Tips for RTW travel?

February 7, 2006 8:16 AM

RoundTheWorldFilter: I'm looking for suggestions and resources to help plan my upcoming round-the-world trip.

On May 14, I'm leaving. I have a round-trip business class ticket to Auckland, with a stopover in Korea. Here's the current plan:

May-June - Korea and Japan
June - A little snowboarding in NZ (I have to get to NZ by July 8 to activate my Working Holiday Visa)
July-August - Australia
August-?? - China, Southeast Asia, India, (possibly) South Africa, a little bit of Europe, a visit back home around Christmastime, then back to New Zealand to work for a few months on my WHV.

So right now I plan on purchasing a RTW ticket in Auckland and heading west. I plan to be out there for 8-12 months, depending on the finances.

What I'm looking for: any tips, hints, suggestions, and resources that might be helpful. What gear should I definitely bring? What should my packing list look like? Any destinations I CANNOT miss? Any areas I should definitely avoid at certain times of the year? Suggestions for insurance (both for my body and my gear)? Alternate suggestions for my travel plans? Recommendations for vaccinations or other health issues? Suggestions on how to tell my job that I'm quitting?

posted by Gaz Errant to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

Hi,

two friends of mine are on a trip around the world right now. They made a website full of tips, diaries and photographs.
Unfortunately it's in Dutch, but you can still have a look around. The packing list is somewhat illustrated, and the captions in the photo gallery are also in English.

Their site is at SnR.be.
If you want more info on their trip, feel free to mail me.

Also, check out Thorntree, the Lonely Planet bulletin boards. Tons of travel advice there.
posted by lodev at 8:42 AM on February 7, 2006

I absolutely love the AitrTreks web site and service. They offer open-ended RTW tickets which give you amazing flexibility by staying in any city/country for as long as you like. If I remember correctly, you simply notify the airline 24 or 48 hours ahead of the day you want to depart and they issue a ticket. You choose which cities you want to fly into and out of and pretty much everything else is flexible, inclusing the option of ground travel. For instance, you could fly to London, then Moscow, take the Trans-Siberian railway to Beijing and then fly out of Beijing.

Their web site makes this cool little travel map also. I saved one from a few years ago when I was thinking of taking a RTW trip.
posted by camworld at 8:45 AM on February 7, 2006

Lodev, that brings up something I forgot to ask in the original post. I also want to document my travels on the internet for family and friends (and anyone else) to keep up with me. I registered the address (www.gazerrant.com), and I have web space, as well as a Blogger blog... I'm wondering if it would be manageable to actually keep up a website, or whether I should just stick to Blogger and Flickr.
posted by Gaz Errant at 8:47 AM on February 7, 2006

I'm wondering if it would be manageable to actually keep up a website

Only you can answer this. There's no technical reason you cant - internet access is pretty widespread around the world, especially in the countries you mention. Ask yourself if you want to faff around in internet cafes when you could be out there experiencing the real world? Your choice.


For your other queries, bootsnall.com is quite a good traveller resource.

Packing advice - take as little as possible and buy what you need en route.
posted by the cuban at 8:58 AM on February 7, 2006

I did a similiar round the world trip several years ago, spending about 18 months away from home-- highly recommended, one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life. Here are some suggestions based on my experiences:

The two most valuable items per unit of space: Earplugs (connected by a wire so they don't get lost) and a tiny LED flashlight.

A small compass is essential for rapidly orienting yourself against a city map.

Before entering any new country learn at least a few phrases of the language, including "where is ____?" "I don't speak ____" and most importantly, "thank you."

I wish I had spent more time off the beaten track-- it takes much more effort and time to get to, but I found the experiences I had there far more memorable.

Early on I tried to visit as many places as possible, at the expense of depth. Don't do this.

I'll second the recommendation for AirTreks, I used them for several open-ended circuits. They work best for stringing together cross-continent legs.
posted by justkevin at 9:16 AM on February 7, 2006

Google's directory of Around the World Travelogues.
posted by driveler at 9:19 AM on February 7, 2006

Pack for two frugal weeks. Bring clothes that layer well, don't take up much room in your pack, and don't wrinkle badly. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes and a daypack or satchel (I prefer satchels because they're never out of my sight like a packpack is, and because I don't look like a generic gap-year backpacker). Bring a keychain compass & a wristwatch. Keep your socks & underwear in mesh laundry bags for organizing your pack. Sew little pockets in the lower legs of your pants for keeping large amounts of money/credit cards/passports in (this'll come in handy if you don't trust your hotel/hostel).

Bring a digital camera with a big memory card, and if you plan on bringing an iPod, get or make a discreet mic for field recordings.

As for travel journals, could you embed your blog in your website (still using blogger), & also use a flickr feed or something? That way everything's still semi-automated.
posted by soviet sleepover at 9:32 AM on February 7, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

My wife has 2 friends that are doing a multi-year rtw trip. I have really enjoyed seeing their updates on their blog/gallery hosted at travelpod.com/.

It's pretty sweet. I love seeing where on the globe all the updates are coming from.
posted by rdurbin at 9:37 AM on February 7, 2006

Pack nothing. Seriously, this is a year off, with freedom, not a sentence to lug some of your crappy jeans and tshirts around the world. Pack for 1 week. Max. You're going to want to (and be able to, probably, with the exchange rates) buy stuff on your trip. Cool stuff that one can't get back home. Plus, this lets you dress like a local, which is key in hotter climates. So pack about 2/3 gear and only 1/3 clothes.

My essentials:

I like to have a travel pillow a lot. I have an inflatable one, so it's not so hard to lug around. But on the 12 hour flights / busrides / trainrides, etc. it's key.

Lanyard / 3mm spectra cord. Good for repairs, and as clotheslinke.

Wallet and inside-the-clothes passport carrier. It will probably be stolen if you're robbed at gun or knifepoint, but it will keep out pickpockets and pocket-slashers.

Sunglasses. Sunscreen (expensive overseas, at least the good stuff is). Hat for sun. Hat for warmth.

Money, both cash and cards. Money can make a lot of your problems go away on the road. Since you're planning to work, this might not be as big of a deal for you, since you could stop to refuel the kitty every once in a while. But yeah, cash. Don't leave home without it.

Things you won't probably need:

Water purification system. I might bring tablets (iodine or whatever), but seriously, your chances of being off the grid to that extent are pretty minimal.

Bugspray. Anywhere you're going to want it, it won't work.
posted by zpousman at 10:12 AM on February 7, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

The Global Trip is, to me, the Holy Grail of around-the-world travelogues. Takes weeks to go through the daily blog posts, but it's enchanting. Also, don't miss the slideshows!
posted by superfem at 11:31 AM on February 7, 2006

My partner and I took a year off and spent it traveling through Asia, South East Asia and Australia. Here's my two cents:

Gear -

A small backpack. I used a carry on size that converted to a satchel/suitcase for the year away and it was plenty big enough. As people up-thread have commented, it's easy to buy on the road if necessary.

A flat plug for sinks. Most cheap hotels won't have plugs in them which makes washing clothes tough.

A cord for laundry. You can buy stretchy, twisted elastic travel cords and I think it's worth it.

A health kit. You'll have to see a travel doc anyway so they can help you with this. But (depending on where you are going) you may want some malaria meds, immodium, ibuprofen and so on. I also took an injection kit (with prescription) just in case the worst happened. Never had to use it.

A leatherman or similar tool.

A waterproof money belt. If you are planning on staying in cheap hotels you won't want to leave your valuables there while you go to the beach, and you won't want to leave them on the beach either.

Shortwave radio. A lot of people think this is going overboard, but for me it was great. We spent a lot of time in small places with little or no connection to the outside world and I appreciated being able to catch the BBC news once in a while.

As Zpousman says, money in different forms. A couple of cards, some travelers cheques and some US dollars (including some in small notes)

Things I took that were a waste of space:

mosquito net - most hotels have them anyway
water purification system - after the first two weeks drinking warm, strange tasting water buying cold bottled water seemed much more attractive (but maybe you are a better environmentalist than me...)

Destinations not to miss -

Borobudur (Indonesia), Angkor Wat (obviously), Northern Vietnam is fascinating and Laos is well worth the detour. In India I loved seeing Sanchi. It's much smaller and less visited than the other major temples and sites, but was worth the detour for me. Obviously I'm a bit of a temple/architecture hound though.

For insurance, check and see what the student travel company near you can offer. Some of them still offer insurance even if you aren't a student. I think I paid about $250CDN for the year. Make sure to read the fine print because some policies don't cover things like scuba diving or riding a motorcycle - which you may be doing at some point.

Medical - like I wrote above, you need to see a travel doc. For my trip I ended up getting a ton of shots - hep A, B, rabies, and typhoid were covered, and maybe some others I can't remember. Malaria is the other thing you'll have to think about and there are lots of questions to ask about which drug is best for you on that level.

For websites, in addition to those already mentioned here, the thorntree at lonely planet can be helpful. I also liked reading the around-the-world travellogues at bootsnall before I left.

As for quitting your job...that's the easy part! Happy planning - I'm jealous, wish I was leaving again!
posted by Cuke at 12:37 PM on February 7, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

Email yourself scanned jpgs of your passport, credit cards and visas along with the telephone numbers/contact infomation of who you need to inform if they're nicked.

If they get stolen, internet cafes are a lot more ubiquitous than consulates these days.
posted by lalochezia at 12:40 PM on February 7, 2006

Just a small thing here: I'd say that one thing that's always been useful while traveling is picking up a newspaper while abroad, even if it's not in English or another language you can speak - you'll be surprised how much you can glean from your knowledge of the few phrases you may have picked up, Hollywood gossip, and weather-page icons. Have a great time.
posted by mdonley at 1:49 PM on February 7, 2006

Read Vagabonding by Rolf Potts if you haven't already. It's a quick but powerful read.
posted by nitsuj at 2:40 PM on February 7, 2006

I did a similar trip and was able to keep a geocities web page updated consistently. Internet access is pretty much ubiquitous at this point.

My basic international travel kit is a passport and a credit card. I bring other things along, but I'm prepared to have them lost, stolen, or expended in some other fashion. You can greatly reduce your stress level by following suit -- don't bring along anything you'd truly miss if it disappeared.

I made plenty of mistakes and learned a lot on the way, but the only thing I would do differently is to do my SCUBA training at home, before I went up to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. It's beautiful out there, but if you're doing your training you don't get to see much of it.
posted by tkolar at 4:22 PM on February 7, 2006

Someone above mentioned malaria medicine. It's far more expensive to get in the US than in places where it's necessary/useful, so wait 'til you're there (you won't need a prescription either).

An anecdote about travel health: in Guatemala I came down with giardia, a very common intestinal parasite. Intestinal ailments were such a familiar problem that you could actually take a container of poop to any pharmacy large enough to have a microscope & they'd peer at the microbes & tell you what was wrong and what you should take for it, all in the course of about five minutes. When I went to a doctor to get malaria drugs, on the other hand, he gave me a single pill in archaic three-color packaging and told me there were no side-effects. I looked it up (on medicinescomplete.com) because it seemed so sketchy, only to discover it was a cancer medicine that caused constipation by (I forget the technical terms) paralyzing the internal systems that cause bowel movements. My slightly tangential point is: if you're dealing with something that isn't common for locals/residents, do your own research because the doctors may have no idea how to deal with it!

(That site is a good resource for looking up what certain drug names are in other countries, and the CDC website will give you plenty of info on proper dosages for malaria tablets so you can safely self-medicate. Many travelers don't recommend taking malaria tablets, which only reduce the risk by about 50%, so as with anything, do your research & make informed decisions about medicines you might take or take with you to the developing world...)
posted by soviet sleepover at 1:48 PM on February 8, 2006

Cleland Animal Park outside of Adelaide. Incredible, not to be missed, but off the beaten path.
posted by AuntLisa at 6:00 PM on February 14, 2006