ATW_Family1

Our son is graduating college and about to begin working. We have one more trip we can do while he has 28 days off--so, we're trying to check some things off our travel bucket list with him. Would welcome thoughts on the below trip. Can our 60 year old bodies do this? Too aggressive? He is on board!

December 10 To Iceland
December 11 Arrive Iceland Northern Lights
December 12 Iceland
December 13 Depart Iceland Arrive Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum
December 14 Depart Amsterdam Arrive Milan/Modena
December 15 Modena Ferrari Factory
December 16 Leave Milan
December 17 Arrive Maldives
December 18 Maldives
December 19 Maldives
December 20 Maldives
December 21 Depart Maldives/Arrive Dubai
December 22 Dubai
December 23 Abu Dabi
December 24 Depart Abu Dabi-Arrive India
December 25 India Taj Mahal
December 26 Depart India/Arrive Thailand
December 27 Thailand
December 28 Thailand
December 29 Depart Thailand Arrive Hong Kong
December 30 Hong Kong
December 31 Hong Kong
January 1 Leave Hong Kong
January 2 Arrive New Zealand
January 3 New Zealand
January 4 New Zealand
January 5 New Zealand
January 6 New Zealand
January 7 To Home

Welcome any thoughts you may have!

MmePerdu

After a couple of RTW trips in my 60s, 1 six months and 1 four months, I decided the optimum time for me would be 5 months. So I'll bet you can imagine what I think of your itinerary! I'd never say don't do it, but I think it would be a much better month with fewer stops in the short time frame you have to work with. It appears that some are because you must change planes so you may as well visit a museum or rush to 1 or 2 sites as long as you're on the ground. India & Thailand are especially egregious examples.

I had similar choices to make on my first go. For instance, should I stop and visit Petra or just change planes in Amman. I changed planes and went on. Add to that other simplifications and it added up to a much better (less exhausting) trip.

It seems clear what countries are high on your list. Maldives, HKG & New Zealand, I'm guessing. I suspect you can trim most of the others, be brave and just change planes and add the days saved to your top priority places. Even better, forget the romance of circling the globe until you really have the time and find the most efficient way to experience those most important to you.

MmePerdu

By the way, this itinerary looks suspiciously like a consolidator website's machine-made itinerary where you put in where you really want to go and it tells you "you can add Amsterdam, Milan, Dubai, Delhi and Bangkok for no additional cost". Resist the temptation!

janisj

>>Welcome any thoughts you may have!<<

You might not like them . . .

just two (of several) problems:

It will probably fall apart on day - the chance the weather conditions will allow you to see the Aurora w/ just 1.5 days in the country are pretty slim.

>>December 24 Depart Abu Dabi-Arrive India
December 25 India Taj Mahal
December 26 Depart India/Arrive Thailand<<

Kidding - right?

If you just want a mileage run -- go for it -- otherwise - a HUGE waste of time and money.

thursdaysd

Agree with the others. I am currently on my fourth RTW, and there is no way I would touch your itinerary. This is a short RTW for me, just three and a half months. You can certainly go round in 28 days, but you won't see much unless you are a lot more selective. Stopping off in India just see the Taj seems to me to be crazy. You will have no context for the building, no feel for India, and may well get sick anyway.

If you think that travel is just about checking boxes off a list, I suppose this itinerary does that, assuming nothing goes wrong. I don't.

ATW_Family1

Very much appreciate the feedback!

Can't wait until we can take a 3-4 month ATW trip(s), but we are still working. We have not talked with a consolidator--just all of you.

Based on your feedback, we have eliminated Thailand. Will distribute those days to other areas. Considering what else to eliminate, but are trying to do our son's top things.

Welcome any additional thoughts!

MmePerdu

It's your family that must give it some thought, your trip, your priorities. As is, it seems truly a bucket list plan, by which I mean throw everything into the bucket without regard to the possibility of actual enjoyment of the time on the ground.

Practically speaking, by eliminating Thailand you've picked up 1 full day of usable time. The list above has 16 days of your 28 not moving to another location, if I've counted correctly. So approaching half of your trip in transit, possibly much of the rest feeling the effects of jet lag. Personally, I'd head straight to the Maldives, then Delhi, HKG, New Zealand. A week each begins to look doable.

MmePerdu

I meant to add my reasoning for heading straight to the Maldives. If you're based in N. America, Europe is the closest to you and most easily picked up on a short trip from home. None of the locations you mention will be going away anytime soon and could be done individually anytime you have a few days. By eliminating those this time, you make the rest worthwhile.

By the way, I probably wouldn't spend a week in Hong Kong, maybe 4 nights, adding the rest to India and/or New Zealand.