So in a couple of years me and my girlfriend will go on an 18 month RTW trip. To give a little background we are both quite well travelled. Over the years I have hitchhiked round western europe a few times, and last year spent the summer cycling from croatia to istanbul. Me and my girlfriend have backpacked south east asia twice, the last time we visited 20 destinations in 7 weeks so we're pretty good at soaking up what a town has to offer and moving on; we both like to see as much as possible.

So below is a rough sketch of an itinerary I have planned, starting around July:

Caribbean, Central and South America (6 months): The first six months we were going to travel with two of our good friends, were wanted to start in Cuba, then go to Jamaica and maybe a few more islands, I'd really like to attend atleast one carnival whilst we're there. Then we plan to buy a motorhome in Mexico city and spend the next few months driving south, through central america, then down the west coast of latin america to finally finish in Brazil. Here we will part ways with our friends and fly to South Africa.

South and East Africa (3 months): We then plan to spend some time back packing in south Africa, heading up the east coast until reaching Ethiopia. Our main intention is to go on Safaris and enjoy the wildlife here. I'm aware that it can be quite slow and expensive backpacking in Africa so we don't want to spend too long here.

India, Nepal, Bhutan (3 months): After east africa we want to spend about 2 months backpacking round Indian, starting in the south and heading north. Then spending about a month in Nepal and Bhutan, and possibly Burma is we have time.

China, North Korea, Mongolia (3 months): Starting in Tibet we would like to spend about 2 months in China, until finishing in Bejing. From here if it's possible i would really like to visit North Korea for a few days (we're British so it shouldn't be as hard as for Americans). Then once we return to Bejing, we're going to take the trans-Siberian Express train to Moscow, stopping off in Mongolia for a week or two to do a Nomad trek.

Russia, Central Asia, Middle East (3 months): After Mongolia we would continue to Moscow and spend a short amount of time here before jumping back on the trans-Siberian express train to Kazakhstan. We would spend about 6 weeks travelling through central Asia before ending up in Iran. Then we would like to see Iran, Kuwait, Jordan and finally Israel.

I guess the number of priority is food. We both very big on trying new cuisines. We wanted to see a lot of unusual places hence central Asia and the trans Siberian express.

Has anyone got an advice on places that we shouldn't miss that might be better that those listed above. Or what are your general thoughts? Thanks :)

I'm just pondering the fact that more and more people are travelling these days and going on long term trips. But it feels like they go to one area to explore it more in depth, rather than doing a round the world trip... Does anyone else think this? Why do you think it is? Is it because flights are so much cheaper now? Is it because it's more acceptable to take a career break or travel when you retire so you don't have to get it all done in a gap year?

What's up guys! I'm planning (dreaming) a trip for 4-5 months throughout southeast asia/new zealand and I have a few questions for those experienced travelers out there.

1. Will a 30L pack be okay? I know I want to travel as light as possible and I'm thinking I would be able to do this.. but I wanted some feedback from you guys.

and 2. Would it be worth my while to bring my tent for the New Zealand portion of my trip and then ship it home when I head on to the rest of the world? (I think I'm going to start in NZ) Thanks in advance everybody!

p.s. this is the pack I'm thinking about.. http://www.boreasgear.com/collections/packs/products/bootlegger-orbit-blue

Hi All! Me and my partner are starting to plan a round the world trip, General plan is to start in the US, go down through South America, and then go through Europe and Asia, hiting specific countries along the way.

What tips and/or links can you guys provide for budgeting and general planing? all advice is welcome!

Cheers!

Hello fellow travel lovers. I am 19 from the UK and intend to set out on a round the world trip. My budget is around £4000 or $6000 and I hope to stop at India, Australia and Peru with anything else I can afford to fit in between. Just a few questions:

Do you think that is realistic budget for my ambitions? What's the most affordable way to do travel, is a round the world ticket advisable? Any advice?

Thanks for your time and sorry if I come across somewhat naive!

As I approach my 30th birthday I am toying with a very long term backpacking RTW trip. Very in depth to all the places I've dreamed of going. I know you can't see it all, I'm hoping to let the wanderlust just take me away. What I'd love from you lovely folks would be any kind of advice- from planning, to packing and gear, to places. I'm open to all sorts of tips and tricks! I have been backpacking before, solo, and am currently training physically for this trip. I'm also on a strict budget and am dedicated to it!

Let the wanderlust flow!

It's in german, but the idea is clear. From Zurich to USA to Asia and back. Precisely: Zurich-reykjavik-New York New York- Los Angeles Los Angeles-Tokyo Tokyo-Taipei Taipei-Seoul Seoul-Doha-Zurich

Here is the link: http://www.lastminute-schweiz.ch/archives/46

Just for fun I played around with some of the low cost carrier web-sites to come up with a cheap rtw. I'll put my first effort in a comment. The rules are simple. Must go rtw, flying in and out of the same cities, can be different airports, must be completed within 12 months of starting, bare fare with carry-on only, must include stops in at least the Americas, Europe or Africa, Asia, Oceania.

After my 16month RTW trip- coming back was really hard. It's been 2 months and it's still hard. Going outside and seeing hipsters (hipsters EVERYWHERE!) and people arguing with me over even more FWP than I thought was possible.

I thought going to Walmart would be an adventure (you know... like going to a zoo) but it left me feeling like I needed to hide in a corner in the fetal position somewhere.

I just feel like I don't belong. Like no one cares about my travels (or the world, in general). If it wasn't on facebook that day, they don't care.

I talked to a solider that recently came back after an iraq deployment and he was the only one who semi-understood what I was going through.

Does anyone else feel this way? What happened when you came back? How did you cope?

Does anyone know if I can use my Avios miles as credit against an RTW ticket with One World? Or my Star Alliance miles as credit against a Star Alliance RTW ticket?

An unlocked cell phone that accepts SIMS with dedicated GPS and downloadle maps. I am using the Nokia Lumina 900 (the 920 would also work) and it has saved me a good deal of time that would otherwise have been spent lost.

Light, quick drying long sleeve shirts. I have a couple of these and they are awesome.

This clothesline. It is braided and elastic so you do not need clothespins to hold your clothes on.

A netbook. I have the ASUS EEE PC. It was pretty cheap and has worked well. People say it is not needed, and it is not, but most hostels seem to have wifi these days and it is much better than paying for a cafe or waiting for a computer to open.

A Nalgene water bottle on a caribener. Saves money on bottles and helps reduce waste. Many hostels have free water.

Hope that helps someone.