Author Topic: Round The World trip? How would you do it?  (Read 18290 times)

dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #50 on: January 27, 2020, 10:34:46 AM »
I've actually been wondering what it would be like to go to a country and gradually walk a long distance maybe 10 or 20km at a time.  It seems like it would be better in a country that's fairly densely populated where distances between lodging and food is short, like India, Egypt, or the Netherlands. 

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #51 on: January 27, 2020, 11:13:15 AM »
In May, 2018, my family and I enjoyed 7 days on the Hurtigruten Ferry in Norway. It was kind of like a cruise, but the Hurtigruten is also a working ferry. Every day, our ship stopped in several little ports, where we picked up and dropped off vehicles, cargo, and people. Our trip started in Bergen, in the SW, and ended far above the Arctic Circle in the little town of Kirkenes. We paid about US$1500 each for the entire trip, which included 3 delicious meals/day and one of the cheapest rooms for 3. At each port, if there was time, we usually got off and walked around the town or took a short hike up onto a hill overlooking the harbor. Each day, the shipped stopped at one port for 3-4 hours. The other stops were shorter, say, 20 - 30 minutes each. Just like a cruise, the Hurtigruten offers excursions at each of the ports where it stops for a few hours. We never took the excursions, because they were pretty expensive. Didn't find out until the last day of the trip, but the Hurtigruten has bicycles on board that passengers can borrow for free to ride around the towns where the ship makes longer stops. Next time, I'll definitely take advantage of that.

We did the Hurtigruten trip once too, but broke it in half with 4 days on the Lofoten islands. We took one ship to Lofoten and then another on to Bergen. We’d love to do the trip again even more slowly with even more extended stays in places like Trondheim and Andoya

Other awesome boat trips we have done include taking a Dahabiya up the Nile (best way to travel the Nile), cruising the Galapagos and Seychelles in small cruisers, sailing the Kerala backwaters in the very fancy Oberoi floating hotel and sleeping on the poop deck on the ferry through the inside passage to Alaska. All of the trips were really fantastic in their own way.

dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #52 on: January 27, 2020, 12:01:28 PM »
I've actually been wondering what it would be like to go to a country and gradually walk a long distance maybe 10 or 20km at a time.  It seems like it would be better in a country that's fairly densely populated where distances between lodging and food is short, like India, Egypt, or the Netherlands.
Europe has tons of long distance walking paths so check them out. Most are off road but have many overnight options. Look for @arebelspy journal as he and his (pregnant) wife walked the long one in Spain (Camino Santiago I think it's called).

Yeah, I think the Camino de Santiago is a Catholic pilgrimage route, but being as they're well established, maybe major pilgrimage routes might be a good idea even for non-religious folks. 

Now that you mention it, I remember seeing pilgrims in India getting ready to go on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala temple which was over 1000km from where I was at.  Holy smokes!  I just looked it up, and it looks 40-50 million people go a year.  That's like the entire population of California and Arizona all converging on Tucson, many of them walking the entire way barefoot.  That might be an interesting trip.

JoJo

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #53 on: January 27, 2020, 12:17:25 PM »
Re: cruising for RTW travel

There are some smoking deals for repositioning cruises that would be awesome for people traveling in pairs (or someone who could find a cruise partner) that wanted to go from continent to continent.  I didn't retire this year but was thinking of it.  Was in South America for an Antarctica cruise in December.  Was thinking about making my way to Brazil for Carnival, then taking a repostitioning cruise to Europe for the spring.

Here are some interesting ones right now>
* Rio to Barcelona, Spain $909 for 17 nights, stopping several stops in Brazil, Canary Islands, Funchal, and Lisbon.
Santiago Chile to Port Canaveral, FL $399 for 15 days including stops in CH, Peru, Costa rica plus a full panama canal transit.
* Cape Town to Singapore $1499 for 24 days, lots of stops in Indian Ocean
* Sydney to LA $1749 for 29 days, stops in NZ, Hawaii, and south pacific islands. 

Even with the tips, you can do these for (sometimes well) under $100 per day, would be a fun way to cross the ocean.




Much Fishing to Do

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #54 on: January 27, 2020, 12:35:40 PM »
Wow 2Birds1Stone, that sounds amazing, though a little tiring/daunting in my head to do all at once. 

I guess that looks like a perfect guideline for me to use over few years (maybe 3 months on one continent per year returning home each time, as I don't like to be rushed traveling, but guess I do really like home). 

Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #55 on: January 27, 2020, 07:42:06 PM »
@Shane  I took a Norwegian ferry over night from Stockholm to Helsinki (then train and buses from there to Narvik, Norway and South on the coast to Oslo). The ferry was great even though I didn't have a cabin and just slept on the deck like the other grungy backpackers, and I thought it would be a wonderful way to see the fjords. Mine was included in my Eurrail pass (as were several other ferry routes) and your experience made me think ferries could be a low key inexpensive way to see and visit some interesting area along a coast.

 My sister took all the ferries in Alaska starting from Bellingham, WA and going as far as Dutch Harbor. She did get off at every port big or small and stay several days at each (tent camping) and slept on deck like many others did even though you could also book cabins when in transit. It wasn't too expensive and she really saw ALOT and took all summer long. She went up there 4 summers in a row (May to Sept) and travelled all around in various ways (including hitchhiking) and didn't spend much. I'd like to do the ferry system in Alaska like that someday.

@spartana The ferry from Bellingham up to Alaska is something I've always thought of doing, as well. Kind of surprisingly to me, though, even sleeping outside on the deck of the ship isn't necessarily the cheapest way to get to Alaska. Last I checked, a plane ticket was actually less $. Obviously, the ferry offers things a plane does not, though. Some day...

Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #56 on: January 27, 2020, 07:55:13 PM »
Re: cruising for RTW travel

There are some smoking deals for repositioning cruises that would be awesome for people traveling in pairs (or someone who could find a cruise partner) that wanted to go from continent to continent.  I didn't retire this year but was thinking of it.  Was in South America for an Antarctica cruise in December.  Was thinking about making my way to Brazil for Carnival, then taking a repostitioning cruise to Europe for the spring.

Here are some interesting ones right now>
* Rio to Barcelona, Spain $909 for 17 nights, stopping several stops in Brazil, Canary Islands, Funchal, and Lisbon.
Santiago Chile to Port Canaveral, FL $399 for 15 days including stops in CH, Peru, Costa rica plus a full panama canal transit.
* Cape Town to Singapore $1499 for 24 days, lots of stops in Indian Ocean
* Sydney to LA $1749 for 29 days, stops in NZ, Hawaii, and south pacific islands. 

Even with the tips, you can do these for (sometimes well) under $100 per day, would be a fun way to cross the ocean.

Repositioning cruises sounds really interesting to me too. Sometimes I search on CruiseSheet to see what's available, but haven't actually taken one yet. It's amazing how cheap some of them are.

Omy

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #57 on: January 28, 2020, 06:43:11 AM »
Cool...sounds interesting to me as well. Thanks for the link.

dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #58 on: February 04, 2020, 11:56:48 AM »
Yeah I've read about some of those pilgrimage journeys and they are pretty epic. Lots and lots of non-pilgrimage long distance walking paths in most EUropean countries that have close by lodging and camping along the way. There are even large "walking events" that cover hundreds (thousands?) of miles too. Wikipedia lists a bunch of long distance walking paths and trails. Probably lots more out there.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_footpaths

Honestly I'd prefer walking roads when it's safe.  I definitely like some time with nature and solitude on trails, but I'm honestly more drawn to people watching.  I've gotten into the idea of thinking of sidewalks as trails and hiking across cities the same as you might go hiking in the woods. 

dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #59 on: February 04, 2020, 02:48:59 PM »
I got a few brief glimpses of the Cinque Terre from the train years ago, and I really wish I had stopped.  It looked so cool.  I'd like to go some day, but I don't know if it would be irresponsible now given that I've read that those villages are really struggling with overtourism recently.  I'm more fascinated with Asia and Africa anyway.

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #60 on: February 04, 2020, 07:08:45 PM »
A few years ago we cycled 700+ kms along the Danube from Passau in Germany down to Budapest. We met people who were doing the same trip but walking it rather than riding.

Poeirenta

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #61 on: February 04, 2020, 07:20:24 PM »
We walked sections of the GR 34 route in Brittany and it was a great mix of nature, villages/harbors, ancient sites like standing stones, and cideries. Oh, the cideries: so good and so inexpensive. Hard cider is definitely one of my gazingus pins.

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Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #62 on: February 04, 2020, 09:49:49 PM »
A few years ago we cycled 700+ kms along the Danube from Passau in Germany down to Budapest. We met people who were doing the same trip but walking it rather than riding.

An old friend's uncle used to tell stories of when he solo kayaked that route, camping in his tent each night along the banks of the Danube.

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #63 on: February 05, 2020, 09:03:41 AM »
A few years ago we cycled 700+ kms along the Danube from Passau in Germany down to Budapest. We met people who were doing the same trip but walking it rather than riding.

An old friend's uncle used to tell stories of when he solo kayaked that route, camping in his tent each night along the banks of the Danube.

We’d love to do it again. Especially the first half to Vienna. If we went again we’d like to do it in a small group with some friends. Nothing better than eating and drinking with friends!! A morning of cycling each days working up an appetite makes the eating and drinking all the more enjoyable

Hirondelle

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #64 on: February 05, 2020, 10:03:35 AM »
I got a few brief glimpses of the Cinque Terre from the train years ago, and I really wish I had stopped.  It looked so cool.  I'd like to go some day, but I don't know if it would be irresponsible now given that I've read that those villages are really struggling with overtourism recently.  I'm more fascinated with Asia and Africa anyway.

I visited Cinque Terre in February (2017) and I met exactly 5 people on the trails. Main tourist source that time was Chinese folks (Lunar NY period) and they don't do the hikes or stay in the towns. Going off season gstill gives you all the options. Weather was also perfect for hiking that time of the year.

Overtourism is certainly an issue there, but mostly in spring/summer months and tour-group based.

Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #65 on: February 05, 2020, 03:10:15 PM »
A few years ago we cycled 700+ kms along the Danube from Passau in Germany down to Budapest. We met people who were doing the same trip but walking it rather than riding.

An old friend's uncle used to tell stories of when he solo kayaked that route, camping in his tent each night along the banks of the Danube.

We’d love to do it again. Especially the first half to Vienna. If we went again we’d like to do it in a small group with some friends. Nothing better than eating and drinking with friends!! A morning of cycling each days working up an appetite makes the eating and drinking all the more enjoyable

Where did you guys stay at night @itchyfeet ? Tent? Hostel? Hotel? Did you carry a camp stove and cook your own food?

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #66 on: February 05, 2020, 07:49:55 PM »
We stayed in hotels.

dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #67 on: February 11, 2020, 10:17:55 AM »
I visited Cinque Terre in February (2017) and I met exactly 5 people on the trails. Main tourist source that time was Chinese folks (Lunar NY period) and they don't do the hikes or stay in the towns. Going off season gstill gives you all the options. Weather was also perfect for hiking that time of the year.

Overtourism is certainly an issue there, but mostly in spring/summer months and tour-group based.

Good to know.  I didn't know there was that much of a drop-off in the off season.  I think Italy is also one of the places where winter isn't that bad. 

Cassie

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #68 on: February 11, 2020, 10:36:08 AM »
We went to Italy in February and the temperature were between 45-60.  It was still crowded but nothing like summer.

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #69 on: February 12, 2020, 11:45:55 AM »
So, what’s everyone got planned for 2020 in terms of global travel?

For us it’ll be a bit less travel compared to recent years as we need to go back to Australia 3 times which will bite our bank balance. Still we have some things planned for the summer.

We will do a driving trip around Transylvania (Romania) with another couple and then we will fly over to Tokyo for the Olympics. We are  really looking forward to both halves of our vacation.

This trio will either be our last vacation as full time employees, or our first post FIRE trip. So doubly exciting.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #70 on: February 12, 2020, 11:53:19 AM »
@itchyfeet, I posted at the bottom of the first page in this thread, a detailed breakdown of our upcoming year of travel. This was before the Coronavirus outbreak, so our second leg in SE Asia might have to get changed a bit.

TL;DR: We will be traveling around the world for 12 months, and are taking off in a few short weeks :)

JoJo

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #71 on: February 12, 2020, 03:51:26 PM »
My plan for this year assuming retirement by July - Spend August in MN, take my parents on a road trip.  Late August, fly to Copenhagen, do Copenhagen, Stockholm, ferry to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, fly into Minsk (need to fly in and out for VOA) visit Belarus for a couple weeks, Fly to either Lviv or Kyiv, spend some significant time in Ukraine, making way south to Odessa, then Moldova, keep heading south.  My friend will come back to US for Christmas, so I might fly to Tbilisi or Red Sea for a month to stay put for awhile.  He'll fly back and we also want to check out Cypruss, Greece, Lebanon, Egypt (i've been there).  Not sure how good those places will be in the middle of the winter, won't be swimming I guess.   This will put me over 100 countries visited (depending on the flight plan either Estonia or Latvia will be my 100th). 

Poeirenta

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #72 on: February 12, 2020, 04:35:54 PM »
Leaving for Japan in October, then on to KL, Singapore, Raja Ampat, Penang, and Thailand. Back home and to work in February. Turns out a friend is getting married to a Thai woman so we are probably going to a fancy-pants traditional Thai wedding at some point during our sabbatical.

Anyone want to house/cat sit? 85+ acres of wildlife habitat, mountain views, and nearby downhill and cross country skiing opportunities could be yours for the winter! Snowshoeing from the front door is a wonderful thing. :-)




itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #73 on: February 12, 2020, 08:25:53 PM »
@JoJo , was visiting 100 countries something you have been targeting, or mere happenstance?

We have been to 70 something countries (I have counted but can’t remember the precise number), and I have wondered whether we will get to 80 something and then, as it is within reach, 100 will become a goal.

I can imagine a scenario with us us never getting to 100, even though we have prob 30 more years of travel left in us, as we don’t have a deep need to visit that many places we haven’t already been to... I do expect we will stumble over 100, but I am curious to see whether it becomes a goal for us.

From where we are to reach 100 the regions we would prob tick off more countries would be

- Central America/ Caribbean  maybe 12 (as we haven’t visited that part of the world)
- Pacific islands.  3 (close to home so we should visit a couple. I haven’t even been to Fiji)
- Asia 5 (Japan this year, then Indonesia is prob the only other country we will def go to that we haven’t been to already. It’s also probable we will go to Uzbekistan at some point this year).
- Baltics and Balkans  say 7 (I have only been to Serbia so plenty to see in those regions)
- Other 5 (at least Iceland, Morocco, Colombia)

So 100 is certainly likely.... we shall see whether it becomes a goal....

ixtap

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #74 on: February 12, 2020, 09:04:10 PM »
Sounds like we will all meet up in Stockholm.

brooklynmoney

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #75 on: February 12, 2020, 09:05:27 PM »
I am going to walk for two weeks the part of the Camino that runs in France (not enough time to do all of the France part sadly). I have heard it is less crowded than the Section that runs through Spain.

jeroly

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #76 on: February 12, 2020, 09:36:12 PM »
So, what’s everyone got planned for 2020 in terms of global travel?

For us it’ll be a bit less travel compared to recent years as we need to go back to Australia 3 times which will bite our bank balance. Still we have some things planned for the summer.

We will do a driving trip around Transylvania (Romania) with another couple and then we will fly over to Tokyo for the Olympics. We are  really looking forward to both halves of our vacation.

This trio will either be our last vacation as full time employees, or our first post FIRE trip. So doubly exciting.
Flooding in New Zealand caused my February trip there to be cancelled, and I’ll visit the Atacama Desert in Chile instead.
Covid-19 caused my April hiking trip to Hunan Province to be cancelled, so I’ll move up my trip to the Baltic States (originally planned for August)
June: Sumatra and Sulawesi
August: Kilimanjaro and Kenya
October: Australia for the T20 World Cup
December: Northern Brazil

JoJo

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #77 on: February 13, 2020, 11:22:30 AM »
@itchyfeet

I'd like to get to as many countries as possible in my lifetime, but not necessarily all of them.  My passport makes some countries impossible right now.    I thought it would be cool to get to 100 countries by age 50, and it looks like I'll get it a couple years early at 47.

That being said, I'm not really going out of my way to increase my count like some of those "record-breakers" who visited all countries and spent like a day or two in each.  In fact, in 2019 I traveled over 4 months of the year and didn't get any new country count.  (drove to alaska, arctic ocean, montana, and cruised to antarctica with a couple weeks in patagonia (which included stops in Argentina and Chile of which I had already spent some time))


dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #78 on: February 13, 2020, 03:27:12 PM »
I'd like to get to as many countries as possible in my lifetime, but not necessarily all of them.  My passport makes some countries impossible right now.    I thought it would be cool to get to 100 countries by age 50, and it looks like I'll get it a couple years early at 47.

That being said, I'm not really going out of my way to increase my count like some of those "record-breakers" who visited all countries and spent like a day or two in each.  In fact, in 2019 I traveled over 4 months of the year and didn't get any new country count.  (drove to alaska, arctic ocean, montana, and cruised to antarctica with a couple weeks in patagonia (which included stops in Argentina and Chile of which I had already spent some time))

It's fun to count countries, but I don't want it actually to affect how I travel.  I took a second trip to Mexico last year instead of checking off a new country.  Maybe I should have gone somewhere new like the Netherlands or Colombia, but there's so much to see in a country like Mexico.  I can't imagine spending a few days in a country, especially one that's so big and diverse, and consider that as having checked the box. 


So, what’s everyone got planned for 2020 in terms of global travel?

Nothing major until next year. I'm trying to focus more on getting to FIRE because hurrying there then hurrying back to work isn't fun.

Flooding in New Zealand caused my February trip there to be cancelled, and I’ll visit the Atacama Desert in Chile instead.

You really wanted to make sure flooding wasn't a problem again :)

jeroly

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #79 on: February 13, 2020, 04:29:16 PM »
So, what’s everyone got planned for 2020 in terms of global travel?

For us it’ll be a bit less travel compared to recent years as we need to go back to Australia 3 times which will bite our bank balance. Still we have some things planned for the summer.

We will do a driving trip around Transylvania (Romania) with another couple and then we will fly over to Tokyo for the Olympics. We are  really looking forward to both halves of our vacation.

This trio will either be our last vacation as full time employees, or our first post FIRE trip. So doubly exciting.
Flooding in New Zealand caused my February trip there to be cancelled, and I’ll visit the Atacama Desert in Chile instead.
Covid-19 caused my April hiking trip to Hunan Province to be cancelled, so I’ll move up my trip to the Baltic States (originally planned for August)
June: Sumatra and Sulawesi
August: Kilimanjaro and Kenya
October: Australia for the T20 World Cup
December: Northern Brazil
I think you are FIRE already so have you thought of combining your trips into one or two longer ones that are close to each other? Save on travel/airfare costs, time and hassles,  and greatly reduce your carbon footprint.
I would love to, but my girlfriend isn’t FIREd and we miss each other too much if I’m away too long, so it’s usually six weeks home, 2 1/2 or so away (NZ would’ve been an exception, I had a five weeker planned).

Fortunately I’m fatFIRE by MMM forum standards (not so much by Bogleheads standards perhaps :-)  ), and I travel on the cheaper side, so the extra airfares aren’t a killer for my $15k travel budget.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2020, 04:07:31 AM by jeroly »

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #80 on: February 14, 2020, 01:52:07 AM »
@jeroly the number of airfares per year has been a bit of a wildcard question in my FIRE planning.

I think we will have about $10K USD/yr for 2 of us for flights, and will have to make it work. If we fly economy it will go along way. If we fly premium economy/ business then not so much.

Our 2019 was a bit like your 2020, but we were somehow holding jobs down in between trips
- Feb - Denmark
- Mar - Sydney Aus (old mans 80th)
- Mar - Portugal
- May - Oman (just for 3 days. We drove over so doesn’t really count)
- Jun - Kyrgyzstan
- Aug - Sweden (3weeks in which we chartered a boat for 1 week)
- Nov - India (golden triangle)
- Dec - Sydney for XMas

This year will see much less travel, but next year post FIRE might see us flying all over the place once more. I have no idea and no firm plans....

jeroly

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #81 on: February 14, 2020, 04:15:07 AM »
@jeroly the number of airfares per year has been a bit of a wildcard question in my FIRE planning.

I think we will have about $10K USD/yr for 2 of us for flights, and will have to make it work. If we fly economy it will go along way. If we fly premium economy/ business then not so much.

Our 2019 was a bit like your 2020, but we were somehow holding jobs down in between trips
- Feb - Denmark
- Mar - Sydney Aus (old mans 80th)
- Mar - Portugal
- May - Oman (just for 3 days. We drove over so doesn’t really count)
- Jun - Kyrgyzstan
- Aug - Sweden (3weeks in which we chartered a boat for 1 week)
- Nov - India (golden triangle)
- Dec - Sydney for XMas

This year will see much less travel, but next year post FIRE might see us flying all over the place once more. I have no idea and no firm plans....
I don’t specifically budget for flights as in general the pricier flights tend to be matched to cheaper destinations e.g. SE Asia, Africa etc.  It seems to be around $1k/week overall the way I’ve been doing it, including airfares. Australia (3 1/2 weeks in March 2019) and Kyrgyzstan (2 weeks in May 2018) were outliers  on the high and low ends respectively.

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #82 on: February 14, 2020, 11:58:10 AM »
As we’ll be based out of Australia, cheap flights will get us to cheap Sth East Asia and expensive flights will get us to the rest of the world.... one of the few downsides of calling Australia home.

Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #83 on: February 15, 2020, 02:37:07 PM »
I'm kind of the opposite and would rather be gone from an SO longer while travelling but also stay home for a longer period of time (and have SO join me somewhere for a bit when he can). It is less disruptive for me personally. I'm not big on traditional vacations of a week or 2 here and there as it takes me that long just to adjust (plus I hate flying). That's why one mega RTW-type trip is very appealing to me or at least a couple of months or so at one time done several times to different areas.

On our RTW trip, we found that staying about a month in each place worked well for us. A month was long enough that we could settle into our Airbnb apartment or house, get to know the neighborhood, hopefully meet some people, find places we liked to shop, eat, drink and have coffee, and really get a feeling for what it would be like to actually live in that city. Since many Airbnb hosts offer big discounts (20-60%) for stays over 28 nights, month-long stays also made accommodations much more affordable than paying by the night.

Prairie Gal

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #84 on: February 16, 2020, 11:33:05 AM »
I am still working, so my travel has to be in shorter stints. I am a homebody, but also seem to have a streak of wanderlust. Also, I travel solo.

This year I am taking the month of October off and will slow travel in France.

Paris  - 5 days mainly to get over jet lag, and because I have been there before it is in my comfort zone.
Then I will take the train to Avignon and rent a car. Other places that I have booked are Uzes, Goult, Mausanne les Alpilles and Antibes.

The Camino in France sounds really intriguing. I am going to research that and see if it is something I would want to do when I retire, and there are no time constraints.

John Galt incarnate!

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #85 on: February 16, 2020, 05:01:05 PM »
I've changed my mind about how I'd  do the trip.

Instead of taking a ship to a continent and then traveling mostly by train I'd live  on a cruise ship and when it was in port for a few days take some short trips inland by train/car/bike.

Zamboni

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #86 on: February 17, 2020, 05:26:52 AM »
Thank you for this thread . . . many inspiring stories here, and I am learning a ton!

Dicey

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #87 on: March 01, 2020, 10:32:41 AM »
I've been lurking and learning on this thread as DH isn't ready to retire yet. Now I'm wondering how y'alls plans might morph, given the effect of the corona virus. I know you will keep traveling, but how will you switch it up? Muchremains to be seen.

I once heard Rick Steves talk, and one of his key points was Go Anyway. Don't get overly flummoxed by what the media is screeching about. I suppose the general fear of traveling will create some incredible opportunities.

Cassie

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #88 on: March 01, 2020, 11:01:47 AM »
If I was young I probably wouldn’t cancel travel plans. Being 65 with a few chronic conditions including asthma is a different story.

Poeirenta

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #89 on: March 01, 2020, 03:55:42 PM »
We're not leaving until October, so we are planning as if we are going and will just have to wait and see. It will probably come down to whether any of our flights, especially the first one to Japan, or the Japan to Singapore leg, get cancelled; then we would be able to use our travel insurance.

But yeah, the thought of leaving our fairly isolated existence for big Asian cities is a little freaky right now.



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dougules

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #90 on: March 02, 2020, 10:14:16 AM »
I'm not sure whether or not I'd travel right now.  If not it would really just be out of to trying to help to contain the virus as opposed to any serious fear.  It's still really uncommon.  It's academic for me, though, since I didn't have any immediate travel plans anyway.

If the virus isn't contained soon, the world will just have to accept it as another endemic disease like the flu, and go on with business as usual.  It sounds like it's a little more virulent than the flu, but it still sounds like the vast majority of people won't get sick enough to need a hospital visit.  At that point there won't be any reason to change any plans.  It's just another one of the risks you accept when you travel.  Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face before you do.  You should be doing that anyway to keep from getting a cold or the flu. 

Chris Pascale

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #91 on: March 02, 2020, 02:55:04 PM »
If you are FIRE, or just plan to take longer sabbatticals, and wanted to do a round the world trip how would you do it? How long would you/could you take? How much do you think you'd spend? What mode of transports would you use? What kind of accommodations? Would you do it as one long trip and break it up into smaller trips over time with returns to a home base in between?  Etc...

More or less a nosey hypothetical question at this point but am looking at ideas and inspiration.BTW full on gloating about your awesome trips is VERY welcome. No humble bragging please, just bragging ;-).

Momma has always wanted to go to Budapest, so we start there if she says so.

However, for the convenience of a flight out of NYC, perhaps touch down in Iceland first.

But, if we are truly free, then I'd do as @Nords advises and hit up the military jumps and see where we land......eventually, of course, getting to Budapest eventually.

I'd like to alternate between swanky hotels/AirBNBs, train travel, boat and flight, and at least 1 meal of fine dining every week, if not every other day.

I'd also like to stop in and see friends, have a part of the trip with my kids, and another just the 2 of us.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2020, 02:57:26 PM by Chris Pascale »

itchyfeet

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #92 on: March 03, 2020, 02:23:56 AM »
We will travel like normal with no changes to plans unleaded they are forced upon us.

Of course in airports and the like we will keep hand sanitizer at the ready.

Really hopeful the Olympics proceed as planned.

We do need to fly to Australia in May and again in June, so hopefully the borders stay open.

Fingers crossed.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #93 on: March 03, 2020, 01:23:17 PM »
We're still going, albeit cautiously keeping our hand on the pulse in regards to how things shape up in Europe while we are there.

Right now Italy is not looking good for mid-April, but that too can change.

Missy B

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #94 on: March 07, 2020, 12:11:32 PM »
Omg, ours was a repositioning Cruise so lots of sea days but tons of things which kept us busy. My husband enjoyed being in the choir and taking a acting class. Then at the end of the cruise they all performed. There was also a mystery to solve and you did it in groups of 8 people.  It was really challenging with the clues they gave.

Never heard of cruises with choirs! Which line was it? My partner and I would enjoy that and the acting class.

Cruising or cargo ship would be my choice (instead of flight) and then train travel through Europe.
Cargo ships weren't any cheaper than cruising and have a lot less entertainment and food choices. And they're less crowded and the environmental impact is much different since you're tagging along on a transport vessel instead of creating a big footprint just to amuse yourself. Boyfriend would rather take a cargo ship (he doesn't think cruise ships are amusing).

Missy B

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #95 on: March 07, 2020, 12:15:13 PM »
In May, 2018, my family and I enjoyed 7 days on the Hurtigruten Ferry in Norway. It was kind of like a cruise, but the Hurtigruten is also a working ferry. Every day, our ship stopped in several little ports, where we picked up and dropped off vehicles, cargo, and people. Our trip started in Bergen, in the SW, and ended far above the Arctic Circle in the little town of Kirkenes. We paid about US$1500 each for the entire trip, which included 3 delicious meals/day and one of the cheapest rooms for 3. At each port, if there was time, we usually got off and walked around the town or took a short hike up onto a hill overlooking the harbor. Each day, the shipped stopped at one port for 3-4 hours. The other stops were shorter, say, 20 - 30 minutes each. Just like a cruise, the Hurtigruten offers excursions at each of the ports where it stops for a few hours. We never took the excursions, because they were pretty expensive. Didn't find out until the last day of the trip, but the Hurtigruten has bicycles on board that passengers can borrow for free to ride around the towns where the ship makes longer stops. Next time, I'll definitely take advantage of that.
This ferry was recommended to me in the strongest possible terms by the wife of a Norwegian. She said it stops in places that none of the big cruisers can, and that you get the best sense of what the fjords really are like. She said the food was great.

Cassie

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #96 on: March 08, 2020, 10:32:52 AM »
Missy, it was a passenger choir with the music director. You showed up to practice daily if you wanted to perform for the ship at the end of the cruise. Same with a Michael Jackson group moonwalk dance.  It was Royal Caribbean.

Missy B

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #97 on: March 08, 2020, 02:52:35 PM »
Missy, it was a passenger choir with the music director. You showed up to practice daily if you wanted to perform for the ship at the end of the cruise. Same with a Michael Jackson group moonwalk dance.  It was Royal Caribbean.
Thank you! i have been looking at different cruises but hadn't seen those activities mentioned. Lots of my family members would get a kick out of that stuff, if we ever mananged to get everyone together.

Shane

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #98 on: March 08, 2020, 09:07:50 PM »
In May, 2018, my family and I enjoyed 7 days on the Hurtigruten Ferry in Norway. It was kind of like a cruise, but the Hurtigruten is also a working ferry. Every day, our ship stopped in several little ports, where we picked up and dropped off vehicles, cargo, and people. Our trip started in Bergen, in the SW, and ended far above the Arctic Circle in the little town of Kirkenes. We paid about US$1500 each for the entire trip, which included 3 delicious meals/day and one of the cheapest rooms for 3. At each port, if there was time, we usually got off and walked around the town or took a short hike up onto a hill overlooking the harbor. Each day, the shipped stopped at one port for 3-4 hours. The other stops were shorter, say, 20 - 30 minutes each. Just like a cruise, the Hurtigruten offers excursions at each of the ports where it stops for a few hours. We never took the excursions, because they were pretty expensive. Didn't find out until the last day of the trip, but the Hurtigruten has bicycles on board that passengers can borrow for free to ride around the towns where the ship makes longer stops. Next time, I'll definitely take advantage of that.
This ferry was recommended to me in the strongest possible terms by the wife of a Norwegian. She said it stops in places that none of the big cruisers can, and that you get the best sense of what the fjords really are like. She said the food was great.

@Missy B Yes, your friend was right. The food was amazing! Each day, it changed to reflect specialties from the region of Norway the ship was passing through. We have fond memories from our week long trip on the Hurtigruten and are hoping to do it again some day.

Miss Prim

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Re: Round The World trip? How would you do it?
« Reply #99 on: March 09, 2020, 06:47:53 AM »
If I was young I probably wouldn’t cancel travel plans. Being 65 with a few chronic conditions including asthma is a different story.
I agree with you Cassie, as I am 66 and hubby is 70.  Although we are fairly healthy, I just had a bout with pneumonia in January and spent 2 days in the hospital!  It really kicked my butt, have never been that sick.  Took me almost 4 weeks to totally get over it.  We had planned to book another tour in Europe for the fall, but I am going to wait and see how things work out with the Coronavirus.  We may just hook up our camper and travel the U.S. again. 

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