Round The World

Flights Handbook
How to plan an epic round
the world adventure
 Round The World
Flights Handbook
How to plan an epic round
the world adventure
Round The World Flights Handbook: How to plan an epic round the world adventure
2nd Edition
Copyright © 2017 Horizon Guides

Presented by:

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all advice provided
in this guide, the reality is that any travel information is liable to change at short
notice. We strongly advise that you verify any important details prior to your
trip as we cannot be held responsible for errors or information that has since
become outdated.

Published by Horizon Guides

Suite 38, Alison Business Centre
39-40 Alison Crescent, Sheffield, S2 1AS
http://horizontravelpress.com/

Edited by Matthew Barker

Layout & design by Simon Ross-Gill
 Contents
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
Foreword 6
About The Authors 8
Trip Planning
What Is A Round The World Flight? 12
How To Plan Your RTW Route 14
Example Itineraries 18
Planning Your RTW: A 12 Month Timeline 21
A Well Made Plan Vs The Joy Of Spontaneity 24
Overland Connections: What Is A Surface Sector? 26
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

Overland: Classic Railway Journeys 28
Overland: Car Hire And Campervans 30
Happy Families: Can RTWs And Kids Mix? 32
How To Book A RTW Flight 34
RTW Budgeting: How To Get Best Value For Money 39
The Occasional Wisdom Of Club Level Upgrades 42
My RTW Budget 44
Best For...
Best For... History And Culture 48
Best For... Nature And Wildlife 50
Best For... Beaches And Islands 52
Best For... Cuisine 54
Tips For An Epic Adventure 57
Best For... Free Experiences 60
Resources
Regional Climates And When To Travel 66
Preparing Your Visas 70
Packing For A Round The World Trip 74
Three Pieces Of Travel Tech Advice You Can Safely Ignore 76
Which Guidebook? 80
Resources

Resources
Health And Safety While On The Road 83
“I Won’t Actually Need My Travel Insurance, Right?” 86
Round The World Flights FAQs 88
Travel Directory 92
Travelling To A Better World 94
Responsible Travel 96
About roundtheworldflights.com 100
About Horizon Guides 102
Also In This Series 103

4 5
 Foreword
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
By Stuart Lodge
Co-founder, roundtheworldflights.com

Round the world trips have been the pinnacle of “proper” travel
for decades. If you’ve been anywhere near a traveller hostel
or backpackers bar chances are you’ve met your fair share of
RTW’ers at some phase of their journey. They’re usually the most
unkempt, road-hardened characters with the best anecdotes and a trail of
friends that winds around the globe.
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

There’s a reason that RTW’ers win every game of travel top-trumps: There’s
simply no more epic a journey than starting off in Heathrow (or anywhere else
for that matter) and covering all, or at least most, of the inhabited continents
in a single trip, creating what’s probably the most formative, educational and
thrilling experience of your life.
But although RTWs have long been the preserve of the long-haired, gap year
backpacker, these days you’ve got just as much chance of bumping into a mid
30’s professional on a career break or even a retiree making the most of their
new-found freedom and time.
The world has become ever smaller and travel services and infrastructure have
changed beyond recognition. Now you’re no longer confined to a dorm-room
hostel with shared bathrooms. You can quite easily travel the world while
enjoying comfortable “flashpacker” style hostels, or even seeing things through
a local’s eyes in an Airbnb.
Low cost airlines have made the world more accessible on a tighter schedule,
but getting away from the airports there are some superb overland trips that
appeal to a much broader range of travellers: The Trans-Siberian Railway or
a road trip across Australia can still evoke the romance of adventure, even in
today’s globalised and hyper-connected world.
At roundtheworldflights.com, it’s a dream job to build these epic routes
for our clients and help people share in the experiences that we’ve enjoyed
ourselves. But despite all our guidance and support, we know booking a RTW
trip is a big decision and getting it right can take meticulous planning. It’s for
Resources

Resources
that reason that we created this guide - the handbook to everything you need
to know to start planning the trip of your lifetime.
Excited? The journey starts here…

6 7
 About The Authors Theodora Sutcliffe Mark Eveleigh
Theodora is a Mark is a freelance
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
Editor: Mark Henshall freelance travel travel writer and
Mark is a freelance writer and recovering photographer based in
editor, content nomad based in Bali, Bali. His work has been
consultant and writer Indonesia. She blogs at translated into a dozen
with bylines for Escape Artistes, writing about long- languages and published in Esquire,
National Geographic term expat life in SE Asia and raising Geographical, The Guardian, CNN
Traveller, The Guardian and her son abroad. You can follow her Traveller, Sunday Times, New York
Frommer’s among others, with on Twitter here: @escapeartistes. Times, Africa Geographic and more.
many years experience in the travel You can follow Mark at his site, The
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

industry. You can follow him on
Twitter here: @m_hensh.
Andy Jarosz
Andy is a travel writer
with bylines for National
Geographic Traveller,
Journeys Magazine,
Coast Magazine
among many others.
His website, 501 Places, was listed in
The Times list of 50 Travel Websites
You Can’t Live Without and in the
Independent’s 50 Best Travel Websites.
You can follow Andy on Twitter here:
@andyjarosz.
David Whitley
Also known as The
Grumpy Traveller,
David is a freelance
Resources
Alastair Humphreys Kitbaggers, and on Twitter:
@Mark_Eveleigh.
Alastair Humphreys
is an adventurer, Darren Cronian
blogger, author
and motivational Darren has worked
speaker. Alastair was in the travel industry
named as a National for 10+ years and
Geographic Adventurer of the Year is the founder of
for his work on the concept of Tourism Hive.
microadventures, trying to encourage
people to get outside, get out of
their comfort zone, go somewhere
they’ve never been. You can follow
Al via his website or on Twitter:
@Al_Humphreys.
Dave Dean
Dave has been
travelling and blogging
about travel and
technology for 15+

Resources
travel journalist with years. He is a founder
a regular column in of the travel tech site, Too Many
National Geographic Traveller and Adapters. You can follow Dave on
frequent bylines for the Guardian, Twitter: @driftingkiwi.
Telegraph, Independent, Sunday
Times and Metro (UK) plus the
Sydney Morning Herald and Sun-
Herald. You can follow David on his
website, The Grumpy Traveller, and
on Twitter: @mrdavidwhitley.
8 9
 Resources Best Destinations For... Trip

10
Trip Planning
Planning

Part 1

Trip Planning

11

Resources Best Destinations For... Trip

Trip Planning
Planning
Trip Planning
Planning
Trip
Best Destinations For...
What Is A Round The
World Flight?
Give me the short version
Easy. A RTW – or round the world if
we’re being formal – is a flight ticket
that allows you to stop at multiple
destinations on multiple continents
for a relative pittance. Which,
obviously, is a Fairly Good Thing.
And the slightly longer, more tedious
version?
Airline alliances sell special (and
Resources
famously complicated) round the
world tickets. These allow passengers
to book a series of flights at once, at a
price that’s generally far cheaper than
booking the flights individually. The
price is typically dependent on where
you stop, how many miles you cover
and how many continents you visit.
12
You can usually include ‘surface’
sectors (page 26) where you travel
overland (ie. Fly into Bangkok, get
the train to Singapore, fly out of
Singapore), and the tickets tend to be
valid for a year.
Dates can often be changed free of
charge or for a small fee – so you can
alter plans on the hoof.
Most importantly, these tickets are
often not bookable online – they’re
too complex for most web systems to
handle.
Attempting to book multi-stop flights
online will generally end up with a
very expensive quote, because the
legs are priced individually, rather
than being lumped into one ticket.
But I don’t want to go round the
world…
That’s fair enough. There are similar
tickets which serve other purposes. If
you’re only going to one continent,
it’s possible to do it as an ‘open-jaw’
ticket, then add on internal flights. A
good example would be flying into
Lima, then out of Buenos Aires, while
tacking on short hops elsewhere in
South America.
There are also multi-stop flights that
are technically normal return tickets
which allow stopovers. Going to New
Zealand via Asia and Australia on one
of these often works out cheaper than
a RTW, for example. A route along the
lines of London – Singapore – Sydney
– Christchurch – Auckland – Brisbane
– Bangkok – London fits the bill here.
What’s the catch?
There are thousands of
permutations, and switching one
destination for another can bump the
price up by hundreds of pounds.
Generally, you also have to go in one
direction – backtracking usually adds
big chunks to the overall mileage, and
therefore costs more.
Trip Planning
Planning
Trip
Best Destinations For...
Also, the cheaper the ticket, the more
it will probably cost to change later on.
So how do I get the best deal?
It’s best to start with a rough idea of
where you want to go, and how long
you want to spend in each place. With
a bit of flexibility, you’ll find the right
ticket for you.
Years of fiddling with RTW tickets
and access to the airline systems mean
money-saving tweaks can usually
be found. It may mean stopping in
Kuala Lumpur rather than Singapore,
flying into Melbourne rather than
Sydney or spending 19 days in New
Resources
Zealand rather than 20. But working
through the options will usually find
that happy medium between dream
itinerary and dream price.
As for the cheapest time to travel,
the best bargains tend to be on
departures after Easter but before the
school holidays start.
13
Trip Planning
Planning
Trip
Best Destinations For...
How To Plan Your
RTW Route
Head to the pub
There’s no point in going into the
detail before you’ve got the juices
flowing. And the best place to get
excitable about an impending round
the world adventure is the pub,
preferably aided by a gaggle of
mates. Get a few drinks, bat a few
ideas around, compare war stories
from trips past, drool over dream
destinations and pick up top tips
about life on the road.
Tap up friends, family and Facebook
Resources
With initial ammo gained from the
pub fantasising session, expand upon
it with other friends and members of
family. Get as many suggestions, ideas
and dreams as you can. Incidentally,
this is where all of those people
you’re ‘friends’ with on Facebook
but have not been in contact with
for years come in handy. A quick
14
query along the lines of “Anyone
been to Cambodia? What’s it like?”
or “If you could go anywhere in
the world, where would it be?” can
bring all manner of sage advice out
of the woodwork from people you’d
forgotten existed.
Scour the web for information
With a few ideas in mind, dip a toe
into the vast ocean of information
that is the World Wide Web. The
likes of Lonely Planet, WAYN and
Outbounding.org have heaps of
material to sift through and gain
information from. Newspaper
websites – such as The Guardian, The
Telegraph and The Independent –
have a vast back catalogue of articles
online, too. The Sydney Morning
Herald has a lot more on the South
Pacific, Asia and Australia, while the
New York Times will have more on the
Americas.
Read magazines and guidebooks
The likes of Condé Nast Traveller
and the Sunday Times Travel
Mag work only if you’ve got
towers full of money, or have no
intention of going anywhere and
just like to look at pretty pictures
of spas. But Wanderlust, Travel
Africa, Geographical and National
Geographic Traveller are superb – as
are other, smaller niche titles.
And then there are guidebooks. Most
people only buy them once they’ve
decided where they’re going, but they’re
just as useful in deciding where to go.
They’re also brilliant for learning about a
destination’s history and culture.
The quality of guidebook varies
enormously depending on the brand
and author – which you prefer
depends on your tastes. Lonely Planet
and Rough Guides are arguably
the best all-rounders (and Lonely
Planet has by far and away the best
structuring of information and maps).
But Footprint is excellent for detail,
and Bradt covers some of the more
obscure corners of the world with
undisguised affection.
If you’re not so keen on buying
guidebooks to every country you may
Trip Planning
Planning
Trip
Best Destinations For...
consider going to, try the cheat’s
method and take them out at the
library.
Get a map out
Once you’ve a rough list of what
you want to do and where, get a
map or a globe out (or use Google
Maps) to put things in approximate
geographical order. So, for example,
it could be Great Wall of China – Thai
Islands – Great Barrier Reef – Sailing
on Sydney Harbour – trekking the
Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand –
island hopping in Fiji – star spotting
in Hollywood – flying over the Grand
Canyon in a helicopter – home.
If you’ve got particular interests
or activities in mind, see the
Resources
Recommended Routes (page 18)
section for some suggested itineraries.
Check the weather
Unless you want to follow monsoon
season around the world, it makes
sense to plan out when you’ll be
in each destination. January, for
example, is great for Thailand but bad
15
 for a rather chillier Japan. July is good
for northern Australia and the South
Trip Planning
Planning
Pacific, but bad for southern Australia
or New Zealand (unless you like
skiing). Other countries – and even
regions of countries – have bizarre
Trip
microclimates to look out for. Weather
will be a prime factor in deciding
when you go and how long you spend
in each destination.
Decide when you want to go
Best Destinations For...
The other key factor, of course,
is cost. Some parts of the year are
cheaper than others for RTW flights.
These seasonal differences are largely
based on weather (either iffy weather
in Asia and Australia or people
wanting to come to Europe when
it’s sunny) – and the period between
April and July usually offers the
cheapest deals. A rough run-down of
the seasons is as follows:
• January - Shoulder / Low Season
• February - Low Season
• March - Low Season
• April - Low Season
• May - Low Season
• June - Low / High Season
• July - High Season
• August - High Season
• September - Low Season
• October - Low Season
• November - Low Season
Resources
• December - Shoulder / High Season
This article on Where to go when on
a round the world trip is also worth
reading.
Work to your budget
If cash is tight, then plan to spend
more time where it’s cheaper (i.e.
South East Asia or South America)
16
rather than where costs are high (i.e.
Japan, Australia, much of the Middle
Trip Planning
Planning
East and the US). Also remember
that you’re not going to be able to
do everything and see everything on
one trip. It’s far better – and cheaper
Trip
- to do a few areas slowly and in
depth than to try constantly rushing
between tickbox highlights. For more
information, see RTW Budgeting
(page 38).
Best Destinations For...
Talk to an expert
Booking a good value RTW is a very
different ball game to snagging a low-
cost flight for your typical European
city break and it really does pay to
speak to a dedicated consultant with
detailed experience of the intricacies
of planning RTW trips.
Web reviews
Web review sites (notably
TripAdvisor) can be useful, but
they should be taken with a pinch
of salt. The main problem is that
you don’t know who is reviewing
the hotel, tour or restaurant, what
they’re accustomed to or what their
expectations were. Hence every hotel
on TripAdvisor has reviews ranging
from gushing praise to accusations of
receptionists spitting in the customer’s
face. These sites are generally better
Resources
for pubs and restaurants than hotels –
and they tend to be more up-to-date
than the guidebooks.
Read more: How to pay for your
round the world
17
 Example Itineraries Suggested route #3
UK - LA - Tahiti - Cook Islands - Fiji - New
Best for
Honeymoon
Trip Planning
Planning

Trip Planning
Planning
Zealand - Australia - Bali - Koh Samui
Suggested route #1 Best for surface Phuket - UK Islands
UK - Japan - Thailand - Singapore - Cuisine Cuisine
Australia - New Zealand - Fiji or Tahiti - Culture
Trip

Trip
USA - UK Grown up Gap Year

1 2
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

8 2 10 9
8
3
4 7 54
7 3
5 6
6

Suggested route #4 Best for

London - Bangkok surface Saigon -
Suggested route #2 Best for Singapore - New Zealand - Australia - Nature
UK - Chile - Easter Island - Tahiti - New Zealand South Africa - UK Wildlife
- Australia - Hong Kong - Bangkok - UK Islands Adventure
Culture
Adventure

1
1

7
Resources

Resources
8 2 3
4

6
3 7 6
2
4
5
5

Read more: Design your itinerary with this Flight Builder tool
18 19
 Planning Your RTW:
A 12 Month Timeline
Trip Planning
Planning
One year to six months out
Trip
Start having a think about where
you’d like to go. Start tapping up
your friends for ideas and utilise the
internet for inspiration. Put potential
destinations in a rough geographical
Best Destinations For...
order, check out weather patterns, get
ideas of what you want to do where
and generally get rather excited about
the whole thing.
Five to six months out
• Check how long your passport is
valid for. As a general rule, you
need to have a spare six months
available from the date you come
back. So, if yours expires in the next
two years, get down to a photo
booth, fill in the forms and send off
for a new one.
• Contact a RTW consultant to get
an idea of how suitable your dream
itinerary is, and get a rough idea
on costing. Just about every route
can theoretically be done, but some
are a lot cheaper than others. For
example, if you want to island hop
through the South Pacific, it will
almost certainly work out a lot less
Resources
expensive if you combine Samoa
and Tonga rather than Samoa and
Tahiti. A good consultant will help
you with these details. Once you’ve
got a rough idea of what you can
and can’t do for the price, you can
fine-tune your plans.
• Start saving some cash. The
temptation is to regard the round
20
the world flight ticket as your only
big expense, but you will need
Trip Planning
Planning
some money to fall back on as
you’re travelling round, and the
more you can stick in the bank,
the more you’ll be able to do while
Trip
you’re away. The budgeting regime
doesn’t have to be drastic, but
eating in more regularly, making
rather than buying lunchtime
sandwiches and cutting down
Best Destinations For...
the alcohol intake will create a
surprisingly large pot.
• If you’re taking a break from work,
negotiate the time off with them. If
you’re just quitting, make sure you
know what your notice period is.
Three to four months out
• Confirm your itinerary and book
your ticket.
• If you’ve not done so already, buy
some guidebooks and give them
a proper read to get an insight
into the history and culture of the
places you’ll be visiting – as well as
getting ideas of what you want to
see and do. Start pencilling in a few
probable highlights between the
flights.
• Sort out your visas (page 70). Many
countries either give visas on entry
or don’t require them. Others (such
as the US and Australia) can be
Resources
got pretty much instantly on the
internet. Some, however, require
you to send off your passport.
And the likes of China, India and
Vietnam won’t let you in without
that magic bit of paper.
• If you’re not already covered,
start on the jabs (page 82). Get
your tetanus booster, hepatitis A
21
 inoculation and any others – such
as Yellow Fever if you’re heading to
Trip Planning
Planning
much of South America.
• Apply for frequent flier accounts
with the airlines/airline alliance
you’ll be using and get your number
Trip
added to your ticket.
• If you haven’t already, get either a
credit card or an extra bank account
with a globally recognised debit
card (Visa or Mastercard are most
Best Destinations For...
widespread). Having a spare card
can save an awful lot of pain if one
goes missing or is stolen.
Two months out
• If you need to hand in your notice
on your rented accommodation or
find tenants for the place you own,
now is the time to do it. If you’re
planning to sell up, you probably
should have done so before
booking your tickets.
• Arrange for gym memberships,
utility accounts – such as electricity,
gas, telephone – and the like to
be closed or put on hold for the
expected duration of your trip.
• Contact any friends, family or
friends-of-friends you may have in
the places you’re visiting. Get tips,
arrange to meet up and cadge
whatever free accommodation you
can wangle.
Resources
Four to six weeks out
• Buy some decent travel insurance,
and check that it covers you for the
duration of your trip, all areas you’ll
be visiting and any risky activities
(such as skydiving) you may intend
to partake in. A cheap policy that
leaves you uncovered can cost you
22
far, far more in the long run (page
86).
• Start buying any specialist gear
you want to take with you – be it
clothing, walking boots, backpacks,
a new camera, adaptors or
toiletries. And, just as importantly,
test that the electronics work and
the rest are broken in before you
leave.
• Arrange for your post to be stopped
or redirected, with any subscriptions
cancelled.
• If you currently use a work email
account, set up a free one that
can be accessed worldwide with
the likes of Yahoo or Gmail. And,
crucially, tell everyone that you’re
switching to it.
Three to four weeks out
• If required, arrange for a medical
appointment and get your malaria
tablets. If you’re immediately
heading to a malarial zone,
you’ll need to start taking them
before you leave. In the case of
Mefloquine, you should start two-
and-a-half weeks before you leave.
• Start embarking on your farewell
tour – make sure you catch up with
all the friends and family you want
to see before you go.
• Work out how you’re going to get
to the airport on the big day. If by
train, now’s the cheapest time to
book tickets. Make sure you factor
in time for things to go wrong (train
delays etc).
Two weeks out
• Get any foreign cash you’re
planning to take. Be careful not to
leave this too late – some currencies
need to be ordered in advance. The
Post Office do pretty good currency
deals.
• Book your first night’s
accommodation if you’ve not done
so already. The rest can be done on
the road, but you really don’t want
to have to find somewhere to stay
after landing in a strange foreign
city on a long haul flight.
• Check your ticket and itinerary for
any discrepancies.
• Make copies or scans of important
documents such as your passport,
insurance policy, driving licence and
tickets. Give one copy to a family
member, store one copy separately
from your real documents in a safe
part of your bag, and email copies
to yourself.
One week out
• Make a proper packing list (page
74) and start gathering everything
in one place. If something’s missing,
go and get it. If something’s dirty,
wash it.
• Write down your important phone
numbers; bank lost card helpline,
travel insurance, etc, in case
something goes wrong. Preferably
email them to yourself as well.
• Set up playlists on your iphone/
ipod/MP4 player.
Two days out
• Reconfirm your first flight with the
airline (always good practice before
any flight).
• Start packing.
One day out
• Make sure batteries for phone,
Trip Planning
Planning
tablet, notepad/laptop, MP4
player/ipod, camera etc are fully
charged.
• Finish packing, checking everything
Trip
off against your list.
• Say those last goodbyes, but
resist the urge to get absolutely
hammered. Being violently
hungover on a long distance flight
Best Destinations For...
is an excruciating experience.
• Check in online – it’ll save you a lot
of time at the airport and allow you
to reserve a good seat.
Day of departure
• Drink plenty of water to avoid
dehydration, don’t eat too much if
you don’t want to feel bloated on
the plane, and feel free to yelp with
excitement – the adventure of a
lifetime starts today.
Read more: Things I learnt while
planning my round the world trip
Resources
23
 A Well Made Plan This, to some (OK, many) people,
makes me an absolute nightmare to
Vs The Joy Of
Trip Planning
Planning

Trip Planning
Planning
travel with. Strange concepts such

Spontaneity as ‘relaxing’ or ‘milling about’ or

‘making it up as we go along’ scare
me. In my experience, making it up
Trip

Trip
By David Whitley
as you go along tends to lead to
Being on towards the doing absolutely nothing and then
OCD end of the anal regretting it later. This sort of travel
scale, I tend to like to also seems ideally suited to people
know what I’m doing whose idea of a good holiday is
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

before it happens. I’ll
usually have all my
flights and hotels booked before I
leave, and most tours and activities,
too. I write up itineraries that are
generally readable only to me, so
full they are with booking reference
numbers and airport codes. I do like a
good plan. Give me a couple of days
that have nothing pencilled in, and I’ll
try and fill them with something.
Resources
sleeping in until one or two in the
afternoon as if they’re half man, half
lion.
Going with the flow
However, I do have to concede
that many of the best memories and
experiences come from going with
the flow and tackling what the world
throws in your way. There’s a hell of
a lot to be said for “why not?” – it’s
an excellent principle to live by. If
you can’t think of one compelling
argument not to do something, then
go do it and see what happens.
I also concede that some of the
most enjoyable days I’ve had are
ones where I’ve essentially put the
guide book down and just wandered
aimlessly, poking my nose into
whatever I encounter.
But advocates of such laissez-faire
approaches tend to forget one thing
– for every time you strike gold this
way, you’ll probably strike mediocrity
another five. It works rather like the
idea of going out to a bar on your
own, talking to strangers and getting
some rent-a-friends for a thoroughly
as hampered by museum opening
hours and tour departure times.
Going to see or do something specific
during the day requires at least a
bit of research and working out of
logistics. In the evening, it’s a lot
easier to roll with it. There will only be
one Museum of Magic Beans; there
are scores of bars and restaurants.
It’s actually rather enjoyable to not
aim for any in particular, but wander
around until you find one you like
the look of or one where something
interesting is happening.
It’s very much horses for courses, but
I’d suggest that the big switch over
from careful planning to spontaneous

excellent night out. Occasionally it
works, and when it does, it’s brilliant.
More often than not, however, you’ll
just look like a loser.
Timing is everything
But it is in the evenings that I feel
the spontaneous approach does
work best. This is when you’re not
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exploration should come with the
first beer of the day. Because, as we
all know, beer doesn’t half endow
people with excellent, previously
unconsidered ideas...
Read more: Five things I have learnt
on my round the world trip

24 25
 into the hands of a multinational What are the most popular surface
corporation. We think this is a good sectors on a RTW?
Trip Planning
Planning

thing. What’s more they don’t usually
cost any more than single stops, so
you can get more destinations out of
your RTW for a similar price.
Trip
Trip Planning
Planning
• Bangkok surface to Singapore
• Hanoi surface to Bangkok
• Sydney surface to Cairns
• Lima surface to Santiago

Also by doing some sections of your
RTW journey overland, you can visit
regions & countries that wouldn’t
have otherwise been possible at the
very well-priced fare you have paid!
Best Destinations For...
Trip
• Christchurch surface to Auckland
• New York surface to LA
• Moscow surface to Beijing
• Saigon surface to Hanoi
• Nairobi surface to Cape Town

Best Destinations For...

Overland What’s so good about that?
By choosing the right overland
Connections: What journey you can see and experience
See countries not airports
Airports throughout the world
are fast turning into homogeneous
shopping malls with a distinct lack
of seating. By and large they’re not
great. By travelling between two
airports you can experience the
country, talk to people, and embrace
your inner traveller.
An environmentally friendlier way
to travel
Surface sectors are environmentally
friendly. By doing part of your journey
by local train or bus, you will be
responsible for less CO2 than by doing
• Delhi surface to Kathmandu
Is it not more dangerous?
Well crossing a road in London is
dangerous, but there are certain
safety considerations to take into
account. See Health and Safety (page
82) for more information.
Rubbish surface sectors
We strongly recommend that you
take heed of what the FCO say. They
have plenty of experience helping
travellers avoid the more dangerous
parts of the world. The whole world is
not open to visitors and if you ignore
good advice you could easily find

Is A Surface Sector? more of a country. A round the world

A surface sector is when you
travel independently between two
flight points en-route to your final
Resources
trip should be more about seeing
things you’ll never see again, rather
than rushing through airports and
sitting on buses ‘just to get there’.
Really “see” the countries you go to
your entire trip by air.
Isn’t flying quicker?
Of course it is, and we do
recommend it for long distances for
most people. But speed isn’t always
yourself in trouble. Here are a few
surface sectors currently off limits:
Hiking on the Afghan/Pakistan
border.
India to Thailand via Burma – not
open yet.

destination
What does that mean?
This means you will fly in and out of
a different city or country. In other
words you will travel between them
by other means, perhaps by train, bus
or boat or occasionally a Low Cost
Carrier.
rather than just “visit”.
Is it cheaper?
Can be, but by embracing a
slower form of travel and using
local transport, you can get a
much stronger feel for a country or
continent. Also your money tends
to stay local rather than go straight
the point. Until you’ve slept overnight
on the Chiang Mai to Bangkok Express
how will you ever know the smells,
noises and experiences you’ll stick in
your memory bank?
Resources
Panama to Colombia – unless you
really know what you’re doing then
that’s a no no.

26 27
 Overland: Classic
Railway Journeys
Trip Planning
Planning
By Mark Eveleigh
The Ghan
Trip
Named after the
Afghan cameleers
who blazed the trail
across one of the most
dauntingly inhospitable
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deserts in the world, The Ghan is the
stuff of genuine Outback legend.
The journey from Adelaide to Darwin
provided time for me to come to
terms with the incredible immensity of
this island continent as the landscape
changed from the dust-hazed ochres
of the Red Centre to the rioting
lushness of the Northern Territory’s
‘Top End’.
Eastern & Oriental
The exotic sister of the Orient Express
connects Singapore and Bangkok
along 1,262 miles of what have been
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28
called velvet rails. We left Singapore to
cross the Malay highlands at night and
woke to some of the most dramatic
paddyfield landscapes in Southeast
Asia. Side trips take in Penang – Pearl
of the Orient – and the prisoner of
war cemetery at Bridge on the River
Kwai. A unique experience among
luxury trains is the wonderful open-air
observation carriage…thoughtfully
tagged onto the cocktail lounge at
the end of the 700m-long train.
Indian Pacific
Western Australia’s Indian Pacific
is less famous than her intrepid
Outback sister The Ghan but there
are highlights to a Trans-Australian
rail trip between Perth and Sydney
that are not to be found elsewhere in
the world. A sign at the entrance to
Cook – ‘Queen City of the Nullarbor’
– boasts that the hamlet has a
population of ‘4 people, 40 dingoes
and 4 million flies’. Kalgoorlie with
its red light district and ‘skimpy’ bars
(where the barmaids are scantily
clad in French negligée) still brings to
mind wild Klondike gold-camps. After
pretty Port Augusta the Indian Pacific
graces a series of Outback towns
(Broken Hill et al) with its presence
before it finally descends out of the
beautiful Blue Mountains to the
suddenly overwhelmingly crowded
eastern seaboard.
Reunification Express
Vietnam stretches more than a
thousand miles in an elongated
S-shape up the shore of the South
China Sea. Any trip here is likely
to include long hours travelling.
The country has some of the best
long distance sleeper-buses in the
world but there’s no substitute for
an opportunity to sample the little
roving community that spends its life
perpetually travelling between Saigon
and Hanoi. Long distance trains the
world over are famously hospitable
places but in friendly Vietnam the
spirit of unification is naturally taken
to new extremes.
Trip Planning
Planning
Trans-Siberian Railway
It’ll take eight days for you to
complete the 9289km journey from
Trip
Moscow to Vladivostok on the Trans-
Siberian Railway – and what´s likely
to get to you isn´t cabin fever, it´s
the time warp. The train crosses seven
time zones, which means that you´ll
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find yourself in a confusion of having
dinner for morning tea and going to
bed somewhere around lunch time.
I did a variation on this epic journey:
the Trans-Mongolian, which meant
that somewhere in Siberia my train
turned “down” and headed through
Mongolia to Ulan Bataar. A highlight
of the journey: my train was packed
with traders, and whenever the train
stopped in Siberia, the whole town
would be gathered on the platform
and a frantic market would take place
over the 10 minutes the train was at
the station.
Resources
29
 Overland: Car Hire when simply hiring a car is the best – During the course of that week, small country it can take many hours
and often cheapest – option. I started to realise what the main to drive between cities and other
And Campervans
Trip Planning
Planning

When I was in Australia last year,
I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
By David Whitley I wasn’t going to any particularly
As a general rule, I’d major attractions, and I was mooching
Trip
advantages of hiring a car were. It
wasn’t just about the places I was
going to – it was about getting there
alone, and with no particular time
Trip Planning
Planning
destinations of interest. Even on short
journeys, hilly or winding terrain, or
narrow secondary roads can slow you
down. New Zealand’s tourist routes

Trip
really rather not be around in areas that many overseas constraints on when I had to leave. I are of a generally high standard and
driving. I know some visitors don’t venture to. Theoretically, could sit and read a book on a log for the main roads are sealed.
people love to be I could have got to all of them using an hour if I so wished, I didn’t have
behind the wheel, but public transport or tours, but it would any pressing engagements elsewhere Campervans in Australia
it’s not something I find have taken an enormous amount of and I was quite at liberty to disappear Travelling by campervan in Australia
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at all enjoyable. I’d sooner someone
else was concentrating on the road
and doing the hard work. Ideally, I’ll
be on a train (page 28) so I can move
around and properly enjoy the view.
But even as someone who would
prefer not be driving, I do have to
concede that there are occasions
Resources
planning and a lot more time.
So I picked up a car at Sydney
airport and drove. I drove along the
south coast of New South Wales,
through Kangaroo Valley, around the
Australian Alps and back through the
Southern Highlands before ditching
the car at the airport again.
again if I got bored.
But the freedom of hiring a car isn’t
so much about the destination – it’s
about the places you can stop at on
the way to and from the destination.
If something by the side of the road
looked quite interesting, I could pull
over and investigate. If a sign pointed
to something I’d never heard of,
there was nothing to stop me doing a
little detour. On the way back to the
airport I stopped at a few beaches
for a swim – the sort of beaches that
getting to by public transport would
be nigh on impossible. And I could
also keep all manner of snacks, drinks
and assorted stuff that I’d ordinarily
have to throw away in the boot.
When people talk about the freedom
of having a car, this is the sort of
thing they’re talking about. It’s not
about being able to get somewhere
– it’s about being able to take up
gives you flexibility and freedom.
You’ll find a wide selection of vehicles
to suit every need, from a budget one
with little more than a mattress and
‘esky/ice-box’ in the back, to a luxury
campervan equipped with an electric
bed system, a range of gadgets and
extras like a BBQ & a flat screen TV.
With a campervan, you can stray
far from the well-trodden routes; it’s
easy to change plans and spend extra
nights in a place you love, or drive
on through to your next destination.
There's no check-out deadline, no set
breakfast – it’s just you, your travel
companions and the road ahead.

Resources
distractions on the way there.
Campervans in New Zealand
A self-drive holiday is one of the
most relaxing ways to enjoy New
Zealand’s landscape. The roads are
scenic and there’s not much traffic,
compared to international standards.
Although New Zealand is a relatively

30 31
 Happy Families: Can
RTWs And Kids Mix?
Trip Planning
Planning
By Theodora Sutcliffe
I'm not entirely sure
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what I was expecting
when I wandered into
the headmaster's office
at my son's London
primary and told him I
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planned to take my spawn travelling
for a year.
But it certainly wasn't a big smile and
the off-the-cuff observation, “That
sounds like a great idea! He'll learn
much more doing that than he would
do staying here!”
One of the things that can leave
families planning a RTW trip tied
up in knots – yes, even more than
the question of what to do with the
house – is what to do about school.
The legalities are, in fact, remarkably
uncomplicated. In the UK, it is legal
to homeschool your children, and
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32
there is no compulsion to follow the
National Curriculum.
All Local Education Authorities have
homeschooling coordinators and
most large primary schools will have
a homeschooling coordinator on the
staff.
Education on the road
The key thing that is required (not
by law but by common practice) is
that parents show their children will
be getting a good, well-rounded
education as they travel.
Which is, most of us find, easy
enough to provide, at least for
children who are not in the throes of
exams.
A visit to a turtle sanctuary is a
hands-on lesson in biology and
ecology; rock-climbing and learning
to surf make excellent PE; scrambling
inside a pyramid is, of course, a history
lesson; while activities from currency
exchange to haggling to calculating a
bill, including taxes, can make good
practical maths.
One great panacea for nervous
parents, or those with nervous
grandparents to convince? Make a list
of the school subjects your children
learn at school and break down what
they will learn on each subject as you
travel. The answers will reassure.
The prospect of teaching is one
thing that scares many parents silly,
despite the fact that most of us have
successfully helped our children learn
to walk, talk, brush their teeth and
use the toilet inter alia.
Learning styles
Most travelling families land up in
one of four teaching – or learning
-- styles, which I'll call School, Home
School, World School and Unschool.
In a schooly approach, parents follow
the children's curriculum schedule for
the year and endeavour to replicate
the school content and experience as
they travel. At the opposite extreme,
Trip Planning
Planning
Trip
Best Destinations For...
unschooling families allow the children
to lead their own learning, following
their own interests exclusively and
writing and reading as much or as
little as they'd like.
Most parents, in my experience, end
up somewhere between these two
extremes, whether that's building
their own curriculum and following
that at levels tailored to their different
children, an approach I'll call Home
School, or letting their children learn
from what they discover as they
travel but adding in consolidation
activities or occasional compulsory
elements, such as maths, an approach
I'll call World School. Best of all? With
Resources
specialists in subjects from music
to maths now teaching over Skype,
and kids classes, from silver-smithing
to yoga, available the world over, it
doesn't even have to be parents who
do the teaching all the time.
Which is all to the good. Since a RTW
is supposed to be a holiday, after all.
33
 Month Season
January High / Shoulder season
Trip Planning
Planning

Trip Planning
Planning
February Shoulder season
March Shoulder season
April Shoulder / Low season
Trip

Trip
May Low season
June Low / High season
July High season
August High / Shoulder season
September Shoulder season
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Best Destinations For...

October Shoulder season
November Shoulder season
December Shoulder / High season (the difference in price between
a December 10th and December 20th departure can be
staggeringly big).
This article on Where to go when on a round the world trip is worth a read.

How To Book A RTW
Flight
Booking round the world flights isn’t
quite brain surgery, but it’s not far
off! Follow this nine-step plan to get
your itinerary planned and booked as
smoothly as possible.
Resources
highest. The cheapest deals tend to be
for between mid-April and mid-June.
It’s all about supply and demand; if
you must go in high season, book as
early as possible and be aware that
flights to the UK in early January can
be lacking in availability.
Prices by month go roughly as
follows – low season prices are
cheapest, shoulder season prices are
talk to friends, and put a few places in
roughly geographic order.
Going the US – the Pacific – New
Zealand – Australia – Asia will work
out far cheaper than randomly
crisscrossing the globe.
Alternatively, if you’re more flexible
but on a tighter budget, you can
search ticket options by price - speak
to a RTW consultant for more details.
Pick up the phone
Once you’ve a rough idea of where
you want to go and when, get in
No route is impossible, but some
work out a lot cheaper than others.
Experts are called experts for a reason
– they’ll know how to fiddle with the
dates and switch the odd city around
to get substantially better deals from
the airlines.
Make a provisional reservation
Once the dates and route are
agreed, it’s time to make a provisional
reservation. This means holding seats
on various flights so a clearer itinerary
– with flight times, durations and

Time it right
Prices fluctuate greatly according to
season, which makes your departure
date one of the biggest cost variables
to think about.
As a rule of thumb you should try
and avoid departures around Easter
and Christmas and again in July and
August, as this is when fares are
a little higher but often only £50 to
£150 more. High season is when you’ll
need a Scrooge McDuck-style tower of
money to fritter away.
Sketch out a route
The next task is to work out, even if
very roughly, where you want to go.
Get a map, get some guide books,
touch with a RTW consultant to
evaluate your options. There’ll be a
lot to discuss and figure out - expect
to spend around half an hour going
through your options. It’s probably
best if you’re not on your mobile at
the supermarket check out. A world
map and calendar wouldn’t go amiss
either.
Resources
transit times – can be put together.
You’ll need your passport names and
numbers, plus your date of birth if
travelling via the States.
Think about the extras
It’s wise to pre-book at least the
first night’s accommodation in every
destination you’re visiting. Arriving

34 35
 after a long flight to find no room at sooner you can pay for the lot, the
the inn is no fun at all. better.
Trip Planning
Planning

Trip Planning
Planning
Another required extra is travel
insurance (page 86). You might save Pick up your tickets
a few quid by not taking it, but it will Once final payment is taken, your
cost you a lot more if something goes tickets will be sent out. In rare cases,
Trip

wrong while you’re away. There are
many travel insurance options out
there, including policies specifically
designed for longer, multi-destination
trips.
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Trip
these will arrive in the post, but these
days 99% of them are e-tickets. Your
booking confirmation and full flight
itinerary will be sent to your chosen
email address straight away.

Best Destinations For...

Deposit and booking
Provisional reservations can be held
for a day or so. To continue to hold
them, a non-refundable deposit
of £75 or 10% of the flight cost is
required (whichever is greater). From
here on, any route or date changes
are possible, but the airlines will
probably charge extra for them. If you
are booking any hotels or hire cars at
the same time, a non-refundable 10%
deposit is usually required.
Check your documents
After the deposit is paid, you’ll be
e-mailed a booking confirmation, an
ATOL certificate and a full itinerary
with flight details and costings, plus
the terms and conditions. It’s wise to
check this thoroughly to ensure that
everything is as you wish it to be.
Resources

Resources
Final payment
Generally, final full payment is due
within 6 to 13 days of the booking
being made and the deposit being
taken. Some airlines are more lenient
on this, but be aware that once final
payment is taken, governments or
airlines can’t pass on any tax rises or
fuel surcharges. In other words, the

36 37
 RTW Budgeting:
How To Get Best
Trip Planning
Planning
Value For Money
Trip
Working out the cost of a RTW trip
is for many people little more than an
exercise in guesswork. There are so
many unknowns about a trip that it’s
easy to give up on budgeting before
Best Destinations For...
you start. But it doesn’t have to be
that way! There are a few simple steps
to help you work out roughly how
much you’re likely to spend before
you go.
See My RTW budget (page 44), for a
budget breakdown on one traveller’s
recent trip.
Places where your pound will go
further
Some countries have always been
more expensive than others. Japan,
for example, has long been considered
somewhere where keeping a tight
grip on a budget is difficult, while you
can spend weeks in South East Asia
and barely make a dent in your cash
reserves (depending on how much
beer you drink of course).
Then there is the exchange rate
to consider. What is an expensive
destination one year can suddenly
Resources
become good value the next and vice
versa. UK travellers have suffered at
the hands of the rising Australian and
New Zealand dollars in recent years
and a budget that would have lasted
six months a few years ago might run
dry after four months today.
So where will your money will last
longest?
38
South East Asia
Almost anywhere in this part of
Trip Planning
Planning
the world will seem cheap to those
arriving from Europe or North
America. You can eat well for a
pound, wash it down with a 50p beer
Trip
and crash at a decent hostel for under
a fiver. Transport is very cheap if you
use the local buses or tuk-tuks, and
is still reasonable if you choose to
‘upgrade’ to the minibus shuttles.
Best Destinations For...
As a general rule Laos and Cambodia
are two of the cheapest countries
to visit, with Thailand and Vietnam
a little more pricey but still very
good value. Be aware that costs for
major tourist attractions are high
everywhere. Entry to Angkor Wat
will set you back $20 for a one-day
pass and $40 for the more popular
three-day ticket, while in Siem Reap
mass tourism has meant that most
food and accommodation costs are
considerably higher than elsewhere in
the region.
India
While India has one eye firmly on
the growing luxury tourist market
there is still a wide variety of budget
accommodation and once you leave
the main tourist hotspots you’ll find
plenty of cheap options. India is a
great place to eat well for very little
Resources
as the delicious and very cheap street
food is mostly fried freshly in front of
you.
As in many parts of the world
entrance charges for the main
attractions are higher for foreigners
than locals. On the plus side there are
countless temples that can be enjoyed
for free and for most visitors their
39
 highlights of India are their random
encounters with people well away
Trip Planning
Planning
from the busy tourist sights.
East Africa
While there are fewer tourist facilities
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here than in the backpacker hotspots
of Asia you can still live well on a small
budget. Accommodation is cheap
and food very affordable, particularly
away from the popular tourist centres
Best Destinations For...
such as Mombasa or Arusha.   fees, bungee jumps or boat rides.
The big dent in your travel budget
here is likely to be the high cost of
safaris and other activities, all of
which are priced at western prices.
Decide ahead of time how many
safari days you want to budget for
and stick to this. Camping can save
a lot of money and many hostels
have camping facilities within their
grounds.
South America
South American countries can dip
in and out of budget-friendly status
according to their economic woes. It
is not as cheap as SE Asia but you can
still live on a small budget. Argentina
became cheap for travellers overnight
when it stopped fixing the peso to
the US dollar in 2002 and the currency
fell in value by 70%. It still offers good
value hotels and hostels and you can
Resources
eat well for under $10.
Bolivia however is probably South
America’s bargain destination and is
a popular stop for backpackers, with
plenty of very cheap hostels and a
well-trodden tourist trail. Even though
jungle trips or boats on Lake Titicaca
will bump up the cost, Bolivia still
offers excellent value for money.
40
Accommodation of being realistic, knowing how much then go and enjoy yourself. Some days
One man’s slum is another man’s you’re likely to drink on a typical night will be over budget while on others
Trip Planning
Planning
palace. Try to be realistic about and including that in your budget. you’ll hardly spend a thing. Plan
what standards of accommodation ahead and you won’t have to miss
you’re going to accept and budget Tours, admission fees doing those things you’ll remember
accordingly. If you’re going to hate Every trip has its big ticket items. It years later as the highlights of your
Trip
being without a private bathroom might be a safari, an overnight luxury RTW trip.
or you want to spread your things train or a multi-day hike. All of these
in your room as if you were at home activities are likely to make a big dent Travel essentials
that’s fine; just don’t set aside £5 a in your budget. The same applies to a Don’t forget to factor in all the basic
night for a bed in a large hostel dorm. lesser extent with museum entrance travel essentials into your budgeting:
Best Destinations For...
visas, insurance, vaccinations, any
Transport Knowing in advance the costs of the new gadgets or travel gear you need
How quickly will you be moving attractions and activities you want to to buy before you leave, gifts and
from place to place? Does your route see and do will mean you can better souvenirs, etc.
include internal/regional flights that plan your finances and avoid a nasty It might seem anal, but figuring out
aren’t yet paid for? If you’re paying surprise during your trip. your rough costs now and multiplying
for buses and trains on a daily basis Above all be flexible about the that figure by 1.5, should give you
then this needs to be included in your budget for your trip. Plan how much a decent idea of your trip budget -
costs. you think you’ll spend each day, add including an emergency cushion just
another 20% for unforeseen items in case.
Food (you’ll almost certainly spend it) and
Most travellers will splurge on a
decent meal once now and again
during a long trip; a diet of non-stop
pizza and burgers is not healthy by
any measure. But knowing just how
often you are going to shun the two
dollar dinners and choose a pick-me-
up treat can make a big difference to
how much you will spend.
Drink
All careful budgeting can be undone
Resources
by a few reckless hours in a local bar.
You may congratulate yourself for
finding a bed in a great $10 hostel
but if you then blow $30 on booze
then your daily spend has suddenly
doesn’t look so small. That’s not to
say of course that you should sacrifice
a good time for the sake of spending
as little as possible. It’s more a case
41
 The Occasional
Wisdom Of Club
Trip Planning
Planning
Level Upgrades
Trip
By David Whitley
If there’s one thing
that hotels like, it is
tempting their guests
into parting with more
Best Destinations For...
money. Stay at one, and
chances are you’ll be
presented with many opportunities
to spend more cash. Sometimes this
is via the tour desk, sometimes it’s
in the restaurant and occasionally
it’s in a god-awful souvenir shop for
simpletons who like walking around
with hotel-branded merchandise.
An increasingly common wheeze,
however, is to offer an upgrade to a
Club Level room. It’s not always called
that, of course – hotels tend to have
all manner of silly names for it. But
the concept is generally similar – you
pay a bit more to stay in a room on
a special club (or executive) level and
some extra benefits.
Those benefits vary dramatically.
Usually there will be an exclusive
lounge/ breakfast area and the views
from your room will be better as it’s
on a higher floor. The rooms may
Resources
be larger, the upgrade may include
free internet access, you might get
fluffy robes and you might get a free
newspaper in the morning.
It’s often hard to tell what you will
get, however, because hotels are
terrible at spelling it out on their
websites. It’s as if just knowing you’re
in a special club is enough, without
42
giving any details of what that special next day. We’d booked a £57 normal It’s not going to be worth doing
club involves. room, but enquired how much a Club every night, of course. But every
Trip Planning
Planning
Most of the time, the upgrade is Room would be. An extra £17. That, now and then, it’s worth checking
clearly not worth it. If you’re just
using your hotel room to sleep in,
we figured, was just about worth it
when the free soft drinks, food and
at reception what an upgrade would
cost. And, crucially, what benefits that
then splashing out the extra cash is couple of hours of early evening upgrade may include.
Trip
going to be pointless – you’ll not be boozing was factored in between two
there long enough to appreciate the of us.
benefits. Similarly, if the upgrade price
is huge, you’d be daft to take the
offer up.
Best Destinations For...
However, sometimes it can be
worth the investment – particularly if
you’re sharing a room and you’ve no
particular desire to explore the city
that night.
Those benefits, you see, often
include little snacks throughout the
day. Go there in the early evening,
and you can usually stack up a
dinner’s worth. More importantly,
the soft drinks and bottled water are
usually free all day long – stick a few
in your bag to get you through the
day in the morning, have a couple
more when you get back in.
Then there are usually a couple of
hours with ‘complimentary cocktails’.
Roughly translated, that means free
booze between 5.30pm and 7.30pm
or something similar. There’s a certain
brinkmanship to how many you
feel you can order or pour yourself
within the boundaries of reasonable
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etiquette, but it seems socially
acceptable to get three or four down
the hatch.
There comes a price point, therefore,
when it’s well worth it. For example,
in April, my wife and I were in Kuala
Lumpur. We stayed at the Hotel Istana
for the last night, and felt like a quiet
night chilling out before the flight the
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Trip Planning
Planning

Trip Planning
Planning
Trip

Trip
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

My RTW Budget Lessons learnt Thankfully, while in New Zealand the
There were plenty… Leaving my mistake came to my attention, and
By Darren Cronian Canon camera on the platform at with my flexible RTW ticket, I changed
In 2015 I took a 6-month round the world trip from London > Chiang Mai train station was an my arrival date in the USA, phew.
Thailand > Malaysia > Singapore > Hong Kong > Australia > New expensive mistake and finding a
Zealand and the USA. replacement in Thailand was not as Additional unbudgeted expenses
I booked a flexible ticket which allowed me to change my cheap as expected. In Australia I left While in Australia and New Zealand
departure dates and within each destination I travelled using my contact lenses in a hotel, so had to the cost of internet was higher than
local transport and low cost airline carriers. The majority of purchase new ones in New Zealand. expected because many of the hotels
accommodation was booked within two weeks of my arrival to get the best rates. did not offer unlimited internet access,
Saving money on accommodation and I wanted to continue to keep in
My pre-trip budget estimate Actual Trip Spending My biggest saving was on touch with family and friends while
accommodation. In Australia I spent uploading videos to my YouTube
Round the world ticket in £2,000 Round the world ticket £2,000 four weeks volunteering (check out channel.
shoulder season Accommodation £3,000 Helpx.net for volunteer listings) and I didn’t include fun, socialising and
Accommodation  (approx. £4,000 Food and drink £1,200 in return for three hours a work a day, drinking in my pre-trip budget but I
£25 per night). Transport (both local and £600 I received free accommodation and met so many amazing people while
Food and drink £1,500 overland) meals. Also, while in SE Asia, hotels travelling that I couldn’t help but go
Tours and activities £300 were cheaper than expected (avg. £8- out and enjoy myself. It’s important
Emergency fund £1,000
Mobile Internet £300 £10 a night for a single room).   that you factor in your social life,
Transport (both local and £600 even if you’re an introvert like me!
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Contact lenses £50

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overland) Avoid the peak seasons Finally, while I made sure that my
Tours and activities £500 Camera £250 The biggest lesson was not to visit bank at home did not charge me for
Travel inoculations £200 Fun & drinking £400 countries like the USA in the peak withdrawing money at ATM’s, banks
Backpackers insurance £150 Backpackers insurance £350 season (July & August) as prices for in Thailand and the USA did, so factor
Visas £50 (including cover for type 2 accommodation increase dramatically, this cost in.
Diabetes) and if you want to volunteer to save
Total budget £10,000
Banking fees £25 money you’ll find the best volunteer
Visas £15 positions are already taken.
Total budget £8,490

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 Resources Best
Best Destinations
Destinations For...
For... Trip Planning

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Part 2

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Resources Best
Best Destinations
Destinations For...
For... Trip Planning

Trip Planning
Destinations For...
For...
Best Destinations
Best For... History
Best
And Culture
By Andy Jarosz
There isn’t a country in
the world that doesn’t
have a fascinating story
to tell; but it’s also true
that in some places it’s
particularly easy to uncover parts of
the local history which will appeal to
your interests. Here are five countries
where it is the historical and cultural
attractions which are the main draw
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for international visitors.
India
India’s most famous symbol, the
Taj Mahal, is even more beautiful
with your own eyes than in any
film or picture; that is, once you’ve
battled through the army of touts
at the entrance. The Golden Temple
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in Amritsar, the holiest site for
Sikhs, offers a much calmer, more
welcoming and refreshingly hassle-
free experience. For the ultimate
immersion in Indian culture, nothing
can match a dawn boat trip on the
Ganges in Varanasi, to see the burning
cremation ghats.
Vietnam
If your interest lies in 20th-century
history, the vast Cu Chi Tunnel
network is bound to appeal. Used
as shelters, military HQs and supply
channels less than 50 years ago, the
tunnels are now a popular tourist
attraction. Vietnam’s history goes
back much further, far beyond the
French colonial buildings of Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City. Head to Hue, the
former imperial capital, or visit Hoi An,
an important commercial city since
the 1300s and still home to a maze of
narrow alleys with traditional artisan
workshops.
Cambodia
Angkor Wat is high on the list for
most visitors to South East Asia, and
rightly so; you need at least three
days to see the major temples, with
ruins spread over 30 kms apart. In the
capital Phnom Penh, the lavish Silver
Pagoda in the Royal Palace complex
is the stand-out highlight. Meanwhile
the horrors of Cambodia’s Khmer
Rouge years are easy to access (but
impossible to comprehend) at the
Killing Fields site at Choeng Ek, and
at the Tuol Sleng Museum in the city
centre.   of mummies and sarcophagi in the
Sri Lanka
You cannot fail to marvel at the men
who built the 5th-century palace on
the top of the rock at Sigiriya; the 200
metre climb is hard enough carrying
nothing more than a bottle of water,
although the views across the old
royal grounds and surrounding
countryside reward what is a very
sweaty workout. The nearby caves at
Trip Planning
Dambulla are home to an impressive
cave temple system, while the ruins of
the ancient capitals of Polonnaruwa
and Anuradhapura still contain
an impressive collection of temple
buildings and giant Buddha statues.
Egypt
The Pyramids of Giza remain
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For...
one of the world’s most instantly
recognisable sights. Along with the
Best Destinations
Sphinx and the priceless collection
Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
in nearby Cairo, these offer an
unforgettable introduction to Egypt’s
Best
ancient treasures for the first-time
visitor. Further up the Nile meanwhile,
a river cruise provides access to the
Valley of the Kings at Luxor, the
sprawling Karnak Temple complex,
and the Philae Temple at Aswan.
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 Best For... Nature self-drive options. And you don’t have
to make long journeys from the cities
And Wildlife
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
to see the Big 5 - the Addo Elephant
National Park is less than an hour’s
By Andy Jarosz drive from the bright lights of Port
Although planning a Elizabeth.   
round the world trip
may involve plotting Borneo
a course between Best known for its orangutans, the
major cities, it’s often tropical island has long attracted
encounters with the visitors in search of close encounters
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For...

local wildlife which create the most
memorable moments of a trip.
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with these loveable apes. Borneo is
split between Indonesia and Malaysia, of the ‘Big Five’ (elephants, lions, New Zealand

So what are some of the natural
attractions worth going out of your
way to experience? Here are a few
suggestions.
South Africa
Best
with oil-rich Brunei taking up a tiny
chunk of the west coast - and even in
Brunei the remote rainforest is barely
an hour by boat from the capital.
Among Borneo’s wildlife highlights
hippos, rhinos and buffalo) almost
guaranteed (if you’re in the right
place at the right time). The annual
migration of wildebeest remains one
of the Earth’s great natural spectacles.
Best Destinations
Unlike in Australia, the wildlife in
New Zealand generally has little
inclination to kill you. Kaikoura on
the South Island is a popular spot for
water-based adventures, with local

Probably the easiest, most accessible
destination for wildlife spotting,
South Africa offers safari options for
most budgets. Kruger National Park
is the best known of South Africa’s
reserves, with fully-inclusive offerings
at luxury and basic camps, as well as
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are pygmy elephants, clouded
leopards and the extremely rare
Sumatran rhino.
Kenya
The Masai Mara has for many years
been one of the world’s most famous
safari destinations, with sightings
Many safari lodges in Kenya now
place an increasing emphasis on the
culture of the Masai people, and
some camps are owned by the local
communities.
Costa Rica
With over 800 species of bird, 8,000
types of orchid and 150 varieties of
edible fruit, little Costa Rica lays claim
to an incredible 5% of the planet’s
biodiversity. A visit in the jungle
may reveal armadillos, iguanas and
(if you’re very lucky) jaguars, while
toucans and the exquisite quetzals
are among the more colourful of
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operators offering the chance to swim
in the ocean with seals and dolphins.
On southerly Stewart Island you can
take a tour to see the shy, flightless
kiwi bird in the wild. And there’s
no shortage of dramatic natural
landscapes, with Milford Sound
and Franz Josef Glacier two of the
highlights.
Galapagos Islands
Around 600 miles off the coast of
mainland Ecuador, these volcanic
islands are home to many of the
world’s most bizarre creatures.
With millions of years without

the rainforest birds. And Costa Rica’s
natural wonders extend far beyond
its volcanic highlands: the Pacific
and Caribbean coasts offer fabulous
opportunities to see turtles hatching
in their natural environment.   boobies and penguins will happily
Resources
natural predators, the wildlife of the
Galapagos has no fear of humans;
whatever the folly of this trait, it
makes for unforgettable encounters
with the locals. Iguanas, blue-footed
pose for pictures, while you can get as
close to the sea lions as your sense of
smell can stand.

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 Best For... Beaches was used in the filming of King Kong
and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
And Islands
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
Brazil
By Andy Jarosz Ipanema and Copacabana beaches,
For many travellers in the heart of Rio, may be Brazil’s
finding the best most famous beaches, but people-
beach (whatever that watching and caipirinhas aside,
constitutes) is a serious they’re certainly not the most
mission. Here are a attractive stretches of sand. For a
few of what are widely memorable escape, head to Lopes
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For...

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regarded as the world’s finest beach Mendes; it’s a day’s travel from Rio
destinations. by road, ferry and taxi-boat, before a
Best Destinations

Hawaii
Nowhere in Hawaii is far from a
gorgeous beach. On the northern
coast of Kauai, the big waves at
Best
Best Destinations
hike through a forest reveals a 3 km
stretch of perfect white sand, without the unique setting and the warm Cuba
a bar or a cafe in sight.   Caribbean water more than make up Cuba is blessed with a decent
for the lack of privacy. selection of beaches; for some of
Mexico the best head to Cayo Largo, a
Australia

Hanalei Bay make it a favourite winter
spot for confident surfers. Those
in search of that secret bit of sand
could do worse than make their way
to Cathedral Beach, also on Kauai.
Swimming from a boat is the only way
in and out, and the stunning location
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Only in Tulum on Mexico’s Yucatan
Peninsula will you find a beach below
the ruins of an ancient walled city. The
Mayan site overlooks a long stretch
of white sand, and while hundreds of
tourists a day visit the ruins and stare
out onto the sea and beach below,
Fraser Island is the largest sand island
in the world, so there’s no surprise
that it’s home to a half-decent stretch
of sand; there are miles of pristine
beach set against ancient rainforest.
Rainbow Beach, also in Queensland,
is named for its remarkable sand
dunes; thanks to the particular
mineral content the sand is a striking
combination of red, yellow, orange
and black.
Bora Bora
James Cook called it ‘the pearl of
the Pacific’ when he sailed through
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resort island off the southern coast.
Playa Sirena is the place to go for
watersports, while Playa Paraiso, as
the name suggests, is a quiet spot
with white sand and clear water,
popular with those wanting to do
precisely nothing.
Philippines
Head away from Manila and you’ll
find no shortage of world-class
beaches. The massed ranks of foreign
tourists head to the party island of
Boracay; if that’s your scene you’ll find
the obligatory white sand, along with
all-night bars and beach clubs. Alona

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the South Pacific in 1770, and its Beach on Bohol offers a more chilled-
secluded beaches and high-end hotels out alternative, while Palawan offers
have made it a firm favourite with stunning, often empty beaches.
honeymooners wanting to escape
from the world. Matira is the best
known beach, with a mile of soft
white sand framed by palm trees and
dropping into a shallow, emerald-
green lagoon.

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Trip Planning
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For...
Best Destinations
Best For... Cuisine
Best
By Andy Jarosz
One of the most
satisfying ways of
experiencing a country
is through its food.
Every place has its own
delicacies and its own style of cooking
and eating, and some are more
rewarding to adventurous diners than
others. Here are six countries where
the food is likely to be one of the
highlights of your stay.
Thailand
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Some of the tastiest food is found
in the most humble places. For the
perfect pad thai look out for busy
canteen-style dining areas in markets
or in roadside shacks. A good papaya
salad is something special; be warned
however, that when you order a spicy
dish in Thailand it’s likely to be on
another level of hot to anything found
54
outside of Asia. For the adventurous
eater, most Thai markets will also have
a stall selling deep-fried insects.
India
The danger of going to India is
that you’ll never want to eat at your
local Indian restaurant again. The
spices and herbs are so much fresher,
and the variety of food on offer is
bewildering. If you like your food on
the spicy side, let the waiter know
when ordering; many places will tone
down the spiciness by default for
western diners. Indulge in a masala
dosa or a freshly-made poori for
breakfast. food. Look for the busy places with
Japan
Enjoy the bustling vibe of a busy
Tokyo ramen house, or head to an
izakaya (the Japanese version of a
pub) for a plate of gyoza to go with
your beer. Sushi bars with conveyor
belts are particularly enjoyable
experiences, as each has its own
complicated set of rules and the staff
rarely speak any English. Just pick
what you want and sort out the bill
later; prices are generally cheaper
than in Japanese restaurants in
Europe.
Vietnam
Most travellers to Vietnam will be
familiar with pho, the noodle broth
with meat and a dish of greens served
on the side; most people however, will
not have eaten it for breakfast. Hanoi
and Saigon (and indeed all cities
where tourists tend to go) will have
plenty of street stalls selling tempting
a fast turnover and you shouldn’t go
far wrong. Make sure to try goi cuon
(translucent, flavour-packed spring
rolls), and banh xeo (Vietnamese
pancakes).
Australia
If you put aside the strange
obsession with adding a beetroot
Trip Planning
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For...
Best Destinations
slice to a burger, there are plenty of
Best
familiar dishes to enjoy in Australia.
Modern restaurants serving
locally sourced produce abound,
while immigration over the years
has ensured that there’s a great
selection of Asian, Greek and Italian
restaurants. For something definitely
Australian, try a skewer or a slab of
kangaroo, emu or crocodile meat.
South Africa
The diversity of South African food
reflects that of the country as a whole.
Boerewors (a curled beef or pork
sausage) and frikkadel (meatballs)
will look familiar to European visitors;
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biltong (dried beef) and bobotie (a
bit like a shepherd’s pie but with a lot
more flavour) are distinctly African.
Go to Durban meanwhile and it’s all
about thick, creamy curries. Finish
your South African meal with a super-
sweet koeksister, a doughnut coated
with syrup.
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 Tips For An Epic
Adventure
Trip Planning
By Alastair Humphreys
Round the world travel
is more popular than
ever. The proliferation
of affordable round the
world tickets and travel
deals means that it is
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For...
increasingly easy for anyone - from
students, to career-breakers, to free
Best Destinations
spirited retirees - to set off on their
own adventures at the drop of a hat.
But we’re not all spontaneous and
one of my favourite things of any
journey is the pre-trip anticipation
Best
in the period between planning a
journey and actually setting off.
So don’t despair if you’re not
heading off for a while yet, the trip
to the bookshop to buy a map and
a travel guide is one of life's real
pleasures.
So too is browsing travel blogs and
travel photography sites to glean ideas
of unusual places to visit. And the
gaping blank pages in your diary that
make you realise, with a little squeeze
of excitement, that soon you won't be
in work meetings or with your friends
down the pub. You will be out "there"
in places you cannot yet imagine.
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Every day will bring adventure
and variety. I spent over four years
travelling round the world by bike and
it is the daily variety that I miss the
most when I'm home.
Go your own way
You may not have four years to
spare. You may think that train travel
56
is more your thing than sweating
46,000 miles through five continents
Trip Planning
on a bicycle. It doesn't really matter
how you travel round the world: the
exciting experiences I had cycling
all the way to China won't be too
different from those you'll have if you
take a flight to Hong Kong and begin
exploring from there.
However you start your adventure,
I believe that the most important
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For...
thing is this: just BEGIN IT! Put a date
in your diary, tell your boss and your
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family that you are leaving on that
day, and then commit to actually
going.
You will never have saved as much
money as you should have done; you
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will never have researched every detail
about the countries you want to visit.
That doesn’t matter. Yes, landing
in a strange and far-off country can
be daunting. But I promise you that
within a couple of days you will be
feeling far more relaxed. You'll be
haggling in the markets, squeezing
yourself into cramped but fun local
buses, and posting photos and stories
on your own blog to make your
friends back home jealous.
Who knows, perhaps your travel
blog will inspire someone else to book
a ticket and head off on their own
journey of a lifetime?
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Here are some tips I’ve learned while
on the road
Read a novel by an author from each
region or country you’re visiting
A good piece of literature, even if
it’s fiction, can offer a much deeper
insight into your destination and its
people and culture as your guide
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 book. It is a real pity that the authors
we know about are generally limited
Trip Planning
to those who write in our language.
So seek out a translation of a local
classic. People will appreciate you
learning about their country, and
you will really benefit from getting
another insight.
For some reading inspiration try
TripFiction or this discussion.
Always travel with a big, fold
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For...
out map of the whole country or
continent you are in
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They are great for planning your
trip. Unfold it in a bus station or cafe
and it is a guaranteed ice-breaker for
opening conversations. I find that
Best
people love looking at maps and
pointing out their home towns and
so on.
Keep a diary of your trip
You will be grateful when you are old
and wrinkly of being able to look back
on your adventures. You can even
keep an online blog in order to share
your experiences with friends and
family back home and reassure them
that you are safe and well.
Take a punt on a random country
Don't just stick to the well-worn
routes round the world. Try a country
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almost at random. I can honestly say I
have never regretted visiting a single
country. What do Azerbaijan, Lesotho,
Nicaragua and Japan have in common?
Answer: they are all countries that I
was not very excited about visiting but
came to absolutely adore. Close your
eyes, poke your finger onto a world
map, and off you go!
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Take a tent if you have the space
It greatly increases your freedom
Trip Planning
or where and how you travel. It will
also save you a load of money. If
you decide that carrying a tent is too
heavy at least do take a thin sleeping
bag with you. Better to have a small
sleeping bag than a massive winter
one that fills your entire backpack.
You can always sleep in your clothes if
you are cold.
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For...
Travel light
Best Destinations
I spent four years on the road with
only two sets of clothes. That may
be a little too minimalistic  but I have
seen so many backpackers looking
stressed and hot traipsing around
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carrying two enormous backpacks.
Leaving the luxuries at home is one of
the most important experiences of a
round the world experience.
Keep your promises
In many parts of the world you will
take photographs of people you
meet and they will ask you to send
them a copy. It's a bit of a hassle
to do this once you get home. But
doing it makes people so very happy,
and will mean that they treat future
backpackers they meet with even
more friendly and warm welcomes.
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Ignore the guidebooks
Follow your nose, not the crowds. I
walked across southern India without
a guidebook, without seeing a
single famous "sight", without seeing
another traveller. And it was magical.
Go out and discover places for
yourself.
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Trip Planning
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For...
Best Destinations
Best For... Free
Experiences
Best
By Andy Jarosz
Luther Vandross and
Janet Jackson may have
reckoned that the best
things in life are free,
but that’s because
they’re famous and
generally don’t have to pay for stuff.
Unfortunately, on a round the world
trip, you will have to shell out some
money to experience a lot of what
will become the highlights. However,
that’s not to say that the budget-
conscious can’t enjoy some of the key
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RTW destinations on the cheap. Most
major cities have a host of attractions
you can enjoy without spending a
penny/ cent/ baht – and these are just
some of them...
Sydney for free
The simplest free activity in Sydney is
to head down to the beach (take your
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pick which one – there’s not exactly
a shortage). Bodysurfing in the
waves is the best free entertainment
you can get. Otherwise, Sydney has
some classic walks that can be turned
into day-long affairs – the Bondi to
Coogee and Spit Bridge to Manly
walks are the best known. For free
entertainment, Darling Harbour is the
spot – there are often free concerts
and festivals going on there – while
anywhere around Sydney Harbour
is prime position for the events on
Australia Day or New Year’s Eve. For
a dose of culture, there’s no entrance
fee for the Art Gallery of New South
Wales or the Australian National
Maritime Museum.
New York City for free
A number of New York’s museums
work on a ‘suggested donation’
policy, which you can mercilessly take
advantage of if you’re shamelessly
tight. Of these, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art offers no-strings-
attached free entry between 4pm
and 8pm on a Friday. Other museums
– such as the Ellis Island Immigration
Museum, the Harbor Defense
Museum and the Onassis Cultural
Collection – have permanent free
entry. It also costs nothing to get on
the ferry to Staten Island. For simpler
pleasures, head for a stroll around
Central Park or – during summer
– pitch up there for one of the
numerous free concerts that are put
on in Manhattan’s green lung.
Singapore for free
Singapore is brimming with free
stuff – you’ll not have to pay to enter
the temples or the war cemeteries,
while some of the city’s biggest
attractions don’t charge an entry fee
either. These include the fantastically
bonkers Haw Par Villa, with its 3D
interpretations of what hell is like,
and the sobering Changi Chapel
and Museum. The latter details the
experiences of Prisoners of War in
World II, and is an essential history
lesson. If by some minor miracle it’s
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not raining, you may prefer to head
into the great outdoors. In which
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case, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
and the Botanic Gardens are good
sanctuaries from the urban frenzy.
Hong Kong for free
Wednesday is something for nothing
day in Honkers. Both the Hong Kong
Museum of Art and the Hong Kong
Space Museum waive entrance
charges then. Some rather more niche
collections – such as the Museum of
Tea Ware, Hong Kong Racing Museum
and the Correctional Services Museum
– don’t charge for entry at any time.
Hong Kong’s big secret, however,
is that it’s an excellent place for
Resources
hiking. Beyond Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon, before the border with China
proper, you get the New Territories.
The high rises are replaced by hills
here and there’s some great walking
to be done at no cost. The brave/
masochistic can try and take on the
50km Hong Kong Trail in a day. The
sensible can just pick a section of it.
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 Tokyo for free
The classic freebie in Tokyo is to head
Trip Planning
up to the viewing galleries on the
45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Building. There are some
top notch views out over Mount
Fuji available from here. There’s no
entrance fee for most shrines and
temples, while you can visit the
East Gardens of the Imperial Palace
or walk around the moat without
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For...
shedding any yen either. If you like
your entertainment of rampantly
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varying quality, and don’t want to
have to pay for it, head to Yoyogi Park
on a Sunday – there are usually live
performers and bands fighting for
your attention.
Best
And, in terms of free cultural
attractions, who could possibly resist
gratis entry to the Sumo Wrestling
Museum?
Bangkok for free
Bangkok is a cheap place to visit
anyway – most entry fees hardly make
a scratch on the wallet and a lot of
the street food costs barely anything.
But if you insist on paying nothing,
then there is no charge to enter
either the Bangkok Art and Cultural
Centre or the rather gory Corrections
Museum. Wandering around the
markets is the usual free catch-all in
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Bangkok, but many of the temples
– such as Wat Indraviharn, Wat
Patum Wanaran and Wat Mangkorn
Kamalawat don’t require entry fees.
Meanwhile, Lumphini Park is the best
place to stretch the legs and escape
the chaos.
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Los Angeles for free
The best free entertainment in LA is
Trip Planning
heading to the beach and indulging
in some serious people watching –
Malibu and Santa Monica are the
best bets, while Venice Beach is a
little quirkier. Then of course, you can
stroll along the Hollywood Walk of
Fame trying to spot the all important
Chuck Norris star. Otherwise, there
is a wealth of attractions without
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For...
an entrance fee. The best of these
are the Griffith Park Observatory,
Best Destinations
Getty Center, California African
American Museum and California
Science Center. There’s also lots of
cool architecture in LA – you can
easily spend a day sauntering around
Best
Downtown Los Angeles, cooing at
impressive buildings.
Auckland for free
The best freebies in New Zealand’s
biggest city are unquestionably
outdoors. There are a series of decent
beaches along Auckland’s North
Shore – Devonport has the most
charm. If it’s a good day, however,
it’s hard to beat the 16km Coast to
Coast walk, which takes you from
Waitemata Harbour to Manukau
Harbour. On the way, it passes most
of Auckland’s premier green hotspots,
including Mt Eden and The Domain.
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The latter plays host to the Auckland
Museum, which works on a suggested
donation system. It contains some
great displays on volcanoes and Maori
culture. The Domain is also the home
of the Wintergarden – a pretty spot
for those who like their exotic plants.
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Resources Best Destinations For... Trip Planning
 Regional Climates
And When To Travel
Trip Planning
A fantastic round the world
adventure can often be as much
about the when as the where.
Freezing your proverbials off in
northern China or southern Patagonia
might make for an excellent anecdote
in retrospect, but it probably won’t
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be quite as enjoyable at the time.
Similarly, you probably don’t want
to be dodging hurricanes in Mexico
or continually lashed by monsoons in
Southeast Asia.
There’s a definite art to being in
the right place at the right time, and
when climatic conditions can vary
massively in just one country, it’s
worth reading up on the weather
patterns of the places you’re planning
to visit. But for a quick overview –
here’s a rough guide to where’s hot
and where’s horrible at different times
of the year.
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Middle East
It takes a special kind of masochism
to head to the Arabian Gulf in
summer. It can be brutally hot for
sustained periods in Dubai, Qatar
and Abu Dhabi, with temperatures
regularly above the 40 degrees Celsius
mark. If you think that sounds great
for sunbathing, think again. If you
have a choice, head out between
November and March – you’ll still
have lots of sun, little rain and
generally pleasant heat (between 20
and 30 degrees Celsius).
India
North and South India have different
climates, but the summer months
(May to September) are generally
hot and soaking in the south, but
rather nice in the northern Himalayan
regions. On the flipside, Himalayan
trekking in the winter is stupidity
on a grand scale, while the south is
relatively cool, dry and appealing.
China
China is huge, and the climate
varies from region to region. You’ll
want to avoid the north during the
European winter (unless you like living
in a freezer), and the south during
the European summer – it gets very
humid, rainy, and attracts typhoons.
That makes March to May and
September to November the safest
catch-alls.
Southeast Asia
Mountain ranges and localised
weather patterns make choosing
a best time to visit Southeast Asia
something of a tricky art. Singapore
is hot, soggy and humid year-round,
while Vietnam has monsoons in the
north between October and March,
then more which douse the whole
country between May and September.
As a very general rule, November to
February is the most pleasant time of
year to visit the region – but it really
does depend on where you’re going.
Trip Planning
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Australia
Australia is a continent, and the
best time for one part of it is very
different from another. The southern
states (New South Wales, Victoria,
Tasmania, South Australia, the bottom
corner of Queensland and the bottom
part of Western Australia) operate
on something approaching the four
seasons model. June, July and August
can get surprisingly cold, whilst
summer humidity can make things
very sweaty – particularly in January
and February. The best months
are arguably October, November,
December, March and April.
In the north (Tropical Queensland
and Western Australia plus the
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Northern Territory), it’s a whole
different story.  Breaking it down
into the wet and dry season is an
oversimplification, but it’ll do for the
purposes of deciding when to go. May
to November is drier, cooler and with
general clear blue skies. Turn up mid-
November to late April, and expect to
get soggy.
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 New Zealand
If you’re going for skiing, then the
Trip Planning
season is generally between late May
and early September. If you’re going
for anything else (which tends to
be the case), then this is the time to
avoid as it can be bitterly cold. This
especially applies to the South Island.
New Zealand doesn’t get Australia’s
humidity, so the summer months
(December to February) are pretty
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darned good. March, April, October
and November are generally excellent
bets too.
Pacific Islands
As a broad rule, the Pacific Islands
follow the rough seasons of Northern
Australia. The wet and humid weather
tends to be between late November
and mid-to-late April, which makes
May to November the best time to
go for most travellers. Some islands
do have their own microclimates,
however – it’s worth checking before
you book to go somewhere really
obscure.
North America
North America pretty much follows
the European seasons. Certainly in the
northern US and Canada, the summer
months (June to August) are the best
weatherwise. In the Southern US,
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however, these months can be too hot
– and going slightly earlier or later is a
good plan. As a general rule, autumn
is a better bet than spring. Blizzards
are far more likely in March than
November, for example.
Central America
Most of Central America tends to
get sweaty, rainy and more than a
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little hurricane-prone between June
and October. Unless you’re a fan of
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perennial dampness, that’s the time
to avoid.
South America
The climate across South America
is extremely varied. The weather
can be doing very different things in
Amazonia, Patagonia, the Andes and
Copacabana Beach. So before falling
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into any obvious generalisations
such as “well, it’s in the southern
hemisphere, so the seasons must be
the reverse of ours”, do some specific
research on the areas you’re going
to. The Andes and the southern parts
of Chile and Argentina are generally
about snow avoidance – November to
March will be the best bet.
South Africa
Cape Town and the surrounding
area are far better explored during
the European winter – and not just
because of the temperatures. Most
of the rain comes during the winter
months (June to September) as well –
as the BBC hilariously found out when
they spent a fortune on a World Cup
studio that had Table Mountain as a
backdrop. Of course, the mountain
was hardly ever visible during
broadcasts because it was chucking it
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down. The Highveld (Johannesburg,
Pretoria etc) and the areas closer to
the tropics, however, get the rain and
thunderstorms when Cape Town is
blissfully dry. The shoulder seasons –
September to November and March
to May – are the happy compromise.
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 Preparing Your Visas Important: same country. Your consultant will be
The information above is accurate at able to advise you on visa costs and in
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
Many countries insist on visitors having an entry visa or travel permit as a time of writing but all visa information many cases can will give you contact
condition of entry. For some it is a way of making extra money from visitors is subject to sudden change without details of the relevant embassy.
while for many it is part of their internal security system. Either way you have notice. You must double check your visa Embassies can take a long time to
no choice but to comply with their requirements: no visa, no entry. The rules requirements with your visa service or process visas and may even require
are varied and often Byzantine in their complexity - below is a simplified nearest relevant Embassy or Consulate you to visit their office in person. It
overview that is accurate at time of writing. Be sure to confirm all details when before you travel. If your nationality is is best to apply well in advance so as
booking your trip. not listed please check your specific visa to avoid any last minute panic. Most
requirements with your nearest relevant people have no problems in getting
Visa requirements by country Embassy or Consulate. the visa they require, although if you
Best Destinations For...

Best Destinations For...

have a criminal record or have been
Malaysia Y Y Y Visa essentials deported from any country previously
Visa required for

Visa required for

Visa required for

Mexico N N N
Irish passport?

Passports you may encounter difficulties.

UK passport?

EU passport?
Mongolia Y Y Y
Namibia N N N A passport is an essential document Get your visas online
Nepal Y Y Y that you will need to legally enter Alternatively you can use the services
New Zealand N N N and exit any country on your trip. of a visa agency such as Visa Central,
Country
Philippines N N N You should check that your passport a CIBT company. They are an online
Argentina N N N
Peru N N N is valid and that the expiry date is agency, who will arrange all your visas
Australia Y Y Y at least 6 months after the date you for you. You liaise with them directly
Belize N N N Russia Y Y Y
intend to return home. There should for visas and also pay them directly.
Bolivia N N N Singapore N N N also be plenty of empty pages in your
South Africa N N N passport for the countries you plan to Country by country visa guide
Botswana N Y N
Brazil N N N Sri Lanka Y Y Y visit (entry and exit stamps for some Australia
Cambodia Y Y Y Tahiti N N N countries may fill two pages each).
Tanzania Y Y Y Do not take risks with your passport Every visitor to Australia requires a
Canada N N N
Thailand N N N validity. If you are in any doubt full passport that is valid for at least
Chile N N N whether your passport will expire or 6 months after the completion of
China Y Y Y The Cook N N N
fill up with stamps while you are away your trip as well as a visa. The visa
Costa Rica N N N Islands
you should get a new one before you is an electronic document - called
Croatia N N N Tibet Y Y Y start the trip. an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority)
Cuba Y Y Y Tonga N N N – that permits a visit of up to three
Uganda Y Y Y Applying for visas months over a 12 month period.
Ecuador N N N
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Guatemala N N N Uruguay N N N A “visa on arrival” can sometimes The ETA is available for short-term
USA visa ESTA ESTA N/Y/ be obtained at the point of entry tourists and business travellers and
Hong Kong N N N
waiver ( ESTA) ESTA (airport, land border, sea port) but the fee is £15 (business visas incur a
Fiji N N N in many cases you must apply for higher fee). Without a valid ETA you
Vietnam Y Y Y
India Y Y Y a visa to the country’s embassy or will be refused entry at Australian
Western N N N
Indonesia N Y N consulate in your home country. There Immigration.
Samoa
Japan Y Y Y is nearly always a cost and this varies Your booking agent can organise an
Zimbabwe Y N/Y Y widely between countries and even ETA. All they’ll require are the details
Laos Y Y Y
for different nationalities visiting the from the photo page of your passport

70 71
 and the visa can be arranged within
10 days and emailed to you.
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12 month working holiday visa
Australian working holiday visas are
available to people aged between 18
to 30 years (always check the current
situation before applying). Citizens
of the following countries are eligible
to apply: Ireland, the UK, Germany,
Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden,
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the Netherlands, Malta, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Canada,
France, Italy and the Republic of Cyprus.
An Australian 12 month working
holiday visa currently costs £136.
If you are entering Australia for
any other reason you will require a
traditional visa in your passport. These
are available directly through the
Australian High Commission.
New Zealand
British passport holders do not
require a visa to visit New Zealand but
make sure your passport is valid for
at least 6 months after your intended
date of return
Cambodia and Laos
It’s advisable to obtain Cambodian
and Lao visas in advance, either
in your home country or in a
neighbouring country (i.e. Thailand
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or Vietnam). Sometimes it is possible
to get your visa on arrival, but in both
countries the situation can change
at very short notice. If you plan to
do this it is very important that you
contact your nearest Cambodian /
Laos Embassy or Consulate shortly
before you travel to get the latest
information. Note that a visa on
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arrival may be available at some
border crossings into Laos and
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Cambodia and unavailable at others.
China
Be aware that entry into Hong Kong
from the mainland is treated as an
exit from China. Anyone planning
to re-enter the mainland must have
a double entry visa or re-apply for a
new Chinese visa in Hong Kong.
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Sri Lanka
The government of Sri Lanka decided
to discontinue the issuance of visa on
arrival to Sri Lanka in September 2011.
These days all travellers require an
Electronic Travel Authorization, which
can be obtained online here for a fee.
It is advised that all passengers carry
the authorization approval form when
arriving to the country at which point
the visa will be stamped.
United States
All passengers travelling to the
United States must have Advanced
Passenger Information System (APIS)
in their booking. Failure to do so will
mean you will not be checked in at
the airport and refused permission to
fly to the US.
As well as APIS, the USA has
introduced the ESTA (Electronic
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System for Travel Authorisation) for
all non-US citizens visiting the US.
You will need prior authorisation
to enter the country before you’re
checked onto your flight. To gain ESTA
authorisation you must submit details
online here before you travel. The
ESTA is issued immediately and is valid
for two years. The current cost is $14.
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 Packing For A Round
The World Trip
Trip Planning
The Golden Rule: Lay everything you
think you need out on a bed, at least
two days before you leave. Then ditch
the half you won't really need.
Essential RTW kit
• Backpack (About 65 litres capacity
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should do)
• Small Day pack
• Passport - don't forget it - by the
end of your trip you will know your
passport number off by heart
• Visas - double check which ones you
need
• Immunisation record
• Travel insurance policy
• Diary/notepad, pen or pencil
• Addresses & emergency numbers
• Passport photos (8 minimum)
• Glasses and contact lenses
• Prescriptions and medications
• Photocopies of documents (email
copies to yourself too)
• Sunglasses
• Identity cards (student or Under 26
card)
• Discount cards (VIP backpacker
card)
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Medical Essential gear Handy gear that makes travelling
more enjoyable
• Small first aid kit • Universal sink plug
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• Anti malarial tablets • Peg free clothes line/long piece of • Books (Dostoyevsky soon gets a
• Inoculation certificates string little dull on the beach)
• Immodium • Lighter • Guidebooks (We like the maps in
• Paracetemol • DEET repellent Lonely Planet)
• Rennies/Gavascon • Small Maglite torch • Telephone card
• Ibuprofen • Knife & fork • Job reference letter
• Savlon • Compass • Family photos
• Multi-vitamins • Teaspoon (try making a cup of tea • Re-sealable plastic bag
• Swiss Army knife on the Trans-Siberian with a swiss • Large black bin bag
Best Destinations For...
army knife!) • A toilet roll
Bedtime (if camping) • Mug
• Sleeping bag Make a list of the following and
• 3/4 length thermarest Clothes and Footwear leave photocopies to your family or
• Inner sheet sleeping bag • Long sleeved shirt good friend
• Jeans • Ask them to put them in a safe
Travel Gear • Smart combat trousers place in case you need to contact
• MP3 player • Sun hat them. Take a copy with you and
• Camera (Digital costing less • Travel sandals email a copy to your webmail for
than £300 would be our advice - • Trekking shoes/boots quick access on the road.
otherwise it'll be tricky to cover with • Shower proof jacket • Drivers licence
travel insurance.) • 4 pairs of pants and socks • Embassy addresses
• Mobile phone (Unlocked for abroad • Shorts • Prescriptions
- and buy SIM cards as you go) • 2 Cotton T Shirts • Passport number and date issued
• Charger & travel adapter • Swimming gear • Serial numbers of travellers cheques
• Waterbottle • Cotton shirts • Serial numbers on valuables e.g.
• A good money belt • Long sleeved T Shirts camera
• Combination padlock • Sweater • All insurance details & emergency
• Small washbag - stay clean - stay • Sarong (for your Beckham contacts
well - smell better moments) • Credit card numbers (Do not take
• Fleece copies with you)
Money • Hat • Emergency numbers to cancel your
• Visa credit card (get your PIN!) • Gloves card (Do take copies with you)
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• Mastercard credit card (get your • Remember you can buy a lot of the • Emergency numbers of family and
PIN!) above in the countries you will be friends
• Cash cards like a cirrus or maestro visiting.
(Check the back of your normal
ATM card - remember your PIN!)
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Trip Planning

Trip Planning
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Three Pieces Of way to keep them dry or from being bag around multiple continents and the month. Pretty silver Macbooks
fried by X-ray machines. I didn't even thrown out far more travel laundry are everywhere, and if you ask their
Travel Tech Advice have a bandaid when I cut my finger soap than I've ever used. owners why they're carrying one,

You Can Safely on a blunt knife in a Dublin hostel,

never mind antibiotics for the nasty
Ignore stomach bug I picked up in Kenya.
My tech choices weren't any better.
By Dave Dean On the advice of a friend, I bought an
insanely-expensive digital camera back
Like many other when they'd just come out, then spent
travellers, I had no far more time deleting photos than
idea what I was doing taking them when I couldn't afford
when starting out. I any extra memory cards.
bought an enormous, I had an ancient Nokia phone
badly-made 90 litre backpack, filled with me for a while, but gave up
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When trying to figure out why
my gear choices had been so bad, I
came up with one common thread:
I'd listened too much to other
people, especially those with no real
experience doing the same things I
was. Opinions are like bellybuttons
– everybody has one – but useful
information is rarer. I've stopped
taking most generic travel advice
these days, and come up with my
own way of doing things based on
they'll waste no time explaining why
it really is the only sensible choice.
They're apparently easier to use,
more reliable, more sturdy and more
everything-else-good-in-the-world,
and travellers totally need them.
No, they don't. Most travellers don't
need a laptop at all, since a phone or
tablet can do whatever's necessary in
a device much smaller and cheaper.
For the few who genuinely do benefit
from them, the same software,

it with nothing useful and hauled it
uncomfortably round the world for
the next three years.
I had more quick-dry shirts and
pants than I knew what to do with –
but nothing to wear to a bar in the
European cities I was spending my
time. The bottom of my pack was
filled with film canisters, but I had no
on it when it didn't work anywhere
I needed it to. The slightly newer
version that came on my next trip
stopped working properly in the
first week, despite the salesman's
assurances it was the best thing out
there for travel.
I've worn uncomfortable shoes for
months, carried an unused sleeping
experience rather than theories. To
that end, here are three common
pieces of advice I completely disagree
with -- and what I choose to do
instead.
“Travellers need a Macbook”
The number of Apple logos I see
in hostel common rooms grows by
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performance and reliability is available
in Windows laptops costing far less.
Of course, you can easily find terrible
Windows machines – anything under
about £500 will likely fall into that
category for travellers. Spend a bit
more, though, and you can get
something as good as a high-end

76 77
 Macbook without spending anything
like the same kind of money.
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My old Asus laptop cost £700
and spent three years on the road,
surviving everything the tropics could
throw at it and more. I bought a new
model from the same company a
couple of months ago that is thinner,
lighter and has better specifications
than a Macbook Pro costing several
hundred pounds more. End result? An
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incredibly fast and attractive laptop
– and a much healthier bank balance
than if I'd gone down the Apple
route.
“You Have to have an iPhone”
For a few years, if you wanted a
good smartphone for travel, you
bought an iPhone. The hardware
was better than anything else, sure,
but more importantly, most decent
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78
apps were only available for iOS. I
once travelled with an iPhone 3G for
several months and it was a great little
phone, doing everything I needed
and even surviving being kicked down
a potholed Chiang Mai street when
it slipped out of my hands one rainy
night.
Now, though, the market has
changed. Android phones dominate
the sales figures, and have driven
prices down and app support up.
There are very few good travel apps
you can't find on the Play store
– and when you can't find your
personal favourite, there's always an
alternative.
You can buy a perfectly decent
unlocked Android device for well
under £150 that'll do almost anything
you need it to, or a sub-£300 match
for the latest iPhone models. I've been
carrying a Nexus 5 for the last year,
for instance, and couldn't be happier
with it.
If you want an iPhone, by all means
buy one – it's still a great phone,
and if you've got the spare cash, you
won't be disappointed. Just remember
that you've now got plenty of other,
cheaper choices as well.
“Only a DSLR can take good photos”
As in every other artistic field, it's
skill, not equipment, that makes for
great photos. A huge camera that
costs thousands of pounds won't
provide a better shot if you don't
know how to use it – it'll just give you
a sore neck by mid-afternoon.
As technology has improved, cameras
have shrunk in size to the point where
a mirrorless or good point and shoot
can give very good results without
changing any of the default settings.
In reality, you're unlikely to notice
a difference between shots from a
Trip Planning
budget DSLR kit in automatic mode,
and those from a premium point and
shoot like the Sony RX100M III that
fits in your pocket.
If you're still considering buying a
DSLR for your trip, make sure you give
yourself plenty of time to learn what
to buy in terms of both body and
lenses, and how to use them properly
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if you want to get the most out of
your investment.
Of course, like any other travel
advice, you're welcome to ignore mine
as well – that's the great thing about
other people's opinions! If so, I look
forward to seeing you out there on
the road, Macbook under one arm
and DSLR under the other, looking
stylish in a pair of those gorgeous
brown quick-dry pants.....
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 Which Guidebook?
Trip Planning
By David Whitley
Despite so much
information being
online these days, a
good guide book is
invaluable while on the
road.
You don’t have to use it as a bible – a
mistake that many people make – but
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it does tend to be multi-purpose.
Different guide book brands have
different strengths but guide books
within the same series can vary wildly
in quality. Even books within the
same series to neighbouring parts
of the world can be infuriatingly
inconsistent.
There are a few general rules for
picking the right one, however. The
first thing to bear in mind is what you
want it for. If you’re a free-wheeling
type who is happy to take things as
they come, then it’s not going to
matter all that much – you’re barely
going to dip into it. Some people,
however, are always clutching the
book and referring to it.
For the latter, the more specific
a guidebook is, the more useful it
is likely to be. If you’re spending a
long time in Sydney, for example, a
Sydney guide book is going to lead
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you to more interesting places than
an Australia guide book. Similarly,
you can’t expect a South East Asia or
South America guide book to cover
any one place in particularly helpful
detail.
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Take your time
I find the way that most people
buy guide books astonishing. They
pick the brand they know, then get
the book that best covers the area
they’re going to within that brand’s
collection. Even if the only one
available is a general guide to the
region and another brand has a far
more detailed guide to the specific
country. This is, almost always, a daft
approach.
Another thing to consider is when
the information in the book was
researched. Nobody ever seems to
look at this. Again, they’ll just pick
the brand they know. But even if you
love Lonely Planet, surely a Frommer’s
or a Rough Guide published in 2015
is going to be better than an LP
published in 2012? Given that the
information is actually researched
roughly a year before publication, is
it any wonder that you see hordes
of idiots wandering around Asia,
complaining that their Lonely Planet
has got the prices wrong?
Some details – such as prices and bus
times – are always likely to change.
NEVER take them as gospel in a guide
book. You’ll also find that hotels
refurbish and restaurants close down
– you can’t blame the book for that.
But it is often possible to tell whether
the author knows what he or she is
talking about. Some, it has to be said,
get lazy with updating from edition to
edition.
What to look for
The first place to look is online
reviews on sites such as Amazon. Star
ratings aren’t particularly reliable,
as people will often give a zero for
bizarre things such as late delivery
or not having enough pictures of a
particular temple, but it’s a start.
Secondly, have a look at what other
books the author has written, and
what articles they have written, via
a web search. Are they consistently
on the same countries? Can they
legitimately be regarded as an expert
on certain parts of the world, or do
they just flit about writing about
whatever they get the job for?
Finally, once you’ve actually got
the book, you can test it with a few
things. Do the sports teams actually
play in the stadiums the author says
they do, or have they moved to a
new home and no-one’s bothered to
check? How well is the current music
scene covered – do they suggest
bands you’ve never heard of but are
currently big in the destination, or just
list someone who had an international
hit twenty years ago?
Up-to-date?
Then there’s the history. Anyone can
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do the old history – the formation
of the country, what happened in
the Second World War etc – but a
well-researched guide has detail on
what has happened recently. What
have been the big changes of the last
couple of years? What are the current
political hot potatoes?
There’s also a final check to see
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whether the book you’ve got is a
duffer or not. Flick through to see if
any bars and restaurants are listed
as hidden gems, local favourites
or best-kept secrets. If you find a
couple, check them out to see if the
descriptions hold true, or they’re
just one of the least touristy bars/
restaurants in an strip full of touristy
bars/ restaurants. If the latter, the
author clearly hasn’t bothered to
check further afield and has just
thought: “This’ll do”.
Read more: David Whitley looks at
the cities that improve on a second
visit
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 Health And Safety
While On The Road
Trip Planning
Looking after your own health while
on the road should always be your #1
priority. After all, it’s hard to have a
good time if you’re too sick to enjoy
yourself!
Researching your travel destination
beforehand is essential to find out the
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vaccination requirements as well as
health advice regarding safe drinking,
food, STDs, insect borne diseases and
other travel related health issues.
Before setting off on your travels, it's
worth spending some time getting
fit. Although travelling will make you
fit and walking for long distances will
seem quite normal after some time,
exercising and eating healthily before
you go will help prepare you for the
journey ahead.
Also ensure that you leave plenty
of time to obtain all the necessary
vaccinations before setting off on your
travels (although they can be done
pretty quickly - this is an expensive
option). This could be a few months
in advance in some cases. Travel
health issues will vary from country
to country but some of the things to
look out for include:
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Too much sun
Heat stroke, sunburn, skin cancer
and a variety of ill effects can all result
from too much sun exposure. Babies,
children and fair skinned people are at
greater risk especially in tropical areas.
The general advice here is to use a
good sunscreen, drink lots of water,
avoid overexertion, avoid alcohol,
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wear a hat, stay out of the midday sun
and minimise time spent on tanning.
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Water and food
There are a large number of diseases
which can be contracted from
infected water and food including
Escherichia coli, dysentery, giardiasis
and hepatitis A. Less common diseases
for travellers include typhoid and
cholera.
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The general rule here is to drink
bottled water (where the top has
not been tampered with) and to use
bottled water for brushing teeth.
Water can also be treated by boiling,
chemical disinfection through a
tincture of iodine and through the
use of portable water filters. With
regards to food poisoning, travellers
must be cautious when travelling in
areas of poor hygiene and sanitation.
Milk products, salads, uncooked or
undercooked vegetables and meat
must be avoided. Fruit which can
be peeled and piping hot food is
generally safe.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
Diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoea
and AIDS are commonly contracted
through casual sex. Symptoms vary
but early treatment is often essential
to avoid long term complications.
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Prevention is through abstinence,
using water based lubricants and
through the use of latex condoms.
Condoms can vary in quality and if
in doubt, always try to purchase well
known brands or buy them from
home before travel.
If you have any concerns regarding
a condition you may have or a travel
83
 health issue, consult your doctor
before going and also ensure that
Trip Planning
you take out a good travel insurance
policy.
Malaria
This is transmitted by the female
mosquito usually during the period
from dusk to dawn. Malaria can kill
and early symptoms include chills,
fever, body aches and sweating. For
Best Destinations For...
the prevention of malaria, travellers
are advised to wear light coloured
long sleeve tops and trousers, take
the appropriate malaria prophylaxis
before, during and after the period
of travel, use insect repellants and
a mosquito net in rooms without
mosquito netting on the windows.
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Resources
84
Vaccination chart
One vaccination does not automatically offer protection against a disease for life.
Trip Planning
Many vaccines need to be routinely boosted to offer continued protection. The
following chart gives some idea of how often boosters should be administered
according to the UK Guidelines. This chart is offered as a guideline and should be
used together with specialist advice from your travel health advisor or GP.
Before travel you should ensure you have had all of your childhood routine
vaccinations. Take advice from your GP about whether you really need Yellow
Fever and Rabies inoculations depending on the areas you are going to.
The following is a very general list of jabs most people would take on most general
RTWs - but please make sure you see a qualified medical professional before you go.
Best Destinations For...
Diphtheria/ Following initial course of five Given as a Tetanus/
Tetanus doses boost every 10 years for Diphtheria combination
adults and adolescents for travel to risk areas
Hepatitis A First injection gives protection Protection occurs 10-14
for one year. Booster at 6-18 days after the primary
months gives protection for 10 dose.
years - some vaccines can be
boosted up to three years after
first dose
Japanese B Following primary course boost
Encephalitis after 2 years
Meningitis After initial vaccination boost Travel to Mecca -
A&C every 3-5 years certificate of injection
valid after 10 days.
Polio (oral) After initial course - boost every
10 years
Tetanus/ Following initial course of five Given as a Tetanus/
Diphtheria doses boost every 10 years for Diphtheria combination
adults and adolescents for travel to risk areas
Typhoid After initial vaccination boost Partial protection occurs
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Resources
(injection) every 3 years 10-14 days following first
injection
Typhoid Following 3 capsule course Protection against typhoid
(oral) protection lasts for 1-3 years following a 3 capsule
course is 70% after 7-10
days after initial course
Yellow Fever After initial vaccination boost Certificate valid 10 days
after 10 years after vaccination
85
 we were. Further, as the nearest x-ray Ulaanbaatar and then out to Hong
was at least twelve hours' drive over Kong was well over $100,000.
Trip Planning

landscape unsullied by roads, the
only sane way to extract us was on a
helicopter.
For a pilot, a co-pilot, a doctor and
a paramedic to make the nine-hour
round trip cost our insurers over
£20,000.
In Ulaanbaatar an x-ray rapidly
revealed that Zac had what we
Best Destinations For...
Trip Planning
Which makes the price of our private
room in an elite Hong Kong hospital,
Zac's tests, surgery and follow-up, plus
a week or so in a Hong Kong hotel
and flights back to the UK, a snip at
another twenty grand and change.
If we hadn't had insurance? Well,
we'd have been looking at long,
agonising hours of overland travel,

Best Destinations For...

laypeople term “an absolute bitch
of a fracture” and would need what
we laypeople term “a plate”. And,
as no one in Mongolia is capable of
doing a plate, and he needed to travel
lying down, he (and I, as his mother)
would need to be evacuated on an air
ambulance to Hong Kong.
An air ambulance, for the record, is
a private jet with a doctor (and more
“I Won’t Actually And I am honestly not at all sure medics if needed), a pilot, a co-pilot
how we'd have coped without travel and some kit. The cost of getting
Need My Travel insurance. the jet and team from Beijing to
at thousands of pounds of medical
expenses in the capital and thousands
more on agonising flights from
Ulaanbaatar to the UK with Zac's arm
strapped to his chest.
Most importantly, however, as the
rural clinic had splinted his arm so
tightly his muscles were spasming
and his blood flow was restricted, it's
quite likely he'd have ended up with
permanent nerve damage.
Not got travel insurance? Go buy it.
You'll probably never claim on it, but if

Insurance, Right?” It took five hours to get a doctor out

from the nearest clinic, who splinted
you need it, you'll really need it.

Zac's arm with sticks and shot him

By Theodora Sutcliffe
up with so much Tramadol that in an
My son once broke hour-long jeep ride over riverbeds,
his arm while horse- gullies and rocky fields he emitted
riding. Had he done only the observation, “I think I might
this in Blighty, we'd be tripping.”
have been looking The clinic did have electricity, which
at an ambulance, an was nice. And the staff were lovely,
Resources
Resources

x-ray, a cast or surgery, and a night in
hospital.
Instead, it happened in Khövsgöl,
northern Mongolia, a vast expanse
of terribly scenic nothing with a vast
expanse of terribly scenic Russian
nothing 5km away across some
terribly scenic mountains.
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which was excellent. A few things it
didn't have? Running water, indoor
toilets or an x-ray.
Enter travel insurance
As it happens, the only international
standard medical facility in all of
Mongolia is in Ulaanbaatar, more
than 30 hours overland from where

86 87
Trip Planning
Best Destinations For...
Round The World
Flights FAQs
Can I change my flight dates?
Date change rules vary by route,
airline, and fare. As a general rule, the
date for the first international flight
of your journey is fixed, and cannot
be changed without substantial cost.
Changes to most other flights are
permitted, subject to airline change
fees and availability of seats on your
desired new dates. Most date changes
while you are travelling are made
directly with the airlines at the airport,
but we also over an Exclusive Travel
Concierge system here. Please check
your booking confirmation for the
date change rules applicable to your
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specific itinerary.
How much notice do I have to give to
change my dates?
If you do not intend to take a
confirmed flight (including flights
booked for a provisional date), you
must change your dates before the
flight departs. Failure to do so may
88
result in the airline cancelling your
remaining flights and you incurring
costs to have them reinstated. As
a rule of thumb it is important you
change your flight dates at least seven
days before the flight is due to depart.
How much luggage can I take?
The most common system used, is
the weight system. This allows you to
take the following amount of luggage
at no extra cost to you.
• Economy Class 20-23kg (depending
on the airline)
• Premium Economy/Business Class
30kg
• First Class 40kg
If you travel via North America then
there are a few airlines who still allow
you to take two pieces of luggage at
a maximum weight 20kg each. This
will only be for the flights via the
States though. It's worth reading this
Surfboards, airlines and what you're
allowed on an RTW article if you have
any sporting goods you want to take.
How do I change my dates once I
leave the UK?
While most date changes are made
by our passengers directly with the
airline locally (and this is the cheapest
option – especially when done with an
airline at an airport), we do know that
sometimes you might not always be
able to make contact with an airline in
person. If we can help you, and airline
permitting, then we will do so gladly,
but we will only charge whatever the
airline fees are to change your dates.
These can be found on your booking
confirmation. Again this is on the
proviso that your airline will allow us
to do so.
Can I change my route once I leave
the UK?
In most cases you will be able to
re-route your ticket although this will
cost a little more (GBP£75-£250 plus
any changes in taxes or any increases
in fuel surcharges) and involve you
going into an airline office or at an
airport to have the ticket re-issued
(Most airlines will not accept re-
routing and even date changes over
the phone - the easiest place to
Trip Planning
Best Destinations For...
change tickets is at the airport). Please
note this procedure can take a while
as the airline in the country you are in
has to contact their office in London
to get the ticketing details. Also the
tickets we sell are quite complicated
and it can take longer to reissue a
ticket in Ulan Bataar that it would at
Heathrow.
Ticket changes on your RTW once
you have left the UK
Changing dates can be easy. On your
RTW you will be spending a lot of
time in airports - this is the best time
to plan and change your RTW. This is
what most passengers do 99% of the
time. Not on the phone (where service
can be sporadic) but in person. Below
are links to some of our more popular
RTW carriers - they will give you the
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Resources
address of local airline offices.
• Air New Zealand
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Bangkok Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
89
 • Hawaiian Air
• Iberia
Trip Planning
• LAN
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
How to change if you can't get to an
airport
If you want us to change your dates,
please email your consultant and
Best Destinations For...
cc in sales@roundthewordflights.
com with your ideal dates and
advise how flexible you are eg plus
3 days, plus or minus 1 day etc. For
security reasons we will not do this
over the phone. Please include your
roundtheworldflights.com Booking
Number and the debit or credit card
you wish to use for any airline fees
that will be noted on your booking
confirmation (with expiry date and 3
digit security number). If you do this
when you are in a place where you are
able to access your emails regularly
then it will definitely make your life
easier too.
Important information
We will endeavour to get back to
you ASAP (usually the same business
day) and always within 72 hours.
However please note that we cannot
change any dates departing within
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7 days and will also need at least 7
days notice to book any new dates
– in these cases you must contact
the airline directly . Please also note
that we are only able to change
certain airlines, and that sometimes
a booking drops off our system and
becomes embedded within an airline
system after you have left the UK. In
90
that case you MUST contact the airline
directly. There are some fares that do
Trip Planning
not allow changes - (please see your
Booking Confirmation for details)
and there are also some cases where
although changes are permitted with
the airline, they cannot be made by
roundtheworldflights.com after you
have left the UK. In these cases you
MUST contact the airline directly.
Can I get a refund if my plans change
Best Destinations For...
or I cancel my trip?
Most tickets from
roundtheworldtravel.com are
refundable, but cancellation fees will
apply. This will be advised to you by
your travel consultant and also in
writing on your Booking Confirmation.
Please note that once you have started
travel, your ticket is non-refundable for
any reason, including medical reasons.
roundtheworldflights.com cannot
waive airlines cancellation penalties
and strongly advise you purchase travel
insurance that includes cancellation
protection. If you have to cancel your
trip, for whatever reason, please make
sure that your reservation is cancelled.
This can be done by contacting your
consultant in writing - most passengers
do so by email (consultants emails
are here) and cc in customerservice@
roundtheworldflights.com but you
can post it if it's more convenient, then
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please send your tickets (or e ticket
booking confirmation) with a covering
letter by Recorded Delivery to:
Customer Services,
roundtheworldflights.com,
Third Floor, 32-33 Upper Street,
Islington, London. N1 0PN
Read more: Design your itinerary with
this Flight Builder tool
91
 Travel Directory Reading
Trip Fiction - A website that
Conservation & responsible
travel
Insurance
World Nomads - Travel insurance
Trip Planning

Flights & Transport
Round The World Flights - Long
distance and round-the-world
flight specialists. Personal service
to help you find the right flight.
www.roundtheworldflights.com
Wanderu - Reduce your carbon
footprint and make shorter trips
Best Destinations For...
matches global works of fiction
and travel related memoirs with
the locations in which they are set.
Search by location, author, or genre
to find your perfect holiday read.
www.tripfiction.com
Maptia - Inspiring travel writing
and thought-provoking stories that
will make you want to get out and
Born Free Foundation - An
international NGO working to
prevent animal suffering and protect
threatened species in the wild.
Born Free provides information on
how to enjoy an animal-friendly
holiday. www.bornfree.org.uk
Global Heritage Fund - An
international nonprofit dedicated to
Trip Planning
for independent travellers from
more than 130+ countries.
www.worldnomads.com*
Travel advisories
Travel Aware - The UK government
provides British nationals with the
latest travel advice and information
at www.gov.uk/travelaware

Best Destinations For...

by bus or train. Wanderu searches
hundreds of services connecting
8,000+ cities across North America
and Europe. www.wanderu.com
Destination guides
Travelfish - Authoritative, in-
depth and reliable travel guides
and coverage for Southeast Asia.
www.travelfish.org
Caravanistan - A studiously
updated online travel guide for
Central Asia and the Silk Road.
www.caravanistan.com
Routes North - An independent
travel guide to Scandinavia with
city guides, money saving tips
and accommodation reviews.
www.routesnorth.com
New Worlder - An online
magazine covering travel, culture
Resources
explore the world. www.maptia.com
Adventure.Travel - Find travel
stories, resources and companies to
inspire and equip your responsible
adventures. www.adventure.travel
Adventure.com - An online magazine
covering emerging destinations and
unique perspectives, with great travel
writing and stunning photography.
www.adventure.com
Family Traveller - The go-to magazine
and website for family centric travel.
www.familytraveller.com
Immersion Travel Magazine
- A member-supported digital
magazine covering authentic,
ethical and sustainable travel.
www.immersiontravelmag.com
Travellerspoint - An online
community offering various tools
the sustainable preservation of world Travel.State.gov - The US
heritage sites in areas of economic
State Department’s travel
need. You can support their work
information and advisory portal.
here: www.globalheritagefund.org
www.travel.state.gov
Ethical Travel Guide - Guides and Links marked with an (*) are Horizon
travel advice on responsible tourism Guides’ affiliate partners. Making a
in destinations around the world. purchase via these links will earn us a
www.ethical.travel small commission, without affecting
the price you pay.
People And Places - A social
enterprise that matches skilled
volunteers to international
projects. Can be organised as a
standalone volunteer trip or as an
addition to an existing booking.
www.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk
Sustainable Travel International -
Working towards improving lives and
protecting places through travel and
tourism. sustainabletravel.org
Travel+SocialGood - A global

and food in the Americas.
www.newworlder.com
VoiceMap - Audio tours created
by local journalists, filmmakers,
podcasters, and guides in over 100
cities worldwide. The app uses GPS to
play audio automatically, at the right
time and place. www.voicemap.me
Resources
to help you plan and share your nonprofit and community
trip with others. Create a map of
aimed at solving issues like
your travels, blog about your trip or poverty and inequality through
discuss plans with other travellers. business and leisure travel.
www.travellerspoint.com www.travelsocialgood.org
Outbounding - A community-
powered reading list of the
best travel writing on the web.
www.outbounding.org

92 93
 Travelling To A your experience of the other, with
the other. Think hard before doing
Better World
Trip Planning

Harold Goodwin
Our holidays are precious: most of us
work hard for that city break or two
weeks in the sun, that opportunity
to get away from it all, to indulge
ourselves.
But the way we travel and the
Best Destinations For...
Trip Planning
things abroad that you wouldn’t
do at home. You wouldn’t expect
to visit an orphanage or teach
children, unqualified, at home – so
why is it OK to do it abroad? Seek
out the opportunities for authentic
encounters with local people in parks,
at the theatre, in markets – forsake
the tourist tat and the tourist traps.

Best Destinations For...

choices we make can make tourism To be a holidaymaker or a traveller is
better for us, and for our hosts. We to be a guest in someone else’s place.
can choose to travel and holiday Follow Robert Frost’s advice in The
better. Responsible travel is about Road Not Taken:
using tourism to make better places
to live in, because great places to live Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
in are great places to visit. I took the one less traveled by,
Holidays should be carefree, but And that has made all the difference.
not careless. Very few of us want to
trash the places we love to visit. Travel
and tourism is what we make it – the
small choices we make as individuals
add up to make huge differences. Fly
less. Recycle more. Avoid disposable
plastic. When you walk into a hotel
room and the temperature is down at
15° with all the lights and TV are on,
complain at the front desk and ask
to see the manager. Consumers are
powerful if we all speak up.
Value the authentic local experience.
Forsake the hotspots and the trophy
selfie, and seek out encounters with
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Resources
local people – our memories are
made of shared experiences. Seek out
local shops, local artists and crafters
and buy from them – it will likely be a
better experience for you and you will
be contributing to the local economy.
Travel with respect and you will
be treated with respect, aspire to
be a temporary resident and enjoy

94 95
Photo: Alexey Poprotsky © 123RF.com
 Responsible Travel
Trip Planning
Kaitlyn Brajcich
Sustainable Travel International
Travel and tourism is the world’s
largest, most diverse industry.
Employing 1 in 10 people on the
planet, the industry touches places,
lives, and communities in all corners
of the globe.
Best Destinations For...
But tourism doesn’t always have a
positive impact. The combined effect
Resources
96
of 1.2 billion tourists quickly adds
up, contributing to environmental
damage, income inequality and
culture loss.
Fortunately, there are many ways to
take action and lessen your impact.
Leave only footprints
Before you travel, research
environmental issues in your
destination. If you’re visiting an island
challenged by water scarcity you
can avoid activities that use a lot of
Photo: BlueOrange Studio © 123RF.com
water, ask hotels about their water
conservation policies, and be mindful
of your own water usage.
Be particularly alert if you’re visiting
natural areas or heritage sites. Stick
to dedicated trails, follow visitor
guidelines and don’t remove or
damage wildlife or artifacts. You can
help alleviate pressure on popular
sights by seeking out lesser-known
attractions.
Do no harm
Try to learn about local animal
welfare and conservation issues
before taking part in any wildlife or
animal experiences. Be particularly
wary of attractions that allow direct
interaction with wild animals such as
elephant rides, big cat petting, sea-
life shows or performing animals.
Find out what species are
endangered or threatened and make
sure they don’t end up on your plate.
When purchasing souvenirs, avoid
items made from animal products
such as turtle shells, ivory, or coral.
Watch out for “greenwashing”
Just because businesses market
themselves as ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’
it doesn’t necessarily mean that they
are. Before booking ask the company
what they’re doing to minimise
their impact and support local
conservation efforts. Help spread the
word to other travellers by providing
feedback and writing online reviews.
Respect people and cultures
Read up on local customs and
be aware of cultural sensitivities.
Understanding the culture will help
you avoid awkward encounters and
is an important part of learning from
Trip Planning
the travel experience.
As a bare minimum try to learn
a few key words and phrases in
the local language such as ‘hello,’
‘goodbye,’ ‘please,’ and ‘thank you.’
By showing communities respect
you’ll help create better connections
between tourism and local people.
Think twice before sticking your
Best Destinations For...
camera in people's faces. Always
ask for permission before taking
someone’s photo, especially if there
are kids involved.
Support communities
As a tourist you have a unique
ability to help improve community
well-being. Ensure that your money
ends up in the hands of local people
or organisations that invest in
community development. Choose
businesses that are locally owned and
hire local staff, eat at restaurants that
use local food sources, and purchase
souvenirs crafted by local artisans.
Volunteer wisely
The rising popularity of
‘voluntourism’ may come from
the best of intentions but there’s
evidence that many short-term
volunteer schemes can have a
Resources
negative impact. In fact some,
especially those involving children and
orphans, can do significant harm. Be
careful where you choose to donate
your time or money.
Watch your carbon footprint
Approximately 5% of global carbon
emissions are caused by tourism, of
97
 which the large majority is due to air pen-pals and keep in touch with your
travel. When possible, take a bus or new friend!
Trip Planning

train to your destination, or consider
exploring your own backyard! If you
must travel by plane, choose the most
direct route, pack light, and purchase
carbon offsets. You can calculate your
carbon footprint and purchase offsets
using this online carbon calculator.
Reduce waste
Best Destinations For...
Trip Planning
Never stop learning
Becoming a responsible traveller is
an ongoing journey. Stay informed
and keep learning about how you
can help. Along the way, be sure to
multiply your impact by sharing your
newfound knowledge with friends
and family and remember that even

Best Destinations For...

Lots of countries have problems simply asking questions can have a
with waste management, landfill and positive effect.
marine pollution. Each year at least 8
million tons of plastic ends up in the
Explore Sustainable Travel
ocean and experts warn that by 2050,
International’s Travel Better Club,
the oceans will contain more plastic
an online community for travellers
than fish.
to exchange experiences, access
Avoid disposable products,
sustainable travel tips, and complete
recycle when possible, and bring
an online training course. To join, visit
along a reusable water bottle and
http://travelbetterclub.org and enter
purifier to filter your own water.
the coupon code TravelBetterHG to
Instead of bringing all your newly
waive the membership fee.
purchased travel supplies in their
original packaging, save space and
reduce waste by removing the
extra packaging before packing.
Of course, the best way to prevent
waste problems is by reducing your
consumption to begin with!
Give back
You can continue to make a
positive impact once you’re back
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home. Find out if there is a travel
philanthropy fund or identify other
local community development
or environmental conservation
organisations to support.
Get email or postal addresses from
people you meet while abroad and
send them some holiday photos when
you get home. Better still, become

98 99
Photo: rdonar © 123RF.com
 About roundtheworldflights.com
Trip Planning

Trip Planning
roundtheworldflights.com, an ATOL & IATA bonded specialist, is made up of a
team of travel fanatics with an average industry experience of over 10 years per
consultant. We’ve all got many long years of travel under our belts - between us
we’ve visited more than 90% of the countries on the planet!
We’re a tight-knit, friendly bunch who are constantly working together to
share our experiences, our knowledge of new airline routes and the latest rule
changes to build the best value route for each of our clients.
When it comes to round the world tickets, it pays to deal with an expert.
We've noticed recently that some bigger operators have been marking up RTWs
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Best Destinations For...

at higher rates and then offering a price guarantee to dupe you into thinking
you're getting a good deal. We think this is wrong.
Our guys have unparalleled experience. We work extremely hard to bring you
the most knowledgeable consultants and the lowest possible prices. That’s why
we’re willing to publish our rates on our website (unlike most). It's also why
we're No.1 on on Google and recommended in over 60 guidebooks.
And what’s more, we’re happy to back it up with our RTW Price Guarantee.
See here for more details.
And now, all that’s left to say is - what are you waiting for?!
Start your trip planning today - give us a shout and we’ll be happy to help.
Email: sales@roundtheworldflights.com
Phone: 020 7704 5700 (From abroad: +44 (0) 207 704 5700)
Address:
Third Floor, 32-33 Upper Street,
Islington, London N1 0PN
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100 101
 About Horizon Our partners are all carefully selected Also In This Series
small and independent operators
Guides
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Trip Planning
who share our mission. You will never
Exploring The The National Parks
see a Horizon Guide on all-inclusive
Silk Road of Costa Rica
We publish guidebooks to resorts or mega cruises. We’re here
incredible experiences and thrilling to celebrate real places, authentic Highlights and key Exploring the most
destinations. We exist to inspire our experiences and mindful travel. routes biodiverse country
readers’ curiosity and wanderlust We're proud to support the on earth
2nd Edition (2017)
with useful guides to fascinating following organisations who share our 2nd Edition (2017)
places. values:
What we do
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We create guides to help you find,
plan and book your next adventure.
Trekking in The Northern
Each of our guides is researched and
Patagonia Lights In Iceland
authored by travel writers with in-
depth local knowledge and first-hand Best trails and How to see nature’s
expertise. lodges in Chile’s greatest spectacle
Torres del Paine
100% impartial National Park 2nd Edition (2017)
The information in our guides is 2nd Edition (2017)
100% impartial and guaranteed free
from any commercial influence. We
never accept payment for positive
coverage.
The Great Cuba Unwrapped
Travel far, travel well Wildebeest The island, the
We believe that travel has the power Migration people, the culture
to change ourselves as people and Exploring Africa’s
biggest wildlife 1st Edition (2017)
the world around us, usually for the
better. phenomenon
But we also know that irresponsible
2nd Edition (2017)
mass tourism can be culturally
disruptive and environmentally
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Resources
damaging.
Running through all our guides
is a common theme: that travel is
best when we’re open, curious and
mindful of our footprint. We’re on
a quest to promote a vision of travel
that is sustainable, responsible and
adds to the world rather than taking
away.

102 103