Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Please help me find ideal stops on a round-the-world trip

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Please help me find ideal stops on a round-the-world trip

My wife and I are in the early stages of planning a round-the-world trip next year. We are at the point of listing the ideal stops. Once we have that in place, we can figure out what time of year to go. At this point we are expecting the trip to be 2 - 3 months. Given the fact that the Fodors readers are of some of the most well-traveled folks on the planet, I hoped you could help us out. Please make some suggestions about the greatest places you have visited. We are athletic, in our young thirties and looking for both adventure and well as cultural destinations. Thank you very much in advance, Brett Cooper Salt Lake City, UT

Brett - Kudos! We have been discussing this very subject but I'm afraid it's about 5 years away for us. Good for you to be going next year. Without knowing where you've been, I would think something like the following would be a good and varied start.... China Beijing Hong Kong Thailand Bangkok Chiang Mai (Mountains) or a beach city in the South Bali India Dehli/Agra (to see Taj Mahal) Turkey or Egypt (depending on politics) Czech Republic Prague France Paris UK London USA New York or Chicago Home This was roughly what we've been kicking around but would of course change depending on where we end up going before we actually take a trip like this. One thing to certainly keep in mind is the type of travel you will do in each place. You don't want to plan 4 destinations in a rough that are third-world, hectic, etc. Make sure you follow a challenging place with somewhere easier to get around in and schedule a relaxing destination after a big hectic city. Like after Bangkok, go to the mountains in the north or one of the beaches in the south. Being on the road for that long will get tiring. Hope my two cents are a helpful starting point. Lynn :-)

Hi - I hope you can read my above posting. The computer didn't put the tabs in! Lynn :-)

I think the most important issue is how many stops you get (and WANT to take) and where you've already been. For example, I love Paris, but if we were doing an around the world trip with only 5 stops, I probably wouldn't include it. So, let's say that you have unlimited stops - where would be my "don't miss" destinations?? China - Beijing (Great Wall) Thailand/Cambodia (Angkor) Russia - Moscow (Red Square, Kremlin), St. Petersburg (Hermitage) Somewhere in Africa (sorry, not my specialty, but I wouldn't leave it off!!) Paris Athens New York Washington DC South America - Amazon rain forest, Rio, ??? What fun!! Do keep us posted as you narrow your plans!

Out of all my travels, there are a few places that stick out: If you like the East, India is really incredible. Be prepared for the poverty etc., but if you can look beyond that, you'll find an amazing country. Portugal and Italy are incredible as well --- don't miss Venice. Have a great trip!

OK, LETS DO THIS 1 are you on any kind of budget? IT MATTERS.. for instance it would be cheeper too fly from NYC to LONDON then TO CAPETOWN, south africa, rather then direct NYC, CAPETOWN 2 are you guys into anything spacific like architecture, wildlife, festivals ? 3 are you willing too deal with getting lots of visas?.. 4 is there a rigion or place you really would not like too go too now..?

orgy7, I`m definately in on this, but first let me say you seem to get to all the Fodors boards and have the most delicious spelling and grammer I can imagen(an orgyism)! Great start on the questions thread. Seems there are a lot of questions on Fodors that don`t include the specifics of the askers style of travel. I can personally say that I would not be the same person today if it was not for the time in Papa Doc`s Haiti (`68), the nights spent with the street musicians in Vondelpark(Amsterdam `72)with no money, or the nights in the same city`s abandoned attics(where I was asked to explain President Nixons wifes dingleberries and how he could still be all that?), the mushrooms and cocaine in Bogota (`74), or the gun barrel under the chin in the `shining paths` Peru in `85+-, but most travelers today would not see those as good experiences. Sorry to ramble on, but folks need to let the Fodors community know their budget and travel needs! We know traveling on the thumb and broke is the most exciting way to go, but it will not work for families and really most people. Hope I haven`t offended. Will certianly watch this thread, tho. I think I have some 'musts' for you , Brett.

It sounds like you're at the brain-storming stage, so I'm willing to drop in some favorite places, though I don't know how practical they would be for you: In Asia: Beijing, Xian and/or Shanghai, China Hong Kong Bangkok (with side trips to Angkor, Luang Prabang and/or Burma) Singapore (with a side trip into central Java or Bali) India, Nepal or Bhutan Middle East: Jordan (to see Petra and Jerash) Turkey (at least a stop in Istanbul) Africa: Egypt Morocco Europe: London Paris A msterdam I've obviously left out big parts of the world, mostly because I haven't been to South America, Australia or sub-saharan Africa. I've only given a couple of suggestions in Europe, as that's what you are most likely to be familiar with.