A round-the-world trip is the ultimate dream for a lot of people who love to travel. They can range from whirlwind tours of as many countries as possible in a short time to years spent getting to know different countries and cultures. If you’ve always wanted to go around the world, but you’ve never had the guts to go, what better time is there than now? For some people, even planning the trip is a daunting prospect, and being able to afford it can seem impossible too. But with the right planning and preparation, you could make your dream come true.
Work Out What ‘Around the World’ Means for You
The first thing you should do is think about what you envision when you picture a round-the-world trip. It can mean different things to different people, so it’s worth considering what you really want out of it. For some people, it’s starting off in one place and just seeing where the wind takes them. They might pre-book a couple of big flights to take them between continents, but otherwise, they just want to wander. Other people want to be a bit more organized and perhaps have less time. You might be going on a deadline and you want to fit in as much as possible. What are your goals for your trip? To see major attractions or to live like a local?
Compare Packages to DIY
Whenever you travel, you can find a suitable package or you can do everything yourself. Comparing the two options will help you to find the most affordable one and allow you to decide which is better for you. Some like the structure of a pre-arranged trip, which makes it easy to decide where to go and when. You can also make sure that things like accommodation and activities are ready when you arrive. But you might prefer to book everything yourself so that you can go wherever you want, whenever you want. Sometimes, it can work to find something in between. For example, hop-on and hop-off buses are available in many places. You can buy a pass or ticket that lasts for a while and decide when you want to move on to somewhere new. You can even find similar deals for flights.
Decide How Much Time You Want to Spend Traveling
Just how long do you want to spend on the road? What’s a realistic timeframe to get everything done? You might be fine with spending a couple of days in one place before moving on to somewhere new. However, other people want to have weeks or even months to explore one place before they leave. Of course, it’s not just what you want to do that matters. You often need to consider the practicalities of long-term traveling. Can you afford to be away from your job for long? Will you have to quit work to be able to travel? And how long can you afford to travel for?
Create a Budget
Once you’ve thought about some of these things, you can start to try and come up with a budget. There’s no exact science to budgeting for a round-the-world trip. It all depends on where you’re going, how long you’re planning on traveling for, and how you’re planning to live. Some people simple save as much as they can and go home when their money is close to running out. You might want to start by researching your destinations and the cost of living, as well as your options for getting around. Your main expenses will be travel, accommodation and food.
Stretch Your Money Further With Credit Card Points
If you don’t want to spend too much during your trip, there are always ways to save. Transport is going to be one of your biggest expenses, especially when flying between continents. A long-haul flight doesn’t come cheap, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save any money. One of the best things you can do is use credit cards that help you collect airline and hotel points. Have a look at how you can do it by learning some lessons from Upgraded Points, including some of the best cards. You could save a lot of money by collecting as many points as you can. However, remember to use credit cards responsibly.
Find the Cheapest Ways to Live in Each Place
Every destination you visit will have different things to consider when it comes to cost. Some places will be cheaper or more expensive over all, others might have price differences when it comes to certain expenses. For example, you can find that some more expensive cities in Europe have very reasonably-priced public transport. So, although you might pay more for accommodation or food, you can save on getting around. Speaking of accommodation, the cheapest options will vary for different destinations. In some places, hostels are your best bet. In others, budget hotels, campsites or even homestays could work out for you.
Check That You Can Enter All Your Destinations
Not one wants their dream trip to be ruined by the wrong paperwork or failed planning. If you want everything to go smoothly, you need to be careful when it comes to travel documents and visas. When you’re planning your trip, make sure that you research the rules for entering different countries as thoroughly as possible. Do you need a visa or visa waiver? Will anything about your past, your occupation or even your name or nationality make it difficult for you to enter any particular countries? Is there anything you can’t take with you?
Don’t Rule Out Taking the Whole Family
A round-the-world trip doesn’t only have to be for young and single people. If you want to do it, don’t rule out going with your family. It could be an incredible experience to have with your kids, and one they’ll remember forever. It might be possible to do during the summer, or they could study while on the move.
You don’t have to keep a round-the-world trip as a distant dream. It could come true if you only start planning it.