighters, for example vientianne to Honai. after many overnight bus trips we opted for an hour and a half flight between the two. after a few months ethnic transport becomes a drag, especially when you see nothing for the discomfort. save time and spend your money doing activities.

SheroN

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

---

Listening to: Animal Collective - For Reverend Green via FoxyTunes

3000 for those flights - not impossible my friend! we're just back from Trailfinders (and I think you quoted my original list from which I cut out a few countries like Singapore and China / Japan - see post #17 for the ammended list) and they quoted us with €2965 for that list!!! We'll be doing each continent overland and flying between each.

I'm really happy now that I know I can get the flights I need for the amount I had budgeted!!!

15K each for spending money, which from talking to a lot of people seems to be a believable amount (at least I hope so!)...

Thanks to all for your help on info regarding flights and believable overland expectations btw! Trailfinders were a very good help too!

One thing that we were told, I don't really get? Maybe someone can help us understand? Trailfinders said not to book our tickets now - to leave it for a month or two. Supposedly they can only book flight times up to 9 months ahead or something and then we have to change our flights... doesn't really make sense to me?

When are you planning to start your trip?

Larianne

I've just got back from two years of travelling (I didn't use up my RTW ticket!) around Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and The Philippines.

In my opinion, 12 months to do South America, Australia/NZ/Fiji and South East Asia is not possible. It will feel very rushed and you will have to leave out a lot and regret it. And if you need to work in Australia or NZ then it will not be possible for sure to do all those countries!

I suggest do the RTW trip focusing either on South America or South East Asia and Australia/NZ and then just stopping off on the continent you leave out (say Mexico or Thailand) on the way back. You could always take out a few months to do South America or South East Asia on a seperate but worthwhile trip.

I haven't been to South America but like South East Asia these are developing/third world countries and to travel places takes extra time due to bad roads, badly run airlines, people trying to rip you off and bad weather. You can get places quicker but that involves more money!

A regards to dangerous areas in Asia and South America, yes this is true but if are travelling through bad areas you just have to use common sense, keep alert and don't stay around very long. And don't have bags and cameras hanging off you. I travelled the Philippines on my own and before I went all I got was "oh don't get kidnapped" and "watch out for the bombs and guns" (me going on my own ffs) but the people I met were so so friendly and helpful, maybe coz they thought I was nuts travelling on my own?. Only had to watch out for the taxi drivers trying to rip me off "I've no change" !!

One big point of advice is to read up on scams and rip offs in the different countries you are going to. In South East Asia, everywhere people are trying to rip you off or just make a few more bucks from the rich foreigner. Then in Thailand there are cases of people being gased on some cheap buses - I think on routes from Bangkok - Chang Mai and Bangkok - South of Thailand (heading for Phuket/Phnangan) are the dodgy ones. If its a too good to be true price then it probably is!

Australia is an amazing country and try and get to see as much of it as you can. I didn't particularly like the East coast that much (ah shock horror!). It's great to party and meet lots of Germans hehe but it didn't do much for me I'm afraid. Although I didn't get to do Fraiser or the Whitsundays due to bad weather, which are meant to be the highlights. I did do white water rafting on the Tully River which is near mission beach which was great!

Another idea about getting up some of the coast you can do surfing school from Sydney to Byron Bay for 5 days I think and it's meant to be a good way of getting half way up the coast.

I wouldn't miss Perth and Western Australia when you are there as it is just so beautiful! If you miss out on going to the Caribbean just go to a beach on the west coast or Rottnest Island near Freemantle and the water is that bluey turqoise colour!

And when in New Zealand, spend 5 weeks travelling around in a Wicked Campervan, it's the best!! Park on the side of the road, on the beach, beside a lake and take showers in swimming pools, no need for campsites (overpriced in my opinion!)

Definitely go to Vietnam, try and see it all as it's a great country. Ii'd just to to Siem Reap in Cambodia and see all the temples. If travelling through Malaysia to Thailand stop off on one of the islands. The people are so friendly and the food is great (better than Thailand!!) If you need any more information on Oz, NZ, Fiji, South East Asia, PM me and I'll help you out!

Good sites which I used when on me travels are

The lonely planet and its travellers forum, ThornTree

Travelfish.org

Virtualtourist.com

hostelworld.com

asiarooms.com

jank

12 months is not a lot of time to see the world.
I wanted to do something similar myself but found the time scale undoable.

What im doing instead is getting a one way ticket to NZ with a stopover in Singapore (get to fly on the new A380!). We will then be traveling SEA for about 2 and a half months. Thailand, Laos, Vietman, Malaysa, Cambodia, Brueni

We plan to work in NZ for a year, save a bit of money and travel around the country. From here we are going to buy a RTW ticket. It is actually way cheaper to buy it here rather then Ireland. Saves about 1000 euro.

We are going to use to ticket to travel to China, Japan, back to London (see the folks for a few weeks), then onto the caribbean and South America, back to NZ via Easter island and Thaiti.

Maybe travel OZ then we will see what the story is. But the point is a RTW ticket will not last over a year, so we can take, if we want 6 months to do China/Japan/Tibet/Nepal/Other and 6 months to do South America.

You only get to do these trips once so why rush it. If we want to stay an extra week some where we can.
Its good to have some kind of schedule but craming in loads of countrys into a few weeks will just put you off travelling imo.
Maybe one way flights might be a better option?

v.e.r.b.a.l

Sheron, we're planning to start our travels early March next year. Went to book our ticket last Saturday, but completely mis-judged how early we were (can only book 9 months ahead) so we have to come back and book in like 6 weeks...

Did find out a lot about climates though, and I think we're pretty much getting almost the best weather we can across the world. New Zealand might be a bit cold, but everywhere else should be in the sunny, least rain season!

breadmonkey

Larianne, how much does a camper van cost to rent?

I gather you have two options:
1) Buy your own - riskier but cheaper in the long run if the van survives
2) Rent - low risk but heavier on the pocket

?

Larianne

breadmonkey wrote: »

Larianne, how much does a camper van cost to rent?

I gather you have two options:
1) Buy your own - riskier but cheaper in the long run if the van survives
2) Rent - low risk but heavier on the pocket

?

It depends whether it's high or low season. We got ours just when it changed to the low season in April. Paid $942 for 5 weeks. We got a Wicked Campervan as it was the cheaper out of all of them. We were very lucky to get a newer van. www.wickercampers.com.au

You could chance buying a van over there. There can be desperate people trying to sell and you could get a cheap price. But that could mean waiting around and eating into your holiday time. Maybe check websites like gumtree for sales nearer the time of going? On thing to think of, breaking down in the middle of nowhere with no assistance.

You could always do a bus tour which goes to the main sights. We got the intineries of all the main bus tours - Kiwi Experience, Magic, Stray and followed that in our van. Its a good way to see the country if you're travelling on your own or want to shag your way around NZ but you are on a tour and have to deal with all the things the come with doing a tour... waiting around for other people, listening to other people moan or just annoy you, not having enough time to see things, missing out on things altogether, AND you have to pay for accomadation and food etc after already paying alot for the bus tour itself.

New Zealand is absolutely a beautiful place and I would advise on going there and using a campervan to see it. They are quite relaxed on where you park your van and we parked on beaches, beside Lake Taupo, down near cliffs to watch the penguins early in the morning, down country lanes.

Remember to PM if you do get a van and I'll give ya some tips on where to stay!

Larianne

jank wrote: »

What im doing instead is getting a one way ticket to NZ with a stopover in Singapore (get to fly on the new A380!). We will then be traveling SEA for about 2 and a half months. Thailand, Laos, Vietman, Malaysa, Cambodia, Brueni

We plan to work in NZ for a year, save a bit of money and travel around the country. From here we are going to buy a RTW ticket. It is actually way cheaper to buy it here rather then Ireland. Saves about 1000 euro.

Maybe think about working in Australia rather than New Zealand as the rate of pay in New Zealand is not the best.

breadmonkey

It depends whether it's high or low season. We got ours just when it changed to the low season in April. Paid $942 for 5 weeks. We got a Wicked Campervan as it was the cheaper out of all of them. We were very lucky to get a newer van. www.wickercampers.com.au

$942 for 5 weeks works out at about €13/day which isn't so bad I guess (assuming that was the total cost and not your share) especially considering how much less stress it would be. Unfortunately we're arriving around start to mid November which I gather is high season. We knew this but wanted to go during the summer so that's a financial sacrifice that had to be made. EDIT: Just went onto the website for a quick quote and it works out at about €20/day over the entire length of our trip.

You could chance buying a van over there. There can be desperate people trying to sell and you could get a cheap price. But that could mean waiting around and eating into your holiday time. Maybe check websites like gumtree for sales nearer the time of going? On thing to think of, breaking down in the middle of nowhere with no assistance.

I have two mates who were there two years ago and bought a van. I think they told me they just went to some backpackers van market on the first day and bought it on the spot. Certainly breaking down would be a pain in the ass but I'd imagine we'd be reasonably stocked with food, water and weed so the only bad thing about that would be the cost of repair! Just thinking though, the total cost quoted to me on the wicked vans site was ~2,500NZD. Surely you could buy a van for that much and even if you make a 100% loss, you spend the same as you would had you rented. Even if you make a 50% loss you come out of it far cheaper (assuming there are no repair/maintenance costs which is probably a pretty big assumption).

You could always do a bus tour which goes to the main sights. We got the intineries of all the main bus tours - Kiwi Experience, Magic, Stray and followed that in our van. Its a good way to see the country if you're travelling on your own or want to shag your way around NZ but you are on a tour and have to deal with all the things the come with doing a tour... waiting around for other people, listening to other people moan or just annoy you, not having enough time to see things, missing out on things altogether, AND you have to pay for accomadation and food etc after already paying alot for the bus tour itself.

I don't think I could hack a tour tbh for all the reasons you mentioned so we'll most definitely be doing it in a van. In fact, doing it in a van is what I'm most excited about!

New Zealand is absolutely a beautiful place and I would advise on going there and using a campervan to see it. They are quite relaxed on where you park your van and we parked on beaches, beside Lake Taupo, down near cliffs to watch the penguins early in the morning, down country lanes.

I had absolutely no idea there were penguins in NZ!

Remember to PM if you do get a van and I'll give ya some tips on where to stay!

Will do, thanks.

EDIT: Sorry for the hijack verbal. Hopefully this info is just as useful to you!

Larianne

breadmonkey wrote: »

I had absolutely no idea there were penguins in NZ!

Yes, there's lots and also sealions, whales and dolphins depending on time of year. If you love wildlife and nature and even if you don't it's an amazing place. (although they are mean with discount for poor backpackers, Oz much better for that!)

We got to see rare yellow eyed penguins, only a few thousand left in the wild. We camped right beside the viewing area, (obviously out of sight) and was able to see the Penguins come in from the sea at night and hop back out in the morning the next day!

Wish I was going now!

v.e.r.b.a.l

Larianne wrote: »

In my opinion, 12 months to do South America, Australia/NZ/Fiji and South East Asia is not possible. It will feel very rushed and you will have to leave out a lot and regret it. And if you need to work in Australia or NZ then it will not be possible for sure to do all those countries!

I disagree. I mean, I know people who have done the same trip in 6 months. I know it'll be a lot of constant travelling, but I feel what we've decided on is accomplishable (if that's even a word).

Larianne wrote: »

Another idea about getting up some of the coast you can do surfing school from Sydney to Byron Bay for 5 days I think and it's meant to be a good way of getting half way up the coast.

I wouldn't miss Perth and Western Australia when you are there as it is just so beautiful! If you miss out on going to the Caribbean just go to a beach on the west coast or Rottnest Island near Freemantle and the water is that bluey turqoise colour!

I really like that idea of doing surfing school along the coast. If anyone has any links to particular schools to see what's involved, let me know. We really wanted to get Perth and a bit of Western Oz involved in our trip, but it's just not feasible because of funds and because of time.

Larianne wrote: »

And when in New Zealand, spend 5 weeks travelling around in a Wicked Campervan, it's the best!! Park on the side of the road, on the beach, beside a lake and take showers in swimming pools, no need for campsites (overpriced in my opinion!)

I've looked up Wicked Campervans and I've become obsessed with them! I can't wait. And so cheap too! 5 weeks for 300 - 400 euro - that's amazing!!!

I don't see this as a "one-time only" trip... That's depressing... This is just a stepping stone to many other travelling I plan to do. But realistically for the moment, I can only afford to take one year off work and I think the amount of countries and time we have is very manageable.

Larianne

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

I disagree. I mean, I know people who have done the same trip in 6 months. I know it'll be a lot of constant travelling, but I feel what we've decided on is accomplishable (if that's even a word).

I really like that idea of doing surfing school along the coast. If anyone has any links to particular schools to see what's involved, let me know. We really wanted to get Perth and a bit of Western Oz involved in our trip, but it's just not feasible because of funds and because of time.

I've looked up Wicked Campervans and I've become obsessed with them! I can't wait. And so cheap too! 5 weeks for 300 - 400 euro - that's amazing!!!

I don't see this as a "one-time only" trip... That's depressing... This is just a stepping stone to many other travelling I plan to do. But realistically for the moment, I can only afford to take one year off work and I think the amount of countries and time we have is very manageable.

Well, yes the trip is possible but only to see a small part of each country. But if it is just a taste of each country you want then sure why not.

One of the surf schools I heard people doing was Mojo Surf School. There is one or two more but I can't remember them.

The camper van is just brilliant! And you go around judging other people vans - they all have made spray painted designs with slogans on the back. We had lots of people taking pictures of ours, had Borat on the side (although I thought it was Richard Prior first. hehe) And then see all the squares driving there 'proper' camper vans like Britz and Spaceships.

v.e.r.b.a.l

Well granted that I've never done a trip like this before and you have, but I still think we're not being crazy thinking we can do Central, South America, Oz & NZ and SE Asia in one year seeing a lot. I def think we'll get more than a "taste" of each country. I mean, just think of how many people do a trip like this each year. And 95% of the experts we've talked to have told us that we have loads of time in each continent for what we plan to do...

Obviously, I might come back to this forum in a year's time and say "christ! you were right!", but until then I'm gonna stick with my instincts and research and go for it!!! WOO!!!

20 Times 20 Times

v.e.r.b.a.l wrote: »

Well granted that I've never done a trip like this before and you have, but I still think we're not being crazy thinking we can do Central, South America, Oz & NZ and SE Asia in one year seeing a lot. I def think we'll get more than a "taste" of each country. I mean, just think of how many people do a trip like this each year. And 95% of the experts we've talked to have told us that we have loads of time in each continent for what we plan to do...

Obviously, I might come back to this forum in a year's time and say "christ! you were right!", but until then I'm gonna stick with my instincts and research and go for it!!! WOO!!!

A taste is all you will get for each country if that is the route you are going to take , FACT! I have been travelling for the last two years , been to many places and seen many things. Without trying to come across patronising but do you have any idea how big these countries / continents are ? I mean when you mention "SE ASIA" do you mean Thailand then the islands or do you mean , lets actually experience how people in proper south east Asia live ? Again I dont want to come across as if I'm patronising you , but really that trip that time , yeah well and good if all you want is to stamp your passport.