How to Plan a Trip Around the World

Budget Travel:
Around the World on a Shoestring

Randy Ross, publisher,
RossTravels.com

Why Am I Here?

Publish site for first-
time world travelers.
Tips/Advice blogger for
TravelBeat.net
Circulating novel to
agents based on trip
around the world.

Randy Ross, Publisher, RossTravels.com

Why Are You Here?

Curiosity?
Ready to plan a trip?
Reasons to travel:
– “Laid off with severance.”
– “Cheaper to ride out
recession overseas.”
– “Relatives bet I wouldn’t
last 2 weeks abroad.”
– “Fiancé dumped me and
parents moved to Spain.”


Format for Tonight

6:00 to 7:20: Presentation.
Questions on material I presented welcome.
7:30 to 7:40 break
7:40 to 8:40 Presentation and related
questions.
8:40 any remaining questions.


Assumptions

“Independent Traveler” Not
looking for prepackaged tour.
Want to do what you want,
when you want.
Traveling on a budget.
Starting to plan three to four
months before trip.


Four Steps for Extended Trips

I) Destinations: 3 to 4 months out.
II) Transportation: flight 6 to 8 weeks out.
III) Accommodations: 6 weeks out.
IV) Pre-trip Preparations: 6 weeks out.
All urls and resources are on my Web site --
see sign-up sheet.


Step I: Destinations (3 months out)

Interests?
Length of Trip?
Budget?
Solo travel?


Interests

Sight-seeing.
Exotic food, culture.
Partying.
Beach or mountains.
Sports or activities.
No idea? Try Rough
Guide “First Time
Around the World.”


Sight-Seeing

World Heritage Sites.
Unofficial Web site:
worldheritagesite.org
Lists 878 lakes,
mountains, temples,
monuments, etc.


Parties and Festivals

Rough Guide
sort-able
calendar
worldparty.rough
guides.com/
Druggy raves to
wine-tastings to
nudity events.

Sports

Riverboarding
www.riverboarding.co.nz
Bungy
www.ajhackett.com
www.faceadrenalin.com
Windsurfing
www.velawindsurf.com
www.club-mistral.com/en


Sample page
from “First Time
Around the World”


A Word About Guide Books

Outdated/Inaccurate
Best I (Read: “Do Travel Writers
found. Go to Hell”)
Heavy (almost 1lb)
Expensive. ($11 - $20)
A New Too much info
version
Feb 2010 Not tailored to U.S.
Borrow them:
New – Library, other travelers.
312
pages Randy Ross, Publisher, RossTravels.com

My Preliminary Destination List

Windsurfing: Google search found
velawindsurf.com (Brazil, Greece, Egypt).
Sports: New Zealand.
Cousin at game reserve in South Africa.
I liked “Apocalypse Now.” (Vietnam, Laos)
Asian architecture: Cambodia, Myanmar
Partying: Beaches of Thailand.


Destinations: Safety

State Department
International Herald
Tribune
BBC News
Oriental Expat (Asia,
Thailand)
Thorn Tree Travel
Forum (Lonely
Planet)


Current Warning for Thailand


Country-Specific Info


Length of Trip

At least two weeks
in a location.
Three weeks is
better.
Don’t cram too
much.


Budget: Destination vs Cost

Developing World is
cheaper. (Asia, Africa,
500K
Vietnamese China, India, even
Dong $26
South America)
50 S. African Hanoi: dorm, food, beer
Rand $6
$18/day, $125 week,
$6.5k a year.
Melbourne: $55/day
$385/week, $20k/yr


Budget: Accommodations vs Cost

$500 a night (Hoi An beach, Vietnam)


Budget: Accommodations vs Cost

$11 a night dorm room, Storms River, South Africa


4-Month Budget: Lower End

Third World SE Asia, India, China,
parts of Africa
Airfare and insurance $3k to 3.5k
Dorm room $10/night (120 days)
Food/ day: 2 meals and $10/day (120 days) ($5/
beers from street stall. meal)
20 percent contingency for $1500
travel, activities, etc.
Total About $7,500

4-Month Budget: Mid-Range

First, Second, Third World New Zealand, Venezuela,
SE Asia
*Airfare and insurance $3.5k to $5k
*Rooms: singles/dorms. Avg: $30/night (120 days)
*2 meals and beers from Avg: $15/day (120 days)
cheap establishment. ($7/ meal)
20 percent contingency for $2000
travel, activities, etc.
Total: $12,500

Fine Tune Your Itinerary: Season

Europe: July/August
crowded/pricey.
South East Asia:
Monsoons June to Oct.
Southern Hemisphere:
(South Africa, Australia,
New Zealand). Our
winter is their summer


Good Deals Right Now

Less Developed
– Thailand (deals once
political climate settles.)
More Developed
– Euro Countries ($1.23),
Ireland, Hungary, U.K.,
Australian ($.85),
NZ.($.67)


Traveling Solo: Do it!

Pros:
– Do what you want,
when you want.
– Meet more people;
lose fewer friends.
– Hard to find
someone else with
same time off.


Traveling Solo: Do it!

Cons:
– Will get lonely.
– Women need to be a little more careful.
– Single supplements.
But:
– I met plenty of men and women ranging
from 20 to 70 who were traveling alone.


Paperwork: Passports ASAP

Go to Post Office
– First passport,
– Old passport was lost,
damaged. Issued when
under 16. (4 wks $100, 2
wks: $160)
Mail to renew
(4wks/2wks)
For travel in less than
877-487-2778, 14 days, Boston
www.travel.state.gov passport service.


Paperwork: Visas ASAP

Some countries let you
order online.
(Cambodia, Australia)
D.C. consulates may
want passport. If time
is tight, ask if you can
send Xerox.
Visa expediting a rip-
off.


More on Visas

Photos: Fed Ex Kinkos
Not cheap: $12.95 for
two, $5.99 for extra
sets of two.
Bring extra photos for
visas overseas.


Step II: Transportation (2 Months Out)

Have a rough list of destinations.
Travel in one continuous direction: Boston
across Atlantic or Boston to West Coast
across Pacific.
Zig-zagging from northern to southern
hemispheres can add to fare price.


Transportation Overview

Handful of companies
specialize in multi-stop.
Kayak.com, Expedia,
difficult for complex,
multi-stop tickets.
Traveling overland or
by local transport to
saves money.


Airfare Strategies for Multi-Stops

Buy tickets upfront:
Low stress, $$$
Find deal that’s close
enough: Low Stress,
$$
Buy ticket to one city
and travel. Not for
newbies, $
Get best price and
haggle with agent.


Where to Look for Deals

airtreks.com
airbrokers.com
statravel.com
(Student? Office in
Boston.)
Only a few stops?
Kayak.com, etc.


Good for 6
months,
flexible.
Pass vs. RT Taxes?
Fees?

Kayak: Boston-
Bangkok: 8/31-9/30
– Prices about $1200
RT
– Check fees and
taxes
– About 28 hours


Deal #1: Interesting

Airtreks.com
$1399 to
$1399- Taxes:
$1825
$1825 $500. Any
other fees?

$2,400 three regions:
Asia, Middle East,
Europe.

Deal #2: Not So Good
Airtreks.com
Airfare to S.F.?

$1599 to
$2099
Tax:$600


More Deals: Airbrokers.com

-Note max length of trip.
-Add $150 for NYC departure.
-Compare to Kayak/Orbitz at $2139

- Taxes or fees? (Add $125 for Boston –take
Fung Wa bus and train to Kennedy? – plus $500
or so for taxes.)
- Interesting itinerary: Iceland, Moscow, South
East Asia, gateway to China. (Europe, Central
Asia, East Asia.)

Randy Bangkok to Boston on Kayak.com
-R/T Ross, Publisher, RossTravels.com $1300
(includes taxes and fees). 26 hours, 2 stops.

Interesting but lots of hidden
charges:
-Old listing: add $200
-Taxes and fees: $400
-Baggage fees unknown
-Flight leaves from JFK?
-New total at least $2000


www.circletheplanet.com

Interesting: Middle
East, India, SE Asia

Site made me a
little nervous: No
“About Us” page,
got voice mail when
I called, unclear
about taxes and
fees.


No Deals? Price Estimation Tools

Enter cities/pick from list.
Choices appear in
itinerary box.
Produces vague price
range – then click to
request quote.
They tend to use lower
tier carriers.


Another Tool: www.oneworld.com

Click tab in middle of
page for “Itinerary
Planner.
Click “Create New
Round-the-world…”
Price by number of
continents.
Expensive but uses big
name airlines.


Now Contact Travel Agents

Get quotes from:
airtreks.com,
airbrokers.com, STA
Travel agents. (Star
Alliance, OneWorld.)
Play agent prices
against each other.


Questions to Ask Travel Agents

Overnights in pricey What if airline cancels a
countries I can avoid? flight? (Bangkok, India)
Pre-book travel dates? Can I have 4 - 5 hours
Penalties for change? between connections?
Names of airlines? Can I get estimate in
(United vs. Air writing with all fees?
Afghanistan?) Replace flights w/
Pay by credit card? overland/open jaw?


Cost-Cutting: Airfare

Open jaw: fly to one
country and out other.
Local transport/easy to
book.
Common routes: into
Bangkok out of
Singapore.


Open Jaw

Fly into Bangkok
Fly out of
Singapore 5
weeks later.


Local Flights

Web sites, Kayak.com, work from overseas.
Ask hostels, guest houses for best fares.
For SE Asia, www.airasia.com:
– One way Bangkok to Hanoi: $13
– Best fare on Kayak.com: $204
Greece, Venez. – countries have local air.
Vietnam Air only option and not cheap.


Buses: Hop on, Hop Off

Get on/off, like T-pass
(Baz 2wks = $271)
Stop at hostels, guest
houses.
Easy way to see S.
Africa, New Zealand.
Hanoi to Saigon: $32
by bus, $464 by plane.


Sample Hop On, Off Buses

Australia Oz Bus 20-day $461 www.ozexperience.com
(Sydney/Cairns Bruce Pass
New Zealand Magic Bus 20-day min. www.magicbus.co.nz
$587 Wayward Wanderer
Vietnam TNK-An $32 Hanoi to http://www.tnktravelvi
(very rough!) Phu “open Saigon etnam.com/html/open
bus” (3 months) tour.htm
Vietnam “sleeper n/a n/a
bus”
S. Africa Baz Bus 21-day $376 www.bazbus.com

Local Travel: Boats, Ferries

Comfortable.
I took ferries in Greece,
Vietnam, Cambodia.
3-day, 2-night boat from
Saigon to Phnom Penh
for $47. (TSK Travel)
2-day to Halong Bay
Keep receipts handy!


Cambodian-Style Tuk-Tuk


Quick and Dirty Recommendations

S. Africa: Baz Bus up
and down the coast.
SE Asia: Thailand,
Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia, Malaysia by
land, boat, air.
New Zealand: Magic
Bus N. and S. Islands.


Travel Insurance

Big name insurer –
Squaremouth.com
Get health – does yours
cover overseas?
Evacuation?
Get trip interruption, trip
cancellation.
Make sure covered for
whole trip.


Step III: Accommodations

Hostel: Not just for
kids.
Guest House: Not a
quaint Vermont B&B!
Homestay: with a
family. (Nice, France)
Multi-night discount?
Online booking: often
Lungile, Port Elizabeth, S. Africa. per person!


More on Accommodations

A/C: usually extra, not
always available.
Quality: tough to tell
from books, travelers.
See room before
signing in.
Lie down on bed, check
a/c and reading lamp.
Inn Longstreet, S. Africa


Lonely Planet Pick: The King

“Elvis lives on in Phnom
Penh, in name at least! The
range of rooms is as wide as
the king's girth in the later
years of his life, and there is
a huge restaurant and a
travel centre downstairs.
Check out the handouts,
with a handy ticklist of what
all the rooms include.”


price for price for cheapest
City Hostel Room my rating books travel?
10/8/08 dorm bed
Dumpy, but in nice part of town.

Sample hostels and prices Athens Dioskouros double $60 $25
Mid-construction during my visit
(hopefully). Note on toilet: don't
?
flush toilet paper -- a little scary.
in Athens, South Africa, But manager said it was ok.
Breakfast included.
A Lonely Planet author's pick,
South East Asia, Australia, Cape Town Inn Longstreet double $37 $12
but I thought it was a dump,
noisy (my room across from the yes

and New Zealand. bars. Noisy till 4:00 a.m.),
somewhat social. Web access.
Social, nice accommodations,
*Oudtshoorn Backpackers' Paradise double, priv bath $42 $8 yes
bar.
Personal favorite. Set deep in
the woods, nice room with
*Storms River Dijembe queen, priv bath $35 $11 yes
queen bed, like a little bungalo,
bar, very social.
Nice room, dumpy part of town,
near sad aquarium. I had a cold
the whole time, which didn't
*Port Elizabeth Lungile Backpackers queen, priv bath $40 $13 yes
help. Good social scene, but
early 20's and younger (locals
would stop by to play pool.)
Nice location deep in the woods,
room had decent bed, shared
*Wilderness Fairy Knowe double $33 $11 bathroom and shower were yes
sketchy, not much social scene
when I was there.

Most were booked *Plettenburg Bay Albergo
double <two
$32 $11
Double room had two single
beds, instead of one large one; a
waste of money. Good social yes
single beds>
with hostelworld.com scene, bonfire every night, long,
but do-able walk to beach.
Dumpy, somewhat social; not
Bangkok HI-Sukhumvit single $21 $8 ?
near legendary Khaosan Road.
Very nice!, great social scene,
bar happy hour. Includes Web
Hanoi Hanoi Backpackers double $18 $8 yes
access, but it was almost
always in use.
Very nice, had a small pool. I
negotiated and got "Superior"

Dorm rooms in Asia, Hoi An An Phu (budget hotel) single, priv bath $30 n/a
(midrange) room for $20. But
advertising is misleading: claims
hotel is .5 miles from beach. It's yes

S. Africa about $10 a actually 2.4 miles. I believe hotel
is owned by same company that
ran bus company, which made it

night. Cheap room in easy to arrange bus transport.

Little flies in the room, checked
Red Sun Hotel (budget
Australia $20-$35. Saigon
hotel)
single, priv bath $16 $9 out after one night. Includes
breakfast and Web access.
Lonely Planet pick, one of my
?

favorites. Great location near
$20
river, great staff, travel desk. My
(online
** Phnom Penh Indochine II (budget hotel) single, priv bath n/a room had no windows. Window yes
price:
add $5. Hotel fills up fast. Rated
$27)
as a two star hotel, but it was
brand new and clean.
No a/c, checked out. Little yes, but not great --
Melbourne City Centre Budget Hotel single NO A/C $71 $35 social activity. Includes Web never mentioned OZ
access. bus.
Dumpy, room had no window;
Auckland The Nomads Fat Camel double $55 $19 yes
great bar.


Accommodation Strategies

Check options: guest houses, hostels See
www.hostelworld.com, www.hostels.com
Once you have flights, book at least first
night, I prefer two. (Can leave after one.)
Pre-book cheap hotel with travel agent and
cancel if you find something cheaper.


Ways to Cut Room/Board Costs

Stick to Third World countries.
If traveling in First World, buy groceries.
Sleep in dorms instead of single (or rotate).
Work/barter – read fine print and fees
www.eslcafe.com, www.wwoof.org


Recap: 6 to 8 Weeks Before Trip

Once plane tix purchased
– Buy travel insurance.
– Pre-book hostel for first night or two after red-eye.
– Passport all set?
– Visas?
SE Asia: get them in Bangkok? (don’t need for Thailand)
S. America: Venezuela (no), Brazil (yes).
Western countries: Generally, no.


Step IV: Pre-Trip Prep

Travel clinic.
Gear and clothes.
Money and security.
Care for your Boston apartment/home.


The Travel Clinic

Vaccines and visit
usually covered.
Clinics all around:
Mt. Auburn,
Deaconess.
Primary care will
refer you.
No fear!

More on Travel Clinic

What to expect:
– Shots (I got 7 and had to
go back 3 times).
– Blood drawing
– Prescriptions for anti-
malarial pills.
– Map of malarial zones.
– Pamphlet that says not
to eat, drink, or leave
your hotel.


What I Did in Dodgy Countries

Drank only bottled water and beer. (No ice).
Brushed teeth with bottled water.
Kept mouth shut in shower.
Didn’t swim in fresh water or walk barefoot.
(Wore Tevas even on beach)
Ate anything and everything that was cooked
and hot. Bought food from street vendors.


Results

Never got food
poisoning.
Didn’t meet anyone
who did.
Caught three colds, two
in Western countries,
one in Cambodia.
Tip: be careful on
mopeds.


Luggage: The Back Pack

– 40 to 60 liters
(2400 to 3700
cubic inches).
– Prices: $200+.
– Test Drive: 30
lbs/15 mins
– Pack at home to
check fit.

The Day Pack

Need a second small bag, or
day pack.
For long trips, use it for
items that you may need
immediately, such as
reading material, a
toothbrush, snacks.
On short sight-seeing forays,
pack water, maps, snacks,
and the like instead of
lugging your back pack.


Clothes

Bring few as possible (multipurpose).
Quick-dry for hand washing. (camping).
Zip pockets for securing valuables.
Shop at camping stores:
– EMS
– REI


Clothes: Best Things I Bought

- REI Sahara Tech Long-
Sleeve ($50)
- Ex Officio Amphi Pant
(couldn’t find women’s
version)
- Coolibar swim tights
(www.coolibar.com)
- Wide-brim hat


Packing Tips

Like items in trash bags.
Airlines with strict weight
policies, splitinto two bags.
Use backpack cover
Put heavy, bulky items at
bottom of pack.
Leave guidebooks, jewelry,
items you can buy overseas


Carry-On Weight Restrictions

American/BA: 40 lbs +
Cathay/Qantas: 15 lbs


Dress Code: Conservative

No expensive jewelry,
watches.
Wear swim shorts or
the like for beach.
When visiting religious
sites and temples:
– no bare skin,tight
clothes.
– No singlets, shorts,
dresses, skirts, tops with
low neck lines.


Money

Local cash for cab to
first hotel.
Stash $100 bill in pack.
Money belt on plane
and airports.
Zip pockets.
Out and about: small
amounts of cash.
ATMs in most countries


Top Travel Tips

Long flights: 5 hours been transfers.
Bring bags on-board.
Split a big bag in two.
Center overhead bins are larger.
Late arrival? Ask hostel for airport pickup.
Pre-book first night in a new city.
Miss flight? Check monitors not ticket agents.


Misc: Laundry

Most hostels have
laundry – long lines.
Wear clothes in
shower, soap, rinse,
hang to dry.
Handwash in sink, dry
outside.
Southeast Asia: cheap
to send out.


Sign-Up Sheet

List of urls
E-mail newsletter
Publisher@rosstravels.com


How to Plan a Trip Around the World

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How to Plan a Trip Around the World