RTW trip

[Falconer]

So I am strongly considering doing a RTW trip. I am getting very itchy feet. I do travel a fair bit but it is mostly for work. I would like to take out a year and slowly discover the world. Now I am in the lucky position that I have a GF who works for emirates airlines and I can get cheap air fairs with 50% discount. That might change to 90% soon when we get married. Normally air fares are what costs people the most. but as you see that will not apply to me. All I will have to do is just fly back to Dubai and head to the next destination instead of doing it in a one way fashion. Doing it the mustachian way I will still try to keep the flying to a minimum.

Has anyone here done a RTW trip? There are many blogs out there talking about it, but somehow I get the feeling that nobody could do it with the same low expenses as a seasoned Mustachian.

all the best

[50x30]

This amused me so much, I had to register and stop lurking: I've literally just started a blog about my upcoming RTW trip. Hopefully I'll be off help, even if I haven't set off yet. I'm leaving in August. I'm travelling for three years, one in South East Asia, one in Australia and one in New Zealand.

Where were you planning on going?

I think either South East Asia or South America would be ideal for a Mustachian traveller.

My budget for SE Asia is $40 a day, and that's on the high end (I like to overbudget for things, rather than getting caught out). Apparently you can have a very good time on $25 a day. I'm going to be staying in hostels (sometimes dorms, sometimes private rooms), drinking moderately and focusing on the sights that are free or cheap to get into.

I've only travelled to Ecuador for four weeks last year, but that was also incredibly cheap, and I've heard most of the South American (and some Central American) countries are also good value for money.

Depending on how old you are and what nationality, you could look into applying for a Working Holiday Visa. I'm doing that so I can stay in both Australia and New Zealand for a year. Hopefully I'll be able to work enough to cover all my expenses. Both of these countries are expensive compared to SE Asia. I think you can do a Working Holidays in Canada as well.

[Falconer]

Sounds like you are going to have a great time. I am planning on going to AUS, NZ, South east asia, and the whole of the americans. I am german, so I have seen most of europe. And africa is on my to do list for later. Middle east and India are just around the corner.

Will you be backpacking around or staying in one place for longer? I was thinking of finding monthly rentals and exploring the area for a month at a time. But maybe that is not the way to do it. I am just going by what MMM suggests when talking about holidays.

One thing I am not sure about is if I should book a RTW ticket or just go with staff travel. Flight to Sydney from DXB is around 270$US return on staff travel. So I could do about 10 of these trips and pay the same as someone doing 6 destinations on a normal
RTW ticket. Or is there some fault in my logic?. Have you already booked your RTW ticket?

Anything in particular you will do that you think will save you extra money?

I have been thinking about clothing and how much to take, until a mustachian thought hit me. Why do i need to bring a load of cloth if I can just buy what I need at thrift shops for cheap, use them until I go back and donate them back to another charity shop. Saves problems with luggage restrictions and I don't have to carry stuff around with me that I do not need.

Also what about making your own food? Especially in the 1st world countries food when traveling is expensive. I was thinking a small rice cooker with a steam attachment could do all my meals when traveling around Australia, nz and north america. I already use it a lot at home. I think the other areas will give cheap enough food on the go.

[Spartana]

 You might want to check out Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree Forums as they have lots of budget RTW travelers. They also have a bike touring forums. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/   https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/categories/country-forums   https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/on-your-bike

For myself, I don't like flying so back and forth flights would kill me even if it was less expensive. I would want to do a self-propelled trip as much as possible with no back tracking. If you are starting in Europe, I'd probably fly to the US east coast first and then head west from there. Then fly to Aus and Asia and continue from there back to Europe. I did it that way on a 2 year trip (starting in Alaska where I lived at the time) headed to Asia and ended in Amsterdam. While I ended up spending the bulk of my time in Europe (lived in Spain for 8 months) I found that I didn't like the "travel" part of travelling much so preferred to rent a place for a month or two before moving on to a new place. When I travelled (i.e. moved from one place to the next) I generally took trains or buses when I could or biked (no long distance biking though which is what I'd love to do) and stayed at hostels or inexpensive pensions or guesthouses. I only carried a small backpack with minimal belongs. As you said, you can replace them as needed cheaply. Much easier to do that then lugging them around with you.


 

[limeandpepper]

Oh, you're lucky to have access to such cheap airfares!

Not quite RTW, but my boyfriend and I want to travel through Asia over several months, and maybe continue on if we feel like it. If we extend the trip then I would like to do it in a slower fashion, like 3 months in one place or something like that, which will help make things even more affordable. Asia is a good choice for us, as it is relatively easy to live cheaply in many countries there, and I am reasonably familiar with a few languages that are used in the region.

[Cafiend]

Yes, did a RTW trip from 2007 to 2009 and wouldn't trade that experience for anything.  Sounds like you have a great opportunity with the break on airfare.  It wouldn't be a bad idea to fly to a region and travel there for 3 to 6 months (SEA for example), fly back to recharge a bit, then tackle another region.

Start with Rolf Potts book "Vagabonding", and my now internet famous friend "www.nomadicmatt.com" for some good how-to resources.

I'd be happy to answer any questions as well.

[Mr One Wheel Drive]

Go for it!

Check out the book "Europe on 84 cents per day" basically if you make an effort to talk to locals and are willing to do odd jobs you can travel for free.  To get the idea,  if you see people trying to loaf something into a truck go up to them and offer to help,  and then me time casually that you are travelling around the world and was wondering if there was a place to stay, maybe a bite to eat.

It works in rural areas where they aren't a lot of tourists. But then if you truly want to experience other cultures that's the best place to go.

If someone does put you up work your assistance off to be a good guest (mow their lawn etc..) and they will make their network of friends and family available to you too.

[Falconer]

Some great tips. I will be sure to check out the links.

Yes I think doing a region at a time might be a good idea.

I checked out the rules and I can take any emirates flight that they do. So I have worked out a route:
dxb-colombo-singapor, travel to BKK overland, bkk-syd, go north to brisbane via goldcoast, fly to auckland from there, do all of NZ, fly out of christchurch to syd. travel south to MEL. from there fly to SIN again. Travel south to Jakata overland. And from there fly back to DXB.

Does see anyone something wrong with that?

I think the benefit with being able to go back home in between is that I can pack for the weather in each region, so I do not have to pack things I only need in one region. That is given that I do not have to spend more money for that.

[meadow lark]

Nice!  More than a little jealous.  Will your soon-to-be wife be able to come with you at all? I would be sad to get married and not see the guy very much!

[Falconer]

Nice!  More than a little jealous.  Will your soon-to-be wife be able to come with you at all? I would be sad to get married and not see the guy very much!

She will come for 4 weeks. Just has to decide what bit. She gets to fly all over the world and has been to more places I will ever go to. So it might be a while to not see her. But if I do not take advantage of this opportunity I will be pissed at myself for ever. Plus she can bid and swap for flights to the citys I am stopping at. So will see her for a day or two than. Also I will only do it after the summer of 2015. So we will have plenty of time before than to get on each others nerves.

Looks like my brother wants to come along. Good opportunity to teach him the way of the Mustachian.