I recently retired and now am planning to travel. My wife and I are thinking about going on a round-the-world trip. We would be gone for about six months and stop at about 4-6 different places and then use those cities as a base of operations for touring.

What advice can you give regarding an around the world trip? Will 6 months away from home be to much? What cities should I stop at? What is the best source for RTW tickets? Is it best to go east to west or west to east? (I am starting in Minnesota)

Help, please, for a round the world traveler

Which way to head may depend on the time of year and weather conditions of where you are heading- I would avoid the rainy seasons in Asia. Also only you know how long you can be away from home without getting homesick- missing you routines etc. For us - its two weeks and we are ready to head home- so 6 month may be risky unless you are quite sure. Look into around the world airline passes. You maybe can save some $$$ by connecting with freighters that traverse the ocean- takes a few weeks but hey you have 6 months so that may not be an issue.
Needless to say you will need to travel light.
Hope this helps!

If budget is not a consideration you may want to do a big city for a week then a beach resort for a week and so on so you don't burn out.
You did not say whether you were seasoned travelers- important as going around the world is not,in my opinion, something you want to embark on if you are novice travelers. A number of Asian countries are not geared for the novice traveler- they are very interesting places - but I would say countries like India are not good for first time- on their own- travelers.

Why the rush? You have many years ahead to travel, so why cramp it into one trip?

My parents are retired and I think they're doing it the right way - taking 5 - 6 trips a year to various parts of the world and mix it up. Maybe a week or so in one or two major European cities to visit museums and take it eay; another more hurried coach tour for other parts; a couple of trips to Asia from a base in Hong Kong; perhaps a cruise in the Carribean; and short trips in the US/Canada, etc...

Like BillT says, travel can be pretty exhausting. And living 4-6 months can be pretty expensive, and I don't think you're going to be backpacking and staying at hostels.

Only advantage of RTW trip is relatively inexpensive business-class airfare. But still, I wouldn't recommend it.

As for where to go, where have you been? What interest you? What places have you been thinking about?

Having also read you other post I would suggest perhaps a 2-3 week trip to see how it goes, but of a look and see trip, then once home you can settle down, use your experiences and then plan more relaxing time, you would know then how you coped and what appealed to you. You can find nice long term accommodation in many places in Asia and you can find nice condo rental in Thailand for $300-500 a month for quite a nice place, but I certainly agree not to head off for a 6 month trip right from the start, ok, it will cost you more doing more than one trip but now is the time to relax, I would really take a couple of weeks and see how you feel, once home either so glad to be there or just itching to get away and see and do more.

You mentioned you had travelled on Business, did you accumulate airmiles/awards as you can use these in your fares/planning of the trip. UA and Star Alliance can get you around the world quite easily.

I was forced out of my job due to a major downsizing at the company I was working at. Though I received a large cash offer to take early retirement. My wife and I met with our accountant and determined we have enough money to retire and live comfortably. My wife retired a few years ago.

Our world has been turned upside down and am ready to make a major change and see the world that I have read so much about but have not seen (South Pacific and Asia).

Hopefully this will help posters understand my situation.

You can do a regional thing, and not RTW. For example, you may want to check out Cathay Pacific's All-Asia pass which starts at $999 (low season), and include flights from a US gateway (you buy your own to LAX/SFO/JFK). Then you can fly to many countries in one trip.

Or if you want to visit China, then just do China. There's enough there to see with 3-4 weeks itinerary.

thirdworld, thanks for sharing your background. The downsizing could be the best thing to ever happen to you.

Congratulations, I agree, probably the best thing ever! Hong Kong, Thailand Malaysia and Singapore are very very easy to get around, good flights, good value for money hotels and restaurants, they might be a good area for a first trip and then you can venture off so some other places that are fascinating but needing that little extra in organization, take your time, plan, get some guide books from your local bookshop, relish all the joy of planning, see if you can incorprate some hobby or interest for both of you or as individuals, be it photography, the sea, fauna and flora, history, old civilizations, painting, fine dining, old cars, railways, absolutely anything, you know, the thing you always longed you would have enough time to enjoy. If you can manage to incorporate specific hobby.interests it really add up to the enjoyment of seeing the world.

The more you travel the more 'new comforts' you will find and a lesser yearing for old established 'home' comforts. Many people wishing to travel a lot start off with familiar style hotels, perhaps staying at Marriotts or similar places, and then after time progress to less expensive places, once you feel you have the experience you can save a small(or large) fortune staying at more budget places, weven B&B and Guesthouse hotels around $30 for nice a/c accommodation.
I am sure many more will post and do keep us up to date with your plans, you will get some amazing advice on these boards and after a few days you will get more and more ideas from others.

I have to agree with the other posters - take your time. Committing to 6-months is a big chunk of time, even for avid travelers... we can dream, can't we!

Start slow and get a feel for your likes and dislikes - flying coach on long trips can be very taxing. So unless you've got lots of FF miles to pay for Business or upgrades, you may get to the point where the thought of another flight or airport "gets old" real fast. Likewise, what type of accommodations will fit your style and your pocket? Some third-world destinations don't offer all the the extras.

And as already mentioned - weather is important. I don't think it's adviseable to be traveling to areas with too many climate differences. You've got to consider the rainy seasons, heat, cold, type of clothing and how much luggage.

Are you prepared (if not already doing so) to take care of all your bill paying online, access your email, keep in touch with family. Who cares for your home, other real estate, your car... your everyday life back at home. Who handles emergencies should the unforseen happen. Do you have medical insurance to cover the unexpected, maybe even be evacuated. There's lots to think about when you're talking about 6-months.

Unless, of course, your accountant feels you can travel first-class everywhere - good for you. In some cases, for some people, it's as easy as saying this is something they want to do and they go for it; for other's, there's lots of planning beforehand.

In all seriousness, why not tell us what places are of interest, your likes and dislikes - see what we can offer and suggestions.

There's a current thread on the airlines board on RTW pricing that will give you an idea of ticket costs if you decide to go that route:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34606850

As rkkwan mentioned the tickets are relatively inexpensive in business class compared to buying multiple trip tickets.

one place i see these around the world flights offered every week is in the sunday travel section....i see them in the boston globe....they are tiny ads at the top of the page--no more than 1/2 to one inche in size...assume they are consolidators....i would choose very carefully....check you MN paper first then check the NY Times on sundays...travel section...

i would also consult my local travel agent, but not jump at what they offer...

I'll ignore all of the previously suggested advice and respond to your original question. If I had to choose 6 cities I would choose Rio de Janeiro, London, Rome, Istanbul, Nairobi and Bangkok. However, if you wanted to pare the trip down to do just Asia,you could see Thailand, China and India in 2-3 months. Logistically, Northwest flies from Minn.-Tokyo direct and you can connect to Bangkok or other Asian city from Tokyo. I'm jealous.

Dear Thirdworldtravel,
Hubby and I (Aussies) have done several three month, two month and six week trips since we retired. RTW fares were great, enabling us to visit countries we would otherwise never have - Iran, Jordan, Turkey , Dubai (don't miss it!) as well as the USA and South America. Of course, Asia is much closer for us.
I think six weeks for a continent trip is fine, but for a real RTW, you need at least three months. But we were ready always to come home after six weeks or so.

We've just got home after a month in SW USA, staying four nights everywhere we went to get a feel for the place, two weeks in Germany (Cologne) and a week in Bangkok. It was great.

Our RTW tickets with United have enabled us to have free trips to Alaska and New York too - make sure you get points.

Interested in hearing from people who have stayed at an apartment or condo, for a month at a time, in foreign cities. I know it is possible in Sydney but other places, I do not know.

Thought an apartment or condo would let us live like residents, and allow us to cook and live in a regular neighborhood.

thirdworld...

I just retired last June, from 33 years of teaching 6-year olds how to read (1st grade teacher). Retirement has been absolutely wonderful!! DH is not retired but is free to travel a lot due to family business needs.

I've traveled on 4 continents since June. I like to travel for 2 to 3 weeks at a time (longer than that is impossible due to financial functions of running a family business). By the end of that time I am ready to get home anyway.

I would love to someday do an around the world trip, but frankly, the way I've been traveling since retirement is just right!! Two weeks in BKK (twice), two weeks in Switzerland/Italy/Germany (twice), three weeks in Australia and the S. Pacific islands, plus various week-long trips here in the USA. I can travel at the drop of a hat (almost).

Enjoy your retirement!! Now get out there and see the world!

Carol

If you are serious about seeing the S. Pacific, you MUST visit the Cook Is.

About renting a condo or apartmeent for a month, I just looked into doing this in Kyoto, Japan (a small furnished 1 brm/kitchen/living area/patio rental house) and it seems I would have no trouble doing so.

Third World Travel -- I have a book recommendation for you. It's called One Year Off. The author and his family travelled around the world for one year and did rent a house for a while in Australia if I recall correctly. Not identical to your situation as he had young children with him, but an interesting book nonetheless and may give you some food for thought.

I personally find going east to west much easier on the jetlag, so you're following the sun (I hate those overnight flights to Europe). But everyone is different in that regard.

It would help to know some of your interests. E.g. are you interested in seeing wildlife (safari, rainforest, etc.) or relaxing on a beach or both? Do you prefer big cities or nature? Are you into wine? Snorkeling or scuba? Hiking? Do you enjoy museums? Are there certain places you've always wanted to go? Etc.

Without knowing more of those details, I can STRONGLY recommend including Thailand (including Bangkok, some time in the north in Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai, plus some time on a beach in the south like Phuket, and a side trip to Angkor Wat); South Africa (Cape Town and Kruger National Park for sure), New Zealand (I'd take a month and explore both islands), and Australia (definitely Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef plus you could always add Tasmania, Melbourne, Perth, Ayers Rock, etc.) on your itinerary. I could easily spend a month in each of those countries and still want to see more. They all have excellent tourist infrastructure for getting around too and are good value for money.

In terms of places I haven't been that I would add, probably some islands in the South Pacific (Bora Bora & Moorea, or Fiji which is a little easier on the wallet and also easy to hop to from Australia or NZ), India (so much to see there that a month would probably barely scratch the surface), China (ditto), and Egypt. Plus it would be tempting to add some safari time in Kenya & Tanzania if you're into that sort of thing -- try to catch the migration in the Mara or Serengeti, see Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater, etc.

Those would be my top choices. I probably wouldn't include anyplace in Europe or South America, only because they're pretty easy to get to from the U.S. another time.

Congratulations on seizing this opportunity!

By the way, if I were going to the places I listed, I would go in the November/December/January-April/May/June timeframe if I were you. Partly to skip winter in Minnesota (I'm not a winter person, I know lots of people are), and partly because those are generally good times of year weatherwise in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Also I would echo the remarks of someone else about travelling light.

Caveat: this is coming through a thin veneer of envy - how I would love to be in your position!
1. From MN your best connections are likely to be on NWA or their Sky Team partners.
2. For locating apartments around the world, check out www.vrbo.com. It may be difficult to predict exactly when you will want to be where, but if you travel with a laptop or use public internet access you could just book a place to start and then make arrangements as you proceed.
3. As to destinations, consider including East Africa. Safari (camera, not rifle) is a peak life experience.

Ans in response to one of your other posts - Europe is not totally Disneyfied, but do prepare to encounter the influence of American culture almost anywhere you travel - mostly in the form of brand names (Nike, Coca Cola, Marlboro, McDonald's, etc.)that are pervasive.