cgenovez72

hello everyone , this is my first time on here , im looking for some help, my wife and I have planned to travel the world or at least most of it in 450 Days , we dont really have a budget ive been planning about how much it would cost daily for both , but now im lost , we are planning to go in 3 years. we can save alot since we dont pay rent or any heavy bills , just about 400 a month , we both combined make about 6k , anyone know any awesome routes , our travel plan is as listed
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
MOROCCO
FRANCE
IRELAND
ENGLAND
GERMANY
ITALY
GREECE
TURKEY
KENYA
TANZANIA
SRI LANKA
INDIA
THAILAND
JAPAN
INDONESIA
PHILLIPINES
CHINA
AUSTRALI
SOUTH KOREA
ALSO TRAVEL THRU SOUTH AMERICA AND GALAPAGOS AND SOME CENTRAL AMERICAN ISLANDS IN COUNTRY SO ABOUT AN EXTRA 12 countries

About how long would this take?
About how much cost? with a regular staying price not too cheap and not extremely expensive ?
Any better routes to take?
im looking thru different countries that people reccomend ,
Is this route even remotely possible? i know its somewhat out of order, but would this be possible?

MmePerdu

I have a suggestion, having traveled as long as 6 months at a stretch. I found there were certain countries I didn't want to miss, but some of the best stops were recommendations I got from locals and other travelers as I went.

With that much time, I recommend doing much of your moving by surface means (trains, ferries, etc.) and not necessarily buying transport far in advance. I guarantee if you do you'll end up abandoning some of those pre-planned segments in favor of opportunities that sound better as you go.

If you decide you want to add some segments that must be planned ahead, such as going by container ship as I did on one trip, from Singapore to Malta, make those arrangements first, then plan the rest around those such as the freighter which cannot be done in most cases last minute.

Rather than your list above, a very abstract sort of (non) plan, maybe make note of your very 1st choices in a sort of progress in a general direction, then decide as you go where the logical next step will be. I think you'll find it an infinitely more satisfying approach. Ditch the list.

Those are my first thoughts.

MmePerdu

One more thought. After 5 months I was a bit weary. I continued on for another month because I had the tickets. But keep in mind you may find being on the road for that long will become tiresome and you stop enjoying it. You can either just stop then in a place you like for as long as it takes to feel like resuming movement. Or you can go home. But be aware in advance that you may hit such a wall and be willing to adjust. I think it's an important aspect that we don't (I didn't) think of as a possibility in the excitement of planning & setting out.

RoamsAround

<<...About how long would this take?...>> -
You said you had 450 days so that's how long it should take.

<<...About how much cost? with a regular staying price not too cheap and not extremely expensive ?...>> -
Can't really answer without more info. Well, how much money do you have and are willing to spend on this trip??? What is your life style??? What type of meals do you plan on eating - are you going to be content eating a slice of pizza or a PB&J sandwich or are you going to want more substantial meals??? What is going to be your primary means of transportation getting from country to country and from city to city within those countries? Do you plan on extra-curricular activities?

For you general living expenses estimate how much you'd need to support yourself in the manner to which you've become accustomed where you now live for 450 days, add about 30% to that number and you'll have a workable budget. living expense budget. Don't forget to include contingencies for medical care, laundry and cleaning fees, admissions to points of interest and other activities., telephone and internet fees, and a myriad of other incidentals. Just a wild guess, but I'm guessing for two people (you and your wife) a 450 day trip is going to cost you a minimum of $150,000 and that's staying in bare bones accommodations, eating very simple meals, and doing mostly "free things" and it does not include airfares, train tickets and any other transportation needs.

If flying look into purchasing an "Round the World" ticket - they have some restrictions but allow you to visit between 3 and 5 continents making up to a set number of stops in any one continent. Restrictions include trip must be completed in one year, you must start and end your trip in the same location, and travel in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and once leaving a continent you cannot go back to that continent. Since your plan is to travel for more than 1 year you could purchase 2 RTW ticket to complete your entire itinerary but even though RTW tickets may seem costly at first you may find that having 2 tickets will actually save you quite a bit on airfare when compared to booking everything on separate tickets.

<<...Any better routes to take?...>> -
Look at a map to better plan your routing so that you don't find yourself "backtracking" in order to get to your next destination.

<<...Is this route even remotely possible?...>> -
When it comes to travel just about anything is possible if you are willing to pay the cost and spend the time.

<<...i know its somewhat out of order, but would this be possible?...>> -
Again, look at a map to plan the route that makes the most sense then plan how you get between the particular destinations you wish to visit. For instance, assuming you live in the US you could use your first RTW ticket to get from your home base to Europe, Africa and the Middle East before returning home. Then use your 2nd RTW ticket to visit Asia, the South Pacific nations, then the South American and Central American countries before finally returning home.

ONE THING YOU HAVE NOT ADDRESSED - your itinerary basically takes you to all the major countries in the world - very commendable - but doesn't address what you plan on doing once you get to those countries, which cities/towns/areas you wish to visit, how you plan to get around within those countries. To paraphrase a commercial for a well know river cruise company - "you don't want to spend all your time getting there and not have any time actually being there".

Last few hints: Your itinerary is very ambitious but it is workable however it will take a lot of planning on your part. You may find it worthwhile to engage the services of a specialized RTW Travel Agent to help plan the basics of your trip. He/she will be able to assist you in customizing your itinerary to fulfill your dreams. Lastly, you might want to look into taking a "World Cruise" - these typically take between 6 to 9 months and some take as much as a year. The cruise will circumvent the globe visiting many of the countries on your wish list. All your transportation, meals, drinks, etc. are included in the price. Like the RTW airline ticket they may seem costly at first but when you take into account what's included and the convenience factor they end up being a very cost efficient way to "see the world".

thursdaysd

Start by reading these:

https://www.roughguides.com/shop/rou...-around-world/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pra...uck/1102219362

Buy a good world map plus the Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe.

Bear in mind US citizens only get 90 days in 180 in Europe. Budget for visas and medical/evacuation insurance.

Check costs for different countries on lonelyplanet.com - destinations

RoamsAround

To add to the previous - make sure you reseach visa and maximum stay requirements for all the countries you plan to visit. The last thing you want is to be turned away by Immigration/Passport Control officials as you attempt to enter a country because your documentation/papers are not in order.

katsehh

I went to Europe by myself for a month and it was ~$4000 including flight (~$700 to Venice) and train tickets (~$700 for a Eurail pass). This is with CouchSurfing and hostels, but I am known for spending a stupid amount on food and drinks. Also splurged for things like getting early access to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican. If you guys were to use about what I used, this is ~$116,000 for two people. (~14.5 months)

Not sure if you guys are willing to do the stuff I'm about to list, but 450 days sounds... expensive haha. And you usually don't have to worry about foreign exchange fees, but it sees that you'll be exchanging money quite often. If you're using a card the whole time, then international fees. And I don't know about other countries, but China and Korea have street food you'll want to try (cash only).

Totally loose estimations, but just for hotel and food.

Hotel: $85/day. Almost pulling this out of thin air just from eyeballing Google results for a few cities in a few of the countries you listed.

Food: $48/day. $12/meal/person, 2 meals/day, for 2 people.

Total for 450 days: ~$60,000

Then factor in transportation costs to each new destination. Flying, trains, bus, rental car. I count 33 countries, so if you only go to one city per country, that's 33 tickets. Even just the flight from home to your first destination and then the flight from your last destination back will be a good chunk.

And then all the admission costs. Tickets to museums, city passes, etc. Plus emergency money, because things happen.

It doesn't have to be for the whole trip, but maybe try these just for a few destinations to cut back costs.

* CouchSurfing is a site that connects travelers to locals. Hosts provide a sleeping arrangement and guests are expected to be respectful (basically, don't just use them as free lodging). Could be a couch, could be a floor, could be a bed. You just have to read through the profiles. Honestly, I prefer CouchSurfing to staying in hotels because it gives me a chance to meet locals. And because it's free.

More info on CouchSurfing.
https://www.dreamingwanderer.com/tip...ing-breakdown/

* Hostels. Cheaper than hotels, but you might be sharing a room with other people. You'll probably be sharing a room with other people.

* House Carers. Home/pet owners get free care for their pets/houses while they're away, you get free housing. Might have to take care of pets, water plants, etc.

* Hitchhiking. Only if you guys are really scrimping. Takes time if you don't know where to wait. Some countries may also frown about it, and others may straight out prohibit it. You'd have to do your research. And then there are safety issues to consider, though it's lessened a bit by the fact you guys are going together.

---

Food is hard to price because it'll be drastically different depending on a) where you eat and b) what you eat. Food in India will likely be cheaper than food in Spain, for example. Sushi is going to be pricier than ramen.

---

And as MmePerdu mentioned, 450 days is a long time to be on the road. You'll want days to take a break from your break. The first thing I did when I did got back home after a month of traveling was eat a steak and watch Netflix. Think I did that for a few days.

You might want to go in an order that makes more sense, but either way it's doable. With 33 countries in 450 days, you'd be spending almost two weeks in each country, so time for however many cities you want to fit in.

thursdaysd

Some rather dubious information in katsehh's post.

-- Hitchhiking in most places is now both dangerous and difficult as few people are willing to pick up strangers (see dangerous).

-- Costs in western Europe are different from costs in eastern Europe and very different from costs in, say, Thailand. If you start exceeding your budget you can move to a cheaper country for a while.

-- If you are couchsurfing or using hostels you are not paying $85 for a hotel room.

-- These days a Eurail pass is not always, or perhaps often, the most cost effective way to travel in Europe. Point-to-point tickets bought ahead of time are often cheaper. Train travel in eastern Europe is cheap enough that there is no point in buying ahead or using a pass. Budget airlines are an option for longer distances.

-- Food costs are very much in the control of the traveler. If katsehh spends a "stupid" amount on food and drink his costs are irrelevant to someone who eats a sandwich for lunch, picnics for dinner and drinks tap water (only recommended in western Europe).

-- There is NO reason to pay foreign exchange fees. I have three credit cards that charge no foreign conversion fees and a checking account that not only charges no conversion fee but refunds fees charged by foreign ATMs. Check out Capital One. Credit Unions will usually only charge 1%.

-- "Almost pulling this out of thin air just from eyeballing Google results for a few cities in a few of the countries you listed." If you are going to give advice at least do some decent research first.

-- "the flight from your last destination back will be a good chunk." Flights to Europe on budget airlines like WOW and Norwegian are very cheap. Flights from China to the US on Chinese airlines are very cheap. But the OP should investigate RTW tickets from the airline alliances or agencies like Airtreks.

The OP will be able to construct a more meaningful budget by using the information on the Lonely Planet website, as I posted above. S/he should also bear in mind that if she were staying home she would still be paying for food and transport.

I once did a ten month RTW almost entirely by train. I was exhausted by the time I got home, so resting up for a month somewhere along the way in a cheap(er) country would be a good idea.