Has anyone back packed around the world?

Question

I would love to travel around the world. Has anyone done this that could offer advice? How much did it cost etc. Places to visit and places to stay well clear of? Best websites to check out...??

Answer 1

Sounds like a wonderful thing, but I've never done it...

Answer 2

There are a lot of people who have done this.  Best advice is to plan, plan and plan.  And to have enough money.  The hard part is knowing how much is enough - it largely depends on what you mean by back-pack around the world, how long for and where you want to visit.

Do you really mean, back-pack around the world, travelling from country to country overland by train/bus and staying in hostels as you go?  (My dream - it's what I'm going to do if I ever get made redundant)  Or do you mean fly from one huge developed country to another developed country, perhaps visitng 4 or 5 different ones, over a period of a few months, on a RTW ticket?

India, Thailand, much of Africa, parts of S. E. Asia and most of South/Central  America are relatively cheap.  If you want to stick to more developed countries such as Western Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, you'll need a lot more money. Costs could vary from US20 per day to $150 p/d, depending on country and what level of comfort you'd be after for accomodation, travel, food etc.

Another factor is time. How long would you want to be away / how long would you spend in each country. You can hop from one place to another spending a week in each and saying you've "been there" or you can spend lengthy periods getting to know a country and the people, which is what (true) backpackers do.   There's an old saying that a tourist is cash-rich, time-poor and a traveller is time-rich, cash-poor.

Also, would you travel on your own or would you want to join an organised overland trip?  A lot depends on how much you've travelled before, how savvy you are, what s*x you are and how safe you feel about travel in certain countries.

Perhaps start with a map of the world and pick places you'd like to visit, then start from there.  Then, with regards to research, both for itineraries and costs per country, I'd suggest the Lonely Planet website and a selection of brochures from overland companies. There are other companies but try Dragoman, Kumuka and Exodus for ideas.  Organised overland trips are great, especially for a newbie, but they're more expensive than if you travel independantly...however they're invaluable for travelling through areas where public transport is perhaps more restricted (such as Africa) and you'll be with like-minded people.

One other thing to note is that RTW airfares can be good deals, but you're restricted in terms of direction/airlines.

And one final point - don't try to cram everything in to one trip.  I've been travelling on and off for 20 years and there's still plenty of the world left for me to visit. I started with a 7month overland trip through Africa, worked for a while to save more money, then backpacked down through SE Asia, Oz and NZ for 6 months. A year or so later, I did another organised (3 month) trip from Kathmandu to London, through the Middle East.  Since then, I've alternated between backpacking and organised trips, but for shorter periods at a time. There are too many great places to mention, but preferences are personal, depending on what you like. Same with where to steer clear of, although I'd also check Government/ Foreign Office websites and take notice if they advise against travel to a particular place.

Good luck.