travelling round the world

Here's what you need to know to plan a trip around the world

Dec 29, 2021 • 7 min read

Don't start planning your round-the-world trip without reading this guide © Getty Images

In 1924, a team of aviators from the USA successfully completed the first-ever circumnavigation of the globe by airplane, a feat that took 175 days, 76 stops, a cache of 15 Liberty engines, 14 spare pontoons, four aircraft and two sets of new wings. This achievement ushered in an era of international air travel, and nearly a century later, travelers are still creating their own round-the-world itineraries. 

You might not have the same worries as those early aviators, but planning a round-the-world trip has never been a more complex process. As COVID-19 continues to alter world travel , heading out on a multi-country trip might be more complicated than it has been in decades. While it might not be the right time to hit the road, luckily it's never too early to start figuring out the logistics of a trip around the globe. After all, who doesn't have a lot of pent-up wanderlust at the moment? 

When it comes to booking your trip, there are several options for booking your airfare, as well as flexibility on timing, destinations and budget. But don't let that overwhelm you – start here with our handy guide on how to plan that round-the-world trip you’ve always dreamed of.

Where and how to get a round-the-world plane ticket

The most economical way to circumnavigate the globe is to buy a round-the-world (RTW) plane ticket through a single airline alliance. These are confederations of several different airlines that make it simple to maximize the number of places you can travel and pay for it all in one place or with points. There are three primary airline alliances to choose from: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam.  Star Alliance is a coalition of 26 airlines that fly to 1300 airports in 98% of the world’s countries.  OneWorld includes 14 airlines traveling to 1100 destinations in 180 territories.  Skyteam is made up of 19 airlines that serve 1000 destinations in 170 countries.  

Read more:   How to save money when you're traveling

Once you pick an airline alliance, whether because of a loyalty program you’re already a member of or because you like its terms, conditions and destination list, you can purchase a single RTW airline ticket made up of several legs fulfilled by that alliance’s partners. The RTW ticket rules vary between each of the airline alliances, with particulars like Star Alliance’s rule that a RTW ticket can include two to 15 stops. But there are some general principles that apply to most RTW tickets, no matter which airline group you go with. 

You typically must follow one global direction (east or west – no backtracking); you must start and finish in the same country; and you must book all your flights before departure, though you can change them later (though this could incur extra charges). Typically you have one year to get from your starting point to the finish line.

How long do I need for a round-the-world trip?

You could whip around the world in a weekend if you flew non-stop, especially with the advent of new ultra-long-haul flights that can clock in at 20 hours of flight time. However, the minimum duration of most RTW tickets is 10 days – still a breathless romp. To get the most out of your round-the-world ticket, consider stock-piling vacation days, tagging on public holidays or even arranging a sabbatical from work to take off at least two months (but ideally six months to one year). Because most airline alliances give you up to a year to use your ticket, you can maximize your purchase if you plan well.

When should I travel on a round-the-world trip?

The weather will never be ideal in all your stops, so focus on what you want to do most and research the conditions there. In general, city sightseeing can be done year-round (escape extreme heat, cold or rain in museums and cafes), but outdoor adventures are more reliant on – and enjoyable in – the right weather.

Research ahead of time if any must-see destinations or must-do activities will mean facing crowds. For example, if you’re hoping to be in Austria for the famous Salzburg Festival, you’ll want to plan ahead and book your tickets months in advance. If you’re hoping to fit a shorter thru-hike into your round-the-world trip, you’ll want to make sure you’re going in the correct season and starting in the right spot. You won’t get far or have as enjoyable an experience if you’re, say, attempting the Tour du Mont Blanc during the dates of the annual winter marathon or headed northbound on the Pacific Crest Trail in July, missing most of the warmer months. 

Accept youʼll be in some regions at the "wrong" time – though this might offer unexpected benefits. For example, Victoria Falls has a dry season each year , which means a slightly less thunderous cascade, but it does open up rafting opportunities and a chance to swim right up to the lip of the falls in The Devil’s Pool. Going to Venice in the winter might mean grayer skies but fewer crowds. Heading to Kenya and Tanzania in April is likely to mean fewer humans, but not fewer chances to spot wildlife, all while saving money on safari.  Also keep in mind that mom-and-pop locations have their downtime and holiday seasons as well; don't be too surprised if your local bakery in Paris is closed for a holiday week or two in August.

Where should I go on my round-the-world trip?

The classic (and cheapest) RTW tickets flit between a few big cities, for example, London – Bangkok – Singapore – Sydney – LA . If you want to link more offbeat hubs ( Baku – Kinshasa – Paramaribo , anyone?), prices will climb considerably. The cost of the ticket is also based on the total distance covered or the number of countries visited.

Remember, you donʼt have to fly between each point: in Australia you could land in Perth , travel overland and fly out of Cairns . Or fly into Moscow , board the Trans-Siberian railway  and fly onwards from Beijing.  Pick some personal highlights and string the rest of your itinerary around those. For instance, if youʼre a keen hiker, flesh out a Peru ( Inca Trail ) – New Zealand ( Milford Track ) – Nepal ( Everest Base Camp ) itinerary with stops in Yosemite , Menz-Gauassa and the Okavango Delta .

If budgetʼs an issue, spend more time in less expensive countries and plan budget city breaks along the way. You’ll spend more in metros like Paris, Dubai and San Francisco than in Nusa Tenggara , Budapest  and Buffalo . 

Tips, tricks and pitfalls of round-the-world tickets

Talk to an expert before you book a round-the-world ticket: you may have an itinerary in mind, but an experienced RTW flight booker will know which routes work best and cost least. A few tweaks could mean big savings in time and money. Hash out a budget well ahead of time, not only for your RTW ticket, but also for the whole trip. Reach out to friends or travel bloggers who have done a round-the-world trip or are full-time travelers because they can offer tips on how to budget for a trip around the world .

Be flexible: moving your departure date by a few days can save money. Mid-week flights are generally cheaper, as are flights on major holidays such as Christmas Day. Avoid days and times popular with business travelers to escape higher prices and more crowded cabins.

Think about internal travel: it can be cheaper to book internal flights at the same time as booking your RTW ticket, but with the global increase of low-cost airlines, you may find it better (and more flexible) to buy them separately as you go.

Be warned: if you donʼt board one of your booked flights (say, on a whim, you decide to travel overland from Bangkok to Singapore rather than fly it) your airline is likely to cancel all subsequent flights.

You might also like: 10 destinations perfect for solo travel Can visiting lesser-known places offer a better travel experience? 6 things I learned from flying 6 days in a row

This article was first published Mar 20, 2012 and updated Dec 29, 2021.

Explore related stories

Mar 14, 2024 • 10 min read

Whether it's bus, train, private car, motorcycle, bike, plane or boat, you can plan your trip around Vietnam with this guide to getting around.

Nov 19, 2023 • 10 min read

Aug 27, 2023 • 6 min read

Apr 28, 2023 • 3 min read

Dec 1, 2022 • 3 min read

Oct 6, 2022 • 3 min read

Jan 12, 2020 • 5 min read

Jun 21, 2024 • 9 min read

Jun 20, 2024 • 6 min read

Round the World Tickets: The Ultimate Guide (Updated 2024)

Y ou've probably heard about round the world tickets, a one-stop shop approach to cross-continental flying. But let's be real: it's never been easier to book flight tickets yourself, and round the world tickets are pricey. So why do people book round the world tickets, and are they  actually worth the cost?

The quick answer is, it depends . If you're pressed for time, have a seriously fixed itinerary with many international stops to make, it can be cost-wise. However, if you have a whimsical, budget-conscious trip in mind, or are focusing on just one part of the world, there are cheaper options out there that you should know about  (like finding fares yourself on Skyscanner on Kiwi.com ).

So, here's everything you need to know about round the world tickets, followed by our DIY approach that could save you even more money!

• 1 How do Round The World tickets work?
• 2 How to book a round the world ticket
• 3 What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?
• 4 The alternative: book separate flights yourself
• 5 How to book your own round the world trip
• 6 So, what's the cheapest option?
• 7 A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City
• 8 What are the alternatives?
• 9 So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

How do Round The World tickets work?

Round the world (RTW) tickets are flight packages that let you visit a number of destinations around the world for one price. These tickets are offered by airline alliances like SkyTeam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance. All the flights in your itinerary must be served by airlines within the chosen alliance.

RTW tickets require you to select your destinations and departure dates in advance. This means you prepay for the pass and book all of your flights before your trip. Note: you don't have to actually fly “around the world” with these tickets , they're also sold as multi-city flights, continent-based travel, or by miles.

The perk of RTW tickets is the ability to book all flights at once at a discounted price, plus ensures a mass accumulation of frequent flyer miles since you'll only be flying partner airlines. You can even purchase part or all of your RTW ticket with relevant miles, where permitted.

How to book a round the world ticket

Round the world tickets can be purchased directly with airline alliances or via  travel agents .

Airline Alliances

• OneWorld Alliance
• Star Alliance

Each alliance offers an online trip planner that allows you to put in every stop of your itinerary and get a price quote. It also makes it easy to work around the restrictions of round the world tickets, warning you when your planned route doesn't meet the requirements. All alliances offer online booking, or you can call one of the participating alliance airlines directly.

Travel Agents

• AirTreks (U.S. – our top choice & has 32+ years experience in RTW planning)
• Liberty Travel (U.S.)
• Flight Centre ( Australia , U.K. , Canada )
• RoundAbout Travel (Australia)
• Student Flights (Australia)
• A travel agent local to you

Travel agents have exclusive access to flight deals, plus receive discounts accessible only via their IATA code. They also save a great deal of time and money whilst adhering to your budget and needs. Find an agency that specializes in round the world tickets, so they're aware of the restrictions and can secure the best price.

What are the restrictions and/or setbacks?

RTW tickets often more expensive than a DIY approach (covered later), especially given they exclude budget airlines. Furthermore, there are restrictions to follow, so ensure you've read the fine print. Such restrictions typically include:

• A minimum number of flights to book (typically three), as well as a maximum
• Flights usually must be within the same airline alliance. This can sometimes result in obscure stopovers to stay with partner alliances.
• Restrictions on the direction of travel (e.g. East to West only) and/or requiring you to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at least once
• All flights must end in the city you started from and connect from city-to-city (i.e. you can't fly into London, then take a train to fly out of Paris)
• A minimum number of stopovers
• Additional surcharges for itinerary changes and/or flying to certain destinations
• Missing a flight in your itinerary could result in the remaining flights being cancelled, even if days or weeks away

Whew! Though there are many restrictions, most will come up when making your booking . Simply use the round the world ticket planners provided by each alliance, put in your desired destinations, and the options and costs will be presented automatically.

The alternative: book separate flights yourself

The value of a round the world ticket depends on the route you're taking and the flexibility needed. More often than not, you'll find it's cheaper, easier, and more flexible to book your own round the world trip online across several bookings using multi-destination flight search engines like Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner . You also can mix and match airlines, and aren't confined by the restrictions that accompany an actual RTW ticket.

Credit card points programs also allow multi-city flight bookings, effectively allowing you to book your own round the world trip via points or a combination of cash and points. You can readily rack up a significant amount of miles just by hitting the minimum spend within a set time. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is our top pick as a beginner card. On hitting its minimum spend, you can earn up to 60,000 points worth $750 – more than enough for an international flight .

Flight deal subscriptions like Scotts Cheap Flights compile discounted airfare to your inbox, based on the desired departure airports. Whilst this doesn't include RTW flights, this could help you cover some of the legs of your trip, as it has majorly discounted international flights departing the U.S. For those outside America, similar services exist in the U.K. ( Jack's Flight Club ) and Canada ( Next Departure ).

The only major drawbacks with booking a RTW ticket yourself is the time and patience needed to make the booking. Additionally, you may end up with frequent flyer miles spread across a variety of programs, without enough miles in any program to use them. Most likely though, you'll come out ahead financially doing it yourself.

How to book your own round the world trip

Kiwi.com  and Skyscanner are the two flight search engines we recommend for booking your own tickets for a round the world trip. They include budget airlines and let you search multi-destination flights, letting you see prices for your entire itinerary at once.

The key difference between the two is that Skyscanner prefers results from partner airlines , while Kiwi.com will always  mix and match airlines (including budget airlines) for the cheapest price . Either booking site can be beneficial depending on your trip, so to get the best price, be sure to compare results and follow these tips:

• Experiment with  the order of your destinations for the best price. Just because a flight is shorter doesn't mean it will be cheaper.
• Experiment with the  dates of each flight . This can be time consuming, but if you're dedicated, you can shave hundreds of dollars off your total cost by simply finding the cheapest dates for each flight.
• Multi-city and  return flights are often better value than booking many one-way flights when they can all be fulfilled by the same airline/alliance. For example, Virgin Atlantic has routes from New York to London, London to Shanghai, and Shanghai to New York, so making one multi-city booking with this single airline will be cheaper than several individual bookings with different airlines.
• Skyscanner prefers partner airlines that can fulfil the entire itinerary you submit, which doesn't always get you the best price on complex itineraries. So if you have a lot of destinations, split your searches into 3-4 destinations at a time . For example, instead of submitting New York > London  > Paris > Beijing > New York as a single search, try searching New York > London > Paris as one search, and Paris > Prague > Beijing > New York as a second search. You don't have to worry about this on Kiwi.com , which always mixes and matches airlines to get the best results.

So, what's the cheapest option?

In our tests, the DIY approach is always cheaper, but it depends on the kind of trip you're taking. Round the world tickets can cost anywhere from $1,500 USD to $20,000 USD . The price varies greatly, and depends on your departure point, number of flights, distance flown, continents flown to, and flight class.

On the other hand, regular flight ticket prices are all over the map, dependent mostly on supply and demand. Sometimes a flight across continents can be even cheaper than a flight within your own country. Since regular flight tickets include budget airlines , sale and error fares , and you can still take advantage of discounts with partner airlines,  booking your own flight tickets has always been cheaper for us .

The only way to know for sure is to compare. Use the links provided in this guide and see what gives you the best result!

A Thrifty Case Study: A Round the World Trip from New York City

As an example, let's find the best price for the following round the world trip:  New York City > London > Paris > Prague > Beijing > Hong Kong > New York City . We want to go in  April and May , and we are booking now in  January . We'll start on Tuesday, April 10, and schedule each consecutive flight for the following Tuesday.

Option 1: A round the world travel agent

Booking with AirTreks also gives you a team with over 32 years of experience in RTW planning, all your tickets in one spot (instead of many confusing separate bookings), 24/7 support, and better routes (less layover time, more baggage, etc.) If you do find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know – AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat it!

Option 2: A round the world ticket booked directly with airline alliances

Putting in the same itinerary into each of the airline alliances' round the world trip planner gives us the following totals:

• OneWorld: $3,738.86 USD
• SkyTeam: $3,904.28 USD
• Star Alliance: $4,543.84 USD

Not exactly thrifty, and up to 3x the advertised price of the travel agent! True round the world tickets require strategic planning, so using a travel agent's expertise can save you time and money. But let's take a look at booking regular airline tickets yourself…

Option 3: Book your own tickets using Kiwi.com and Skyscanner

Using the Kiwi.com multicity search feature, we enter our full itinerary, and within minutes, we have a variety of options from $1,390 – $1,434 USD .

As we mentioned, Skyscanner usually just shows results from  partner airlines that can fulfill a ticket for the entire route. This route is pretty complex, and it's unlikely one airline alliance could fulfill it all, so let's  break it up .

After half an hour of trying different combinations of multi-city and one-way searches, the cheapest combination I could find for these dates was

• New York City > London > Paris > Prague: $390 USD
• Prague > Beijing: $283 USD
• Beijing > Hong Kong: $119 USD
• Hong Kong > New York City: $493 USD
• TOTAL TRIP COST: $1,285 USD

This is the cheapest option, beating Kiwi.com by only $105. What's going on here? In short, trial and error. The first batch of airlines aren't partners, but Skyscanner sometimes lets you mix and match airlines by using Kiwi.com for booking. And although there are partner airlines to fulfill the rest of the route, Hong Kong Airlines is an independent budget airline with competitive pricing, so it ended up being cheaper to book the flights separately in order to include their fares.

You can take this even further by testing different dates in your itinerary, as well as the order of your flights. As you can see, the process can be time consuming, but a little time rewards you with hundreds or thousands of dollars saved!

What are the alternatives?

Regional flight passes.

While not a round the world ticket in itself, this type of flight pass might be more sensible for your trip, depending whether you'll be flying a lot in one region versus globally. For instance, if you are planning to take more flights around South America than across continents, then you may be better off investing in one of their regional passes (check our guide here ).

Some examples of regional flight passes include:

• OneWorld single-continent passes: available for Africa, Asia, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Malaysia, South America, Europe, North America, Middle East, South Asian Sub-Continent
• OneWorld multi-continent passes: rather than flying all the way around the world, these passes let you fly in a circle around one smaller area of the world
• SkyTeam regional passes : available for Asia & Southwest Pacific, Africa, Asia, Europe, Greater China, Russia, and USA & Canada
• Independent airline passes in South America : these work within specific South American countries (check our comprehensive list and guide here )
• Qantas Explorer pass : a flight pass for exploring Australia and New Zealand

Building your own stopover

A stopover – that is, an extended layover where you can actually leave the airport for 1 or more days or weeks – can be added for cheap or free to any trip, all by yourself. Our how-to guide here explains exactly how to do this.

Essentially, you find a flight fare that includes a layover, but instead of rushing to your connecting flight, you spend days or weeks in the layover destination, visiting 2 destinations for the price of 1. Whether you go round the world or not, it's a great way to squeeze more travel value out of your flight costs.

So, is a round the world ticket worth it?

In short, for most travellers, the answer is probably no. There are a certain set of criteria where it could be more cost-effective, and some travellers may prefer the ease of having all of their tickets booked in one pass anyway. However, the fixed timing, many restrictions, and high price are likely to be unappealing to those who are seeking a thriftier approach, especially when it's so easy to book yourself for less with Kiwi.com and Skyscanner .

The Thrifty Gist

• Round the world tickets are usually pricier than self-booking, but offer peace of mind and a pre-set itinerary
• A dedicated RTW agent such as AirTreks can save you a lot of time, with the added benefit of 24/7 support, having all of your flights in one place, established airlines with shorter routes, and over 32 years of experience in RTW planning. AirTreks tells us they're confident they could beat the other prices in this post, so if you find a cheaper fare yourself, let them know!
• Round the world tickets can be booked with airline alliances or travel agents, while self-booking regular flight tickets can be booked using the multi-destination features of Skyscanner and Kiwi.com
• Self-booking is usually the cheapest approach to a round the world trip, but can also be more tedious
• Reasons to self-book include the abundance of available error/sale fares , budget airlines, the ease with which self-booking can be done, and that stopovers can easily be added to any trip

Our website contains some affiliate links in relevant areas. This means we get a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for recommending a product we personally use, trust, and own.

trying to fin d the cheapest country to start a Oneworld 4 continent ticket July 2022, it used to be South Africa or Jordan, any update links?

Please send complete information for my round the world travel for 2 – up to a year.

Skyteam RTW tickets are not available currently, and haven’t been since the start of COVID. The Star Alliance RTW business ticket I just booked was half the price of using the DIY method.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Round The World Airline Tickets

Fly rtw with one world member airlines.

one world's Round The World tickets give you unprecedented access to hundreds of destinations in 170 territories. We offer three types of Round The World trips:

one world Explorer: a continent-based fare,

Global Explorer: a distance-based fare,

Circle Pacific: an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean.

Where to first? The whole wide world is waiting for your Round The World trip.

one world Explorer

Continent-Based Air Travel

No matter where business or pleasure takes you,  one world's vast network means your Round The World trip via  one world Explorer fare makes it easy to travel from city to city, and continent to continent. And, for every dot you connect, you earn more miles and points to spend across the  one world Alliance.

Global Explorer

Distance-Based Air Travel

For an even wider choice of where to travel, book your Round The World trip via Global Explorer, which grants you access to an even more extensive list of airlines, including Aer Lingus, Bangkok Airways,  one world  connect   partner  Fiji Airways , Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific, WestJet, and  Qantas  code-share flights operated by Air Tahiti Nui.

Circle Pacific

Multi-Continent Air Travel

If you prefer to visit multiple continents without actually flying all the way around the world, our Circle Pacific fare lets you explore the continents that border the Pacific Ocean. You can choose to start and finish your journey in one of the following continents:

Asia  (Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)

Southwest Pacific  (Australia and New Zealand)

North America  (USA and Canada)

South America

Contact a  one world member airline or your travel agent to plan and book your Circle Pacific trip now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a round the world ticket.

The one world Alliance offers a way to visit many countries, around the world, all in a single itinerary.

On oneworld.com, you can choose to book either one world Explorer, where the fare depends on the number of continents you visit, or Global Explorer, where the fare depends on the distance you travel.

Circle Pacific, an inter-continental journey to explore continents that border the Pacific Ocean, can be booked by your travel agent and is not currently available for booking on oneworld.com.

Where Can I Fly With Round The World?

For one world Explorer and Global Explorer, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover six continental regions: Europe/Middle East (including Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen); Africa (excluding countries listed above); Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, but excluding countries named above); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; North America (including the Caribbean, Central America, and Panama); and South America. Currently, it is not possible to begin your itinerary through Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) through one world member Qatar Airways. Book both one world Explorer and Global Explorer on oneworld.com.

Through the one world Circle Pacific fare, one world member airlines and affiliate airlines cover four continental regions: Asia (including the Indian subcontinent, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan); Australia, New Zealand, and the South West Pacific; and North America. Ask your travel agent about booking a one world Circle Pacific fare. Routes are subject to change.

Where Can I Travel Now, Given COVID Restrictions?

View entry restrictions and COVID-19 travel requirements for countries around the world on our the one world Travel Requirements Information Portal . Use the map to get information on travel restrictions by country, including entry restrictions, as well as COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and quarantine requirements.

Is Round The World Ticket Business Class An Option?

Yes, Round The World tickets are available in Economy, Business, and First class. On our oneworld.com booking tool, there is a drop-down menu to select your preferred cabin class. Premium economy upgrades will show where available when you select flights.

Is Round The World Ticket First Class An Option?

How much does a round the world ticket cost.

Your Round the World fare is based on a few factors: the number of continents you visit or pass through or the distance travelled, the travel class selected, and the number of travelling passengers. Read on for more information about full fare rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Are The Round The World Rules?

Read on for Round The World rules and conditions [Note: Links open PDF in browser]:

What Should I Know To Help Me Plan My one world Explorer Itinerary?

When planning your one world Explorer itinerary, here are tips to keep in mind:

Destinations are grouped into three zones and six continents:

Zone 1: North & South America

Zone 2: Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Zone 3: Asia and the South West Pacific

Your trip must be in a continuous forward direction, East or West, between Zone 1, Zone 2 and Zone 3. Backtracking within a continent is generally permitted, however some exclusions apply.

Your adventure can last from 10 days up to a year. Travel must be completed within 12 months of your original departure date.

Your trip must start and finish in the same city.

You must cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on your journey.

Your journey can include three to six continents, and anywhere between three and 16 flights.

Review complete one world Explorer fare rules and conditions .

Can I Change Or Update My Round The World Itinerary?

Yes, one world Explorer, Global Explorer and one world Circle Pacific itineraries can be modified to accommodate changes to your Round The World plans.

If you booked your Round The World trip through oneworld.com, contact the ticketing airline (the airline you are flying on the first leg of your journey) to make changes to your itinerary.

If you booked your Round The World tickets through a travel agent, please contact the travel agent to make changes to your itinerary.

Will I Earn Frequent Flyer Points On A Round The World Trip?

Short answer: Yes, you will earn frequent flyer points on your Round the World trip.

Long answer: Yes. one world works in collaboration with all of our partner and member airlines to ensure that you’re rewarded no matter where you travel. On all eligible flights, you will accrue points or miles toward the airline of your choice and toward your one world tier status .

How Can I Pay For A one world Round The World Trip With Frequent Flyer Points?

Currently, it is not possible to use frequent flyer points to pay for a one world Round The World trip.

Does Your one world Explorer ticket include checked-in baggage?

Two free pieces of 23 kilos each shall be permitted. Additional allowances may apply. Refer to individual carrier websites.

The Ultimate Guide to Planning the Round the World Trip of a Lifetime

After planning 10 around the world trips, I’ve learned a few things. Here’s how to plan your dream RTW vacation, from Round the World flights to choosing your Bucket List itinerary.

Let’s face it, the pandemic was a punch to the gut for travel lovers around the world.

Never did I think I’d see a day when I couldn’t just bebop onto a transatlantic flight. Or just, say, leave my own home. But there we were.

When I (literally) dusted off my passport in early 2021, the thin layer of dust accumulated was borderline soul crushing.

But thankfully, the pandemic era is finally in the rearview mirror and international travel has rebounded with a heart-warming zeal in the years since!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to book through these links, I receive a small commission, which I will undoubtedly blow on more flights (it’s a vicious cycle).  All of this internet voodoo takes place at no additional cost to you. 

So now what?

You’ve got some lost time to make up for, that’s what.

And there’s no better way to do it than with a life-changing, Bucket-List-crushing, dream vacation around the world .

Take my word for it…I’ve done 10 around the world trips, visiting more than 175 countries on all 7 continents along the way.

And you can, too.

But I probably don’t need to waste my time selling you on the idea of a trip around the world. You found this site. I suspect you’re on board.

So let’s start with the basics.

What is a Round the World Trip?

Simply put, a Round the World (RTW) trip is a circumnavigation of the globe, either in an eastward or westward direction. Start in one city and continue east or west until you get back to it. That’s all there is to it!

Tip: West is best for combatting jetlag, while East saves time and hotel nights ($$) with overnight flights. (I’m cheap and usually short on time, I fly East. )

Read More: 8 Reasons to Stop Dreaming & Start Planning a Trip “Around the World in 30 Days “

Of course, while the concept of round the world travel is simple, the variables are far more complex.

For example, you may be wondering…

How many days do I need for a Round the World trip?

What you’ve probably seen on YouTube and Instagram from round the world travelers is true.

Most quit their jobs, sell their possessions, and hit the road for a year or more with big dramatic flair. Of course, that kind of nomadic commitment is not for everyone.

And I’m living proof that there are other options.

My first 9 RTW trips were approximately 30 days each. The lone exception was RTW #10, my honeymoon , which clocked in at a pretty incredible 3 months.

I’ve also done 30-day trips focused on various regions of the world like Europe , Central America , Oceania , the Balkans , and the Himalayas (a great option if there’s a specific part of the world that interests you or you just hate jetlag).

For me, a month is the ideal amount of time to travel.

Long enough to truly disconnect and explore.

Yet short enough that I’m unlikely to throw my carry-on (we’ll get to that) suitcase out the nearest train window because I’m tired of every single thing in it.

There’s no right answer to how long your round the world trip should take. I know someone who went around the world in 5 days (zero stars, do not recommend) and someone else who started 10 years ago and is still going strong.

So, two weeks, a month, or even 6 months to travel around the world? It’s totally up to you.

The bottom line: Take as much time as you can, anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months will do. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you never know if you’ll have the chance to do it again.

A trip around the world sounds amazing, but how do I get the time off?

When I wrote the first edition of The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting 12 years ago, this topic was a central focus and the largest hurdle to taking a career-friendly trip around the world.

After all, most Americans are stuck with a measly 2 weeks of annual vacation leave (the horror!).

So, how do you travel around the world without tanking your career?

Amazingly, on this front, the COVID-19 pandemic gifted us with one gleaming silver lining:

WORK. FROM. HOME.

Yes, even the stuffiest of Fortune 500 corporations have finally come around to the idea that work from home can (and does) work – with the right employee.

This revelation is especially thrilling to me as someone who has been working from home (combined with business travel) for more than 20 years.

In fact, my friends will tell you that my life mantra has always been:

If you can work from home, you can work from Rome. Jenny McIver Brocious

Or Paris. Or Bangkok. Or wherever floats your boat.

You get the idea.

There’s a lot more to making this work successfully from exotic locales – time zone challenges, reliable internet, etc. (I go into that in detail in the book) – but I can assure you, it can be done.

And it beats the pants off working from your dining room table.

The bottom line: You can use the WFH option to increase your available time for travel. Add days or weeks onto your trip or schedule a trip just to work from somewhere inspiring.

What’s on your Bucket List?

And now we come to the fun part. This is where the magic happens.

Where in the world do you want to go?

I speak from experience when I say that there are few things more thrilling than sitting down in front of a giant foldout map of the world and plotting out your dream vacation .

Maybe you already have a dozen exotic destinations in mind. Or maybe there are places in the world you never considered visiting because they always seemed too far away.

The beauty of going around the world is that the entire world becomes just a short flight away.

How many destinations should I choose?

The answer will directly correlate to how much time you plan to take. My 4 week round the world trips have ranged from an uber-ambitious 15 stops on Round the World #1 to a more relaxed pace with 8 stops on Round the World #2 .

Here’s a simple, 3-step plan to crafting your round the world trip itinerary:

• Make your wish list.
• Compare it to the number of days you have to travel.
• Adjust accordingly.

Critically evaluate how long you actually need to see each desintaiton on your wish list.

For some (like me), 2-3 days per destination can be a good rule of thumb. Devote more time to your “ Top 5 ” must-see destinations and maybe just spend one day exploring the city you only added to the itinerary because it was right there and you couldn’t just skip it (you laugh, but I guarantee a few of these stops will sneak their way onto your itinerary!).

Remember that a 4 week round the world trip, however incredible, is not going to be an in-depth cultural experience at every stop.

Think more Amazing Race and less Under the Tuscan Sun .

It IS, however, a terrific way to get a taste of new and exciting places and start building a new wish list for future trips.

Depending on your interest level, you may not need a week to see the Pyramids , I did it in an afternoon and it was magnificent. A full day at the Taj Mahal and a morning walk along the Great Wall of China were enough to fulfill my dream of seeing those world wonders.

But that’s me. And I’ve been told I can be a little, ah, overly-energetic when I travel.

You do you.

Need some destination inspiration? Here are 30 of my favorite travel experiences around the world:

Around the World in 30 Extraordinary Travel Experiences

And here are the Top 50 places I think should be on every Travel Bucket List:

50 Amazing Places for Your Travel Bucket List (2024)

Round the World Flights: The RTW Ticket (your new best friend)

I am fortunate that my years of excessive business travel have one nifty little side benefit, I have a crap ton of airline miles.

So when I discovered the magical world of “ Round the World airline tickets ” years ago, those Delta miles not only afforded me the opportunity to take that first RTW trip but to take it in first class with Delta’s Skyteam Alliance.

Sadly, the days of booking a RTW ticket with miles went the way of the dodo bird in 2015. I won’t lie to you, I wept openly when Delta first announced it (followed quickly by United and American).

But all is not lost if you’ve been hoarding miles like pandemic toilet paper. All major US airlines now allow one-way award booking. This means you can still use your miles to route yourself around the world, one one-way flight at a time!

And honestly, the old mileage RTW tickets were a deal but they were a BEAR to book and had zero flexibility. One-way award booking gives you a ton more flexibility plus the option to mix economy and business class legs (for longer flights) on your journey.

This is a BIG perk.

Here are a few more tips for you “ Up in the Air ” business travelers out there with miles & points to burn:

How to Use Points & Miles to Redeem Your RTW Dream

No miles, no problem

Two of the three major airline alliances do still offer paid RTW ticket options. Delta’s Skyteam Alliance is the exception, they discontinued the RTW ticket option completely a few years ago.

There are pros and cons to booking a round the world ticket with an airline alliance:

• Cons – Airline alliance RTW tickets are not cheap and you’ll spend extra time connecting through hub cities to get where you want to go.
• Pros – You can earn a ton of miles (and airline status) as you travel and those extra cities can be fun stopovers. Plus, if you already have status with an airline in the network, you’ll get lots of extra benefits like free checked bags and early boarding.

If that option interests you, start here:

• Oneworld – World Travel (American, Alaska)
• Star Alliance – Round the World (United)

The affordable RTW ticket…

If redeeming (or earning) miles isn’t your jam and you truly just want the most affordable way to see the world, skip the airline alliances and head straight to:

• Airtreks – This site is more service oriented, you enter a proposed itinerary and a travel planner will contact you to create the perfect customized itinerary.
• BootsnAll – This one is more DIY. You can create and book an itinerary yourself online.

Unlike the airline alliances, these two round the world airfare specialists utilize all airlines to create your dream itinerary. This will often yield both the best price and the most direct routing for your trip.

WARNING: Once you start playing around with the trip planners on these two sites, you may become addicted to the global possibilities.

Tip: You guessed it, I’ve covered all the ins and outs of booking RTW tickets in the book.

Hotels vs. Airbnb – Where to stay?

Once again business travel rewards can be handy when planning trips around the world.

My Marriott and Hilton points have been offsetting the costs of my round the world trips for years. Not to mention affording me swank rooms at hotels and resorts that were WAY outside of my round the world budget, like these:

But if you don’t have points, not to worry!

I am a firm believer that a quality, affordable hotel can always be found, even in the most expensive destinations. My go-to hotel site (when I’m not using points) is Booking.com .

Tip: If you’re not a member of any hotel frequent guest programs, sign up for all of them before you go. It’s free and you’ll earn points as you travel. Many also offer perks during your stay, just for being a member.

If you’re not a fan of chain hotels or if you’re going to be in one spot for more than 3 or 4 days, I’d highly recommend an apartment rental. They can be considerably cheaper than even the most economical hotel, and having a kitchen can also be a tremendous cost-saver.

Not to mention it’s just fun to live more like a local!

One of my favorite apartment rental sites is Airbnb but I’ve also found that more and more apartment rentals are also listed on Booking.com (and the fees there are often cheaper than Airbnb). That said, I’ve booked with Airbnb all over the world (including the Tuscan villa we used for our wedding – below!) and never had a bad experience.

Who should I travel with on an around the world trip?

If you’re married, it would probably be rude to go without your spouse (try it at your own marital peril).

But if you’re single, this is a question that deserves serious consideration. If you’ve never traveled solo, your gut instinct may be to find a friend or family member to travel with.

But before you do that, consider this…

A solo trip around the world is perhaps the best gift you can ever give yourself, especially for women. It’s empowering, it’s safe and it just might be the best travel experience of your life.

Read More: Why Every Woman Should Travel the World Solo (at Least Once) & How to Stay Safe Doing It

So yes, it’s perfectly fine (and perhaps even preferable) to travel round the world solo.

No matter what you decide, choose carefully.

How to pack (carry on only!) for an around the world trip

Yes, you read that right. I just casually floated the idea of traveling around the world for a month or longer with nothing but a carry-on bag.

If you’re a guy, you were probably not at all alarmed by the previous paragraph and thought, “ Couple of t-shirts, some shorts, underwear, got it. ” You can scroll down to the next topic, this section is not about you.

Now, for my globetrotting ladies. I’m going to ask you to trust me on this one. We’ve known each other for 10 or 15 minutes now and I feel like you get me.

With so many flights involved in an around-the-world itinerary, carry-on is truly the only option.

Reuniting with a lost bag can quickly become a logistical nightmare when you’re changing cities every few days. (And I can assure you that no one at the lost baggage desk understands what “ RTW ticket ” means.)

If you don’t believe me you can read all about the one time I broke my own rule and ended up spending an entire day at baggage claim in Paris on Round the World #4 . (Actually, don’t. It’s mind-numbing reading and definitely not my best work.)

You can do this. You don’t need all the “ stuff ” you think you do!

(For the things you do need, here’s all the Stuff I Love most!)

I have traveled for as long as 3 months out of just a carry-on (and in case I forgot to mention it, I’m a girl!). I do freely admit, however, that I was over just about every item of clothing in that suitcase by the end.

I also confess I checked a bag to Antarctica. Because Antarctica .

How do I do it? This excerpt from “ The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting ” is guaranteed to help you overcome your RTW packing challenges:

How to Travel Around the World with Just a Carry-On: A Girl’s Guide to Traveling Light

What else do I need to know for a RTW trip?

We’ve covered the big-ticket items – how long to travel, how many places to visit, with who, how to find RTW tickets, where to stay, and what to pack.

So what’s left?

Well, a LOT actually. But hey, that’s where my book comes in (insert shameless plug here).

I’ll end with a hit list of other tips, tricks, and things to consider when planning your once-in-a-lifetime (or maybe more!) round the world trip:

• Apps : For currency conversion, I like the Oanda app. And Google Translate is also a life saver.
• Thoroughly research entry requirements for ALL countries you plan to visit well in advance. Almost all visa applications can now be completed online.
• A good universal power adapter & converter is a must. More than one is a plus if you have lots of devices (and don’t we all these days?).
• Check with your doctor for any immunizations you may need for your destinations. I got the works before my first trip and haven’t had to worry about it since (other than the occasional prescription for malaria pills).
• Consider purchasing travel insurance, for a trip of this magnitude, it’s a must! Especially in the post-pandemic era. Here’s a good independent review of the benefits of travel insurance and the options available: 10 Best Travel Insurance Companies
• Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your planned date of return because all countries have different requirements on this.

And finally…

Get the Book!

For more comprehensive advice on planning your around the world itinerary, booking Round the World tickets, and everything else you ever wanted to know about travelling around the world, get the ultimate Round the World trip planner:

Round the World in 30 Days: The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting

Now get out there and start planning the around the world trip of your dreams!

As Phil Keoghan says at the start of every season of the Amazing Race,

“The world is waiting for you!”

How to Plan an Around the World Itinerary in 8 Steps

Last updated on January 5, 2024 by Shannon

You’re planning an around the world trip . Congrats! My one-year trip turned into a decade of wandering and it transformed my life . My own one-year trip itinerary took me through 15 countries and countless experiences—but narrowing down my dream countries to just 15 was hard.

After so many years on the road—and after several round the world trips since that first one—I have some hard learned advice for anyone planning their own route and building their own trip around the world. If you’re planning a world trip, it’s usually a long-term route of at least a few months and up to a year around the world, or more.

These are eight ideas—eight steps really—to help narrow your travel itinerary down to those stops along your route that will fit your budget, highlight the most memorable places to you, and make sense for the trip you’ve always dreamed of taking.

Table of Contents

1. Make an itinerary bucket list for the entire world.

The inspiration phase of planning your round the world trip itinerary is one of the most fun. Maybe you already have a laundry list of places you hope to cram into your world trip itinerary. Or perhaps you’ve nailed down a few key experiences but you’re open to more inspiration. You should absolutely start with a long bucket list of locations all over the world, because weather and route might automatically strike a few off the list for you.

If you’re curious for more travel ideas, browse the  best travel books sorted by destination , or search for long-reads and podcast recommendations on my Destination Travel Guides . Use these books and resources for inspiration on not only places to add to your round the world route, but activities, too.

Perhaps you read The Devil’s Picnic and subsequently add Paris to your list for that stinky but toothsome Époisses de Bourgogne cheese, or you add Bhutan because of its intriguing portrayal in The Geography of Bliss (that’s what has it on the itinerary for my next around the world trip!).

Books and podcasts are a phenomenal way to expand your idea of what is possible on your trip.

Once you have a list of dream destinations for your travel itinerary, highlight up to five that are your absolute priorities—these will become the bedrock of your around the world trip. The rest of the places on your list will slot in around those stops based on timing, weather, and more.

How granularly you plan is personal—some travelers leave with a precise list of destinations and timelines, while others plan the first couple of months of their round the world trop.

My three key travel destinations:

For my first year, I had three key activities on my list. The first was diving the Great Barrier Reef —that’s why my trip started in Australia . The second was meeting my cousin in India and backpacking north from Mumbai together for two months before ending our time together at a volunteer placement in Nepal . The third was time-sensitive as I had always dreamed of attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , which takes place every August in Scotland.

Later, when I traveled with my 11-year-old niece for six months in Southeast Asia , I led her through some basic Google searches so that she could see what was on offer. We planned our joint world trip itinerary together centered around her three biggies: an ethical elephant encounter , ziplining somewhere, and visiting Angkor Wat .

2. Pick a direction around the world.

From your home country, your travel itinerary will take you either east to west, or west to east around the world. Backtracking is not ideal—it’s expensive, causes more jet lag, and is bad for the environment. Use this strategy whether you use a round the world ticket (which requires this stipulation) or if you book flights as you travel.

Pros and cons of traveling east:

• Science says this direction is harder on your body and produces more jet lag . The short of it is because you are losing time when you fly through time several zones, but your body actually prefers cycles slightly longer than 24 hours, not shorter.
• You’ll need to become a pro at minimizing jet lag so you don’t lose several days to it in each new location.
• If you’re planning a very long RTW trip, perhaps 18 months or more, and your itinerary creeps around the world, then you will likely not notice the difference much.

Pros and cons of traveling west:

• As noted, your body actually prefers days that run longer than 24 hours, so your internal clock has a much easier time adding hours into your day. This means fewer nights adjusting and staring at the hotel ceiling at 3am.
• Your body can do at least two hours of time zone jumping in this direction without having a noticeable effect on you, so it’s ideal to slowly hop west around the world. And if you’re crossing the Pacific from the U.S., your largest time zone change will likely occur at the beginning of your trip, so you can then enjoy more relaxing travel for the many months afterwards.

How I decided my world trip direction:

I was lucky that two of my key experiences could bookend my trip. Scotland and Australia are not close, so it was easy to plan many of my other dream destinations to fill the space between these countries.

Since I planned to leave the U.S. in November, it was easy to surmise that starting my trip in Australia, which was entering summer, made the most sense. Then I would make my way west toward Scotland for Edinburgh Fringe, handily skirting both winter in Europe and summer in Asia.

3. Find creative overland routes.

Whew, you now have a list of dream destinations for your world trip and a direction of travel. Now it’s time to fill in the space in your itinerary. And you’ll do that by using local transportation, which is a lot more fun than flying—you’ll see more of the country and culture, and you’ll have richer travel experiences .

Go back now to those handful of key destinations from your bucket list that. These are the foundational bedrocks of your world trip itinerary. These dots on the map should lend a rough overview of a route. If they don’t, if one is just an outlier that makes it hard to see logical jumps, narrow your list down to four, and see if that helps—if you truly love the idea of an experience, but it doesn’t fit this trip it might make a great trip on its own in a couple years time.

Now, your world trip itinerary needs the details, and those usually come from visiting clusters of bordering countries—you’ll be crossing overland among many of these destinations. (For that to work, however, check visa restrictions for your nationality as some countries require visas in advance, or don’t allow crossings at certain borders).

Popular routes ( backpacking Southeast Asia , for example), have only a few restrictions and those are easily handled online, or in the days before your border crossing.

Start dotting the map with the countries that are very close to your bedrock destinations. That looks like this: If trekking in Nepal is a bedrock item, and India’s Golden Triangle and Sri Lanka were both on your dream list, then it makes sense to add them into your route, since you’ll definitely be in the region.

My creative overland routes:

As I planned my itinerary, a dear friend announced she wanted to meet me in Florence, Italy in June. That became another bedrock item with a firm date, so I now had a time I had to leave South Asia and head to Eastern Europe.

Nearby Croatia was on my tentative list, and I had a friend in Bosnia , so both of those became stops on my itinerary that helped give it shape. Prague hadn’t been on my list, but I decided to move north through Eastern Europe after leaving Bosnia.

I filled in adventurous stops that would take me from my friend in Italy in June to Scotland in August—plenty of time for rafting in Slovenia , finding charming towns in Czech Republic , biking Amsterdam like a local, and walking through the Lake District of England first!

Research activities in countries you’re considering.

If there are countries nearby your “must-visit” locations, use a site like GetYourGuide to research the types of activities you could see and do if you visited these adjacent destinations as well. I like checking out the day tour sites more than a guidebook at this stage because it’s a very quick overview of the must-dos in each location.

4. Research festivals in your favored locations.

Local festivals around the world are amazingly full of life, culture, and fun. It’s a huge letdown when you learn too late that you missed a major religious and celebratory festival by just a few days. And it’s also a shock if you arrive thinking it’s shoulder season but you really arrived during Brazil’s carnival.

Plan your route to coincide with the dates of festivals that seem most fun for you (this is especially important for trips with kids, because they love the excitement, colors, and foods at these types of events. You’ll need to book accommodation early depending on the event, so that may take some flexibility from your world travel route, but it’s worth it.

Here are a few favorite annual festivals that many travelers plan around: La Tomatina in Spain in late August; Holi the Festival of Colors  in India around early March; Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival often falls within April and its Loy Krathong Lantern Festival falls in late October or early November.

Festivals around the world I sought out:

When my cousin told me should could only meet in India in February, and I knew we’d be there for two months, I went into planning mode to decide where we should celebrate Holi the Festival of Colors . It was a real highlight of my trip and I am so glad our world travel itinerary allowed us to experience this incredible Indian festival.

Then, of course, was the Fringe Festival —that was one of my bedrock destinations so it was definitely on the planned route.

5. Play Tetris with locations to fit your travel budget.

I stuck to an amazing year-long world travel budget that came in under $20,000. The only way I could do that was by carefully planning my time to favor budget-friendly countries, and then add in high-cost countries in smaller supply.

Research each of your dream destinations ahead of time because some places you might assume are budget actually cost more than you imagine (a safari in Africa is not cheap, nor is accommodation in much of Africa, but visiting a dream destination on the continent is worth it). Japan may be in Asia, but it’s pricey, too. Central America and Mexico are easy on your budget, as are parts of South America.

How I made my RTW travel budget work:

Australia , England, Scotland, and Ireland were mega expensive and represented three of my eleven months on the road. India and Nepal were, by far, the cheapest places (even cheaper than backpacking Southeast Asia ), and it was actually difficult to go over budget during the three-and-a-half months that I backpacked South Asia.

I spent the other months in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, two regions that are in the discount to mid-range. All told, I was able to easily average $50 a day, even though some days in Europe topped $100.

6. Plan around weather trends.

On your trip, research destinations ahead of time and plan according to your own weather preferences. While it’s not likely you will hit every destination in your preferred season, you should know when monsoon season makes a paradise island unenjoyable, or when blizzards will thwart a planned ski trip.

Research using this great rundown of shoulder season locations around the world, and this European shoulder season list , and this very cool map of a a sample round the itinerary featuring perfect weather in every location.

Why I chased summer around the world:

I planned my trip itinerary to chase summer around the world. As a native Floridian, my tolerance for heat is higher than most others, and I deeply enjoy warmth. A year of summer was lovely.

Whether your around the world trip chases summer or snow—and note it’s way easier to pack for long-term travel when you can leave behind thick jackets and boots—you’ll want to pack effectively using packing cubes .

I have probably 20 packing cubes after 15+ years of travel—cubes of all shapes, sizes, and uses to fit every trip. This eight-pack starter set is well-priced, durable, and will give you a worthy introduction into the sheer magic of packing cubes.

7. Consider how you will fly.

When planning your itinerary, you have to consider more than just major long-haul flights. On my travels, I research local budget airlines too, and I always have a good idea of which regions of the world offer affordable puddle-jumper flights. If you’re considering buying round the world tickets , read my insider tips and advice first!

Southeast Asia has AirAsia and Vietjet, among others. Europe has many budget carriers: Vueling, Ryan Air, and EasyJet. And JetStar has good flight deals in South Asia. By checking for budget airline routes, I know that I can easily visit more countries in a region if there are sub $100 flights around the area. (Tip: this is an amazing interactive map of low-cost airline routes ).

My transportation choices:

I priced out my year on the road and found it was cheaper to combine overland travel with local carriers than it would have been to buy a RTW ticket up front. I also have a guide to how I find good flight deals , since I never buy round the world airfare.

Generally, flights are likely necessary unless you plan an entirely overland route around the world , but flights are harmful if you solely rely on this form of transportation, so truly consider how you can incorporate other options, such as buying a Eurail ticket in Europe, or a Greyhound bus ticket to travel down the east coast of Australia.

Don’t forget to  book travel insurance for your trip —a great policy provides coverage in case of medical emergencies, lost or stolen gear, adventure sports riders, and more. I’ve used  IMG Global  for more than a decade  highly recommend it !

8. Remove some destinations from your world trip itinerary.

There is no wrong way to plan your route around the world, and there is no perfect number of places that you can visit in a year—it all depends on what you’re looking for on your trip. And no matter how carefully you plan, you will love some places, feel mediocre toward others, and perhaps even leave early from a few. You won’t know until you set out which type of places and experiences best fit your long-term travel style.

But please keep in mind that the pace of short-term travels is very different from a multi-month trip. Create a route that travels slowly, avoids the dreaded travel-fatigue , and includes destinations you have long dreamed of visiting. To do that, you now need to take a critical eye to your trip and trim the fat.

Is there something you added it because it seemed fun and was moderately close, but it wasn’t a bedrock item? Or perhaps it’s a location you love the idea of so much that you know you will plan a trip there in the future if you skip it now. Snip those from your world travel itinerary right now and you will be shooting me an email of thanks once you’re on the road.

The countries I cut from my around the world trip:

The best advice other travelers gave me when I asked for itinerary advice in a travel forum was to remove an entire leg of the trip. I had hoped to backpack Scandinavia between my time in the Czech Republic and Amsterdam, but long-term travelers assured me that I would be grateful for wiggle room in my itinerary by that stage of my trip (nine months into it).

Plus, they accurately pointed out that I just couldn’t swing these very expensive countries on my limited travel budget.

Turns out that I burned out a month before reaching Czech Republic and camped out in Slovenia for an extra two weeks—if I had been dead-set on Scandinavia, I would have never had time to do that while still making it to Edinburgh Fringe in time! (And let’s not even think about what Scandinavia would have done to my travel budget!).

If you’re overwhelmed about planning the nitty-gritty details on a months-long trip around the world, know that a rough route suffices. All you truly need before you leave home is logistics for the first couple of weeks—you can easily sort out the rest on the road. I promise.

Really, I promise. It seems scary but I swear to you that you will be grateful for flexibility once you land, and that it’s completely possible to plan the smaller details as you go. Moving between countries and regions was infinitely easier than I had anticipated before my first round the world.

Your Next Steps for Planning an Around the World Itinerary

Research places around the world and assemble a dream list of locations. That’s really the first step and should be a lot of fun.

While my travel books selections are a starting point, you can also peruse guidebooks for inspiration. I always buy a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for my first planned destination (and then I swap it along the way for each new country), and before my first round the world trip I checked out a stack of 25 guidebooks from my library. Do your research and dream big before you even begin selecting an itinerary and paring down your list of destinations.

This is my core page compiling resources on How to Travel the World and here are a few other pages sharing advice specifically for long-term travel planning.

• How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World
• How to Save for Travel
• Free Destination Travel Guides
• Best Credit and Debit Cards for Travel
• How to Pack for Long-Term Travel
• How to Pick the Right Travel Insurance

How to Travel the World

Free resources and first-hand advice on how to plan long-term and round the world travels.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

❗ Yes, you need travel insurance . IMG Global is the travel insurance I’ve used for well over a decade of traveling solo, and with kids. Here’s why .

🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

National Geographic content straight to your inbox—sign up for our popular newsletters here

How to plan a trip around the world

 Making the fantasy of a global odyssey an achievable reality is not as impossible as it might seem.

Combining a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single around-the-world trip can feel like the ultimate expression of luxury travel. It can be a daunting prospect though, with many contending factors to consider. Here's how to start planning the ultimate round-the-world trip.

1. Take to the sky

Air travel is, predictably, the simplest way to traverse the globe. Start by purchasing an around-the-world plane ticket through an airline alliance — coalitions of different airlines which let you pay for all of your flights in a single transaction. The alliance offers regional passes which might work better should you want to devote the bulk of your time to one or two continents.

There are three main players: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam; the latter, however, has suspended sales of RTW tickets. Star Alliance is a confederation of 26 airlines covering 1,200 airports in 98% of the world’s nations, while OneWorld’s 13 airlines serve 1,000 destinations across almost as many countries.

The small print varies, but fliers must always keep to one global direction, east or west (the latter better suits your circadian rhythm), with no backtracking; must only cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once each; must start and finish in the same country; and must travel for a period between 10 days and one year.

Convenience is a benefit here, allowing you to minimise paperwork. It’s worth noting that some countries, such as China, also require proof of an outbound air ticket before issuing visas.  

How to do it:   Star Alliance offers a 133-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from £2,580 per person.  

2. Ride the rails

A century ago, taking extended rail journeys was one of the only means of long-distance travel. Today, trains are a great option for travellers looking to minimise their carbon footprint and take a slower, more measured route.

Recapturing the romance of the past, around-the-world specialists Travel Nation can tailor-make odysseys involving   separate train journeys. Vietnam’s Reunification Express, an Outback crossing aboard the Australian Ghan and a ride on the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada can all feature.

How to do it:   Travel Nation ’s 74-night, rail-focused global tour costs from £17,760 per person, including flights, trains, accommodation, most meals and some excursions.  

3. Go Private

For those who truly want to travel in style, it’s possible to circumnavigate the globe by private jet through National Geographic Expeditions. These trips are based around epic itineraries whose remarkable destinations are brought to life by a experts and groundbreaking researchers in various fields, who most travellers never get to meet.

On the 24-day Around the World by Private Jet expedition, you can visit 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Among the trip’s standouts are Easter Island’s Moai statues, Angkor’s jungle-flanked temple complexes, rock-carved Petra and a Serengeti safari. Departing from Washington, DC, up to 75 passengers will travel VIP-style in a customised Boeing 757, bedding down throughout the adventure in five-star hotels or lodges.

How to do it: National Geographic Expeditions ’ 23-night Around the World by Private Jet trip starts from £77,100 per person, all-inclusive, including medical evacuation insurance. Departures on 10 March, 29 October and 28 December 2024.  

4. Head overland

Travellers who don’t mind hitting the open road can try Oasis Overland, a tour company specialising in overland travel. Its longest offering is a 293-day trip from the UK to Cairo via an anticlockwise loop along much of the African coast, plus Victoria Falls and Zanzibar. The slew of highlights include the Sahara desert, the Giza Pyramids and East Africa’s wildlife-rich plains.  

The 16 (or fewer) group members will ride in one of Oasis Overland’s bright yellow trucks, built for traversing bumpy roads while offering as much comfort as possible. Nights are almost exclusively spent camping, and everyone is expected to contribute by pitching tents or cooking dinners.

You could also combine trips by flying from Cairo to Istanbul and then joining another overland tour all the way to Singapore, for example.

How to do it: Oasis Overland ’s 292-night UK to Cairo expedition starts from £9,495 per person, including all transport (except flights from the UK to Gibraltar or Malaga) and a selection of excursions.

5. Do it yourself

Arranging everything yourself is an option — most easily accomplished by purchasing multi-destination flights through a comparison website such as kiwi.com or Skyscanner.

A big upside to this is that you can work out something closely aligned to your specific needs; it’ll require a fair bit of time, though, and you’ll lose out in terms of flexibility — changing dates can be tricky — and cancellation cover.

It’s usually more convenient to aim for large airport hubs — the likes of Bangkok, Dallas, Dubai, Heathrow, Paris and Singapore — as the many competing services provide more options. A typical around-the-world ticket will involve something along the lines of London — Istanbul — Bangkok — Singapore — Sydney — Los Angeles — New York — London. From these hubs, you’ll be well placed to add in more obscure destinations in between.  

It’s also worth bearing in mind that you don’t have to fly between each stage. For instance, it’s possible to travel from London to Istanbul by train, lowering your carbon footprint in the process. Or, rather than flying from Bangkok to Singapore, you could get a boat from the Thai capital to Koh Samui and continue from there instead. A reliable tool for establishing train, bus, boat or taxi costs is the website Rome2Rio, and it’s worth investigating the likes of Amtrak rail passes in the US, Eurail Passes for European trains or Greyhound coach tickets covering Australia’s east coast.

Accommodation is something to decide on in advance. Be sure to have all hotel bookings locked in place well ahead of time. Hostels are a good bet, especially if you’re travelling solo or planning an ad-hoc approach during each stage of the trip, but can be lacking in privacy and comforts. House or apartment rentals can be much more comfortable and convenient, particularly for longer stays.  

How to do it: A sample 147-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from kiwi.com starts at £2,189 per person, including checked luggage.

6. Enlist a pro

One of the best ways to arrange an air-based around-the-world itinerary is by booking with a specialist agent or operator such as Trailfinders, Travel Nation or AirTreks. This can cut out a lot of organisational stress, while also enabling you to take advantage of these companies’ many years of experience. These firms often have access to special deals and aren’t constrained to particular airlines or alliances, allowing them to further improve the offerings to their clients.

The AirTreks website even has a trip planner tool listing a series of suggested activities, interests and attractions such as hiking, beaches, meditation or family travel, providing an extra level of choice at the planning stage.

If you’re interested in earning air miles, specify this to the agent so that they can concentrate on finding flights that qualify. Agents will also be able to suggest tempting additional stops — Taiwan, maybe, or a pause in Oman — which can be a great way of adding an extra bit of excitement to burgeoning itineraries.  

Finally, a specialist company can also take care of — or advise on — vaccinations (such as malaria), and certification and visas you’ll need, saving you plenty of legwork.

How to do it: AirTrek s’ nine-stop ticket from London via Paris, Florence, Venice, Athens, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles costs from £1,325 to £1,770.

7. Learn to sail

Land ahoy! You might just get to utter those words by signing up for a unique sailing adventure with London-based operator Another World Adventures, which can arrange for you to join a classic, square-rigged tall ship for 90 days as it makes its way around the world on a 455-day voyage. Once on board, you’ll learn how to trim the sails, haul mizzen spinnakers and lean on trade winds to cross the tropics. No experience is required, and participants will become part of a tight-knit crew and make friends for life.

It doesn’t matter at which point on its itinerary the ship happens to be, as it’s entirely possible to join subsequent legs. Setting sail from Bali on 6 November 2023, leg three sees the ship call at the Indian Ocean islands of Rodrigues and Reunion before arriving in Cape Town on 6 February. Beginning one day later, the fourth and final stage is via Namibia, the British overseas territory of St Helena, several Caribbean islands and, on 13 July, Nova Scotia in Canada.

If you’d prefer to wait and tackle the whole trip — the other two legs are Nova Scotia to Tahiti, and Tahiti to Bali — then Another World Adventures (which also offers other, similar experiences) expects it to start in 2025.

How to do it:   Another World Adventures offers 90 nights, full board, from £13,600 per person, including transport, port fees and instruction.  

8. Cruise along

Ever more around-the-world voyages are being offered by cruise lines. To join one, you’ll need one important thing: lots of spare time. The circular itineraries are mostly more than 100 days in length, with Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise maxing out at 274 nights via seven continents and around 150 stops. These kinds of journeys really fit the ‘trip of a lifetime’ tag, running up to £100,000 per person.

Notably, 2023 marks a century since the world’s first continuous passenger cruise ship completed its pioneering journey. Chartered by the American Express Company, Cunard’s SS Laconia arrived back in New York City after completing a monumental six-month sailing via Japan, Singapore, India and Egypt.  

They also sell out quicker than almost any other cruise, partly due to having a limited number of departures. Holland America Line, for example, opened bookings this summer on its new 2025 Grand World Voyage. Departing from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, this is a six-continent, 124-day round-trip which transits the Panama Canal before visiting Callao (for excursions to Machu Picchu), Easter Island, Tahiti, the Great Barrier Reef, the Seychelles, Cape Town, Kenya, Jordan and Barcelona among 46 stops.  

How to do it:   Holland America Line’s 123-night Grand World Voyage starts from £19,900 per person, full board, including complimentary airport transfers, a $500 (£400) air credit and up to £6,700 per person in onboard spending credits if booked by 3 June 2024.  

9. Hop aboard a cargo ship

A rather more adventurous way of sailing the seas is aboard a cargo ship or freighter cruise. Carrying large containers of clothes, electrical equipment, foods and most other things between the world’s major ports, some of these allot space for four to 12 passengers.

Single, twin or double cabins are the norm, usually with sea-facing windows as well as a sitting area, a desk, a shower and a toilet. A few boats come with a pool, but most are very simple — they’re built for work, not pleasure, after all — and you certainly won’t find a spa or casino (though playing cards with the crew members isn't unheard of). All meals are provided in the on-board canteen.

The major appeal is the sense of serenity — watching the ocean drift by and having time to gather your thoughts or write that novel you’ve always planned.  

This can also be an amazing way to tick off some hard-to-reach places. Take freighters travelling to Singapore from New Zealand; be it for fuel and supplies or to make a drop-off, these stop at numerous Pacific islands en route, occasionally for a couple of days. That said, some port calls are too quick for guests to go ashore.

Note that good health and unaided mobility — due to steep gangways and lots of stairs — are mandatory, and it’s not suited for children or elderly travellers.

How to do it:   Cargo Ship Voyages offers a cargo ship crossing from Rotterdam to Cuba (estimated at 16 nights) from £1,880 per person, which includes all meals.  

Related Topics

• LUXURY TRAVEL
• TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE

You May Also Like

20 of the coolest travel adventures for 2024

How new flights to Akureyri are opening up northern Iceland

Fuel their curiosity with your gift.

The perfect wrinkle-free wardrobe to pack for your next trip

See Kenya’s wildlife in a different light: on horseback

9 new cruise itineraries for 2024

AI can help you plan your next trip—if you know how to ask.

Real desert islands: 10 remote getaways in the Indian Ocean

• Environment
• History & Culture

History & Culture

• Gory Details
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Adventures Everywhere
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Login to continue

Round the World

Buying a multi-destination ticket has never been simpler.

Do you want to travel the world? Are you excited to discover and experience different countries and cultures? Are you looking for the best value for travelling to the world’s top iconic cities?

Our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool helps you plan and book multi-destination fares online. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

One Star Alliance ticket. Limitless travel possibilities.

Imagine embarking on a journey that takes you all around the world. Picture all the places you will go, the sights you will see, the people you will meet. Now imagine doing all of that and more, with just a single ticket.

The Star Alliance Round The World ticket offers you a travel experience unlike any other.

Journey across the world and visit up to 15 cities, while enjoying the kind of seamless flexibility and outstanding value for money that only the world’s largest airline network can offer. Where will your Round The World journey take you? Imagine your trip and make it a reality—all in just a few clicks with our Star Alliance Book and Fly tool. Certain exceptions apply. Alternatively, contact a member airline or your travel agent.

• Terms and Conditions

Book and Fly

• Single ticket valid on all Star Alliance members
• Every journey is different
• Follow our tips and reminders while booking

How to Map Your Journey

• Start and end in the same country
• Follow one global direction (East or West)
• Cross both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
• Have a minimum of 2 stops and maximum of 15 stops
• Travel between 10 days to 1 year
• Transits must be less than 24 hours
• Stopovers are more than 24 hours
• Check the terms and conditions for detailed inclusions

Flexibility

• Save your itinerary at any time
• Contact support 24/7
• Accrue frequent flyer points or miles
• Upgrade your flight or entire itinerary at any time, subject to availability

Round The World in Just a Few Clicks

Select your destinations.

Start by entering your Origin City. Then add destinations by entering the city name or by selecting cities on the map.

Choose Your Flights

The system will automatically select the flights for each segment, but you may also pick flights from the Star Alliance network that best cater to your needs.

Enter Your Details

Provide the necessary travel details such as your contact information and identification documents to help us secure your booking.

Pay Seamlessly

Enter your payment details to complete the transaction.

Circle Pacific

The itinerary can be accessed and changed by visiting staralliance.com and entering the Itinerary Code under 'Open Saved Itineraries' in the booking tool. Thank you for using the Star Alliance booking site for your journey.

• Planning: Please save your itinerary and copy the 20-character code for us to better assist you.
• Booking: We kindly ask that you refer to the terms & conditions for further booking details and reservation requirements.
• Availability: Please be reminded that pricing and availability is subject to change at any time without notice.
• Payment: If you experienced a problem with completing your payment, please indicate this when reaching out to our dedicated team of specialists.

Session expired. We are continuously updating our offers and flights, continue with us to have new offers

How Our 6 Month Round The World Trip Changed Our Lives (+ Tips!)

Considering a 6 month round the world trip soon? We’ve been there!

I originally published this blog post in early 2016, on the cusp of starting what we then believed to be a 6 month RTW adventure that would see us backpacking parts of Europe, Southeast Asia, and South America.

Fast forward 7 years, and it turns out that 6 months of backpacking the world turned into a full-time travel lifestyle that has spanned more than 50 countries and counting, entirely reshaping our lives along the way.

Our travels have truly been beyond our wildest dreams.

The decision to go backpacking for 6 months eventually led to us camping in the Sahara , learning to scuba dive in Thailand , climbing a volcano in Guatemala , traveling overland from Mexico City to Bocas del Toro, Panama, visiting most European countries, road-tripping on several continents, and spending a month or more basing ourselves in cities as diverse as Rome , Istanbul , and Cape Town .

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more detail.

Eventually, we spent a year living in Lisbon, Portugal, and racked up enough long trips to Italy that we can say we’ve spent a year each there, too.

Oh, and we added our dog Ranger to our pack, and who also travels with us now!

For posterity (and, okay, primarily for my own nostalgia), I’ve saved our original post announcing our intention to go backpacking here, complete with all of the excitement, nerves, and anticipation that bleeds through it.

Toward the end of this post, though, I’ll share a little more about where we are now–as well as a few important things we would have done differently when planning a RTW trip if we knew in 2016 what we know now.

Table of Contents

Our Original 6 Month RTW Trip Announcement

What actually happened on our 6 month round the world trip, what we would have done differently, planning a trip.

I have written and deleted and rewritten the opening paragraph of this post at least a dozen times.

It appears that the words just aren’t going to come out right on this subject, but I am so ready to have them out there that I’m just going to have to settle for adequate ones.

Jeremy and I are leaving in May for a 6 month round the world trip.

In the internet world, this is not a big deal.

In our world, it is an enormous upheaval of our entire lives and everything that we thought they would be at this point, and it is an epic adventure.

In mid-2015, we found ourselves growing more and more discontent: with our jobs, with the beautiful house we had bought less than a year before, with our city, with the entire 8-to-5, double-income, double-commute, spend-the-weekend-recovering-from-the-work-week-while-also-squeezing-in-all-your-chores life.

We had already discussed and decided that we would work toward early financial independence from biweekly paychecks (I know, this trip is not exactly moving that goal forward, but hey–we’re not perfect).

Still, though: that was a long, long way away.

Several (for now theoretical) kids away. A lot of gray hairs away. And way, way too many congested commutes away.

We needed out. We needed gone. We needed a whole new lifestyle.

We needed (and yes, this is hopefully the corniest line I’ll ever type), an escape clause from the contract we had apparently signed after college graduation with suburban, corporate America.

From there, we started to discuss seriously: if we were going to redesign our lives, what would they look like?

Kids were a major theme for the future, but we knew that wasn’t a path we were in a hurry for.

Downsizing was a big one: what in the world were we thinking, buying a 2600 square foot house on a tiny lot that made us feel like we were drowning in space inside and claustrophobic outside?

Seriously, that decision now feels utterly insane.

Moving away from San Antonio was also a repeated idea–when we moved there right after Jeremy graduated college, we agreed to give it two years.

We love the food (breakfast tacos, TexMex, and kolaches are all pieces of heaven), but the city feel and heavy traffic was not for us.

2023 Update: turns out we absolutely adore cities, the bigger and more complex the better (spoiler: we very happily moved to New York City of all places). We just don’t like commuting in cities or living in car-dependent neighborhoods!

On top of that, of course, was our big, seemingly unattainable dream: travel.

Long term travel , the kind with a one-way plane ticket and plenty of time to wander as we please.

The type of travel that came with a loose itinerary, and the ability to make plans and decisions along the way.

Adding all this up, we cobbled together the vague idea of a plan: since we knew we wanted to leave San Antonio , we would sell our house.

Assuming that went well, we would take advantage of this transition period and leave on a round the world trip for 6 months.

After wrapping that up, we would return home and decide on our next chapter.

Moving back to our hometown is on the shortlist, but frankly, we’re a little gun-shy about making hardline predictions about our future at the moment.

After all of the discussing and what-iffing, the doing… well, the doing went exceptionally fast. Our house was under contract less than 2 months after putting it on the market.

Our first few destinations ( Spain , Italy , Morocco ) are outlined, with plane tickets purchased and some accommodation arranged.

I have triple and quadruple-checked our budget, and we are squeezing every last penny we can into it while also holding our breaths and hoping the money lasts as long as we hope that it does.

Now, we prepare, prepare, prepare–and wait (oh, okay, and go on an awesome 2 week road trip to Savannah , Charleston , and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina ). 

It took less than a month for our carefully-organized (read: obsessively overplanned) 6 month backpacking itinerary to veer wildly off course.

Years later, I can still remember the decision like it was yesterday.

Rather than double-back from the blue city of Chefchaouen, Morocco to Fez, where a pre-paid Ryanair flight was ready to whisk us off to… Milan ? Venice ? (I honestly can’t remember which), we decided to extend our stay in Chefchaouen once.

And then twice.

After almost 2 weeks in Morocco and nearly a month of traveling at a breakneck pace, we were already exhausted.

The prospect of the long, hot, bumpy bus ride back was just too unappealing for words.

Instead, we stuck around Chefchaouen for a while, and then headed to Tangier and hopped a ferry back to Spain, where we promptly fell in love with both the town of Tarifa and the joy of traveling spontaneously.

And, sure, yes, we lost one of our debit cards in Tarifa, only took about 10 photos of our entire week-long stay there, and one of my clearest memories of our stay is rejoicing upon finding an Old El Paso taco kit in the grocery store (our homesickness for TexMex never went away).

Importantly, though, the electrifying feeling of freedom and opportunity also sunk in during our time in southern Spain.

Here’s what our 6 month RTW trip ended up looking like:

6 Month Around the World Trip Itinerary

Spain ( Madrid , Toledo , Tarifa), Italy ( Bolzano , Lucca , Florence , Volterra , Pisa, Monterosso al Mare ), Morocco ( Marrakech , Erg Chebbi, Tinghir, Air Benhaddou, Fez, Chefchaouen).

Spain (Tarifa, Seville ), Italy ( Milan , Trieste), Slovenia ( Piran , Mojstrana, Triglav National Park, Bled, Lake Bohinj, Ljubljana), Croatia ( Split )

Croatia (Split, Hvar , Dubrovnik ), Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Mostar , Sarajevo ), Thailand ( Bangkok , Koh Tao )

Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Tao, Chiang Mai ), Laos (Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane ), Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Koh Rong )

Cambodia (Koh Rong, Siem Reap )… and then the USA.

Yep, after all that careful planning, we ended up not only making it to South America in our first six months of travel (that actually wouldn’t end up happening until early 2018, when we spent a month in Colombia ), but we also took a break before six months was even up.

As it turns out, planning that far into the future wasn’t our strong suit–and still isn’t.

We ended up spending a couple of months at home with family, and then a few days after Thanksgiving, boarding a flight to Mexico City that would end up turning into our six-month adventure of backpacking overland from Mexico City to Bocas del Toro, Panama –which just about brought us to the one-year mark of full-time travel.

After Our First Year of Full-Time Travel…

How we pulled off the next six years and counting is mostly a story for another day (hint: travel blogging is a big part of it, and is now our sole income source).

But, we ended up staying fully nomadic until mid-2020 when the global crisis finally caused us to (temporarily) hang up our bags.

At that point, we headed back to the Lone Star State and spent a year rebuilding our business while based in Austin (2020-2021), and then moved to Lisbon, Portugal for a bit over a year (2021-2022).

As of 2023, we are happily based in NYC (for now?) and continue to travel far and wide in our pursuit of living our personal versions of a deeply fulfilling life.

Overall, we are beyond thrilled with how our decision to go backpacking for 6 months turned out, even and possibly especially because we never could have predicted it!

That being said, we were still fairly novice travelers when we kicked off our RTW trip, and we certainly made plenty of mistakes along the way ( getting scammed in Marrakech is one memorable one).

Looking back, here’s what I would tell our ambitious, mid-twenties selves before they got started traveling the world.

Don’t plan too far in advance.

It took less than a month for our carefully-planned 6 month travel itinerary to fly out the window.

Today, we wouldn’t recommend putting money down on anything more than a couple of weeks in advance, unless it’s a bucket list experience that you’re planning your trip around, like a festival.

Be open to changing your itinerary.

Did we end up not getting around to a lot of things we planned to do on our RTW trip?

Most definitely–for example, we still haven’t been to Malaysia, Ecuador, or Vietnam!

Instead, we ended up with a lot of unforgettable experiences that never even occurred to us before we started traveling, such as scuba diving in Mozambique and chasing waterfalls in Chiapas .

Get rid of more than you think you should.

When we initially sold our house and got rid of most of our belongings, we absolutely did not get rid of enough.

Objectively, we didn’t keep a ton, but going through the boxes years later, it’s laughable what we thought we needed.

At this point, we’ve actually gotten rid of (almost) everything and furnished places from scratch 3 times (not including our pre-travel lives), and each time the “to keep” pile gets smaller.

If you’re planning an open-ended trip, especially if you’re paying for storage, keep only what is nostalgic or entirely practical.

Take more photos than you think.

During the last 7 years, photography has gone from something we use to remember our trips by to a component of our business, and as such we have an absurd amount of photos… but often not the ones we would like.

Take photos of scenery, yes, but make sure to put yourself in some of them, too.

Even if you don’t like how you look at the time, the years have a way of softening edges and turning a photo you were critical of yourself in into a priceless snapshot of your happiness at the time.

I also wish we had more photos of temporal things like bustling markets, restaurant meals, and dogs and people we met along the way.

Those photos don’t seem as valuable at the time, but they tend to grow in sentimental value with the years in a way that standard scenery photos don’t.

Buy a few souvenirs.

Because of the very nature of backpacking the world for six months, we bought shockingly few souvenirs during our first year abroad.

While we still consider ourselves minimalists and don’t necessarily recommend buying things in every destination, I wish we had a few more physical items to remember our adventures by.

We have exactly two surviving souvenirs from our first year: a carved elephant from Thailand and a vase from Nicaragua.

Were they impractical to carry? Yes. But we deeply cherish them both.

Say yes more than no.

Just a couple of months into our 6 month round the world trip, we visited Krka National Park in Croatia.

At the time, you could swim in the waterfalls there–but we were tired from a long day of travels and didn’t like the idea of riding the bus back to Split damp, so we passed.

Fast forward several years, and you can no longer swim in the falls.

I wish we would have said yes.

Most travelers who stick with it long enough have an anecdote or two like that–and the bottom line is, with the exception of incredibly dangerous things, people regret saying no a lot longer than they regret saying yes.

Pack less than you think.

Oh, how we agonized over our packing list!

From clothes to travel gear, we spent weeks checking and double-checking what we needed, trying to anticipate what we would want or wear, and making sure we wouldn’t run out of anything.

Honestly, we should’ve spent about 10% of the energy on it than we did.

It simply does not matter nearly as much as many travelers, us included, think it does before they set off.

The exceptions?

Prescription medication, and high-quality essentials that might be a pain or expensive to source abroad (like your backpack, camera, or hiking boots).

When it comes to things like t-shirts, drugstore shampoo, or flip-flops, though, you’ll find them for sale just about everywhere relevant.

Keep a journal.

I absolutely adore it and desperately wish I had kept a travel journal of some kind during that first 6 month round the world trip.

At the time, I thought blogging would be more than enough writing, but sharing RTW travel advice, or even stories, is simply not the same as notes you keep only for yourself.

Subscribe to our newsletter to follow along with our travels and to receive tips and new content via email!

We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

8 thoughts on “How Our 6 Month Round The World Trip Changed Our Lives (+ Tips!)”

Best wishes for an awesome trip! I’ve done my traveling slowly, too, but in chunks – unlike you, I wasn’t smart enough to realize how badly I needed to see the world before I had three kids! Lucky for them, they got dragged around on a bunch of those trips, and now they have the itch themselves. Not sure if your RTW trip will take you places I have or haven’t been, but I look forward to seeing where you go.

Thank you! We are so excited–less than a week to go until departure now!

I think it’s awesome that your kids have had a chance to travel extensively too–we sure hope to do the same, but they certainly throw a huge wrench into things like 6 month adventures.

Happy travels!

So excited to find your blog!! I’ve always dreamed of traveling & so regret not doing what you guys did– taking months, even years, to see the world before kife, work, chires, marriage, kids made it seem so daubting & impractical. I had the bug early & at least was able to spend 3 months livong in Oaxaca Mexico before grad school started. Anyway—NOW way latter, separated, in my early 50’s and still raising my 14 year old son, I’m trying to make a plan–if it’s possible, for he & I to do some traveling. I am permanently disabled from my career so recieve a modest but stable check. Every month. Our plan of moving accross country in a couple years could be the time to put what little we keep in storage & go. He may finish school early at 16 or finish doing alternative on- line school. What are some of your best ideas to save money traveli g through Europe? Wether we do months at a time or 3 or 4 week trios then return….any udeas would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you so much, Ann! So glad you have found our site inspiring.

For our best Europe travel tips, including on budgeting, I recommend looking here: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/europe-travel-tips/

If you search “budget” or “trip cost” in our search bar, you’ll also find write-ups on budgeting in several destinations in Europe, including Slovenia, Croatia, Ireland, and Italy.

Hope you and your son have a chance to hit the road soon!

Do you have a blog post about your dos and donts for packing for a trip like this?!

I actually don’t! It’s on my list of things to write eventually, but my biggest advice is not to stress too much about it and to budget a bit for some clothes/accessories along the way (I still have very fond memories of my elephant romper from Thailand!)

If you search “Central America Packing List” on our website, I wrote that list during our nomadic backpacking days and it’s pretty close to what we carried for the first couple of years. We also have some general Europe packing lists that cover the bases on some of our favorite travel gear that comes with us everywhere (our current favorite anti-theft daybag, etc.)

Love your blog! My husband and I are planning to tour the world soon! Would love to connect with you on this! Thanks

That’s so exciting! We’re always happy to answer a few questions for travelers as they plan. 🙂 Good luck with your adventures!!

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

How to Plan a Trip Around the World in 7 Steps

By: Author Zachary Friedman

Posted on Last updated: June 22, 2024

Categories Travel Budgeting , Travel Tips

Home » Travel » Travel Tips » How to Plan a Trip Around the World in 7 Steps

Planning a round the world trip is overwhelming. Hours of research and thought go into making a trip like this a reality. You must consider your route, visas, your budget, accommodation, transportation, activities, and much more. This guide will give you an outline to follow to help you plan a trip around the world. It also includes useful tips and advice to make your journey a little smoother, safer, and more affordable.

Over the past 12 years of traveling, I have made 2 trips around the world and have visited over 60 countries. On my first round-the-world trip, I traveled for 6 months through 15 countries on 4 continents. On my second trip, I visited 12 countries on 3 continents over the course of 5 months. In this guide, I’ll share my experience in planning round-the-world trips. Currently, I’m in the middle of my 3rd round the world trip.

Key Takeaways: How to Plan a Trip Around the World

-Step 1: Decide where you want to go. Try to choose 3-4 continents to visit and choose 2-3 destinations on each. -Step 2: Plan a route. Try to find the most efficient and cost effective route between your destinations. -Step 3: Plan a budget. Calculate the costs of airfare, accommodation, food, drinks, sightseeing, entertainment, travel gear, etc. Determine how much money you have to save. -Step 4: Do your research. Research visas, entry requirements, travel documents, transportation, accommodation, security, things to do, points of interest, etc. -Step 5: Determine how long you’re going to travel and which direction you’re going to travel in. -Step 6: Re-evaluate your plans. Try to streamline your itinerary. Eliminate or re-arrange sections to avoid having to backtrack. -Step 7: Book your round-the-world trip. Book your flights and accommodation for the first leg of your trip.

Table of Contents

• Route Planning- Where do you want to go?
• Budgeting- How Much does a Round the World Trip Cost?
• Visas and Entry Requirements- What documents do you need?
• Transportation- Info on booking your flights as well as ground transportation
• Accommodation- Where will you sleep?
• Money- Banking and finances
• Packing and Travel Gear- Preparing for departure
• Sample round-the-world trip itineraries- A few ideas to help get you started

Step 1: Decide Where You Want to Go and Plan a Route

Choosing your route is the most exciting and important part of planning a round the world trip. You need to know where you’re going in order to calculate costs and plan activities, accommodation, and transportation. At this point, let your imagination run wild.

I recommend you start by researching the various regions of the world that interest you and make a list of potential destinations. While making your list, you may want to consider:

• Cities- Are there any major world cities that you’ve always wanted to see? Maybe you’ve always dreamed of visiting London, New York, or Tokyo. Add it to your round-the-world itinerary.
• Countries- Maybe there’s a particular country that you’ve always dreamed of visiting. While planning my round the world trip, I knew I had to include India and Thailand in my round the world itinerary.
• Major tourist sights – Which world wonders do you want to visit? For example, maybe you’ve always dreamed of visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, or Macchu Picchu. One of my bucket list activities was going on an African safari. I ended up visiting the Serengeti and Maasai Mara parks.
• Foods- Consider your favorite cuisines. Maybe you really like Italian or Thai food and want to taste authentic flavors.
• Activities- What types of activities do you like to do? Do you enjoy hiking, diving, surfing, laying on the beach, dancing, extreme sports, or visiting museums ?
• People- Do you have family or friends in another country? Your around-the-world trip is an excellent opportunity for you to stop in for a visit.
• Culture- Maybe you’ve always wanted to experience a particular culture. For example, maybe you’re fascinated by Japanese culture and you want to learn more about it.
• Parties, festivals, and concerts- Another valid reason to choose a destination. Maybe you’ve always wanted to attend a particular music festival, for example. Maybe you’ve always wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro for Carnival or Munich for Octoberfest.

If you need some inspiration, you can check out my destinations page. Also, read some travel guides, blogs, or books, or watch some travel vlogs.

How to Make a Rough Around the World Itinerary

After making your list of potential destinations, it’s time to put together a rough round-the-world itinerary. This itinerary will probably change multiple times throughout the planning and research process. This is just a rough draft so you have something to start with for budgeting purposes. You can always add or remove destinations as you plan your round the world trip. You can even change plans mid trip. Nothing is set in stone.

To make a round the world itinerary:

• Prioritize your list- Chances are, you can’t hit every destination in one trip. Move the ‘can not miss’ destinations to the top of your list and place the lower-priority destinations toward the bottom. I recommend you select 3-5 dream destinations that you can not miss. These will be the base of your round the world trip.
• Look at the location of each ‘can not miss’ destination on the map- This gives you a rough overview of your general route. You’ll travel from one destination to the next either east to west or west to east until you return home. If one destination is too remote or out of the way, consider saving it for a future trip.
• Find the closest ‘can not miss’ destination either to the east or west of your starting point- That will be the first region that you visit on your around-the-world trip.
• Look for nearby countries and cities to visit in the same region- You will visit these destination on this leg of your journey. If you’re unsure, research nearby cities and countries. You want to visit all of your desired destinations on each continent or region before moving on. If you don’t have any other destinations to visit in that region, you can move on to the next region.
• Find the next closest ‘can not miss’ destination in the same direction of travel- It’s time to move on to the next another continent or region. This is the second leg of your journey. Research the region and look for activities, events, and points of interest in nearby cities and bordering countries.
• Continue plotting a general route around the world- As you go, research each destination to find potential activities and other nearby destinations. The number of stops that you make depends on your budget and the amount of time that you can travel.

By now, you should have a rough around-the-world trip itinerary. If you’re having trouble, look at a map. I found it really helpful to study the world map while planning my trip. Looking at the map made it much easier for me to plot out my travel path.

Consider the Timing of Your Round the World Trip

Some destinations are seasonal. When planning your around the world trip, you’ll need to consider the season you’ll visit each destination. You may need to be in a specific place for a specific date. This can determine the direction you travel or the order you visit each region.

For example, you may not want to visit Europe during the winter because most of the continent is cold and snowy. You might travel to Asia for the winter, then head to Europe in the spring when the weather warms up.

if you’re planning a particular activity, you may need to visit during a particular season. For example, if you’re planning on going skiing in Colorado, you’ll have to visit during the winter.

Also, keep in mind that the seasons are flipped in the southern hemisphere. If you’re visiting the southern cone of South America, Australia, or southern Africa, summer runs from December-February. These are the warmest months. If you’re visiting the global south, you may need to take this into consideration.

If you’re planning on traveling for a particular holiday, festival, or event, you’ll have to time your visit. For example, maybe you want to visit Oktoberfest in Germany. You’ll have to plan your trip so you’re in Germany in October.

Traveling East Vs West on a Round the World Trip

When planning your around the world itinerary, it’s important to decide whether you want to travel East or West and stick with this decision. You want to minimize backtracking. Many round-the-world tickets don’t allow you to backtrack. Backtracking also increases costs and travel time. It’s inefficient.

If you have the option, traveling west is better. Traveling west produces less jet lag because it disrupts your circadian rhythm less. This is because your days will be longer when you travel west. This makes it easier to sleep at night. If you travel east, you’ll deal with more jet lag.

It’s also important to consider the dates. When you cross the international date line, you will gain or lose a day. Consider this when making bookings.

Scheduling Your Round the World Trip

You’ll have to calculate how much time you need to see every country you plan to visit. Spend some time researching each attraction and how much time it takes to see. Don’t forget to consider transport time.

Exactly how many countries you can visit on your round-the-world trip depends on which countries you’re visiting. In some countries, you can see all of the main tourist sites in a week. In some countries, you might need a month or more to see everything you want to see.

When planning your around the world trip, it’s important to remember that you can’t see everything. Pick and choose the sites that you want to see. Save the rest for a future rtw trip. You can always find something to do if you have some extra time. If you want to visit a country to see one world wonder, you can.

Also, try not to pack your around the world itinerary too full. You will burn out if you’re running from one site to the next every day of your rtw trip. You need some rest days. Another problem with packing your schedule too full is that you can easily fall behind if you hit a setback such as a canceled flight or missed connection. Many new world travelers on their first trip try to visit too many countries and see everything.

Plan Overland Routes

Most around-the-world travelers fly into a region and then take overland transport between destinations. Traveling overland is cheaper and more adventurous than flying everywhere. You’ll also get to see more when you travel overland.

For example, maybe your first ‘can not miss’ destination is London. You might fly into London, then take a train to Amsterdam and Paris before moving on to the next destination. Maybe your next ‘can not miss’ destination is Los Angeles. From there, you might rent a car and drive to the Grand Canyon.

Step 2: Create a Budget

Before you start calculating how much your rtw trip will actually cost, you need to know how much money you have to work with. Most travelers don’t have an unlimited budget for world travel. Look at your finances and calculate how much money you are able to spend. Consider your occupation, your age, your savings, and your income.

The average round-the-world trip costs somewhere between $1500-$2500 per month or $18,000-$30,000 per year. This budget includes all costs including airfare, accommodation, food, ground transport, activities, and entertainment. Basically, all costs associated with an rtw trip.

A good budget for a one-year round-the-world trip for one person is $25,000. That gives you $2083 per month or about $68 per day. That is manageable if you budget correctly.

You will have to watch your spending to stick to this budget. You’ll have to limit your time in expensive countries, shop for affordable airfare, stay in hostels, and cook some of your own food. You will have some room to splurge on some more expensive activities.

Of course, your budget can be significantly lower or higher than this depending on the style of travel that you prefer and the level of comfort that you require.

If you’re a frugal traveler, you may be able to travel for a year for $15,000-$20,000. If you’re on a shoestring budget, you can take a round the world trip for as little as $500-$1000 per month or $6,000-$12,000 per year. In this case, you’ll be camping for accommodation, hitchhiking or bicycle touring for transportation, and cooking all of your own meals.

If you prefer to stay in hotels every night and eat in restaurants every day, you might have to budget $35,000-$40,000 for a year of travel. If you prefer to travel in luxury, the sky is the limit. A round-the-world trip could easily exceed $100,000 for a year of travel. In this case, you would be staying in luxury hotels and resorts, traveling in business or first class, and eating in restaurants for every meal.

In the following sections, I’ll give a brief outline of each of the major costs associated with a round-the-world trip. This will help you form a rough idea of your total budget. We’ll cover flights, accommodation, food, transportation, and entertainment.

Flights for an Around the World Trip

Most round-the-world travelers fly between continents. This cost of flights depends on the number of flights you plan to take, the countries and cities you plan to fly into, when you plan to fly, and how far in advance you book your rtw ticket.

To purchase round-the-world flights, you have two options . You can book your flights individually or you can buy a rtw ticket. There are benefits and drawbacks to both options.

Booking your flights individually is usually cheaper because you can take advantage of budget airlines. In Europe, you have Ryanair and Easy Jet. In Asia, you have AirAsia, IndiGo, JetStar, and more. On these budget airlines, you can find flights to nearby countries for less than $100. Booking flights as you go allows you to be more spontaneous. You can change your plans as you go. It is slightly less convenient to book your flights individually because you must do all of your own planning and booking.

A number of companies offer round-the-world airplane tickets. Buying a rtw ticket is slightly more expensive because these tickets offer more flexibility. You can generally change the date of departure without an extra charge on round-the-world tickets. You can also change the airports but there will be an extra charge. This makes it a bit harder to change your plans as you go.

If you’re traveling for a year or more or if you’re booking a very simple around the world itinerary, buying flights as you go is probably the best choice. I always book my own airfare because I appreciate the spontaneity. I can also save money by taking advantage of budget airlines.

Sometimes buying a rtw ticket can be more convenient. Particularly for round the world trips that are shorter than one year or trips with many stops. Some travelers find that having all of their flights booked brings peace of mind.

Most travelers who book flights individually spend $2000-$3000 on airfare for a simple round-the-world trip stopping on 2-3 continents. This includes 3-4 international flights. If you want to fly more frequently or visit more remote destinations, like Africa or South America, you might spend $5000 or more on airfare.

Travelers who book a rtw ticket typically spend $2500-$5000 on airfare. This includes 3-4 stops on 3-4 continents. You can spend up to $15,000 or more on a rtw ticket if you want to make lots of stops, fly into smaller airports, or fly first class.

To save money on airfare, try to fly into and out of major cities in each region you visit. Flights are cheaper if you fly into major hub cities. For example, if you’re flying to Europe, fly into London, Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. If you’re flying to Southeast Asia, fly into Bangkok, Singapore, or Kuala Lumpur. Every region has large hubs. Once you’re in a large hub, you can easily catch a budget flight, train, or bus to your next destination. This can save you a good amount of money on flights.

Accommodation

Accommodation is probably the biggest expense of your rtw trip. If you plan to stay in budget accommodation like hostels, guesthouses, and campgrounds, you can expect to spend $20-$30 per night in expensive countries and $10-$15 per night in cheap countries.

If you prefer to stay in private accommodation like hotels or Airbnb, you can expect to spend $20-$40 per night in inexpensive countries and $60-$150 per night in expensive countries.

To more accurately estimate your accommodation budget, I recommend you go to your favorite booking site like Booking.com or Hostelworld.com or Airbnb.com and price out accommodation at your destination.

Take note of the prices and consider the number of nights you plan to stay at each destination. Multiply the price by the number of nights and add them all up. This will give you a pretty good idea of what you’ll be spending on accommodation.

Try to book your accommodation at least a couple of weeks in advance. If you’re traveling to a particular destination during the busy season or during a holiday or festival, you might need to book a couple of weeks in advance to ensure that you get a decent room at a reasonable price.

Food is a nother major expense. Your food budget depends on how often you plan to eat out, the types of food you like to eat, and the destinations you’re visiting.

If you plan to cook most of your own meals, eat street food, and eat in restaurants occasionally, and you can get away with budgeting $10-$15 per day for food. You can get by on this budget pretty much anywhere.

If you plan to eat out at restaurants for most meals, you can plan to spend $25-$40 per day in inexpensive countries and $40-$60 per day in expensive countries. If you cook almost all of your own meals, it is possible to eat for $5 per day.

I have found $10 per day to be a pretty comfortable food budget. This assumes that I prepare most of my own meals with the occasional restaurant meal.

Another major expense to consider is alcohol. To get an idea of how much you’ll spend on alcohol, look at some restaurant menus in the locations you plan to visit to see how much drinks cost. Consider how much you drink, how often you drink, and what you drink when calculating your alcohol budget.

Drink prices vary greatly around the world. In some countries, you can buy a drink for $3. In other countries, a drink costs $15. If you like to drink, you could spend as much on alcohol as you spend on food.

Drinking too much is one of the easiest ways to go over budget. If you’re on a tight budget, you’ll need to be careful with drinking and partying. The easiest way to save money or extend your trip is to limit your drinking.

Activities, Entertainment, Tours, and Admission Tickets

You need to budget for all of the activities you plan to do and the sights you plan to see during your trip. This includes admission tickets, entrance fees, tours, permits, guides, tips, equipment rentals, entertainment costs, etc. This cost depends on where you travel, what types of activities you enjoy, and your personal preference.

To calculate your activities budget, it’s best to price out each activity individually. If you plan to safari in the Serengeti, go online and price out the tour you plan to take. If you plan on diving the Great Barrier Reef, go online and see how much tours cost. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of transport, entry tickets, parking, a guide, tips, etc.

You don’t need to calculate the price of everything you plan to do. Just research the price of big-ticket ‘cannot miss’ items and add the prices up. You can pay for smaller activities such as museum entry or snorkel rental out of your daily spending money. It’s important to budget for big-ticket items to make sure you leave room in your budget.

Ground Transportation

Most travelers only take flights for the long-distance or overseas sections of their around the world trip itinerary. You can cut costs significantly by taking the bus or train between cities within one region.

The best way to calculate this cost is to research each journey that you plan to take and add them up. Generally, a full-day bus ride or train between two major cities costs $30-$100 depending on the region and distance. In the developing world, expect to spend $3-$3 per hour of travel. In the developed world expect to spend around $5-$10 per hour of travel.

A great resource for finding bus and train routes and prices is Rome2rio.com. This site makes it easy to research transportation options and estimate ticket costs. Another great booking site for finding bus ticket prices is Busbud. For train routes and ticket prices,  Seat61.com  is a great resource.

You must also consider the cost of local travel around the cities you’re visiting. Depending on the city, you may have a choice between taking a taxi, Uber, public bus, metro, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, motorcycle taxi or cycling or walking.

This cost is difficult to estimate. Generally, a one-way public transit ticket or rickshaw ride costs $2-$5. In cheaper countries, a taxi or Uber ride across the city costs $5-$10. Consider the sights that you plan to visit in each city to determine how many intercity rides you’ll have to take.

For more help budgeting help, check out my guide: How to Create an Accurate Budget for Long-Term Travel.

This is one budget item that many travelers forget to consider. Visa costs vary depending on the country that you’re visiting and your nationality. They can really add up in some regions.

To calculate visa costs, simply look up the visa requirements for each country that you plan to visit and add up the visa prices for your nationality.

Visa costs vary widely. Many are free. If there is a charge, the average visa costs around $20-$50. There are a handful of countries that charge upwards of $150-$300 for a tourist visa.

For most round-the-world trips, your visa costs will be minimal. In some instances, the costs can be substantial. For example, while traveling through East and Southern Africa, I spent over $600 on visas over the course of 5 months.

Travel Insurance

For a round-the-world trip, buying travel insurance is a good idea. In most countries, travel insurance is optional but highly recommended. Travel insurance will be one of your major expenses so it’s important to budget for it.

Travel insurance can cost anywhere from $25-$200+ per month. The cost of travel insurance depends on the kind of coverage you buy, the amount of coverage, the deductible, and your age.

The more coverage you get, the more the policy will cost. Most round-the-world travelers should buy a minimum of $100,000 in coverage. If you’re traveling to the United States, you should have at least $250,000 of coverage.

Travel insurance can cover you in the event of an injury or unexpected illness. Some travel insurance covers. Some policies can cover theft, damage, or loss of your belongings and trip interruptions. 

If you’re on a budget, you can opt for medical-only travel insurance. Travel insurance that covers your luggage and trip interruptions is significantly more expensive.

I use  SafetyWing Nomad Insurance.  They offer affordable insurance for long-term travel.

Travel Vaccinations

For many destinations, you’ll need a couple of travel vaccinations to protect yourself from various diseases that aren’t common in your home country. You may need a vaccination for Yellow Fever, typhoid, and hepatitis B. You may also need malaria prophylaxis if you’re traveling to a malaria zone.

This cost depends on which vaccines you need and where you live. To calculate this cost, find a local clinic that offers travel vaccines and malaria consultations. They probably have a price list online.

Add up the cost of all of the vaccines and prescriptions that you’ll need to buy. For most round-the-world trips, expect to spend $100-$400 on travel vaccines and malaria tablets.

Factors that Determine your Total Round-the-World Trip Budget

• How long you plan to travel- Every day, you must at least pay for food and accommodation. If you can cut a month off of your rtw trip by traveling faster, you might be able to save $1000-$2000.
• The number of destinations you plan to visit- The more stops you plan, the more your rtw trip will cost due to the additional cost of transportation. Airfare is one of the most expensive parts of the trip. Train and bus tickets also add up.
• Where you travel- Some regions are more expensive than others. If you plan to visit expensive places like Western Europe, Australia, Japan, the U.S., etc., you’ll spend a lot more than you will if you visit cheaper regions like Southeast Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe.
• When you travel- Many destinations are seasonal. Prices are higher during the busy season. You can save money by traveling off-season or during the shoulder seasons.
• The transportation that you choose- Do you plan to fly everywhere or are you comfortable taking buses? Will you take taxis around the city or walk?
• The type of accommodation that you choose- Do you plan to stay in budget accommodation like hostels, guesthouses, and campgrounds, or do you plan to stay in hotels, Airbnbs, and resorts?
• The foods that you eat- Will you cook for yourself and eat street food or do you plan to go to a restaurant for each meal?
• The activities that you plan- You’ll spend more if you plan to ski, dive, take tours, etc. If you want to save money, there are plenty of free things to do while traveling.

How Long are you Traveling?

After determining how much you have to spend and learning about the costs associated with a round-the-world trip, you must consider the duration of your trip. How long do you want to travel?

Your trip’s duration affects your costs. The longer you travel, the more money you will spend . The duration also determines your around the world itinerary. The longer you travel, the more destinations you can visit.

When deciding how long you want to travel, consider your future obligations. Do you need to return home by a specific date for work or school? Also, consider your ability to find employment. Remember, a long gap in your resume can be problematic in some industries.

Most likely you only have a limited amount of time to travel. In my experience, 3-6 months is the ideal amount of time for a round-the-world trip. Anything less will feel rushed. Longer trips get exhausting. You will start to slow down after you’ve been on the road for 6 months.

Trips lasting 1-2 years are great but you will notice diminishing returns. After 6 months of travel, you may begin taking things for granted and get sick of sightseeing.

Updating your Round the World Itinerary to Fit Your Budget and Trip Duration

At this point, you may have found that your initial round the world itinerary is too expensive. Take some time to re-evaluate your plan. A few ways you can cut costs include:

• Substitute expensive countries for cheaper countries- For example, instead of going to Japan or Korea, go to Thailand or the Philippines. Your money will go much further.
• Eliminate expensive activities- Skip the SCUBA lessons and just go snorkeling. Instead of hiking the Inca Trail, just go for a free hike.
• Reduce the number of flights by traveling some sections overland- Take a bus or train across a country instead of flying.
• Reduce the total trip time- Cut a month off of your rtw trip. That will save you $1000-$3000.

For help reducing your budget further, check out my guide to ultra-low budget travel.

Step 3: Consider Visas, Travel Documents, and Entry Requirements For the Countries You Plan to Visit

The next step in the planning process is to research the entry requirements for each country that you plan to visit. Continue refining your round the world trip itinerary through this process. Items you need to research include:

Visa Availability

Look up the visa requirements for each country that you plan to visit during your round-the-world trip. Remember to look at the requirements for your specific nationality. Also, consider any countries that you are transiting through. Occasionally, a transit visa is required.

If you need a visa, find out if you can get the visa on arrival or if you must you obtain the visa in advance. If the visa is available on arrival, make sure that it is available at the port of entry that you plan to use. Some countries only issue visas on arrival at international airports and not at land borders. Some smaller land borders don’t have the capability to issue visas.

If you find that you must obtain a visa in advance, find out if you can get it online or if you need to get it from an embassy or consulate. These days, many countries offer e-visas. You apply for the visa and pay online then print your approval letter. When you reach the point of entry, you receive the visa in your passport.

If you have to apply at the embassy, find out if you can apply in a neighboring country or if you must apply in your home country. Some countries only issue visas to foreigners from the embassy in their home country. If you can get the visa in a neighboring country, I recommend you wait and do it there. It’s often easier and cheaper to go to the embassy in person to apply for the visa.

If you must obtain a visa in your home country before your rtw trip, consider the logistics and costs. Find out how long the visa takes to get and how long it is valid. Find out if you can apply by mail or if you must visit the embassy in person. Consider the cost of the application including postage or travel. Having to travel to an embassy to apply for a visa can be expensive.

While researching visas, take note of the amount of time the visa takes to obtain. Sometimes you may have to wait up to a month for an embassy to process the visa. You also have to account for shipping time if you must mail your passport to an embassy for a visa.

You may also need to shift your round the world itinerary based on the visa’s validity. Some visas are only valid for 3 months beginning on the date of issue. Some expire after 3 months if they are not used. You need to use the visa before it expires. You may need to adjust your round the world trip itinerary.

If you find that a visa is too expensive or complicated to obtain, consider cutting that country from your round the world itinerary. Personally, if a country’s visa process is too complicated, I skip it.

Proof of Onward Travel

Some countries require that you have a confirmed ticket out of the country to prove that you have plans to leave the country. This ticket can be back to your home country or to a third country. It can be a flight, bus, or train ticket. Oftentimes, the airline checks for proof of onward travel before they allow you to board your flight. Sometimes immigration checks this before allowing you to enter the country.

Proof of onward travel is often a problem for those traveling long-term or those planning to exit a country overland. Sometimes, it’s impossible to buy bus tickets in advance. Sometimes you don’t have a confirmed booking when you enter a country.

Luckily, there are several solutions to this problem. Some are free and some have a minimal cost. To learn more, check out my guide How to Provide Proof of Onward Travel

Vaccine Requirements for World Travel

A handful of countries require that you have a Yellow Fever vaccine in order to enter. This is a common entry requirement in most countries in Africa and a few countries in South America. All you need is proof that you have been vaccinated in the form of a Yellow Fever vaccine certificate.

If you have been traveling in an area where Yellow fever is a risk, you may be required to show your vaccine certificate in order to enter another country. For example, when I flew from Nairobi to Bangkok, I had to show my Yellow Fever vaccine certificate in order to enter Thailand.

Financial Requirements

A few countries require you to show proof that you have enough money to sustain yourself for the duration of your stay in that country. They do this to make sure that you don’t plan to stay and work illegally.

A bank statement works fine for this. Sometimes, a credit card is sufficient. Countries that have this requirement usually expect you to have at least $5000 in your account. This is a common requirement for those who plan to travel on a working holiday visa in Australia or New Zealand, for example.

A Note on Border Crossings

Be sure to research the entry requirements of the exact border crossing that you plan to use. There are a few instances of borders between two countries being closed due to a conflict between those two countries. For example, you can’t cross between Armenia and Azerbaijan. You must transit through Georgia if you plan to visit those two countries.

Occasionally, borders are only open for locals. Sometimes visas on arrival aren’t available at smaller border crossings. Some border crossings are notorious for bribes or scams and should be avoided if possible. Some are simply hectic. Research each border that you plan to cross to make sure that it is open and crossable without too much hassle.

Updating your Around the World Itinerary

After researching entry requirements, you may have found that some visas are overly complicated or just not possible logistically with your round the world trip itinerary. At this point, revisit your itinerary and re-evaluate your plans.

Consider changing the order of the countries that you plan to visit. You could also substitute countries with other nearby countries with visas that are easier to obtain.

While planning my round-the-world trip, I really wanted to visit Russia. I found that the visa was too expensive and time-consuming to get. After researching, I decided to visit St. Petersburg by ferry because a visa wasn’t required. I then visited the Baltic countries instead of traveling around Russia. This was a nice compromise.

Step 4: Plan Transportation: Round the World Tickets and Ground Transportation

You should have a pretty good idea of your round the world trip itinerary by this time. Now it’s time to begin researching flights. When it comes to arranging your flights, you have two options. You can buy a round-the-world ticket or you can buy your flights separately. In this section, I’ll outline each option and list the pros and cons of each to help you decide which works best for your itinerary.

Round-the-World Tickets

In this case, you book all of your flights before you leave home. A round the world ticket is essentially a flight pass with one of the major airline alliances. The three alliances include One World , Star Alliance , and SkyTeam . Another company called Air Treks offers round-the-world tickets on a wide range of airlines.

Each ticketing company has slightly different terms and conditions. If you choose the rtw ticket route, you can only fly airlines in the alliance that you choose.

Generally, tickets are sold in terms of miles or segments. If you’re buying a rtw ticket based on miles, you can choose from 26,000, 29,000, or 39,000 miles for economy tickets. Each rtw ticket has a maximum number of stopovers that you can make.

If you buy a rtw ticket based on segments, 1 flight=1 segment. If your flight includes a stopover, that counts as 2 segments. In this case, miles aren’t counted. You can maximize the utility of your rtw ticket by using each segment for the longest possible flight.

Pros of Round-the-World Tickets

• Saves time- You don’t have to spend time shopping around for each flight during your journey. You can easily book everything with one company.
• Can be cheaper- If you choose the right rtw ticket for your trip and you’re smart with your booking, you can save around 25% by buying a round-the-world ticket. This is particularly true if you visit a lot of obscure or less popular destinations.
• More convenient- You book all of your flights before you leave home. It’s one less thing to worry about while you’re on the road.
• You can make changes without a charge- Generally, you can change the date of travel for free on round the world tickets. If you want to fly out of a different airport or change your destination, you’ll be charged a fee of around $150 or so.
• You earn points- You can rack up a decent amount of points and gain some nice perks by making so many flights with the same airlines.
• You always have proof of onward travel- If you’re asked for proof of onward travel when checking in for a flight or passing through immigration, you always have a valid ticket to show.

Cons of Round-the-World Tickets

• Can be more expensive- If you buy the wrong rtw ticket or you use flight segments for shorter trips, you can end up spending more than if you had just bought your tickets separately. This is particularly true if you fly between major hubs where flights are inexpensive.
• You can only fly certain airlines- When you buy a round the world flight ticket, you’re committing yourself to only flying the airlines in the alliance that you choose to buy your rtw ticket from. Of course, you can buy additional tickets on other airlines but this adds to the cost.
• You can’t fly budget airlines- None of the major budget airlines belong to any of the alliances. When buying a round-the-world ticket, you can’t take advantage of low fares on Ryanair, Air Asia, Southwest, or Tiger, for example.
• Less flexibility- You need to have a solid round the world trip itinerary before you can book your tickets. You won’t know which rtw ticket to buy if you don’t have an itinerary planned out. This means you can’t be as spontaneous.
• You must start and end your RTW trip in the same country- Most round the world flights have this rule. You can usually start and end in a different city, but it they must be in the same country. For this reason, you can’t really buy a round the world ticket if you’re already traveling.
• Not ideal for those traveling longer than a year- Most round the world tickets have a maximum validity of one year.
• You can only make a limited number of stops in each country- The maximum is usually 3.
• You can’t backtrack in some cases- The rules usually state that you can only backtrack on continents. Backtracking over an ocean usually isn’t permitted.  Sometimes you can’t backtrack at all. Sometimes there are penalties.

Remember, the exact rules depend on the round-the-world ticket that you choose. Some of the above points may not apply. You’ll need to do a bit of research in order to choose the ideal rtw for your particular itinerary.

Buying One-Way Flights Separately

In this case, you simply book each flight of your journey by yourself. You can book as you go or book them all before you leave. You can fly any airline that you wish.

Pros of Booking Flights Separately

• You can fly any airline- You don’t have to stick to the members of one alliance. This gives you more flight options.
• You can fly with budget airlines- This can save you a good amount of money. Most budget airlines don’t belong to an alliance.
• Usually cheaper- Most travelers save money by booking their own tickets. The reason is that you can wait for discounts and deals. Taking advantage of budget airlines also helps cut costs.
• You don’t need a set plan- If you’re the kind of traveler who likes to keep their plans open, you’re better off booking as you go. You can be as spontaneous as you want.
• More freedom- You can fly wherever you want, whenever you want. There are no restrictions in terms of the number of stops, the amount of time you travel, backtracking, where you start or end your rtw trip, etc.

Cons of Booking Flights Separately

• More time-consuming- You must shop around for each flight that you want to book. I’ve spent hours trying to find the right flight.
• Can be more expensive- If you’re traveling to unpopular or obscure destinations, flights can be expensive. In this case, you may end up spending more if you book your own flights.
• You’ll be charged for any changes- If you want to change the dates or destination, you’ll end up paying a fee. I was once charged $250 to change the date of a flight.
• You won’t always have proof of onward travel- If you try to enter a country without first booking a flight out, you won’t have proof of onward travel.

Shopping for Round the World Tickets

Whether you book a round-the-world ticket or book your own really comes down to the type of traveler that you are and your around the world trip itinerary. To determine which option is best for your itinerary, I recommend you price out both options. You’ll also want to consider flight times, durations, layovers, and the airlines you fly with.

Spend some time shopping around on Google flights or Kayak for each of the flights that you plan to take. Add up the cost. Remember that flight prices vary depending on the season and how far in advance you book.

Next, price out around the world tickets. You can buy them from a major airline like United or American Airlines. Alternatively, you can also buy them through a booking company like AirTreks or STA travel.

You may also want to consider playing around with your round the world trip itinerary a little bit. Maybe you can save some money or take better flights by making a minor adjustment. For example, you may have better flight options if you fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo rather than from San Francisco to Tokyo or vice versa. After shopping around for a bit, you should have a pretty good idea of which tickets offer the best value for your specific itinerary.

Tip: Consider making a stopover to break up long journeys

Scheduling a stopover is a good way to visit some places that you otherwise might not get to see. It’s also nice to rest between long flights. May airlines offer free stopovers in the country they are based in. You can also schedule your own stopover by buying multiple tickets with a few days between flights.

I have done this on several occasions. When I flew home from Australia, I made a stopover in Beijing. I visited the Great Wall and enjoyed some incredible Chinese food . I made a similar stopover in Dubai while flying from Europe to India. In this case, I saved some money by booking two separate flights. I also scheduled a stopover in Island when flying from the U.S. to Europe.

For more info, check out my list: 21 free stopover options and how to make them.

Ground Transport

At this point, you can begin planning overland transportation. This includes transportation within cities and transportation between cities. Ground transport can mean buses, trains, taxis, rickshaws, rental cars, shared minibuses, walking, or riding a bike.

Transportation Between Cities

When planning your ground transportation, the most important thing to do is to verify that some form of transportation actually exists between each of your destinations. For the most part, buses or trains can take you a lmost everywhere.

Sometimes you encounter a route where direct transportation isn’t available. In this case, you may have to make a transfer. You don’t need to know the exact route. You just want to find out if your desired route is possible.

Occasionally, you’ll run into a route where transportation isn’t offered every day. Maybe a bus only passes through once per week. In this case, you’ll want to plan your around the world trip itinerary accordingly or find a different way to your destination.

You may find that some routes aren’t possible during a particular season. Maybe a road floods during the rainy season. Maybe heavy snow causes a road to close during the winter. Take the season into consideration when planning your route.

During your round-the-world trip, you’ll probably visit dozens of different cities. You don’t have to waste time researching and planning transport for every leg before you leave. Just make sure that each leg is possible and not prohibitively expensive.

If you encounter a leg that’s just not doable for whatever reason, adjust your around the world trip itinerary accordingly. Maybe you can make a detour and transit through a third city. Maybe you can fly that section.

Some legs you don’t even have to bother researching. It’s pretty safe to assume that you can easily travel between any two major cities in any particular country. For example, you don’t need to bother researching transport between Berlin and Munich until you’re ready to make the trip.

Travel tip: Travel By Night

Consider traveling by night when possible. Traveling by night saves you money on a night of accommodation. When you arrive, you have a full day at your new destination. You aren’t wasting an entire day on a bus or train. As an added bonus, you often arrive at your destination faster because traffic is lighter and borders are less busy during the middle of the night.

It’s important to note that some routes are not as safe to travel at night. When traveling through an area that is considered dangerous, travel by day instead.

Transportation Within Cities

You don’t need to put much time into planning intracity transport. It’s safe to assume that you can easily travel anywhere in the city by bus, metro, tuk-tuk, or on foot.

Consider researching transport between your accommodation and your arrival and departure point as well as any major sites that you want to see. You may also want to research transport options from the airport into the city and back. Airport transportation can be surprisingly expensive. Particularly if the airport is located far outside of the city.

Step 5: Plan Your Accommodation

Next, start considering where you will sleep. Chances are, you will use a mix of different types of accommodation. Your accommodation options include:

• Hostels- Every budget traveler’s favorite. As a long-term traveler, you’re probably going to stay in quite a few hostels. For help deciding where to stay, check out my guide: How to Choose the Best Hostel. Also, check out my guide to hostels vs hotels.
• Hotels- In smaller towns, hotels are often your only accommodation option. Be sure to shop around and negotiate. Sometimes budget hostels are cheaper than hostels.
• Airbnbs- If you’re staying in one place for longer than a week, you can often score a nice long-term discount. Sometimes Airbnb is your cheapest accommodation option. One major benefit to stayin in an Airbnb is that you’ll usually have access to a kitchen where you can cook your own meals. For more info, check out my guide to Airbnb Vs hotels.
• Couchsurfing- Staying with a local host is a great way to get to know a city and make new friends. You can also save a chunk of money by Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing isn’t exactly free. You will have to spend some time with your host. You’ll also be expected to take them out or cook them a meal.
• Camping- Camping really opens up your options in terms of where you can sleep. You can wild camp, stay in campgrounds, and even find free camping in some destinations. I recommend you always travel with a tent during an around the world trip. A tent really opens up your options. It also saves you money.

Research your accommodation options in each of your destinations so you know what to expect in terms of price and facilities. Accommodation is a major expense so it’s important to know what to expect.

The only accommodation that you need to book before your rtw trip is the first night or two at your first destination. There are two reasons for this. First, immigration will probably ask you where you’re staying. You need to have an answer to avoid any hassles. Second, you’ll probably be exhausted, jetlagged, and possibly not thinking right after a long flight. It’s nice to have a place to go after you arrive at the beginning of your trip.

During your rtw trip, I recommend you book accommodation as you go. Just plan ahead a few nights or whatever you’re comfortable with. If you prefer, you can book a month in advance. Most of the time, you can just show up and find a place to stay.

The exception to this is if you’re headed to a particularly busy destination. For example, if you’re traveling during peak season or attending a large event. In this case, you may need to book several months in advance to secure a decent room. Plan ahead.

If you plan to couch surf, you’ll want to start looking for a host at least a week in advance so you can be sure to find a place to stay. Good Airbnbs tend to be booked up early as well. You may wish to make reservations at least a couple of weeks in advance if you can.

While crossing borders, you should always at least have the address and phone number of a hotel or hostel where you plan to stay that night. One of the questions that immigration forms and officials usually ask is ‘where are you staying?’ You need to have an answer to avoid looking suspicious. You don’t want to give them any reason to deny you entry.

Travel tip: Whenever you check into a new room, do a quick check for bed bugs. C heck out my guide How to Avoid Bed Bugs While Traveling to help you out. 

Money and Banking for a Round-the-World Trip

Before you set off on your trip, you want to ensure you always have access to your money. The best way to go about this is to carry several credit cards and debit cards . If one is lost, stolen, or eaten by an ATM, you always have a spare. I like to travel with 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards.

Before opening a new account, shop around for travel cards. Travel credit cards are usually free of foreign transaction fees. You can save a nice chunk of money by avoiding these fees. Also, search for new account perks. Some companies offer enough points for a free flight. I flew round trip from the U.S. to Africa on credit card points.

Before your RTW trip, you should also call your bank and credit card company to let them know that you will be using your card abroad. They will put a travel advisory on your account. They need to know the general dates that you plan to travel and the countries where you will be using the card.

If you don’t notify your bank, a fraud detection system may shut off your card when you try to use it. When this happens, you have to call the bank and ask them to turn the card back on.

If you don’t know all of the dates and countries that you plan to visit, that’s fine. You can always call the bank and update the travel advisory during your rtw trip. Just make sure that you can use your card whenever you arrive in a new country so you can withdraw cash from the ATM.

These days, most banks require two-factor authentification (2FA). After entering your password, the bank sends a code to your phone that you must enter to log in. You need to be able to receive calls or texts to receive the 2FA code. You can use your regular number if your phone company offers international texting. Alternatively, you can use a VOIP service like Google Voice.

Y ou should also carry some cash . I usually carry around $300-$1000 depending on my destination. I try to carry enough to sustain myself for at least a week . That gives me enough time to sort out any problems that may arise with my cards or banking.

You want to carry a currency that you can easily exchange everywhere. US dollars are the best. Euros and British Pounds work fine as well. Carry bills in denominations of 20, 50, or 100 that are new and in good condition. Smaller bills are harder to exchange.

Step 6: Packing

If t his is your first big trip, you may need to buy a couple of items in preparation. Travel gear that you may need includes:

• A backpack or suitcase- For a round-the-world trip, I recommend a backpack instead of a suitcase. Make sure you buy a quality one as you’ll be putting it through a lot of abuse. Look for a pack in the 40-65 liter range. For most travelers, a 40 liter pack is ideal. If you pack camping gear and a lot of electronics, you’ll need a larger pack. I have traveled with my Osprey Talon 44 hiking backpack for about 10 years and am really happy with it. Read my full review here.
• Outlet converters- These allow you to plug your electronics into the various types of outlets found around the world. I recommend you only pack electronics that can be used in 120-240v outlets so you can avoid carrying a heavy voltage converter.
• Good shoes and sandals- You’ll be walking a lot. Probably multiple miles per day. Buy quality footwear before your around the world trip.
• A smartphone with a good camera- Modern smartphone cameras are good enough for travel photography. You’ll also use your phone for navigation, communication, and entertainment.
• Travel clothing- Consider buying some quality travel clothes. Travel clothes are durable, breathable, and quick drying. I like merino wool clothing because it is odor resistant.
• Money belt- This is a hidden pocket that you wear around your waist. The idea is to hide your cash, cards, passport, and other valuables from pickpockets and muggers. I use the Eagle Creek Silk Undercover money belt. Read my full review here.

If you forget anything, it’s not that big of a deal. You can buy pretty much whatever you need at your destination. You don’t really need much gear to travel.

Try to pack a week or so before you set off on your round-the-world trip. I recommend that you live out of your travel backpack during that time. This way, you’ll notice if anything is missing. If there is anything that you didn’t use after that week, you can most likely leave it at home.

If possible, try to stick to a carry-on bag only. This can be a challenge for some travelers but makes the trip much smoother. Being able to carry your bag on a plane, bus, or train saves time and money. It’s also more secure. When you want to walk long distance with your backpack, you’ll be happy that you packed light as well.

For more help packing, check out my Ultralight Travel Packing List. Here, I outline everything you need to pack for a long-term trip. The guide includes info on clothing, toiletries, electronics, camping gear, backpacks, and more. Also, check out my guides to packing cubes and rolling vs folding clothes for more help packing.

Step 7: Re-Evaluate Your Plans and Refine Your Itinerary

Chances are, you’ve overscheduled yourself. Try to streamline your trip. If you have sections that require backtracking, consider eliminating them or re-arranging your itinerary a bit. If there are some destinations that you’re unsure of, eliminate them. You can always visit them on your next trip.

If you overschedule, you’ll feel exhausted and rushed. It’s better to give yourself some extra time so you can slow down. You will never feel bored. You can always add destinations during your trip if you choose.

Sample Round the World Trip Itinerary

If you already have a solid round the world trip itinerary picked out, you can skip this section. If you’re inexperienced with travel or if you’re just undecided, I’ll try to outline a basic itinerary in this section to help you get started.

A basic round-the-world trip itinerary includes stops in North America, Asia, and Europe. Some travelers include South America and Africa. Many travelers choose to skip their home continent because they’ve probably already spent a bit of time traveling there.

The round the world trip itinerary that I’m about to outline starts on the West Coast of the US and travels east around the world. This itinerary starts here simply because that’s where I live. You can pick up this round the world itinerary wherever you live and adapt it to make it work for you.

Start by choosing a large European city to fly into. London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt are great choices. Next, choose a region of the continent to travel.

An example of a good Europe itinerary might be to fly into London and then travel to Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Venice, and Rome.

Alternatively, you might choose to travel through Eastern Europe. A good Eastern Europe itinerary would be to fly into a large city in Germany then travel to Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

From a large European city, fly to your next continent, Asia.

Choose a region of Asia to visit. Most first-time visitors choose to visit Southeast Asia. From a large European city, choose a large city in Southeast Asia to fly into. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore are good choices.

An example itinerary around Southeast Asia would be to fly into Singapore and then travel overland through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

From Southeast Asia, fly to the next continent, North America.

North America

From A large city, fly into a Coastal city in North America like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Vancouver on the west coast or New York, Miami, or Washington DC on the east coast. From your starting point travel North or South along the Coast.

Alternatively, you could travel overland across the country by bus or train or rent a car and take a road trip. Some popular stops include Las Vegas, Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans .

From North America, you could fly home. If you want to continue your trip, fly to South America from a large city.

South America

Most round the world travelers choose a region of the continent to travel.

If you prefer to visit northern South America, fly into Colombia, travel through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

If you prefer to visit southern South America, fly into Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro and visit Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

The best way to get around in South America is by bus. You can also fly longer distance sections if you choose. From a large South American city, catch a flight home.

For more info on this region, check out my guide here.

For whatever reason, most round-the-world itineraries skip my favorite continent, Africa. If you decide to include Africa in your round-the-world trip, a decent itinerary would be to fly into Nairobi and then travel overland to Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Alternatively, you could fly into Cape Town and travel around South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.

Consider visiting Africa After visiting Europe or Asia. You’ll find affordable flights to many destinations around the continent from Paris, London, and the Dubai.

For more help planning an Africa leg for your round-the-world trip, check out my guide to planning a Cairo to Cape Town trip. Also, check out my other Africa guides for more inspiration.

Many round-the-world trips also include a visit to Australia or New Zealand in their round the world itinerary. Alternatively, you could visit some Pacific Islands. Oceania would be a convenient destination to visit After Asia or North America. You can find affordable flights to Australia and New Zealand from many large Asian and North American cities.

My Round-the-World Trips

In my travels, I have made 2 round the world trips. I made my first trip around the world in 2013. During the trip, I traveled for around 6 months and visited 15 countries. I visited many of my dream destinations and saw some wonders of the world in person. I started at home in Southern California and traveled East. My around-the-world trip Itinerary was as follows:

• Los Angeles to Reykjavik, Iceland- I made a 4 day free stopover by flying IcelandAir.
• Reykjavik to Helsinki- I continued my flight and spent a few days exploring Helsinki.
• Helsinki to St. Petersburg- I caught the ferry to St. Petersburg and took advantage of the 72 hour visa free visit program .
• St. Petersburg to Tallinn, Estonia- I returned to Helsinki and then caught a ferry to Tallinn on the same day.
• Tallinn, Estonia to Riga, Latvia- I caught a bus to Riga , Latvia.
• Riga to Dubai – I made a 3 day free stopover in Dubai.
• Dubai to India- I continued my flight on to Delhi , India.
• Train travel through India- I spent about a month traveling in India by train. I traveled to Varanasi, Agra, around Rathastan, and Goa, then flew out of Mumbai.
• Mumbai to Bangkok- I caught a flight to Southeast Asia and explored Thailand for a month.
• Travel through Thailand- I visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Tao, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Phi Phi, traveling by bus and train.
• Thailand to Cambodia – I caught a minibus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. I spent a few weeks visiting Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, and Sihanoukville.
• Cambodia to Vietnam- I caught a bus from Sihanoukville, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi- I bought a motorcycle and rode the length of Vietnam. I visited Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hoi Ann, Hue, and Hanoi.
• Vietnam to L aos- I took a bus from Hanoi, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos
• Travel through Laos- I spent a few weeks visiting Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, and Vientiane, Laos.
• Laos to Thailand- I returned to Thailand by bus and traveled there for a couple of weeks.
• Thailand to Malaysia- I took the bus to Malaysia and spent a couple of weeks in Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
• Malaysia to Singapore- I caught a bus south and spent a few days exploring Singapore.
• Singapore to Melbourne, Australia- I caught a flight to Melbourne and spent a month traveling up the East Coast of Australia until I reached Cairns.
• Australia to Beijing- I made a free stopover in Beijing while flying Air China.
• Beijing to Los Angeles- I flew home from Beijing.

I completed my second around the world trip in 2017. This one just focused on Africa. I flew from Los Angeles, California to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From there, I traveled overland through 11 countries until I reached Cape Town, South Africa. From Cape Town, I flew to Bangkok where I relaxed for about 10 days. I then caught a flight back to Los Angeles, making a short stopover in Seoul on the way. This wasn’t originally intended to be a Round-the-World trip but the flights were cheaper if I stopped in Asia so I did.

Currently, I’m in the middle of my third around-the-world trip. I started this rtw trip in South America, visiting Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. From there, I flew to Uganda, where I currently am. I will continue to the Middle East and then to Southeast Asia before returning home.

Tips for Planning A Round the World Trip

It’s important to accept that you’re not going to see it all in one around the world trip. Most round the world travelers visit 10-20 countries. There are 196 countries. You can’t go everywhere. You have to carefully pick and choose where you want to go during your RTW trip.

Also, avoid counting countries. I have met quite a few travelers who like to brag about the number of countries that they have visited on their trips. Most of the time, these people don’t really get to see or experience much of anything in the countries that they visit. They’re always in a rush. I used to be like this. Now I travel slowly and enjoy each destination so much more.

The best advice that I can give while planning your own round-the-world trip is to travel where you want to go. You can take the advice of other travelers and your friends and family but it’s important to plan your own route Don’t travel somewhere just because you feel like you have to go because it’s popular. Don’t avoid a country just because a family member tells you it’s too dangerous. Do your own research and make an informed decision.

Also, d on’t feel bad about visiting touristy places or participating in cheesy touristy activities. It’s your around the world trip. You are spending your own time and money. Do whatever you want to do. The best part of travel is the absolute freedom that it gives you.

Final Thoughts

Planning a round-the-world trip is an exciting and rewarding experience. Taking the time to research your destination, arrange visas, secure transport, and accommodations, and plan activities ahead of time can help ensure a safe and enjoyable journey. Whether you’re looking to venture off the beaten path or simply relax in some of the world’s most beautiful places, having a round the world trip itinerary prepared will give you peace of mind as you explore all that the world has to offer. Wherever you plan to travel, I hope this guide has helped you plan.

Are you currently planning or have you taken a round-the-world trip? Share your around the world trip itinerary in the comments below!

More from Where the Road Forks

• How to Stay Healthy While Traveling
• 35 Types of Tourism
• Should I Travel With a Laptop: Pros and Cons
• Backpack Vs Suitcase for Travel: My Pros and Cons List
• How to Meet People While Traveling Alone
• How to Avoid Pickpockets While Traveling
• 19 Common Travel Scams and How to Avoid Them
• How to Take Your Own Passport Photo for Free
• 30 Free Things to do While Traveling

Zachary Friedman is an accomplished travel writer and professional blogger. Since 2011, he has traveled to 66 countries and 6 continents. He founded ‘Where The Road Forks’ in 2017 to provide readers with information and insights based on his travel and outdoor recreation experience and expertise. Zachary is also an avid cyclist and hiker. Living as a digital nomad, Zachary balances his professional life with his passions for hiking, camping, cycling, and worldwide exploration. For a deeper dive into his journey and background, visit the About page. For inquiries and collaborations, please reach out through the Contact page. You can also follow him on Facebook.

Sharing is caring!

Sign me up for the newsletter!

mahmoud salah

Monday 6th of January 2020

What a guide!! Very informative thank you, im planning on doing cape town to cairo early 2021

wheretheroadforks

Glad you found it useful! Check out my Cairo to Cape Town guide as well if you get the chance. I think you'll find some good info in there to help you plan the trip.

EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER.

Explore. dream. discover..

TRAVEL BLOG

DESTINATIONS

Thanks For Looking!

I'm David Leiter , the guy behind this website. I'm an American who's been traveling the world full time for 8 years now.

I started this travel blog in 2019 to document my own international trips, share my photos, and help others learn how to travel the world and find some really good spots off the beaten path.

I'm currently based in Bali , Indonesia , where I met my wife Intan, who’s a Bali local. Now she joins me on these wild and crazy adventures too.

Together, we've done some bucket list hikes , climbed active volcanoes , seen exotic wildlife , and visited some spectacular castles , temples , and monuments around the world.

I've worked with and been featured by BBC Travel , NBC News , Time , and other companies.

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. I hope this world travel blog can help and inspire you in your own journeys as well!

Travel Guides

Popular travel blog posts & guides

HOW TO VISIT THE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT

NUSA PENIDA ISLAND GUIDE FOR BALI

22 BEST THINGS TO DO IN JAPAN

10 BEST THINGS TO DO AT MACHU PICCHU

PETRA JORDAN TRAVEL GUIDE

18 BEST WATERFALLS IN INDONESIA

25 BEST ISLANDS IN INDONESIA

37 BEST THINGS TO DO IN OAHU HAWAII

CORON PALAWAN ISLAND GUIDE

EL NIDO PALAWAN ISLAND GUIDE

KOMODO ISLAND GUIDE FOR INDONESIA

15 AMAZING WATERFALLS IN ICELAND

ANGKOR WAT GUIDE FOR CAMBODIA

BALI WATERFALLS MAP

24 BEST THINGS TO DO IN INDONESIA

HOW TO VISIT THE BALI MONKEY FOREST

HOW TO VISIT CHICHEN ITZA FROM CANCUN

BAGAN MYANMAR TRAVEL GUIDE

ZAKYNTHOS ISLAND GUIDE FOR GREECE

CAPPADOCIA TURKEY TRAVEL GUIDE

ANG THONG THAILAND GUIDE

PHI PHI ISLAND GUIDE FOR THAILAND

IGUAZU FALLS ARGENTINA & BRAZIL GUIDE

TIKAL TEMPLE GUIDE FOR GUATEMALA

FLYING OVER THE GREAT BLUE HOLE IN BELIZE

SANTORINI TRAVEL GUIDE FOR GREECE

ROCK ISLANDS SCENIC FLIGHT IN PALAU

Bucket list hiking guides

EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK IN NEPAL

ANGELS LANDING HIKE IN ZION

HUAYNA PICCHU HIKE IN PERU

25 BEST HIKES IN INDONESIA

TONGARIRO CROSSING IN NEW ZEALAND

TIGER'S NEST MONASTERY HIKE IN BHUTAN

26 BEST HIKES IN OAHU HAWAII

18 BEST SLOT CANYONS IN UTAH

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN HIKE IN HAWAII

MOUNT FITZ ROY HIKE IN PATAGONIA

MOUNT BROMO CRATER IN INDONESIA

KAWAH IJEN VOLCANIC LAKE IN JAVA

PERITO MORENO GLACIER WALK

ACATENANGO VOLCANO HIKE IN GUATEMALA

HALF DOME HIKE IN YOSEMITE

23 BEST HIKES IN UTAH

Recent posts, fulidhoo island guide: shark & stingray beach in maldives, how to visit dhigurah island: budget paradise in maldives, 10 best hikes in aruba: family friendly trails, how to visit tanjung puting national park in indonesia, lower antelope canyon tour review & photos, sanur bali travel guide: 24 best things to do, coron vs el nido: which is better all differences explained, banggai islands travel guide & itinerary for sulawesi, destinations.

Pick a country and start exploring!

UNITED STATES

PHILIPPINES

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Get In Touch

Feel free to contact me if you have travel questions, comments, or suggestions! I'll try to get back to you!

6 Sensible (and Not-So-Sensible) Round-the-World Travel Itineraries

Recently I shared five planning tips for creating your ideal round-the-world travel itinerary. A reader suggested that a few sample itineraries might make useful reading, and the opportunity to play around with RTW routes for a better reason than purely my own amusement was too good to pass up.

Vagabondish is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Read our disclosure .

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to start every route in New York. I don’t live there, but I bet more readers do than in my current hometown in Western Australia, and wherever you are, you’re more likely to be able to adapt a route going through the US to suit your own situation. I’m using my favorite RTW site TripPlanner for the price estimates.

So to start off, and following my own advice, let’s look at some routes that include what I would call “sensible” destinations.

A Varied Route: Not Just Beaches, But Not Too Much Cash

New York — Barcelona — Athens — Cairo — Dubai — Bangkok — Sydney — Auckland — San Francisco — New York

For just over $3,000, it’s possible to get a RTW ticket stopping at places as varied as Gaudi-haven Barcelona, historically soaked Cairo (I hadn’t thought of Athens, but it got thrown in by TripPlanner as a free stopover), the modern architectural marvel of Dubai, and a stop in Bangkok which you could turn into a beach sojourn in a quiet part of Thailand. Getting home again could see you explore parts of east coast Australia and New Zealand before soaking up the San Francisco Bay atmosphere.

If you’re looking for variety, think big. Nobody says you have to stop at the biggest or most well-known cities. Many standard routes would head to London or Frankfurt rather than Barcelona, but why not head straight to the cities that really interest you most?

A Not-Overdoing-It Route: Don’t Squeeze the Whole World In

New York — Moscow — Singapore — Tokyo — Honolulu — Vancouver — Seattle — New York

Too much variety can be too much of a good thing. This route’s cheapest variant comes out at around $2,500, and I picked it using a handful of cities that have really interested me of late. Singapore and Seattle were free extras thrown in by the system — places where these routes would make stopovers anyway — but Moscow, Tokyo, Honolulu and Vancouver make to me a fascinating and relaxing vacation which also doesn’t need to last more than a few weeks.

A Cheap Route: Cheap Fare, Cheap Living Costs

New York — Shanghai — Bangkok — Delhi — Amsterdam — New York

For just over $2,000, you can get around the world with a few stops in the cheaper parts of Asia and one of the slightly less expensive cities of Europe. If you spend most of your trip in China, Thailand and India, or other areas of south-east Asia where living and traveling expenses are relatively low, you’ll have enough cash to enjoy a European stopover like Amsterdam on your way home.

A Summer Route: Don’t Pack A Coat

New York — London — Vienna — Hong Kong — Bangkok — Singapore — Perth — Melbourne — Christchurch (NZ) — Auckland (NZ) — Los Angeles — New York

This gets trickier, and we’re talking about a longer trip, nine months or a year. Say we start in New York in April — that’s spring in the northern hemisphere. Head to Europe for the northern summer. As the seasons change, enjoy the eternal warmth of tropical Asia, then when the southern hemisphere summer begins in December, head to Australia and New Zealand for a few months. Summer all the way, and you’ll have really cut back on your clothes packing by avoiding cold weather. But for a relatively reasonable $3,500, you’ve really seen a lot of the world in your shorts and T-shirt.

A Quick Route: Around the World in Much Less Than 80 Days

New York — Paris — Dubai — Hong Kong — Los Angeles — New York

While this is not really my style of traveling, I still think that giving someone the chance to see some very different corners of the globe, even if it’s only for a short time, is better than staying at home. You get the romance of Europe typified in Paris, a stopover in Dubai and an easy Asian thrill in Hong Kong, starting from around $2,200. This is the kind of route you could fit into a two-week vacation. I’m not recommending it, but if you can’t get any more time off, then it’s a viable alternative.

An Eccentric Route: Writer’s Choice

New York — Miami — Lima — Mexico City — Los Angeles — Tahiti — Auckland — Sydney — Ho Chi Minh City — Singapore — Mumbai — Delhi — Moscow — Frankfurt — Madrid — Casablanca — London — New York

Like I said: go wild. This is the ultimate RTW route I’d take if money was no object (it comes in at around $5,000). I’ve still chosen it with relative care about which connections are sensible, so that I don’t spend half of a year away sitting at airports.

Lessons From Itinerary Planning

If you sit down to plan your own round the world itinerary, be prepared to spend a reasonable amount of time at it. Over the years, I’ve looked at so many different routes — and thank goodness that the marvels of the internet makes this easy to do without the help of travel agents, who would never be patient with all my questions and ideas — that I have a good idea of the various routes that exist the world over. As you practice, you’ll get the hang of it too, and soon work out that getting in and out of South America is tricky and usually expensive, whereas hopping around Asia is usually relatively cheap.

Of all the possible travel planning you can do, designing a round-the-world itinerary of flights is probably one of the most enjoyable. Open yourself up to the millions of possibilities that exist. Take your time to play and adjust your route to see what else you can squeeze out of it — a few dollars saved, or an exciting stopover added. Enjoy your RTW planning, and then make sure you tell us about it so we can share the excitement a bit too.

Love those suggestions! I spend many-a-bored moment at work working and reworking RTW itineraries on AirTreks.com. LOL. Good day dream tool, to be sure.

cool article. Because of the nature of RTW flights you can also fit in some really great destination that would otherwise cost a lot of money on single trips, like Svalbard and Easter Island.

Definitely agree with you there, Mark. And hopefully now and again we can turn some of those daydreams into reality. Which of course leads to a whole host of other places we want to visit and more dream itineraries and …

After visiting Southeast Asia, I would definitely recommend replacing Singapore with Bangkok for anyone looking for a cultural experience. Not to mention it is way cheaper. Also, you briefly mentioned that South America can be expensive. How much more should you plan on spending to get there? Technically you are going AROUND the world in those scenarios, but you’re skipping an entire continent. I’ve never been there, but it seems worth seeing. Was there any more motive behind skipping SA, or is it simply just the cost?

Hi Dave, That’s true, I only headed to South America in that very last itinerary (the “dream” one at around $5,000) and the only reason it didn’t feature in other itineraries is the cost. For me it’s more practical as a destination where you head there and back, rather than try to include it on a RTW, unless it’s a really long trip and time/money aren’t so much of an object. Don’t get me wrong, there are a million reasons to get to South America!

I have enjoyed reading your articles and postings about RTW travel. My wife and I, cafe owners on the east coast of the US are in our 40’s-50’s are are hoping to take a long (2-3 year) trip around the world which would take us to a large number of destinations. What we are trying to understand and figure out is this: if, for instance you wanted to go to Europe and see England, Ireland, Scotland and then Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia, Greece and on to Turkey what do you do regarding flights? Do you fly from country to country and use trains/buses/cars to get around to places within the country? Do you fly into one place, rent a car or use trains, and travel to many spots before flying out of another country? How do you think of those issues? Do you establish a base or travel from place to place?

You best and cheapest travel method in Europe is over land, via train. I’d recommend flying into a major city and branching out from there…Ireland and England can be visited via boat. It’s really a matter of time vs money. Perhaps you have both?

I like the “eclectic” itenerary with a few exceptions/additions. Can you give me some advice regarding adding Tanzania/Serengeti, Bhutan, Turkey? How much time would you allow for the trip as a whole, or for your trip? What would be a reasonable expectation of total cost?

Great ideas! How does this route sound:

Boston – Rio de Janeiro – Marrakesh – Paris – London – Edinburgh – Amalfi Coast (or Cinque Terre) – Dubai – Varanasi – Hong Kong – Los Angeles – Boston

It comes in at around $4000, so I’d be saving up for a while. I’m planning on doing this sort of thing my whole life, where I save 15% of my salary each year for travel. So, is there anything on this list that I should save for later, rather than stay for 2-3 weeks (which I plan to do for the RTW)?

Changed: (Parentheses are for the number of days I’d spend there.) This one isn’t definite, yet.

Boston – Edinburgh(5) – London(3) – Paris(5) – Malta(10) – Marrakesh(7) – Dubai(10) – Hong Kong(10) – Los Angeles(5) – Rio de Janeiro(12) – Boston

This route comes in at $3796 to $5200 an it’ll take a little over 2 months to travel. It might be just me, but I don’t think there’s enough variety, since Marrakesh and Dubai are together; LA and Rio are together; and so are Edinburgh and London. Anything I should add/subtract? I travel for any purpose. It can be exciting and adventurous or relaxing.

I’m not really definite on Malta, because I wanna add some Italy, but Malta is the cheapest for travel and a lot of people say they prefer it to the Amalfi Coast and Capri. And then for Edinburgh, I’m not really into haunted castles, but it seems like a cool place other than that.

i don’t know about this – but i for one wanted to do – SA (5) – Brazil (4) – lima (6) – Rio (5) – and after that i get lost because i want to fit in Spain (5) – Greece (6) – Turkey (6) – Jordan (4) – Russia (8) – trans siberian train (5) – and then even worse is i want to do cambodia (5) and vietnam (5) about 65 days – you think its too far fetched or is it possible within these many days – i am also wondering how these RTW flights be possible.

About to retire at age 72, still workout every day, am planning on a one year vacation as follows: September -mid December: NYC-Panama City-Guayaquil- Galapagos-Lima-(Have already spent two years in South Pacific-Aus-NZ) South Africa (3 weeks including Safari)- Morrocco-Brussels. THEN RT Brussels-Florida for the winter and to see family. Mid- March back to Brussels- 2 months rail Europe- Turkey-Dubai-Mumbai-Chiang Mai-Myanmar- Seoul- Tokyo- Vancouver and home in July for rest of summer (Have already visited China 4 times and Indian Golden Triangle, Thailand, and Vietnam/Cambodia) Would appreciate thoughts from anyone who has bothered to read thru all this.

Peter, I noticed in reading your post that you wrote December, 2013, yet mentioned getting ready to travel September so my thoughts are that should be preparing to go in the next couple of months or so. Is that right.

Then you mention stopping in Florida for family. I was interested because I too am just sort of retiring (run a small sole agent travel business) and would like to keep my hand in travel through a web blog while moving around the world.

Will you be traveling alone and have you researched that or have you done much of solo traveling before. If you are expecting to stop by Florida sometime in the future, and will have started a RTW, I would love to chat with you more.

Possibly you could return and email to me at [email protected] and we could chat. Thanks, Saundra

Thanks for a comprehensive list of itineraries, my wife and I did a RTW trip 10 years ago with Russia and Egypt NYC Canada and so much more. We need do it again but with 2 little ladies from Perth WA! Need to include NZ, Disney land, LA? London, ooh maybe India and China? Better still we could pop over for a cuppa and discuss?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content

How to Travel Around the World and prepare the trip of a lifetime

• ARTICLES : 31

Leaving to travel around the world was simply the best decision of our lives! Since that one day in 2012 when we decided around a bottle of wine to travel around the world, our lives have been completely disrupted.

We travelled full-time for 19 months from China to South America via Southeast Asia, we made dozens of encounters, discovered places that will remain engraved in our memories, got to know other cultures, other languages... We first traveled at full speed, then slowed down to just take the time... the time to talk, to meet, the time that we often lack in our daily lives.

Then we returned to Switzerland, we found good jobs in Zurich... it was the end of a beautiful enchanted break. Except that here we were, we had a first taste for travel, freedom and the infinite flexibility that a round the world trip provides ... and 18 months later, what was supposed to happen happened! We resigned again to reopen the parenthesis for good this time. Since then we have taken our work with us in our backpacks and exchanged our pretty Swiss apartment for a way of life that suits us better: the digital nomad lifestyle.

Since 2012, we have written and shared many blog posts with you about traveling around the world or long-distance travel. On this page, we've tried to put all this in order to help you find your way through all these years of blogging. We hope you will find a lot of useful information but also inspiration that may help you to take your turn in the adventure of a round the world trip.

Believe us, you won't regret it!

• Our free ebook and our book

Why travel around the world?

• Around the World ticket
• Travel Insurance
• Travel gear
• Checklist and timing
• Choose your camera
• Mobile Apps
• Accomodation

Travel safe

• Hiking and Trekking
• learn a new language

Work and travel

• take great travel pictures
• Coming Home
• All our blog posts about round the world travel

Our free ebook and our book to travel around the world

First of all, we would like to start by introducing you to 2 resources that we have created and in which we have put a lot of energy and heart. We hope this will inspire you and help you embark on the adventure of a round-the-world trip.

Our free ebook to prepare your round-the-world trip

There is sometimes some confusion about our e-book because you can either read it online on our website or download it in pdf format. But in both cases, the content is almost the same :).

We started writing this e-book when we were preparing our world tour. At that time, we spent a lot of time reading different blogs/forums to gather information and prepare our trip. And frankly, we would have dreamed of having a document that explains to us simply and step by step what it takes to prepare a round-the-world trip. So we thought we were going to write it ourselves and a few months later, it was there. And since then, more than 10,000 travelers have downloaded it (the pdf version) and we hope that it will still help many future backpackers. You can read it by simply clicking on the link below (you will also be able to download its pdf version)

a small preview:

Read the chapter 1 of our ebook

Download the PDF

Our Book "Destination Tour du Monde" (French and German only)

Even if we had always dreamed of writing and publishing a book (especially Fabienne), we never thought that this dream would come true one day! And yet... It just took a bit of luck, meeting the right person (Hadi the founder of the Helvetiq publishing house) and a lot of work to make this project a reality.

And in April 2017, Destination Tour du Monde was born! This book has our hearts set on it and is for anyone who dreams of travel and adventure (or their families to reassure them;)). You will of course find plenty of information to prepare your trip but also reflections on the questions you ask yourself before leaving, tips once on the road, lots of anecdotes, interviews with other travellers around the world... all magnificently illustrated by our friend the talented Florian from Helvetiq.

We simply tried to create the book we would have liked to have before our world tour and we hope that it will inspire many future travellers. If you want more information, you can take a look at the book page. Otherwise, you can simply buy it directly on our publisher's website or on Amazon (or in more than 500 bookshops in Switzerland and France)

There are certainly as many reasons to go on a world tour as there are world travelers;) and if you are reading these lines, it is because you may already have yours. But if we had to choose a few of them, we'd tell you:

• To meet people from all over the world and learn more about their culture and way of life
• For the freedom that a trip around the world provides... no more constraints! You do what you want when you want during this unique journey.
• To make new experiences and get out of this well-known comfort zone

Moreover, in chapter 1 of our e-book , we review all the reasons that drive people to travel around the world... but also all those things that prevent them from taking the step and how to overcome them.

And if it's not enough yet ;) take 50 minutes of your time to watch the magnificent documentary Génération Tour du Monde (Round the world trip generation with English subtitles) by our friends les coflocs... I promise you that after watching you'll have only one desire: to leave for the adventure of your life ;)

How to prepare a round the world trip

Now that you have made the decision to go on a round the world trip and have set yourself a departure date (promised it is the most difficult stage of the preparations;)), all you have to do is "prepare" your trip around the world:)

To be honest we loved this period of travel preparations . We spent our time reading travel blogs, sharing our desires for destinations and things to do around a bottle of wine... it was a very exciting time when we breathed, dreamed, ate travel!

So certainly there are less fun aspects to the preparations for a round the world trip (I'm thinking in particular of vaccines;), insurance, bank fees etc....), but don't worry, we're here to help you! Many articles have been written on all the important steps in preparing for a long-distance trip, which are listed below:) #Enjoy

Round the world trip budget

That's probably THE question you're asking yourself:

How much does a round-the-world trip cost, by the way?

So, unfortunately, there are probably as many answers to this question as there are world travellers... the budget for such a trip will depend on many factors such as your travel style, the destinations you want to visit, activities, accommodations, airline tickets, visas and so on! But don't worry, we've devoted a complete folder to the budget question for a round-the-world trip and after reading it, you'll probably have a much more precise idea of how much the trip of your life will cost (don't worry, you don't need to be a millionaire to go around the world)

Read our chapter about the budget for a round the world trip

And if you are looking for more specific information about travelling to a particular country, you will find on this page all our travel budget articles in most of the countries we visited.

Plan your round the world trip itinerary

Ahhhhhhhh!!! The preparation of the itinerary for our round world tour.... we remember this period with a lot of nostalgia, those evenings spent adding pins to our world map, dreaming, debating, making compromises and starting to sketch out our travel project. Good memories (and a couple arguments of course). ;)

But even if it's rather fun to prepare a round-the-world itinerary, it doesn't mean that there are not some constraints to take into account (we think in particular of the climate, the budget, visas, security...). We have prepared a big article for you where we give you all the factors to take into account as well as our personal method to prepare the itinerary of our trip.

Read more about how to plan your itinerary

And if you're wondering what our travel itinerary was, here it is below. This itinerary was created thanks to the great travel planner made by our friend Nico (which you'll certainly use a lot to prepare the itinerary for your round the world trip).

Around the world Ticket - choose the right one

Unless you are going around the world on foot, by bike or by sailboat, there is a good chance that you will use the plane at some point during your round-the-world trip. And precisely, round-the-world airline tickets is a subject that divides world travellers a little bit. There are indeed 2 ways to do this:

• either you buy a round-the-world ticket
• or you buy your plane tickets as you travel

Obviously, each method has its advantages and disadvantages (it would be too easy if not ;) ). But as we are very nice, we have devoted an entire chapter to this topic in our ebook on the preparations for a round the world trip here:

Read the Chapter about round the world tickets

The recommended vaccine for travelers

Be careful: this part is for all phobics and the ones who don't like injections! ;) Ohhhh yes, depending on the countries you plan to visit during your round the world trip, you may well have to get through the vaccines :). So what are the vaccines for a round-the-world trip? How much does it cost to get vaccinated? You will find all the answers to these questions in the following article:

Vaccines for a round the world trip

Travel insurance for a round the world trip

We know that the subject of travel insurance is a very boring one and that you probably don't want to think about it while you are preparing for the adventure of your life. However, in our opinion, it is simply unconscious to leave for a round-the-world trip without being insured for some important things (we think mainly of medical expenses, repatriation and civil liability).

As the subject is quite complicated, we have prepared several resources that should help you to understand everything about travel insurance for a round the world trip and especially to choose the right insurance for your trip:

• We first invite you to read our guide to understand everything about backpackers insurance
• To find the right insurance coverage for you, we have created a comparison of the best travel insurance for your round the world trip . With this you will find the insurance you need super easily.

How to avoid bank fees while traveling?

You would rather spend your money on travel than give it to your bank, we agree! However, the problem is that many major banks are very happy with the withdrawal fees abroad (yes, even in 2019!!!!).

In Europe we use a lot online Banks when we travel. N26 is one of the market leaders and it will soon be available in the US as well! Get to know more about N26 in our blog post

What should you pack to travel around the world?

After several years of traveling around the world, we now need only 1-2 hours to prepare our backpacks.

It must be said that it is a tricky exercise to choose your equipment for a round the world trip. On the one hand, we want to have the gear to face all types of conditions and situations, but on the other hand we are limited by the weight we can carry on our back. So we devoted an entire chapter of our ebook to the essential equipment for a round the world trip. We listed everything we took on the trip (backpack, clothes, equipment, electronics) and commented each time on our opinion of each object after returning from the trip.

Read the chapter about our backpacking gear

Checklist and Planing

So we agree on this one: you still have to think about a lot of things when you prepare a round the world trip.... and frankly for some people it can be quite impressive or even discouraging. But don't panic, with a little organization and thinking about the right things at the right time, we guarantee that it's not that complicated:). The best thing is to make a small planning of the things to do to prepare the trip by starting about 1 year before the planned date. And as we are very nice, we have created for you the ideal planning of the preparations for a round the world trip in the form of a checklist starting one year before the departure until the D-day.

See the planning

Which camera should you choose to travel the world

When you leave for a round the world trip, you usually want to take a few pictures to keep memories of the trip, decorate your apartment on the way back or make your loved ones jealous during the adventure (or after returning) :) . As a result, the question of choosing the right camera for travel often arises before the take off.

Contrary to what you will often read online, there is no such thing as the "best camera to travel" ! The ideal camera for your world tour will depend largely on your expectations. Maybe your priority is to have a small (light) and discreet camera... but maybe you also want to take portraits, or maybe pretty night pictures or maybe even video. And so the ideal device will clearly change depending on what you are looking to do during your trip.

Since Ben is totally passionate about photography and also because we receive a lot of questions about it, we wrote a big article to explain all the important criteria to know before choosing a camera. So we really recommend you to read it before you make your camera choice for your round the world trip.

Read the article

But let's face it, if you go on a long trip, you will certainly find yourself choosing between 3 types of cameras:

• If you don't care about the quality of the photos and want the smallest and lightest option, I simply advise you to take a good smartphone with you.
• If you're looking for photos of good enough quality but without getting too caught up in the settings and without compromising on weight and discretion, then the compact range is made for you. And to help you choose the best point and shoot camera, we have created a comparison table here
• If you are interested in photography (or video) and are looking for more control to take beautiful pictures in more difficult conditions (sunset, night, etc.), you will probably want to buy a better camera. Mirrorless (or hybrid) Cameras have an excellent weight/quality ratio. And here too, we recommend you to look at our comparison table of the best mirrorless cameras to make your choice.

The best mobile apps for travelers

So here I'll get right to the point and tell you only about the applications that you're really going to use a lot during your round the world trip (but who knows if we'll write a more complete article on the subject)

Maps.me : This application has become a must have for travellers and frankly it would have saved us a few misadventures if it had existed at the time of our world tour (yes we are oldies... maps.me did not yet exist during our trip;) ). Maps.me is in our opinion the best offline map application (it works even without an internet connection). The maps are very detailed (they are based on Open Street Map) and you have the possibility to draw routes, use it in navigation mode (for the car), add points of interest, use it for hiking etc.... In addition you will find a lot of information added by travellers such as restaurants, hotels, points of interest etc.... The must of the must we tell you!

• Google translate : If you travel to countries like China where no one speaks a word of English, a translation application that also works offline can be extremely convenient in some situations. During our world tour it didn't work like that yet but now it's another world;)
• Xe currency : The reference application for currency conversions (this is just to make sure don't get ripped off by the first tuk tuk tuk driver).

While traveling around the world: our tips

Here you are! You just left and you are finally on your way to the world #yeaahhhhh! But as you will see, travelling around the world is not always easy ;). You will have to find accommodation during your trip, be on the move (almost) constantly, feed yourself, do your laundry, do your visas along the way, find activities and places to visit etc.... #SuchAHardLife :)

So to make your life easier during your round the world trip, we have decided to list below all the tools / sites / services that we find useful and that have made our life easier during all our travels (round the world trip and after). Because it must be said that the purpose of such a trip is not to spend all your time organizing and looking for information... the goal is simply to get the most out of this unique experience.

Backpacking: How to find a place to stay

Accommodation is probably THE great concern for people who have never really travelled long distances before and it is easy to understand why! I mean... when you are used to booking all your accomodation in advance for your 2-week holiday it may seem strange to leave 1 year without booking anything in advance;) .

By the way, if it makes you feel any better, we were also afraid to sleep a few nights under bridges or in the street before going on a world tour (and guess what... it never happened ;)).

There are different options for your stay while travelling:

Hôtels, Hostels, Guesthouses, Youth Hostels...

The most traditional way to spend a night while travelling around the world is simply to pay for your accommodation and this is what we have done most of the time. In some countries, we didn't even bother to book in advance (as in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia...). Why? because it's just suuuuper easy to find a room on the spot, plus not having a booking allows you to compare the options and find a better price (a concept that does not exist in Europe for example;)). In other countries (such as China, or South America) we usually booked in advance. When we book in advance we usually do it 1 or 2 days in advance and we use the following apps:

• Booking : No need to present this one... this is our go-to choice for booking hotels
• Vrbo or Airbnb: Recently, since we also work online, we've started to rent more and more via Airbnb. It's a bit more pricey, but especially in Europe you can find some pretty good options.

Couchsurfing or sleeping at a local's house

So that was also a great novelty for when leaving for our world tour.... Couchsurfing is a website that connects travellers who are looking for accommodation with local people who agree to provide them with free accommodation (in a room or on their sofa). The idea is to share a moment with the hosts over a meal, to meet new people, to discuss everyone and nothing (so don't do couchsurfing if you don't want to socialize a minimum;) )

We started by welcoming travellers into our apartment when we lived in Vienna (to test the concept as hosts and get some reviews on the site) and then we surfed some sofas in China, Ecuador or Finland and we always had very good experiences. It's really a great way to meet new people, to exchange, to learn more about a place by talking to someone who lives there and we really recommend you to try it.

And for those who travel by bike, there is also the website called Warmshower which works as couchsurfing but for cyclists.

Doing Home exchange

We have never done it personally because you have to own an apartment or a house but we know several travellers who have tested the concept (the best known site for this is HomeExchange ). It is a very good way when you are a homeowner to discover a new place at a lower cost with all the comfort of a house.

Work in echange of accomodation

For example, during our world tour we translated a website for a Lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon in exchange for a week's accommodation (as this lodge was clearly not in our budget range at the time, it was a win-win situation). So even if this were done spontaneously, there are also many websites that could help you find these kinds of arrangements:

• Wwoofing : A site that allows you to find job offers on farms in exchange for housing and food.
• Helpx : A more generalist (and unfortunately a little old-fashioned) site of classified ads for unpaid work offers in exchange for housing and food.
• Worldpackers : Same concept as Helpx with a more modern site and a very large community.

Sleeping on night buses

Sleeping in airports

Often with cheap flights or round-the-world tickets, you will find yourself having to fly super early in the morning or transiting for 14 hours in an airport. We when we find ourselves in these kinds of situations (still now) well we don't hesitate for a second and we sleep at the airport;) (this can save some money, plus let's face it, most of the time airport hotels are quite crappy or totally overpriced.)).

During our 7 years of travel we spent more than 15 nights in different airports around the world. In order to help you prepare for your first night in an airport, we've prepared a detailed blog post with all our best tips and tricks to spend a good night of sleep.

Sleeping in a tent

We rarely spent the night in official camp site during our round the world trip (if I remember correctly only on Easter Island and in a few places in South America) but on the other hand we did a lot of camping / bivouacs during the hikes over several days that we did around the world.

These itinerant adventures remain among our best travel memories and you are really encouraged to embark on this kind of adventure during your round the world trip (and if you are not really convinced yet or do not know where to start to embark on this kind of adventure, read this article ). To inspire you here are some examples of treks / adventures we did during our world tour:

• 8 days trekking to go to the Machu Picchu all on our own
• The O trail in Torres del Paine
• A beautiful trek in the Vicente Perez Natural Park (Chile)
• Trekking in the Huerquehue Reserve

Transportation Methods: how to get from A to B?

There are quite a few different ways to travel between two places during a round the world trip and I think we can say that we have tested a good part of it. Here is a small non-exhaustive list to give you some ideas;)

• by plane : either with your round-the-world ticket or by buying the tickets as you go along.
• buses: I can guarantee that you'll take a lot of them during your world tour (day, night, short, long...). I think the longest bus trip we took was a 24 hours bus ride in Argentina. To buy tickets we tend to prefer going directly to the bus stations... You'll find some tickets online (depending on the region), but we found these to be always much more expensive
• trains: this is (most of the time) also a very nice experience! We remember in particular our great trips inside China where there was always a lot of things going on everywhere. ;) For train, it's usually cheaper to buy the tickets directly at the station rather than online
• by boat : We have to admit that we are not experts because Fabienne is seasick (meaning she always finds a good excuse to avoid boats). But we have taken them in Indonesia, Sydney, Finland...
• Hitchhiking : Once again we are not experts but we have done it several times in South America and each time it has been great encounters (like this time when we were picked up by a wine delivery man in Argentina who took us with him on his tour... #Hips)

• Cycling : So even if we are not frequent cyclists (for the moment... who knows?), we have sometimes rented bicycles some over several days, for example on the east coast of Taiwan .
• Car: During our round the world trip we did not rent many cars... Only in Argentina actually. But since we left again, this is clearly something we do very often like in Menorca (sometimes we even sleep in the car as in Lofoten ). And each time, we use the website called Rentalcars to find the cheapest option.

Until now we've always been very lucky on our travels and nothing serious has happened to us yet (no robberies or assaults nor serious injuries). However, we must admit that we had some fears before our world tour about some South American destinations that have a "bad reputation" (thanks to the media;)). But we quickly realized that by being a little careful and applying certain rules, we could greatly reduce the risk of problems when traveling. If you want more information on this subject, we invite you to read our articles about safety in South America and the risks associated with travels .

Money and currency management while travelling

We told you a little above how to avoid bank fees around the world (by choosing the right bank before leaving) but we didn't really explain how we managed our money while travelling. Well, there's nothing really wicked about it;)

• If possible, leave with a Visa card and a Mastercard (and do not keep them in the same place;)). Don't forget to change your 6-digit codes to 4-digit codes to avoid any problems with some cashing machine. We also used our paypal account a lot to make online payments without always having to fill in our bank details.
• When you make online payments on a wifi you don't know, it is always better to use a VPN to secure your connection.
• We always had a certain amount of money in Dollars (like $3-400) hidden in different places for emergencies (in a secured travel-belt, in Fabienne's bra and hidden in the bag).
• In many countries (Asia, Argentina...), local banks take a commission (fixed amount) for each withdrawal so it is better to withdraw more money less often than the other way around.
• Avoid changing money in small exchange stores (because they make their money by offering outrageous exchange rates) and withdraw money in local currency directly from ATMs.

Food: what to eat while traveling

Probably the thing you will do most often during your world tour and which will often be a source of pleasure, new flavours but sometimes also of some suffering ;) Eat!

Befor leaving read a lot of advice on cleanliness, water, precautions to take to avoid getting sick... but once we were on the way, we forgot a little bit about it and ate what we had on hand ;) . We tried to be open-minded to taste as much as possible without letting ourselves be discouraged by our cultural habits. The only thing we've been paying attention to is always going to eat if possible in places where there are people. Because if there are people, there is a flow of food, which is generally a good sign for the freshness of the food.

Obviously we also got sick once or twice... but it's part of the trip and I doubt that even with a lot of care you can avoid all potential stomach disorders during your whole round the world trip;)

Visa requirements

Obtaining visas during a round-the-world trip will sometimes be a bit constraining, but overall we advise you not to worry too much about that because in most cases, you will be able to do them quietly during your trip when you arrive in the country. But here are some things you will need to think about when it comes to visas during the trip:

• You will obviously need a valid passport to apply for visas....
• In many cases, you will be able to make your visas along the way when you arrive in the country (at the border). But there are some countries like China (or Russia) where it is much more complicated to get a visa "on the spot" (sometimes event impossible). You are therefore advised to inquire about visas that may potentially be problematic during your trip
• Corruption is common at border crossings in Asia (particularly at the Laos-Cambodia and Thailand-Cambodia borders). It is not uncommon for people to try to charge you $2 for a fake medical examination, $5 more than the official price for a visa etc... In these cases, you are simply advised to remain zen and firm on your position. Don't forget you have time! :) And if you want to read epic stories of these border crossings, come and read our article on the border crossing to get to Siem-reap.
• The price of visas will vary depending on the time you want to spend in the country (sometimes you can choose, sometimes not:)) and your nationality.

Internet while traveling

• During your trip, you will sometimes have to make online payments on dubious wifi networks (airports, cafés etc...) In these cases, you will be happy to be able to secure your connection to avoid that someone malicious intercepts your logins.
• You may travel to countries like China or to a lesser extent Vietnam and Turkey where the Internet is heavily censored. For example, in China it is impossible to access facebook or google directly without securing your connection.
• You may sometimes want to access content that is only accessible from a specific country (video, tv etc...)

For all these different cases, the solution is to subscribe to a VPN for your trip. If you want more details on this subject and why a VPN solves all these problems, I recommend you to read this article . Otherwise you can subscribe to Express VPN (which we also use and pay for) which is one of the few VPNs that still works correctly in China for example.

Hiking and trekking around the world

You will have probably noticed it but we have become hiking addicts :) (be it for one day or over more days with our tent)... and guess when we caught the virus??? During our round the world trip, of course ;)

To be honest, hiking is something that you'll do almost naturally during a long-distance trip. We automatically walk a lot when we visit new places every day. So why not take it to the next level by doing trekking - multi-day hikes (and don't think it's so difficult... you don't have to be an extreme adventurer to go hiking for several days).

Furthermore, walking allows you to discover a place gently and freely and very often far from the crowds. And since during a round the world trip you have time to embark on this kind of adventure, it would be silly not to give it a try :)

But we realize that starting the first time on a hike of several days with all your stuff on your back can be a little scary. So we have prepared a complete article on how to prepare an autonomous trek during your round the world trip. Otherwise you can also take a look at our gear when we hiked across Switzerland ... it's very similar.

And if it's the bivouac that frightens you, we have also written a super complete guide about everything you need to know to leave for a bivouac adventure (equipment, respect for nature, advice etc...).

Learn a new language while traveling

After traveling 9 months through China and Southeast Asia, we were tired of not being able to talk to the locals (or only in English with people who wanted to try to sell us stuff;) ). So once we arrived on the South American continent, we decided to take the time to learn a little Spanish in order to have more contact with the locals. This decision was certainly one of the best of our round the world trip and changed a lot of things for the rest of our trip.

There are 2 ways to learn a language during a round the world trip:

• You can learn by using a web service (site, application etc...) like Mosalingua . This will allow you to learn at your own pace during the trip on your computer or smartphone.
• You could stop at a place to take language classes for a few weeks. For example, we rented an apartment in Quito for 2 months to take Spanish classes for 8 weeks. It allowed us to rest a little, get back to a pleasant routine for a while and above all to learn very quickly a solid base of Spanish that was very useful for the rest of our trip. We can only recommend it!

You will see that once you can speak a little bit of the language of the country in which you are travelling, the experience will be completely different.

Working around the world can also be a great way to finance or extend your trip. For example, many travellers take advantage of the fact that you can earn a lot of money in Australia to fill the bank account between Asia and South America. But of course with digitalization there is a growing list of jobs that allow you to travel while working a little. And as we are nice, we have prepared a small non-exhaustive list of jobs that allow you to travel right here .

Doing Laundry

We left for our trip full of good intentions with our multifunctional soap that could clean us as much as our clothes. So we certainly used this soap, but only once on our clothes ;). The thing is that there are so many cleaning services or washing machines available in the Guesthouse that we did our laundry by hand only once in the whole trip!

Obviously maybe you will have more courage than us but as far as we are concerned, we didn't last long with the laundry in hand and we chose the 100% lazy option;)

Tips and tricks to take nice travel pictures

You have followed our advice above and found the right camera for you, here are some very simple tips to improve the quality of your photos based on our experience:

• Don't be afraid of manual modes (PASM): The automatic mode of your camera will not always make the right choices for you. Take some time to fully understand the 3 fundamental components of photography (aperture, sensitivity and exposure time) and take control of your camera. The result will be even better.
• Get out in the morning and evening: The light after sunrise and just before sunset is warmer and softer which will enhance your photos.
• Think about the foreground : when you take a picture of a landscape, always try to add an element to the foreground that could enrich the picture.
• Do you want to take pretty pictures at night or of the Northern Lights? That's good I wrote a full article on this subject ;)
• Theory is good, practice is even better : Take your camera out as often as possible, try it out, change your perspective, make mistakes... it's still by practicing that you improve the fastest;)

Coming home after a long time on the roads

You have certainly already heard it or read it on the internet:

Going around the world is easy but it's coming home that is difficult!

And yet I swear to you that for us the return was not that difficult. It's all a question of state of mind! If you can keep the positive momentum you had while traveling, if you come back with lots of new projects and objectives, we are sure that the return from such a trip can be very well experienced.

Travel around the World: all our blog posts

Leave everything and travel around the world.

Do you want to leave everything behind and go on an adventure? But something is holding you back?! It’s quite normal, you can’t leave everything and travel around the world just like that, from one day to the next....

Traveling around the world in the middle of Covid: Emilie and Taylor’s experience

We asked some questions to Émilie and Taylor, a couple of backpackers who left for a round the world trip in the middle of the Covid pandemic

Comparison of the best trail running shoes for hiking, backpacking and traveling

Trail running shoes are very versatile and are perfect for hiking and traveling. Here is our comparison table of all our favorite models

Van and Fab’s round the world trip: keep on traveling despite Covid19

After 30 months of traveling around the world, Van and Fab decided to lock down in Malaysia instead of returning home to Switzerland.

Neon: the online bank for Swiss travellers

The Neon application has been a hot topic in the Swiss banking world in recent months. Intrigued, we have created an account for ourselves and in this article we’d like to introduce you to this application. We had already...

Switzerland: Which bank should you choose for a trip around the world?

This is a question that comes up VERY regularly on our blog and in e-mails: which Swiss bank should you turn to when you want to go travel around the world? When we set off on our round-the-world trip in 2013, we also asked...

Cecile and Quentin’s round-the-world trip, shortened by the Coronavirus

Cécile and Quentin were still travelling around the world when the Coronavirus happened... we asked them some questions about their experience

Embark on a solo round the world trip for your 40th birthday with Lao

In this interview, Lao tells us about her experience of travelling around the world. A journey she had dreamed of for a long time and that transformed her

Backpacker experience: the round the world trip of Julia and Fabien

In this article, Julia and Fabien, 2 backpackers who traveled for 1 year between 2017 and 2018, answer our questions about the journey of their lives

all The BEST backpacker travel insurances compared

If you are reading this, it is because you have decided to buy a travel insurance for your round-the-world trip (or travel on a long period of time) and it is a great idea (if you are not sure you need travel insurance, read our...

How to travel around the world: our complete guide

Planning a round-the-world trip (or long-distance trip) is not necessarily a small task! It can even be scary at first! You certainly ask yourself tons of questions like: Does this sound familiar to you? We reassure you right...

Our complete guide to buy a camera in 2023 (+ why we chose our gear)

Among the multitude of cameras available today (compact, hybrid, DSLR or bridge), how to choose the camera gear that is right for you? This question, which may seem quite simple on the surface, is in fact rather complex because...

Sleeping in airports: our full guide (best airports and our tips to spend a good night)

When we are on the move and more precisely when we make longer trips and fly there is a habit we have developed that allows us to make some nice savings: we sleep in airports. We already told you about it in our budget articles...

ACS insurance review: the affordable travel insurance for long term travelers and backpackers

On this page, we are going to tell you more about ACS Insurance, a travel and expat insurance specialist. They have the reputation of being the cheapest long term travel insurance for backpackers and long term travelers with their...

AVI international: the travel insurance for backpackers travelling in Europe

On this page we will review and tell you more about AVI international, an insurance company that is well known in France since one of their coverage is called the Routard insurance (born from a collaboration with the famous guides...

The risks of traveling and how to prevent them?

After having told our relatives about our project to travel around the world, one of the reactions that often came out was: But traveling like that is risky… aren’t you afraid of what could happen to you during your...

Take care of your health when traveling: insurance, vaccines

Your round-the-world trip or long journey is starting to take shape? That’s excellent news! However, there’s still a topic we haven’t discussed yet, and it shouldn’t be overlooked: health while traveling!...

Chapka insurance review: one of the most popular long term travel insurance for backpackers

Here we’re going to talk about the travel insurance that is considered the most popular among French-speaking backpackers and long term travelers: Chapka Insurance. If you plan to go on a long journey or a round the world...

Our checklist to prepare a round the world trip

If you have come this far (and read all the previous chapters of course 😉 ), you now know almost all the important things to prepare your trip around the world and embark on the adventure of a lifetime. In this last chapter, we...

How to plan the itinerary of your trip around the world?

Planning a trip around the world itinerary is no mean feat… To tell the truth, we’d spent quite a few evenings discussing, researching, imagining, compromising, and uncorking a little bottle to keep us going…...

Useful resources for Travellers

We regularly receive emails to ask us questions about the sites we use to prepare our trips, our equipment or if we have recommendations for useful mobile apps to travel. On this Resources page (that we will try to keep up to...

Our best travel pictures

On this page, you will find a selection of our travel pictures. From our first images that date back to before our round the world trip to our more recent shots, there has been nice evolution 🙂 . And if you want to see our most...

Trekking: how to plan for your adventure? Our gear and preparation tips

instructions for preparing an autonomous hike during a round the world trip: tips to take and tips to lighten your bag when going trekking

Our recipe for a successful round the world trip

I had read a lot of articles before leaving about the tiredness that sets in during a long trip, or in other words, “the traveller’s blues”. We usually read backpackers’ experiences who say they started...

Thailand: travel to Koh Chang Island, a gem!

3 months after the beginning of our world trip, it's time to take a break in this adventure. Let's go to Koh Chang in Thailand for a relaxing vacation!

Backpacking gear: our complete rtw packing list

Pack only what you need for your round-the-world trip! We take inventory of our backpacks to help you pack the gea you need for your trip!

Our comparison of the best backpacker insurance (also the cheapest) in 2024

Choosing a backpacker travel insurance for a round the world trip is an IMPORTANT step of the preparation! But we will help you see things more clearly through the insurance jargon

How much does it cost to travel around the world? We breakdown the budget!

When you go on a round-the-world trip, you must know how much it will cost! We break down our travel budget and tell you everything about saving money to travel!

The benefits of using an easy-to-use VPN while travelling

If you go on a trip and open your laptop to give news to your beloved ones via Facebook or just to check your emails, you may have a dull surprise depending on the country you are in: CENSORSHIP. For example, China and its famous...

Round-the-world flight ticket: good or bad idea?

Choosing plane tickets for a trip around the world is not easy. Alliances, agencies or buying plane tickets one by one? We explain everything to you in this article!

Travel vaccinations to backpack around the world

In this article, we take a look at all the vaccines you need to backpack around the world with peace of mind!

17 Reasons Why Around the World Travel is Good For You

Why travel around the world.

We’ve compiled a list of the best reasons why everyone should enrich their life with around the world travel. And while we’re at it…all these reasons can also be taken as our motivation for doing what we do at AirTreks.

1. Traveling is easier than you think.

We believe that traveling around the world shouldn’t be hard: it’s actually something everyone should be able to do at least once in their lives. Whether you choose to spend a few years or just a couple months traveling this beautiful planet, it’s important to see what’s out there. It’s up to you to make the dream come true and take the first step. Launch TripPlanner to piece together and price your ideal route. Not sure where to start?  You can always call one of our travel consultants and get some complimentary advice!

2. Travel opens your eyes.

If you’re open and willing, travel will make you an incredibly more well-rounded human being. And that’s really the goal, isn’t it? If you don’t know where to start, check out our Around the World planning guide .

3. Traveling helps you learn who you are.

All the challenges and opportunities travel lays at your feet help you discover who you are in a way that’s only possible on the road.

4. Travel creates meaningful relationships

People you meet while on the road become some of the most valued names on your contact list. They become places on the map to visit later on. These folks give you a glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends, and force you to take in new and refreshing perspectives, and ultimately realize that everyone is the same.

5. Traveling develops skills you didn’t know you had

Sometimes it’s only far from home that you realize you you’ve got skills you’ve never used. It’s travel that brings them to the surface and makes you smile, satisfied to have reached the mountain top, or  crossed a gorge  or helped a villager clean up after a storm, or even to have successfully ordered a meal at a rural Chinese restaurant.

6. Travel helps you learn new languages

There’s something satisfying about being able to throw around a few words of Greek, knowing how to say thanks in Thai, pulling out that long dormant Spanish to book a room in Santiago, or simply hearing a language you didn’t know existed just a few weeks before.

7. Travel means adventure

Zip-lining over the jungle canopy in Peru, successfully navigating the maze-like streets of Venice, bartering for the best price in the traditional markets of Marrakech, taking a speedboat ride in New Zealand, or hopping in a Land Rover and heading out to watch animals grazing  in Tanzania: these are adventures worth having. People are hardwired for the excitement of adventure and travel may just be the best way to tap into it.

8. Traveling gives you perspective

Meeting people from other cultures will teach you that the way you’ve been looking at the world isn’t the way everybody else does. In fact, your point-of-view might have some major blind spots. Seeing the world for yourself will improve your vision and your grip on reality.

9. Travel helps you move forward

If you’re between jobs, schools, kids, or relationships, around the world travel can be a perfect way to move from one of these life stages into your next great adventure. A big trip won’t just ease your transition into the next stage of your life , it’ll give you a chance to reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you want to end up.

10. Travel is education

Seeing the world provides an education that’s absolutely impossible get in school. Travel teaches you economy, politics, history, geography, and sociology in an intense, hands-on way no class will.  Fortunately, the school of travel is always taking applications , no entrance exam required.

11. Travel challenges you

Getting your daily latte at the same place and staring at your screen at your nine-to-five every day not nearly interesting enough? Even if you choose to work on the road (and keep staring at the screen), you’ll have to find a new place to drink your latte, and depending on your destination, finding coffee, and foamy milk or a good place to sip them could prove to be a sizeable challenge. Travel is full of moments of joy and challenges. Overcoming the challenges gives you some of the greatest joys of all.

12. Travel shakes things up

It sucks to be stuck in a rut. Everyone knows what that’s like. A big trip can be your perfect solution. Fly around the world, stopping over in all of the places you’ve always wanted to visit. Go ahead and plan your ideal route around the world  (it’s easier than you think!)

13. Traveling proves that dreams do come true

You imagined it, daydreamed about it, envisioned it. Guess what? It can be done. Around the world travel is possible, you just have to decide you’re willing to take the first step and start planning your itinerary.  What are you waiting for? We’ve put together some specials to inspire you to live your dream .

14. Travel gives you cool stories

Let’s face it. Even for folks who can’t tell a story, just the words “last year in Mongolia” get you instant party points.  Even when events seem trivial, nostalgia and distance create an irresistible spin that makes mundane things like getting your laundry done in Zanzibar, entertaining. Just don’t be that person and overdo it!

15. Travel is literally food for thought.

You’ll be constantly surprised at the flavors the world has to offer.  The way people in other cultures and countries prepare food, and break bread together (not that all cultures even eat bread) will astound you.

16. Travel gives you a sense of accomplishment

If you’re the kind of person that dreams big, you’re probably one to reach for new challenges. Finishing a trip gives you the satisfaction that you were able make a goal to travel and  accomplish what you set out to do–see the world.

17. Traveling for the hell of it

Why travel? Because you can. Because you want to. Because it beats the alternative (staying home). Why not  pick up your tickets and get the ball rolling!

Build Your Trip

37 Unforgettable Airport Meals Around the World

By Arati Menon

This article is part of our airport food survival guide , which includes tips and tricks—even a hot take or two—that challenge the notion that airport meals are always dull, overpriced, and tasteless.

Would you believe me if I said one of the things I look forward to most when I land in India is an idli-vada combo in a cup at Hyderabad International Airport? Probably not. Would you roll your eyes at me if I said I actively crave it when I’m back home in New York City ? Likely.

I wouldn’t blame you. Airport meals don’t have the best reputation for being memorable—at least not for the right reasons. Ask any traveler what they think of airport food in general and you’ll likely hear the words boring , sloppy , tasteless, and highway robbery thrown about. None of which sits well in a setting where your fate is somehow always teetering precipitously on the brink of disaster.

But surely it doesn't have to be so. Could it be that we're missing a trick or two, and that, in the morass of generally unappealing airport food, there lie some real gems? We put the ask out to our favorite travel editors and writers around the world and were flooded with responses in the affirmative. So much so that we had to get them to drop their pins on these spots—and share their favorite dish at each—all in the name of urgently needed public service.

Some of these are outposts of beloved dining establishments that let travelers savor that last little slice of local culture before they leave. Others are childhood favorites that continue to serve up Proustian madeleines as adults. Still others are surprising discoveries that become an opportunity to try something you’d never gravitate toward under usual circumstances. All of them have, at some time or other, served up comfort, even deliciousness, in the liminal space that is an airport.

Bookmark these for the next time you find yourself wondering what to eat at the airport—you may even find yourself looking forward to a layover.

Jamón ibérico de bellota bocadillo and espresso in Madrid

Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport

Several years ago I discovered Enrique Tomás on account of a flight landing earlier than expected in Madrid . I hadn't eaten on the seven-and-a-half-hour trip, so I was positively hangry when I landed and stopped at the first thing I saw open: this spot, which I assumed was a regular airport café with mediocre, overpriced sandwiches. When I got closer, I was ecstatic to discover it was, in fact, a Spanish jamón bar that also had exceptional espresso—we're talking the 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham kind of ham stand. It was everything I needed at that moment: a jamón ibérico de bellota bocadillo that came in under 10 euros, which is a steal for airport food, and just the right size for pre- or postflight fuel. En route to Madrid, it's a great wake-up snack when paired with a doppio espresso; on the way back to the States, it's a last-taste type of satisfaction, knowing I won’t be able to get it for a while. Jamón ibérico is one of my favorite things to eat, and I've started taking a few packages of it sliced to go—only to consume them before the plane even takes off. —Jenn Rice, Durham, N.C.

Fried piraña nuggets in Colombia

Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport, Leticia, Colombia

A few hours before boarding a 50-year-old DC-3 headed to a strip runway in the Peruvian Amazon forest , I felt a very specific growl from my stomach. After over 23 hours of flying, starting in Heathrow, connecting in New York , and making a quick pit stop in Bogotá, I was terribly famished. Leticia Airport, roughly the size of a Prêt-à-Manger fitted with check-in desks, offered only one tiny café, El Nativo. The café offered a small selection on its humble printed menu—to my surprise, one of the dishes listed was a fried piraña, something I had never encountered at the 67-plus country airports I’ve eaten at. I ordered it, imagining it’d be a whole fried fish; instead, it arrived looking like breaded chicken fingers. For less than $6, I received 15 piraña “nuggets” served with a side of yucca chips, not something you might typically pick when deciding what to eat at the airport. The breading was super crunchy, and the meat was the perfect balance of chewy and gushingly juicy. —Niccolo Serratt, Barcelona

Miso soup, edamame beans, nigiri assortment, and sake in Mexico City

Terminal 2, Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico City

I’m headed back to New York City on the 2:25 p.m. Delta flight after a few days of running around, reporting, and eating my way through Mexico City . Even though it is lunchtime, I’m not hungry. But there is no way I’m going to miss my favorite preflight meal from one of the city's best sushi restaurants, Sushi Iwashi. I start with a miso soup and some edamame beans, followed by an assortment of nigiri: toro, salmon, kampachi. At the end of it, I’m really glad I succumbed. This isn’t my first time here. On other trips I’ve tried the salmon sashimi or a hand roll and, depending on my mood, washed it down with either sake or a chilled hojita tea. I always end with a tamago sashimi. Inevitably, I leave Mexico City with a bit of a heavy heart, but having my last meal at Sushi Iwashi is the perfect soft landing before flying back to the US. I used to hate flying through Terminal 2, but now I look forward to that icy hojita tea and salmon nigiri…unless, of course, I get stuck in Terminal 1. — Mary Holland, New York City

Mixed dumplings in Beijing

Beijing Capital International Airport

During a return to London from Australia , my layover was longer than expected, as my second flight had been delayed. I found a place serving dumplings, and they were just so delicious that I ended up going back twice during my long wait. I ordered a portion of the mixed dumplings, and from what I remember, it wasn't particularly cheap, but it was very tasty. Honestly, I think just the coziness of dumplings as I was waiting in an unfamiliar airport I'd never been to felt really warming to me. It helped to make a very boring few hours feel much more agreeable! —Abbi Malbon, London

Pulled-pork sandwich with coleslaw and mac and cheese in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, North Carolina

I was traveling from Phoenix to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for work and had a connection in Charlotte . I had eaten much earlier in the morning with colleagues, so I thought I'd grab a meal in the airport prior to boarding. However, I underestimated Phoenix traffic and subsequently arrived at the airport a bit later than I would have liked and wasn't able to buy something to eat prior to departure. Sure, the airline had snacks and food for purchase, but being in the main cabin toward the back, there wasn't much left by the time they got to me. It was a long, hungry four hours. Luckily, that was followed by a three-hour layover in Charlotte, and I knew I'd be able to find something there. When I walked into the main atrium, my stomach did the thinking for me and led me to the first place it knew we'd find a substantial meal: Brookwood Farms Carolina Pit BBQ. I ordered a pulled-pork barbecue sandwich, extra sauce. It came with a side of coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. The sandwich was piled high with pulled pork on a freshly baked roll, so much so it was overflowing onto the plate. The mac and cheese and coleslaw were also hearty portions. The meal with a drink came in at roughly $15. The flavor, the heartiness, the freshly baked roll, and that warm feeling that only real comfort food can replicate all came together to make this one of the best barbecue meals I've ever had. Not only was I full, but I kept asking myself, Should I buy another for takeaway and eat it later? I tell everyone I know passing through Charlotte to stop in for something to eat, and I've returned many, many times. It never disappoints! —Bobby Laurie, Washington, D.C.

Acai bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina

In a sea of fast food and overpriced snacks, stumbling upon healthier options at the airport is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. During a recent layover at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, I was pleasantly surprised to come across Sambazon, a food company that sells acai-based foods and beverages. A delicious customized acai bowl, filled with fresh bananas, blueberries, mangoes, and topped with fleshy shreds of coconut set me back by roughly $13 and I couldn't believe I was actually enjoying this burst of fresh tropical flavors at an airport. —Taryn White, Washington, D.C.

Bojangles’s 4-piece Supremes dinner with fries, ranch sauce, a biscuit, and Pepsi in Charlotte, North Carolina

My first flight from North Carolina's capital, Raleigh, to North Carolina's most populous city, Charlotte, is barely 30 minutes once airborne, and the connection to my next flight to Phoenix is tight. But as an economy passenger, I knew I wouldn't be served a meal onboard, so I planned to pick up something substantial to eat for the four-hour flight—without breaking the bank or cutting into my tight layover time. Luckily, I knew just the place for the job. Any North Carolina native knows that when you're in need of something quick and delicious, nothing hits the spot better than Bojangles. Thankfully, there are two locations in the airport: The Plaza (main food court near Concourse D) and Concourse B. My standard order? A four-piece “Supremes” dinner with perfectly breaded chicken tenders, thick-cut fries, ranch sauce, and a Pepsi for $13.99. It also comes with a pillowy buttered biscuit. (Pro tip: If you aren't as hungry but still need something to eat, order a kid's Supreme meal for a smaller portion at half the cost.) Of course, it should come as no surprise to frequent travelers that airport food comes at a markup, so, while the same meal will cost you $8 at your average Bojangles outside, it costs nearly double at Charlotte Airport. Still, that's a markup I'm willing to pay for food I know will be consistently delicious. Bojangles at Charlotte is everything a hungry traveler needs: a regional favorite with quick, friendly service offering hot, satisfying meals. —Stella Shon, Durham, N.C.

Potato buttermilk doughnuts with artisanal jams in Cape Cod

Chatham Municipal Airport, Massachusetts

It’s summer 2017. I have just graduated high school, and am working at Hangar B Eatery, a popular breakfast and lunch joint at the Chatham Municipal Airport in Cape Cod . The restaurant is upstairs, perched above Stick'n Rudder, which operates sightseeing tours and flight lessons. Now, this is not your typical airport restaurant, nor do you have to be a passenger to dine here. By 7:30 a.m., tourists and locals alike form a line out the door to snag one of the eight tables or—if you're lucky—a barstool on the outdoor deck, where you can watch the planes take off from the tarmac. From 7 a.m to 2 p.m., I sit beneath the staircase selling coffee and doughnuts to the crowds of people waiting for their name to be called (let it be known that by the next summer I am proudly promoted upstairs to hostess). Among my most loyal customers are the biplane pilots, whom I provide with coffee gratis each morning. In exchange, they take me and another waitress up in a biplane at the end of July and we soar over the Chatham coast—a core memory that may have had something to do with my ending up as a transportation editor. All this is to say that, nearly every day I am working, I eat the most mouthwateringly delicious potato buttermilk donut lightly flaked with powdered sugar (and gain 10 pounds as a result). Also in my job description is scooping homemade jam—strawberry thyme balsamic, raspberry red wine vinegar, and lemon curd—into dozens of small dipping cups. The lemon is my favorite, and together with the doughnut in the early-morning hours, devoured while rolling silverware after a late night of teenage beach bonfires: This the breakfast of champions. Years later I still return to eat one whenever I am in town. While the doughnut holds a special place in my heart, the rest of the menu is equally delightful. When sitting down for a full meal, I'll order the brioche bread pudding French toast or vegetarian eggs Benedict. Hangar B serves some of the best breakfast I have ever had, airport or otherwise. — Hannah Towey, New York City

Vegetable gyoza in Tokyo

Terminal 3, Haneda Airport, Tokyo

After six days of exploring Tokyo , it’s time to drag myself away and head home to London. The food throughout the whole trip has been better than we could ever have imagined: bowl upon bowl of salty, rich ramen, platefuls of the freshest sushi, and the lightest, fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever eaten. I’m not ready to say goodbye to Japanese cuisine just yet, so when I spot Rokurinsha —one of the food outlets in the departure area of Tokyo Haneda’s Terminal 3—I immediately order a plate of gyoza. The original can be found inside Tokyo Station and serves hundreds of bowls of ramen each day. The plate arrived with 10 steaming vegetable gyoza neatly lined up next to a little bowl of dark, vinegary dipping sauce, and didn’t cost much more than 900 yen (under $6). If I were to show you the photo that I took (and often stare at lovingly when I’m on my third Pret sandwich of the week) of this very simple plate of gyoza, you wouldn’t think it was anything special. But when I look at it, I am transported back to that little wooden table in the departures lounge, chopsticks in hand, savoring every last bit of my last taste of Tokyo. —Sarah Allard, London

Fish and chips, lobster roll, salt cod fish cakes and scallop chowder, slices of fried kielbasa and potato skins, deep-fried Mars bar in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Nova Scotia

My friend and I were traveling between Halifax , Nova Scotia, and St. John's, Newfoundland, a quick two-hour hop over the Laurentian Channel. It was late January, and with a blizzard threatening delays, we arrived extra early and settled at the Firkin & Flyer pub for a pint before takeoff. One by one, all flights were grounded, and all passengers too: The highway had been closed, and it was impossible to leave the airport. We split an order of crisp fish and chips and a lobster roll with a creamy lemon sauce, and watched the world disappear behind the blizzard. After a while we put in another order: salt cod fish cakes and scallop chowder. It was dark now, and there was no idea of leaving before morning. But we were happy with our pints of Burnside, brewed in nearby Dartmouth, and the slices of fried kielbasa and potato skins (nachos made with tuber instead of chips) the waitress brought us gratis. “You might as well,” she said. “We're all set in for the night.” We slept fitfully and woke early, as Firkin & Flyer was opening. The blizzard had ended, but the world was still covered in a dollop of sour cream. It felt devilish ordering a deep-fried Mars bar at that hour, but it was worth it. —J.R. Patterson, Gladstone, Manitoba

Fried chicken plate (wings and thighs, biscuits, rosemary tater tots, collard greens) in Atlanta

Concourse D, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

My home airport, Minneapolis–St. Paul International (MSP), is the second largest Delta hub in the United States. While I can fly direct to plenty of destinations, I sometimes have to route through Atlanta , the largest Delta hub. If I have a layover of two hours or longer, I make a point to stop by Ludacris’s Chicken and Beer in Concourse D. The fried chicken plate is unbelievably delicious and my go-to order is perfectly crispy wings and thighs (with your choice of white or dark meat), the butteriest biscuits with a hint of honey, rosemary tater tots, unctuous collard greens—I shudder with delight just thinking about it. The portions are generous too, which makes me feel (slightly) better about shelling out $18.99 for an airport meal. The food is awesome, don't get me wrong, and the servers are also incredibly nice. It's a show of true Southern hospitality when you’re welcomed in with a “Hey, how y'all doing today?!” and I love how they dote on my toddler, even when he's doing annoying toddler things. Their kindness and warmth is a big reason I go back every chance I get. —Ashlea Halpern, St. Paul

Bento box (hamachi sashimi, seaweed salad, spicy tuna roll, and a cookie), assorted omakase box, and a can of sake in Atlanta

Concourse E, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Headed to Huntsville, Alabama, for Space Camp (yes, Space Camp ), my husband and I faced a series of travel hiccups—our quick layover in Atlanta morphed into a marathon. After a canceled flight and a delay until past midnight, we found ourselves famished by 8 p.m. With time to kill, we navigated from concourse B to E, zeroing in on One Flew South, a spot I'd been meaning to try. They don't take reservations, but the line wasn't that long, thankfully. What should've been a 30-minute hop to Alabama turned into a culinary detour. At Atlanta's One Flew South, we skipped Southern classics like the meatloaf sandwich for the famed sushi lineup. I savored a bento box—hamachi sashimi, seaweed salad, spicy tuna roll, topped off with a cookie—for a fresh yet satisfying meal. My husband's choice? The omakase box with assorted sushi and a can of sake, which left him craving just a bit more. The damage? $130—pricey, but a flavorful detour compared with the fast-food options next door. Everything we ordered was fresh and flavorful, definitely a notch above typical airport fare. Would I recommend it? If you're not in a rush and can overlook some service glitches, the food's well worth a try. —Jordi Lippe-McGraw, New York City

Frosted Orange in Atlanta

Concourse C, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

I was connecting in Atlanta after a long-haul flight from Amsterdam , heading home to Florida for my high-school reunion. I was hot, exhausted, and craving something familiar and refreshing. I ordered one single thing: a Frosted Orange. This heavenly concoction is a vanilla shake blended with The Varsity ’s signature orange soda and is one of its best-selling items. I ordered a medium, and it was enormous—so big I couldn't finish it before my next flight. I can't remember exactly how much it cost, but I think it was about $5, because I do remember paying cash. I can't recall an airport snack that hit the spot the way this Frosted Orange did after a long, stuffy flight when I really needed a sweet pick-me-up. I took mine to the waiting area for my connecting flight, and as I sat there spooning the pale orange perfection into my mouth, I could feel the jealous stares of passengers all around me. But it was more than that too: I’d lived in Atlanta for nearly 10 years, during my mid-20s and 30s, and the Frosted Orange brings me back to that magical time in my life. The Varsity is perhaps the city's most iconic fast-food spot, and the airport servers all take orders the same exact way, asking customers, “What'll ya have?” I'd absolutely recommend it (and, if you're really hungry, a burger and fries), and next time I'm in ATL, I'll be making a beeline right back to The Varsity for another one. —Blane Bachelor, Amsterdam

Texas fries or bone-in buffalo wings and a blue drink in New York City

Terminal 3, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City

My grandfather was getting older, and my aunt and I decided to fly down to Florida from New York to spend what would be his last birthday with him. We flew from JFK to Sarasota, with a connection in Atlanta. Before boarding the first leg, we decided to get something to eat. Honestly, I think it was mostly to kill time. Chili’s Too ( RIP ) was a squeeze of a space, decked out in the requisite fast-casual reds, with a row of wooden chairs and tables down a short wall. Incidentally, the location was called a “Can't Miss” outpost for Chili's fanatics by Eater in 2011. I took a seat, and recognized the man who became the wall mate to my right immediately. The hair. The superior fashion. The fact that he was lingering close to the gate for Atlanta. It was Outkast's André 3000. A legend I respected for choosing Chili’s over the lounge access I would say he could afford. I played it cool. Kept right on eating whatever was on my table; it could have been Texas fries. Or perhaps my aunt and I shared some bone-in buffalo wings. Whatever it was, I am sure it was oversized. My beverage was inevitably blue. Then it happened: Some solo traveling skater dude no older than 20, sat on my left, tried to engage him. I sat there, transparent like glass, as the skater dude talked through me, to André, and André politely but curtly responded, exponentially more interested in whatever he was eating (he was kind, but the fan should have taken the hint). The guy made, say, four attempts to start a fresh conversation, each one dead-ended as André continued on with his food. My aunt, meanwhile, remained clueless, with no idea who André 3000 was or why this guy was talking through us to him, and I ignored all her silent prompts to explain it all. André eventually finished and went on his way, gifting me something rare: a memorable meal inside an airport Chili’s. Even though Chili's Too is now closed, my meal here serves as a constant reminder of the random encounters that can only happen at a mediocre airport restaurant. —Erin Florio, New York City

Fried rice, steamed pork dumplings, pork ribs, and vegetarian abalone in Hong Kong

Terminal 1, Hong Kong International Airport

We were at Hong Kong International (HKIA) during a particularly crowded period—post-COVID, in the midst of a full-on revenge-travel season. Like any self-respecting foodie, we'd made a beeline for Duddell's, but the place was stuffed to the gills. So was the food court, our usual stop for porridge from Tasty Congee and soy sauce chicken wings from Tsui Wah. As we walked around looking for a spot where we could get one last hit of local food before leaving, we came across Jardin de Jade in a quiet corner, away from the main food area. It was virtually empty. The Google reviews were uninspiring. We almost didn't go in but decided to take the chance. And it really surprised us! My partner and I had the house special fried rice, the steamed pork dumplings, the pork ribs with garlic and pepper salt, and the vegetarian abalone. The portions were generous and the meal could have fed three people. The dumplings came in a traditional basket of eight. The meal cost us about $70, including a couple of nonalcoholic drinks. The fried rice had “wok hei” (a smoky quality from being cooked at high heat); the dumplings were silky-skinned and properly squirty. The pork ribs reminded me of the version from one of my favorite Cantonese restaurants (in Melbourne of all places, but that's another story). And even though the Jardin de Jade brand has won several awards, including a Michelin star at its Hong Kong Wan Chai branch in previous years, prices were café-level. HKIA has plenty of better-known restaurants, from a Wolfgang Puck Californian-style kitchen to a takeaway joint by Gordon Ramsay, but this to me was the perfect Hong Kong send-off: Chinese comfort food in a casual, chic environment, with the added, unexpected luxury of space. —Audrey Phoon, Singapore

Bok choy, roast duck, and rice in Hong Kong

Hong Kong International Airport

I was getting ready to fly from Hong Kong back to London on an evening flight. I hadn't eaten lunch that day, so I was starving and needed a substantial meal to tide me over before the in-flight meal service. At first glance, Putien has the look of an ordinary takeout restaurant, serving its food on trays with plastic utensils. The food, however, was excellent. The generously portioned bok choy was fresh, and the duck was deliciously tender, not the hunk of rubber one might expect. It's quite honestly the best airport meal I've ever had. Reassuringly, I noticed a couple of Chinese cabin crew placing their orders. I'd go out of my way to eat there next time. —Noo Saro-Wiwa, London

Spicy Jin Ramen cups in Seoul

Incheon International Airport, Seoul

In between two flights—maybe three weeks before the pandemic would officially become an international crisis but deep enough into the early rumblings that were subliminally stressful and confusing—I, with lots of jet lag, had a several-hour layover in Seoul on my way back to New York City and nowhere to spend it. Somehow my friend and I were able to lightly con our way into one of the lesser lounges at no cost (she has an amazing smile and, more critically, may have been a Priority Pass member?), and we spent three hours there in those weird sort of chairs that look comfy but are not, drinking cold beer from a counter dispenser, and eating many styrofoam goblets of Spicy Jin Ramen, which we rehydrated before our own eyes with hot water from a spigot. I used to staunchly believe that there was no better way to kill time in an airport than to be alone, with Audible dialed up to an insane volume, avoiding eye contact, but the companionship made our foray into free spicy instant soup and cold beer all the sweeter. —Ella Quittner, New York City

Lokum burger with spoon salad in Istanbul

Istanbul Airport

On a recent visit to Istanbul , I decided to try out the new Saltbae, the first airport location for the internet-famous Turkish chef. As someone who rarely eats meat, I save the few times I do for something particularly special and the Lokum burger with side “spoon salad” (similar to a traditional shepherd's salad) was melt-in-your-mouth good, even though I had asked for it to be well done. The grilled onions really made it, and for $30, it was well worth it, especially for the celebrity factor of the restaurant. I would definitely go back, and it will certainly be a tough decision the next time I am passing through and have to decide between my favorite Turkish Airlines lounge and Saltbae—but why not both? —Ramsey Qubein, High Point, NC

Gözleme, manti, mezze, and a glass of Öküzgözu in Istanbul

I was on my way from Barcelona to the Maldives , transiting through Istanbul with a nine-hour layover. Although I adore Istanbul city, I had so much work to catch up on, and I was so tired from my travels in Spain that I was excited to just hang out in the airport! Not least because I had access to Turkish Airlines’ business class lounge, where I proceeded to procure one of its first-come, first-served private suites, followed by a good, long nap and a hot shower. Rested and clean, I started to fill my belly from station after station of live-fire cooking. I watched a chef stuff dough with kasseri cheese, roll it paper-thin, and toast it on a flat-topped saç, where it puffed, bronzing. She brushed it with olive oil and handed me a couple slices of the hot, fresh gözleme. I scored lahmacun topped with ground lamb pulled warm from the oven, and manti draped with yogurt and tomato sauce. I chose diverse meze from a huge bar. I sampled pilaf; moussaka; fresh-baked sesame-encrusted simit, Turkey’s answer to the bagel, smeared with, as the sign read, “countryside butter from Trabzon.” I grabbed a tea from a samovar and a bowl of kuru fasulye, a comforting cannelloni bean stew. I indulged in baklava, kunefe, and all the sweets at the dessert table. I had previously reported on Turkish wineries, so I knew that some of the labels on the drinks cart were quite good. I sat sipping a bright but lush Öküzgözu with my meal, watching multiple global news programs with subtitles on a wall of screens, listening to the baby grand piano player's tunes, and by the time my next flight boarded, I was stuffed. From now on, I will take any chance I get to transit through Istanbul, and I'm working on my Star Alliance status that helps get you into this lounge, no matter what class you're flying. Next time maybe I'll also indulge in a game of simulated golf or wave the roving massage therapist over to rub my travel-weary shoulders. —Betsy Andrews, New York City

Chicharron sandwich in Lima

Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima

I go through here regularly. Usually I'm heading home after a week or two in Lima seeing family. La Lucha Sanguchería is a really popular sandwich spot in the city, so the logo is a beacon as you march toward security, likely with the couple hours you know you're going to have to kill. The last time I was there, I was exhausted from a trip hopping between Lima, Cusco , and the beaches south of Lima. I walked up and knew I deserved one last amazing Peruvian sandwich. The restaurant is before security, so it's a little bit of a gamble—you have to be ready to delay getting through to enjoy it (or arrive early, which, honestly, is worth it). It’s all about the chicharron, baby! A crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside toasted roll is filled with thin slices of sweet potato, juicy hunks of pork, and a zingy little salsa criolla (thin slivers of red onions tossed in lime juice and salt). It's like Sophie's Choice choosing from the various chili sauces. I can't remember the price, but it’s nothing to be upset about. I think the sandwich is just perfect and not too filling, but you can round it out with a jugo—I like the papaya and mango blends. For so many people a trip to Lima is all about eating life-changing meals: the tasting menu at Central or the Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian fusion) with fresh seafood at spots like Maido. This sandwich is a reminder that in Peru even the humblest, quickest of bites are also impossible to forget. —Megan Spurrell, New York City

Greek salad with rotini pasta in New York City

Terminal 4, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City

I was about to board one of the world's longest flights, from New York to Singapore . I knew I would be fed onboard, and I have a weird obsession with plane food, so I didn't want to spoil my appetite. But it was already late (likely 9 p.m.), and I was starving, so I set off in search of a small refreshing snack. I arrived at a Farmer’s Fridge vending machine. I had sworn I'd stick to a light salad, but the Greek salad sitting atop a bed of rotini pasta looked irresistible, so I caved. One jar cost just under $10, and I was particularly surprised by the flavor-packed garlic-mustard dressing. I don't expect vending machines to deliver healthy meals, but here I was choosing between salads and pineapple chia pudding. There's also something very satisfying about the user experience of it all: the joy of watching a shelf slide up inside the fridge, capture your chosen jar, then release it into a pickup box below. It also helps that, because your meal comes in a jar with a screw-on lid, you can graze a little and keep the rest for later. I would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a quick and healthy airport meal that is more exciting than packaged hummus and carrots at Hudson News, and a lot more affordable than a sit-down dinner. —Elissaveta M. Brandon, New York City

Filter coffee, idli podi, masala dosa, curd rice, and a full thali in Bengaluru

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru

I'm not a breakfast person at all, but I can never refuse a South Asian breakfast —it's got to be the best in the world. I can eat it at any time of the day. I'm also addicted to kaapi, the south Indian filter coffee. So, invariably, Tiffin Centre is my last shot at a proper kaapi before heading out of Bengaluru to either Mumbai or London! Idli podi, masala dosas, a chilled curd rice if you want to stay light, a full thali if you want to skip eating on the flight—all totally authentic and served piping-hot. Airport prices are always inflated, but this is worth it. —Divia Thani, London

Fried shrimp sandwich in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Anytime I'm at the Jeddah airport, I end up eating at Al Baik. When I'm in the city itself, I gravitate toward healthier options at the excellent seafood restaurants and old-school cafés in the old town of Al Balad, but once I get to the airport, the temptation is too much to resist. Ask any Jeddah local what their favorite fast food is, and chances are they'll say Al Baik. It's a homegrown cult classic, recognizable by its cheery red lettering and top-hat-doffing chicken mascot. The secret blend of herbs and spices is the key to its irresistible flavors, and its popularity has endured—Al Baik celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Most people go for the iconic chicken, but as a pescatarian, I get the fried shrimp sandwich, featuring the same coating as the chicken. For a filling shrimp wrap, small fries, and a Diet Pepsi, I paid the equivalent of $6.60. A bargain! This is basic fast food, so I don't go there for the ambience. You order at the counter, pick it up, and take it to a table. There is no glamour whatsoever to the experience, but the flavor wins me over every time. —Nicola Chilton, Dubai, UAE

Mortadella, pistachio, burrata, and focaccia sandwich in Rome

Leonardo da Vinci—Fiumicino Airport, Rome

Not once or twice but several times recently, I have had a layover in Rome 's airport. That means I scuttled in after a transatlantic flight, a bit jumbled from the time change, and usually felt confused about whether I was hungry or not—until I saw the humble Caffé Kimbo focaccia display case. I'm sure any Italian reading this would have thoughts on my affection for this chain-restaurant sandwich, but let me tell you, the thin-sliced mortadella, pistachio spread, and gloopy heaps of burrata on two slices of focaccia make for a heavenly between-flight meal. The portions are massive (meaning you have a second half for your next flight), so I remember not being too bothered about what I'd spent. This isn't the best rendition of the sandwich you'll find in Italy —and unlike when the much more famous Antica Focacceria San Francesco was open in the airport, probably not the one to go out of your way for—but it does that thing of relying on just three can't-fail ingredients that will taste delicious. Now I get excited when I know I'll fly through Rome and have time to stop for one. Sometimes I even save my appetite for it. —MS

Two extra-dark chocolate gelato scoops in Rome

After having spent 48 hours in Rome, I was at the airport around eight in the morning en route to the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia . After waking up at the crack of dawn and having a meager hotel buffet breakfast, I was very hungry at the airport. During my quick jaunt in Italy’s capital city, I also hadn’t had time to sneak away for gelato—a cardinal sin in the Eternal City—so when I noticed an Eataly with a gelateria in the waiting area for domestic departures, my heart skipped a beat. After waiting in line for an abnormally long time, I finally reached the counter only to be told that none of its flavors was plant-based. Heartbroken and hungry, I had nearly given up hope until I reached the bottom of the stairs and noticed that tucked away in the corner was a Venchi, one of Italy’s oldest and most famous gelaterias. I was familiar with the brand from when I lived in Florence . Venchi has been around since 1878 and continues to make fresh gelato daily with all-natural ingredients. And there wasn’t a lengthy line! I took the chance to practice my laughably bad Italian, which always morphs into Spanish, to ask if there were any vegan flavors. Much to my surprise, I had an array of choices, including melon, lemon, strawberry, mango, and dark chocolate. To sweeten the deal, all Venchi gelatos are gluten-free. It was the most decadent of breakfasts: a coppetta piccola (small cup) with two enormous scoops of Azteco 82% extra-dark chocolate. It was absolutely divine—creamy and thick as if I was eating light brownie batter. It was also a steal at just about $5 (€4.20), which is essentially unheard-of for an airport snack. Now, gelato in an airport in Italy may seem like a small feat, but finding anything vegan and gluten-free in an airport is a challenge. When I returned to the airport a few days later to catch a flight to Tunis, I went right back for the dark chocolate—and got the last remaining scoops. —Lola Méndez, Chiang Mai, Thailand

South Indian filter coffee, ghee-karam idli vada with sambar, and lassi in Hyderabad, India

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, India

Hyderabad is where my parents live, and it’s where the rest of the family, including me, head each winter. This annual migration eastward typically includes a second holiday within India—to Goa , Bangaluru, Coorg, everywhere else. And so we land at the airport en masse, always many hours too early (as is my father's wont; we've learned not to argue). Post-check-in, we disperse in different directions, my body almost involuntarily leading me to the motley crowd gathered around Tiffin Express. To be honest, Hyderabad Airport is full of great local options for food and drink (Conçu for amazing breakfast sandwiches, Cafe Niloufer for melt-in-the-mouth Osmania biscuits, and so much more), and faced with that abundance, you might walk right past the diminutive faux-brick facade of Tiffin Express. But I’m here to tell you that would be a mistake. Instead, you should join the melee, elbow your way to the front, order a South Indian filter coffee, a portion of kaaram (extra spicy) idli-vada soaked in tongue-scalding sambar, and chase it with a thick sweet lassi, which you'll need in order to take the heat off. The meal comes in at under 150 rupees (under $2) and fills me up enough to resist the overpriced snacks onboard. Tiffin Express is a wonderful reminder that some of the most satisfying meals can be inexpensive, simply (sloppily, even) presented—even ( wow! ) batch-cooked and reheated. For me, it's also one of those welcome nudges that I'm back home. —Arati Menon, New York City

Skinny cappuccino, almond croissant, and turkey chopped salad in Los Angeles

Terminal 4, Los Angeles International Airport

I was catching a woefully early flight to visit family in Miami and arrived at LAX half-asleep at 5 a.m. On my stumble toward my gate, though, I gleefully discovered an outpost of a terrific Beverly Hills cafe, La Provence. The lights were on, a barista was pulling double espressos, and the buttery scent of almond croissants was sailing across the counter. How joyful can an exhausted and always hungry girl get? I ordered a feast to commence at the gate—skinny cappuccino and flaky almond croissant for $10.75 total—and continued onboard the cross-country flight. Somewhere over Texas neighboring passengers looked at me enviously as I gobbled a to-go turkey chopped salad and an iced cappuccino for just under $24 total. I normally despise airport food, but at this café, portions are generous and everything is house-made. My turkey chopped salad had turkey, crisp garbanzo beans, olives, Swiss cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette. So fresh-tasting! —Janice Wald Henderson, Los Angeles

Two Bavarian pretzels in Munich

Terminal 2, Munich International Airport

I had just arrived from a long trip in Australia. It was one of those flights where somehow everything went wrong. Two heavily delayed connecting flights and no way to get on an earlier plane. In the end, it took me 43 hours to get from Melbourne to Munich . I was tired and hungry. I just wanted to get home. I was on my way to baggage reclaim and saw the Dallmayr Bistro. Dallmayr is a Munich-based delicatessen and coffee specialist, and its Bavarian pretzels are heaven. They always give me a sense and taste of home. I was happy to make another change of plans and even bought two pretzels. If you find yourself in Munich, do yourself a favor and buy one. —Dennis Braatz, Munich

Tonkotsu ramen in Tokyo

Narita International Airport, Tokyo

I was flying through Japan 's Narita International Airport en route to Manila , and I had a long overnight layover. It was like 15 hours or something. I initially planned to head into the city and spend a sleepless night running through a neon Tokyo, but the train timings between the airport and downtown were awkward for my schedules. So I decided to just camp out in the airport and book a bed at a nearby pod hotel. Still, I wanted a culinary experience that at least reminded me of where I was—something beautifully Japanese. So, naturally, I hunted down some ramen. But I had to laugh when I ended up at Ippudo, of which we have three in New York. I had a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen: the shiromaru classic with pork, seaweed, and a cured egg. It was the perfect portion size, slightly smaller than what the New York branches of Ippudo serve. It cost about ¥1,200, which is roughly $7.50—a welcome conversion, especially since the Ippudos in Manhattan charge more than twice that. It was a really satisfying meal, one that made me feel like I was in the middle of Tokyo anyway, sitting there surrounded mostly by Japanese travelers. I still need to make it to the Japanese capital, but in the moment it was ultimately a better decision to take it easy in the liminal space of the airport. Plus, the pod hotel was fascinating, but that's a story for another time. —Matt Ortile, New York City

Hot shoyu ramen; noodle buffet (ramen, soba, and udon, house chicken curry ramen with karaage) in Tokyo

This is a recurring situation for me: Living between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and New York, I often fly through Tokyo as my connection. It's a familiar stop I've been making since I was a kid, and after a 13-hour flight from the States, I look forward to the moment we land in Tokyo to refresh and recharge. By this time I'm ready for a hot meal and a hot shower, both of which are available at Narita. Ramen, or noodle soup in general, is simply the best meal after a long flight. It warms the belly and soothes the soul. Some of the best at Narita Airport can be found at an outpost of Tomita Ramen in Matsudo. Though it's best known for its dipping-style tsukemen, I prefer the hot shoyu (soy) ramen. Alternatively, when I'm able to use my Priority Pass and get into a lounge, I love going to the ANA lounge, where they have a counter doling out free, unlimited mini bowls of ramen, soba, and udon. I could live there. The lounge has the same permanent menu. And during one particularly inspired layover, I ladled in some of its famous ANA house chicken curry to make a curry ramen, and topped it off with some karaage fried chicken from the buffet line. And now I can't wait to fly through Narita so I can do it again. For me, these soothing meals during layovers make flying enjoyable. And especially when I'm traveling from Vietnam to the US, getting a bowl of ramen at Narita is just like a symbolic last taste of Asia—comforting noodles and hot soup—before I'm back in America. That ramen counter is my safe space! —Dan Q. Dao, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Xiao long bao, dumplings, egg fried rice, kai lan, chicken soup, and spicy noodle soup in Singapore

Singapore Changi Airport

We were headed to India after spending a lovely week in Singapore. My family was based there for a decade, so it has become a second home to us. In true “airport dad” form, my father insists we get to the airport a solid three and a half hours ahead of boarding, and we leave the hotel at least one hour ahead in case all the traffic of Singapore decides to converge on our route. Of course, we zipped across town and were there in 15 minutes. We cleared check-in quickly (being the only ones there nearly four and a half hours ahead), which left us the better part of the day to hang out at the airport Din Tai Fung. Xiao long bao are what it's best known for, and these fresh, soupy pork dumplings are little morsels of heaven. None of that tough chewy doughy covering here—only silky thin, delicate wraps with perfectly seasoned juicy pork filling. We get multiple orders of these, and a variety of dumplings, along with a rich, buttery egg fried rice. The chicken soup is another highlight, a warm, comforting hug in a mug. We rounded out the meal with some bright green gai lan and savory spicy noodle soup. The portion sizes are small, which allows for multiple orders and trying a bunch of different things. Din Tai Fung was a staple when we are in Singapore (and I’m so excited that they are opening a brand in Manhattan!). The food is consistently good at this Michelin-starred Taiwanese restaurant chain. The ingredients are fresh, the service is efficient, and those soup dumplings are nourishment for the soul. —Pallavi Kumar, New York City

Ladies’ filet with fried egg, braised onion rings, and fries in Johannesburg

Terminal B, O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg

Since Johannesburg is a major transport hub, I am often in O.R. Tambo en route back to Cape Town from research trips elsewhere in Africa. If I have time to kill, I head to Airport Craft Brewers and have what is colloquially known as a ladies’ filet (about 150g), topped with a fried egg—a popular local combination and testament to the influence of Jozi's Portuguese community. Served with braised onion rings and chips, it’s a bargain at around $9 and a really tasty transit meal; plus, the service is friendly and fast. If you’re traveling with a more “man-size” appetite, the 400g rib eye will still run you only $19. A short but good selection of SA wines by the glass (Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc is always a winner) is another draw, and they brew their own beer—their tasting tray of eight softens up any kind of airport hell. —Pippa de Bruyn, Cape Town

Veggie cheeseburger, garlic fries, and a lemonade in San Francisco

Terminal A, San Francisco International Airport

Since my first real trip to Napa Valley in 2021, I had been dreaming about returning to Gott’s Roadside , a burger joint featuring a modern California-inspired menu and locally sourced ingredients. As a PDX-based frequent flier, I fly through San Francisco all the time, but I rarely leave the airport. And while I had known for years that there was a location in the airport, it's a hike to get there; it's in the international terminal, far from where I'm usually spending a short layover. Finally, last December, I decided to schedule a longer-than-usual layover on the way home from Europe to give myself time to go. Despite landing on an international flight, it still was not at all convenient to get to. After clearing customs, I had to go back through security to get into Terminal A, knowing that I'd have to exit and go back through security once again to get to my actual gate. I ordered a veggie cheeseburger (with jack cheese, sliced avocado, and pickled jalapeños on a country roll), the garlic fries, and a lemonade—a massive amount considering the fries are sizable enough for sharing, and I had just consumed multiple pretzel sandwiches on a flight from Germany. No regrets! In total I probably spent between $30 and $35 (it's San Francisco, so everything adds up a little quicker than you might expect). It's such a joy when airports feature outposts of locally beloved dining establishments. It really creates a sense of place and lets travelers experience a little slice of local culture, even if they're just passing through. And it's even better when the airport version tastes exactly like the non-airport version. That was the case at Gott's. Everything I ordered completely lived up to my memory, and it was more than worth the wait. The fries, which are *tossed in garlic butter* are the standout here, and I would go in and out of security twice for them 10 times out of 10. —Carly Helfand, Portland, Ore.

Nasi lemak or laksa in Singapore

Growing up in Singapore and with a dad who was a civil servant, we often ate at local, low-key joints. I can't remember when I first ate at the airport staff canteen on the ground floor (which is open to all), but it soon became a family tradition to have our farewell meal at the Orchis Food Court before heading through to the gates. I always order either nasi lemak or laksa, but there are about 20 or so stalls to choose from. It's guaranteed to be the quintessential flavor-packed Singaporean meal you need before leaving the country. The portions are generous, and it's great value with meals costing about $6–$8 SGD ($4.50–$6 USD). —Chloe Sachdev, Sydney

Kurobuta Terimayo Japadog in Vancouver

Terminal Level 2, Vancouver International Airport

After six days of eating my way through the best Asian food in Richmond, British Columbia, and Vancouver , I regretted missing out on what was the most quintessential Vancouver meal: Japadog. During my days working in entertainment, the little Asian hot dog stand in front of Sutton Place (where the talent would stay during production in those days) that opened in 2005 would come up organically in conversation. I remember being surprised that these actors would pay attention to a hot dog stand, let alone one run by Asians. Of course, as we know, it eventually became so popular it expanded to NYC. Yes, I went there once or twice, but it just never had the same appeal of one on a street corner in Vancouver. On that final day of my trip, I had so many places I wanted to try before my 1 p.m. flight, but I was cutting it close, so I decided to look at the dining options at the airport instead. To my delight, I saw Japadog on the list. The problem was that the one that opened in 2022 was in the domestic terminal, and I was in international, flying back to the US. So I started asking all the employees for directions—the woman in the food court told me to walk to the one in the domestic terminal, 15 minutes away each way. The sweet older gentleman at the information counter said the location wasn’t listed. Finally I went down to arrivals and asked the SIM-card guy. Turned out it was an actual hot dog stand on an island between the terminal and the parking garage! Once I arrived, I ordered the #1: Kurobuta Terimayo, since it was marked “most popular.” It was a hearty hot dog with Kurobuta pork sausage, fried onions, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and seaweed. It was $8.89 CAD ($7.69 USD). I had a few minutes to sit on the sun-soaked benches right next to the stand enjoying the mix of Western and Japanese flavors, and delighting in the mix of textures. I never thought that a hot dog topped with seaweed would be the ultimate preflight meal, and getting my hands on the iconic Vancouver street food item just moments before leaving felt like a total power move. —Rachel Chang, Hoboken, N.J.

Crab samosas in Vilankulo

Vilankulo Airport, Mozambique

I was returning to Dubai from the wonderful Kisawa Sanctuary on Benguerra Island and wanted one last taste of Mozambique before I flew out. Querino Huo, the guest manager from the resort, suggested we stop by the airport café, Monte Verde, which initially sounded uninspiring, but I put my trust in him. It's a pretty basic place—a handful of metal-topped tables and chairs; fridges with cold drinks; a counter with chips, nuts, and snacks; and a kitchen somewhere in the back. Frankly, my expectations were fairly low, but the crab samosas were fantastic. I love a good samosa but had never had one stuffed with crab before. They came hot from the oil, so crunchy and crisp that I'm sure the whole airport could hear when I bit into my first one. The inside was packed with crab, slightly sweet and juicy. Served with a slice of sour lime, a good shake of piri-piri hot sauce, and a cold 2M Mozambican beer on the side, it was the perfect send-off snack. Four of those plus a beer and two soft drinks came in at less than $10. The element of surprise was one of the things that made this so special, as well as the fact that I was on a high from an amazing few days in an incredible place. Not sure I'll ever find myself back in Vilankulo, but if I do, I'll definitely be grabbing crab samosas. —NC

The Latest Stories from Condé Nast Traveler

Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips

The 42 Best Things to Do in New York City

The Air France La Première First Class is About To Get Even More Luxurious

Why You Should Ditch the Short-Haul Flight for an Overnight Train

These Are the Foods to Avoid on a Flight

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Traveller. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

More From Forbes

22 amazing pickleball destinations around the world.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

The Broadmoor has the highest-altitude court in the world.

When pickleball hit the mainstream radar during the pandemic, some dismissed it as a quirky tennis knockoff that had a shelf life of a year or two. But pickleball has exploded in popularity — it’s the fastest-growing sport in America with 36.5 million annual participants, full-fledged professional leagues and even themed restaurants around the country.

“It’s the perfect resort vacation sport,” says Scott Colebourne, CEO of Picklestars , a company that seamlessly integrates bespoke pickleball programs into luxury resorts, hotels and other destinations. “You can have two or three generations having a good time together. A lot of people have discovered the game on vacation and have gone back home and gotten hooked on it.”

Some of the appeal, Colebourne says, comes from the fact that pickleball is a low-impact sport that doesn’t require its participants to be in Olympic shape. The other draw is that the smaller courts can often be tucked into spectacular spaces. Many high-end hotels are now fully invested in the sport, building fabulous facilities and hiring professionals to help guests around the net.

“Top places will have amazing views from the court,” Colebourne says. “They also have a schedule of programming that’s welcoming. They have availability of paddles for new players to try the game. They have staff on hand to assist with guests and new programs. Sometimes a resort will put a court out and say, ‘Okay, we’re done.’ No, that’s not enough.”

The following places go above and beyond to ensure you and your paddle-whacking group have fun. From a custom court sitting along a pristine patch of Pacific coast to one resting in the middle of French vineyards, the following getaways around the globe will make you want to pack your gear.

WWE SmackDown Results, Winners And Grades As The Bloodline Destroys Paul Heyman

Martin mull dead: the ‘fernwood 2 night’ and ‘roseanne’ star was 80, biggest surprises from round 1 of the 2024 nhl draft.

The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs

The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star resort takes pickleball to new heights in the Rocky Mountains. One of its Cloud Camp’s courts is perched at an exhilarating 9,200 feet, making it the highest-altitude court in the world. Get ready for an action-packed summer schedule, including the Adult Intermediate Pickleball Camp in July and an Adult Pickleball, Pasta & Pizza Weekend in August.

Paddle in paradise at Montage Healdsburg.

Montage Healdsburg , California

Two pickleball courts are nestled in the oak-covered grounds at this 258-acre wine country retreat. If you’re new to the game, sign up for the “Intro to Pickleball” course on offer Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Or fine-tune your skills with a private class led by a pickleball pro.

The courts at Arizona Biltmore.

Arizona Biltmore, LXR Hotels & Resorts , Phoenix

The rallies are remarkable as this palm-tree-draped, Phoenix Mountain Preserve-surrounded resort. And for pickleball players, things are made even more enticing with the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended property’s four new courts, hassle-free equipment rental and all-level classes instructed by Peter Burwash International experts such as USPTA Elite Professional Brendan Easterling.

Playing in the Dominican Republic.

Casa de Campo Resort & Villas , Dominican Republic

There aren’t any excuses for not being on your A-game during a stay at this Four-Star Dominican Republic gem. For starters, there technically are no losers here since you’re paddling in paradise. And second, if you want to improve your score, practice more — and with the recently rebranded Racquet Center’s team of instructors and courts equipped with lights, you have the tools to do it.

Hitting in Hawaii.

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

This extraordinary Five-Star retreat has long served as a proponent for health (ozone therapy) and healing (acupuncture). It hops on the pickleball wave with courts that just happen to have postcard-perfect Wailea Beach as their backdrop. After a few matches, make time to heal with an Infrared Therapy Deep-Tissue Recovery Massage at the sensational spa.

Work out with coach Matt Manasse.

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit , Mexico

When you’re ready to take your pickleball passion to the next level, look into this Four-Star stunner’s Pickleball Getaway with the Pros. A four-night experience for up to eight players, this perk-filled promotion comes with accommodations (an oceanview suite), access to pros (like famed coach Matt Manasse), airport transfers and other lavish additions (a welcome dinner and a yacht trip). The over-the-top package may cost $56,000, but it also includes a post-play massage at the Five-Star spa to help you forget about the price tag.

Ready for a little action in Big D.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas

With its $55 million renovation completed in January 2024, the Dallas resort has a lot to capture your eye. But if you’re looking for more than a splashy new pool and a transformed spa, peer over at the adjoining state-of-the-art Nelson Sports & Golf Club for four pickleball courts. The facility offers more than 10 clinics and drills per week, so those looking to strengthen their swings can do so with ease.

Le Logis’ beautiful court.

Le Logis , Cognac, France

Surrounded by vines, this 16th-century buyout-only Cognac chateau (home to L’Académie, a Forbes Travel Guide center for excellence) offers two of the country’s rare private pickleball courts, delicately woven into the amazing landscape adjacent to the most premier of all Cognac vines. So, even if the score isn’t going your way, stunning vineyard views will always win out. However, if you do want your game to be as impressive as the vista, Le Logis can arrange a three-day workshop for an additional fee with Colebourne or one of the other Picklestars pros. It doesn’t end with pickleball: there’s a full Technogym dojo as well as all the recovery equipment you can imagine, a pizzeria for carb loading, a full Dolby theater for relaxing, and soon to debut is a culinary center by Bonnet with a kitchen that you actually can step into.

Take a swing in the Sunshine State.

The Boca Raton

Test your endurance in a monthly round robin that pits mixed teams (it’s open to hotel guests and members) against one another at this storied resort. But if you aren’t yet ready for fierce competition, try private lessons, open play or clinics. The Boca Raton provides four pickleball courts but will debut a large-scale court expansion in December.

Dink in the desert.

Nobu Hotel Los Cabos

Dink in the Baja desert with the sunset in the backdrop at this Japanese-inspired Four-Star Los Cabos escape. The two complimentary on-property courts are a hot amenity among guests, and you can reserve them for open play or private lessons.

Rancho Valencia’s pickleball court.

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa , San Diego

While the 49-suite Five-Star getaway long ago cemented its status as a top-tier tennis resort, pickleball has become incredibly popular among guests. If you’re interested in the latter, book one of four courts, a private lesson or a spot in a weekly beginner pickleball clinic Fridays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Hilton Head is always a hit.

The Inn & Club at Harbour Town , Hilton Head

Guests at this Hilton Head hideaway have access to Sea Pine Resort’s activity-filled 5,000 acres, which include six pickleball courts. These courts cater to every level of paddler, with a Pickleball 101 program for beginners, a Junior program tailored for ages eight to 12 and a Power Hour with resident pro Mick Ray for those looking to up their game.

Dinks and drinks.

The Mansion at Ocean Edge , Cape Cod

This Cape Cod resort seamlessly blends historic charm with modern trends, making it a fitting destination for the bourgeoning sport. Guests enjoy complimentary sessions on the property’s six courts with top-of-the-line Selkirk paddles. The Mansion at Ocean Edge can also play matchmaker for those needing a pickleball partner.

Volleying on vacation.

The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort , Scottsdale

Guests at the Four-Star Scottsdale stay can access the property’s massive, two-story Athletic Club. There you’ll receive a complimentary hour on pickleball courts set against the backdrop of the dramatic desert. Forgot to pack your racket? No worries; the club supplies guests with gratis equipment.

Pickleball fun in the Caribbean sun.

Rosewood Little Dix Bay , British Virgin Islands

The pickleball action at this Five-Star Caribbean paradise takes place on two courts surrounded by tropical gardens with local flora, towering palm trees and verdant hills. A resident pro is available for hourlong private pickleball clinics catering to individuals, families or anything in between.

Rally, relax and repeat in wine country.

Carneros Resort and Spa , Napa

No wine country retreat would be complete without a glass of bubbly, and the Four-Star Carneros resort makes a delightful pairing of pickleball and champagne courtesy of its partnership with Veuve Clicquot. The property’s Rally, Relax and Repeat experience offers 90 minutes of playtime and courtside bottle service. Those who prefer to cheer from the sidelines can hang out at the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar & Lounge before sharing a toast with the day’s champion.

Paddling in Panama City.

The Santa Maria, A Luxury Collection Hotel and Golf Resort , Panama City

While this exclusive Panama City paradise is known for its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, the resort also caters to pickleball players. Enthusiasts in both sports receive a complimentary membership to the adjacent private Santa Maria Country Club, where they can enjoy sprawling greens and pristine pickleball courts.

Show your skills near a sugar mill.

Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour

Take lessons or join group games at the St. Kitts hotel’s two pickleball courts, which sit in the shadow of a replica of a century-old sugar mill. For additional wellness, head inside the mill — part of Sugar Mill Spa & Sanctuary, the open-air structure holds activities such as yoga and sound healing.

Everything you’ll need at Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection.

Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection , Napa

The Four-Star Calistoga hotel turns a game of pickleball into an experience with two new outdoor courts, bright custom paddles from pickleball goods purveyor Recess and even courtside wine service, where you can enjoy Juliet sustainable Central Coast wine from chicly designed round magnum boxes with fabric rope handles.

Take your swings in southern Vermont.

Twin Farms , Barnard, Vermont

This Five-Star luxury summer camp for adults has added pickleball to its activities list. You will find two beautiful courts nestled beside a charming pond on the property’s 300 acres of unspoiled Vermont countryside, where even a competitive three-setter can feel romantic.

All signs lead to Cape Cod for pickleball excitement.

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club , Cape Cod

This Five-Star Cape Cod resort prides itself on creating ample opportunities for family fun, and its pickleball programs encourage precisely that. A raised terrace allows spectators to cheer on players from the sidelines. Two courts provide playing space, and a resident pro is on hand for private lessons and to help arrange tournaments for healthy family competitions.

Court is in session in Southern California.

Ojai Valley Inn , California

You won’t mind playing game after game at the Four-Star hotel with the stunning panoramic views of the Topatopa Mountains in the background. And you will have plenty of opportunities to do so: while Ojai has two dedicated pickleball courts, its tennis facilities can easily convert to offer 18 total courts.

For more pickleball getaways, click here .

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Orlando Cepeda dies

Planning on traveling for the Fourth of July holiday? Here’s how to avoid the rush

FILE - Motorists head southbound in the local and express lanes on Interstates 90-94 in slow and thickening traffic as a CTA train enters a station on the first day of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, July 1, 2022, in Chicago. Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming Fourth of July holiday week, which will likely mean busy roads as well as packed airports and train stations. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - Travelers walk with their luggage through Union Station in Washington ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, July 1, 2023. Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming Fourth of July holiday week, which will likely mean busy roads as well as packed airports and train stations. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

• Copy Link copied

NEW YORK (AP) — The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and the travel rush is already heating up.

Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming holiday week. That will likely mean busy roads, as well as packed airports and train stations.

Motor club AAA projects that some 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more from their homes over a nine-day Independence Day travel period — surpassing pre-pandemic numbers for the U.S. holiday. And the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen over 32 million individuals in airports from this Thursday through July 8, up 5.4% from last year’s numbers.

Are you traveling for the Fourth? Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

When is the best time to hit the road for July Fourth?

Smooth sailing for travel around any holiday is never a given. But avoiding the most hectic times, when others are rushing out of town, is a good way to start.

If you’re traveling by car for the Fourth of July, it’s best to hit the road in the morning, according to transportation data and insights provider INRIX. Peak traffic congestion varies by location, INRIX data published by AAA shows, but the worst times to drive on, or leading up to, the holiday are generally between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Either way, be prepared for the roads to be jammed.

“Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67% longer than normal,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a prepared statement.

July Fourth falls on a Thursday this year, and many travelers will likely take Friday July 5th off to extend their trip into a four-day weekend. Drivers in large metro areas can expect the biggest delays on Wednesday July 3 and Sunday July 7 — as travelers leave and return to town, Pishue added.

And if you’re renting a car ahead of July Fourth, the busiest pickup days will be Friday, Saturday and Wednesday before the holiday, AAA notes.

When will airports be busiest?

Airports will also likely be packed all week long — but the TSA expects most people will take to the skies on Friday.

It anticipates that it will screen more than 3 million individuals Friday. That would surpass the agency’s current record for most people screened on a single day, which reached just under 3 million last Sunday.

“We expect this summer to be our busiest ever,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, adding that travel typical peaks around Independence Day.

Last year, the busiest day for Fourth of July air travel was also the Friday ahead of the holiday, TSA data shows. If past trends hold, travel will likely be higher on the days before and after the Fourth — particularly closer to the weekend. In 2023, for example, more than 2 million people were screened on the Fourth, which landed on a Tuesday last year, down from 2.88 million the Friday before.

What should I do if my flight is delayed or canceled?

Flights can be delayed or canceled for an array of reasons — from plane-specific mechanical problems to major storms impacting popular travel paths.

If your flight is canceled, airlines are required to provide refunds for customers, even if the cancellation is due to weather . Delays are trickier, because they typically have to meet certain criteria for relief, such as refunds or compensation — but carriers will often give customers to chance to switch to alternative flights, if available, at no cost.

In April, the Biden administration issued final rules that include requiring airlines to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays. Those rules are set to take effect over the next two years, but the Department of Transportation has a site that lets consumers see the commitments each airline has made for refunds and covering other expenses when flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

Always check your itinerary before leaving home

It’s better to be stuck at home than locked in hourslong traffic or stranded in an airport terminal. Before heading out the door this holiday week, do yourself a favor and check the status of your travel plans.

Was your flight, train or bus ride delayed? Are there are traffic incidents set to disrupt your drive? And what about the weather? A quick look through your itinerary — such as trip updates on a carrier’s website — checking weather forecasts and monitoring traffic safety through services like the 511 hotline or your phone’s navigation apps can go a long way toward avoiding travel misery.

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind:

— Leave early: There are more people everywhere during a holiday week, so lines will be longer and roads will be busier. Give yourself more time to get to your destination or to make your way through airport security.

— Keep an eye on the weather — and not just for your destination: Look at the weather for your entire travel path. Even if it’s sunny skies both at home and the place you’re headed, it’s important to keep an eye out for any storms in between. You may need to do some rerouting.

— Be kind: A trip delay or cancellation can be really frustrating — but if you’re running into disruptions, chances are others are too. Customer service agents have a lot on their plate at this time of year, and it’s important to be patient and respectful as they try to help you.

StarsInsider

Amazing water parks around the world

Posted: 24 June 2024 | Last updated: 24 June 2024

Whether you're at your home or travelling abroad, water parks are always a fun place to head to with family or friends, especially during those hot summer days.

Click here to see amazing water parks around the world!

You may also like: The highest grossing Hollywood actors of all time

Wadi Adventure

You may also like: This is where you should live in the USA based on your personality

Aquaventure Waterpark

Ramayana Water Park

You may also like: Can you guess the celebs in these pictures?

Waterbom Bali

You may also like: Who was Hollywood's "It Girl" the year you were born?

Wild Wadi Water Park

Yas Waterworld Abu

You may also like: Stunning Hindu temples you need to see to believe

Action Aquapark

Sunway Lagoon

You may also like: Celebrities who became mothers after 40

Imagica Water Park

diRoma Acqua Park

You may also like: Musicians' most scandalous songs about exes

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari

Aquatica (Seaworld's Waterpark)

You may also like: Stunning nature photographs that look like paintings

Aquapark Istralandia

You may also like: Black LGBTQ icons who made (and are making) history

Eco Parque Arraial d'Ajuda

Thermas dos Laranjais

You may also like: Grave goods: Unusual items famous figures were buried with

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park

You may also like: What to eat for good spinal health

WaterWorld Waterpark

You may also like: The strongest men of all time

Makadi Water World

You may also like: Robbery, murder, and worse: The most disturbing acts committed by saints

Water Country USA

Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, it is the Mid-Atlantic's largest water park and it offers live entertainment, shops and restaurants, water rides and other attractions all of which have a 1950s or 1960s surf theme.

Fasouri Watermania Water Park

Cyprus has more than one awesome water park! The Fasouri Watermania Water Park in Limassol features the biggest wave pool in Europe and a long lazy river.

See also: https://www.starsinsider.com/travel/236017/best-european-destinations-for-a-family-summer-vacation

You may also like: The best enemies-to-lovers movies

More for You

You're more likely to die early if you have these habits

'Kalki 2898 AD' review: Prabhas-Deepika’s film is equally riveting and frustrating

Kanye West's wife Bianca Censori reveals real-life Flintstones stone age house

UAE to announce fuel prices July: Will rates drop?

Iran presidential poll heads for runoff between reformist Pezeshkian and hardliner Jalili

30 films you need to watch before you die

Rambutan: How Nutrition Pros Rate This Tropical Fruit's Health Perks, Nutrients, And More

India vs South Africa: What happens if rain washes out T20 World Cup final today

Michael Jackson died, owing 65 creditors an amount estimated at about $500 million

'Wise' face of ancient Egypt's most powerful is revealed

Pitch to prayer mat: Why a qamis by adidas should matter to football and sport fans

The Worst Comedies of All Time

Bodybuilder Cíntia Goldani dies at 36: Controversy over the cause of her death

Meet the expat couple travelling 8,000km from UAE to France by road

How Is Gooseberry To Be Taken? A Review By Nutrition Professionals

Urgent travel warning for Aussies heading to Bali

Seven deadly sins: characters who fell into temptation

The best comedies of the 70s and 80s

'It hurt': Italy's Mattia Zaccagni makes a surprising confession after his goal against Croatia

Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan receives First Lady of Philippines in presence of Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed

Advertisement

Supported by

Taiwanese Are Told to Avoid China After It Threatens Independence Backers

Beijing released new rules calling for execution of “diehard” Taiwanese independence supporters, as hostilities surrounding Taiwan’s status rise.

• Share full article

By Eve Sampson

Taiwan raised its warning level for travel to China on Thursday, urging its citizens not to visit there unless necessary after Beijing spelled out potential punishments — including execution in extreme cases — for what it called “diehard supporters of Taiwanese independence.”

China regards Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 23 million about 100 miles off the mainland coast, as its territory. It demands that Taiwan ultimately accept unification and has long denounced Taiwanese who oppose its claims to the island.

Last week, China turned up the pressure, issuing legal guidelines that detailed the steps it might take to punish supporters of Taiwanese self-rule. They came as tensions between U.S.-backed Taiwan and China ratchet ever higher. Last month, Taiwan swore in a new president, Lai Ching-te, who has vowed to preserve democracy on the island and is denounced by Beijing.

The new rules adopted by China authorize execution for what it describes as exceptionally severe cases of Taiwanese separatism, though the language stops short of saying exactly what actions might constitute a severe offense.

In response , Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which deals with policy toward the mainland, said Beijing had “raised the risk to personal safety for nationals traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau” by “clinging to its own position” on Taiwan.

The new president, Mr. Lai, criticized the new rules. “China has no right to sanction Taiwanese people for their political opinions or pursue prosecution across borders,” he said on social media earlier this week. “Democracy is not a crime; autocracy is what’s truly malicious.”

Mr. Lai called on China to engage in dialogue, and has stopped short of calling for Taiwanese independence. He says he wants to preserve the status quo, with Taiwan enjoying autonomous governance.

Beijing, however, has denounced Mr. Lai, declaring him a separatist and greeting his new government with inflammatory rhetoric and a flurry of military exercises near the island.

Despite Beijing’s escalating antagonism and its military muscle-flexing, many Taiwanese appear sanguine. A recent poll showed that most people on the island believe that the United States would intervene should China invade, but some question whether Washington and their own government have nettled Beijing needlessly.

Beijing has a history of detaining people linked to Taiwan.

In 2023, a Taiwanese-based Chinese citizen, Li Yanhe , who published books critical of the Chinese Communist Party, was charged with crimes against national security. And in 2022, a democracy advocate, Li Ming-che, was released after serving five years in Chinese prison over accusations of subverting the government.

A generational gap in travel has also emerged among Taiwanese, fraying ties to the mainland. A 2023 poll showed that travelers over 40 years old were much more likely to visit China than their younger counterparts, who were more likely to visit Japan.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia released after Vatican mediation - as five people killed in drone strike on Russian village

Ten Ukrainian civilians who had been imprisoned in Russia for years have been released after mediation from the Vatican. Overnight, five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian village. Listen to a Sky News podcast on Putin and North Korea while you scroll.

Saturday 29 June 2024 12:56, UK

• Five killed, including two children, in Ukrainian strike on Russian village
• Ten Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia freed after Vatican mediation
• Zelenskyy urges EU leaders to live up to arms aid promises - as Moscow issues warning over von der Leyen nomination
• US warned of 'dangerous illusions' as Russia mulls change in nuclear stance
• Your questions answered : Has the West been honest about Ukraine's failures?
• Big picture : What you need to know this week
• Listen to the Daily above and tap here to follow wherever you get your podcasts
• Live updates by Niamh Lynch

Ask a question or make a comment

As Russia announces it has captured a second village in 24 hours (see 12.26pm post), let's take a look at where Russia has advanced along the frontline with Ukraine. 

As well as pockets of advances on the border north of Kharkiv, Russia appears to have captured areas along the length of the front, from the Donetsk region right up to the western edge of Luhansk.

Russia has said it has taken control of the village of Shumy in eastern Ukraine. 

The Russian defence ministry captured the settlement today, state news agency RIA reported.

Shumy is a small village 35.7 miles (57.4km) northwest of Donetsk.

It comes just 24 hours after the ministry said it had taken control of the village of Rozdolivka, around 31 miles (50km) north of Shumy.

But Ukraine's military said heavy fighting was raging in areas around Rozdolivka. 

Russian forces pressing forward along the 600-mile (1,000km) frontline have captured several villages in eastern regions since they took control of the strategic town of Avdiivka in February. 

A weapons expert has told the United Nations Security Council that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine "irrefutably" came from North Korea.

The research resulted in a clash between the US and Western allies with Russia and North Korea at the council meeting.

Russia dismissed the "baseless accusations", and North Korea dismissed the meeting as "an extremely brazen act" to discuss "someone's alleged 'weapon transfers'".

Jonah Leff is executive director of Conflict Armament Research, which has been tracing weapons used in attacks in Ukraine since 2018.

In an analysis of a 2 January missile that hit Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv, Mr Leff and his organisation documented the missile's rocket motor, tail section and almost 300 components manufactured by 26 companies from eight countries and territories. 

It determined the missile was either a KN-23 or KN-24 manufactured in 2023 in North Korea.

The organisation reached its conclusion based on the missile's unique characteristics - its diameter, distinct jet vane actuators that direct the missile's thrust and trajectory, the pattern around the igniter, the presence of Korean characters on some rocket components, and other marks and components dating back to 2023, Mr Leff said.

"Following the initial documentation, our teams inspected three additional identical DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name] missiles that struck Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia earlier this year," Mr Leff said. 

They also observed additional conventional weapons, including an artillery rocket produced in 1977, "that had been seized on the front lines and had not been observed on the battlefield previously in Ukraine" that were manufactured by North Korea, and might have been part of a recent larger consignment of rockets.

The council discussed illegal arms transfers from North Korea at the request of the UK, France, Japan, South Korea, and the US.

The meeting followed Russia's 28 March veto that ended the monitoring of sanctions against North Korea over its expanding nuclear program by a UN panel of experts. 

The US and its European and Asian allies accused Moscow of seeking to avoid scrutiny as it allegedly violates sanctions to buy weapons from Pyongyang to use in Ukraine.

Russia has said it will not send a judo team to the Paris Olympics this summer after just four of its 17 participants - known as judokas - received permission to compete from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

Russia and Belarus have been barred from sending national teams to the Games becuase of Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

Belarus, Russia's closest ally, allowed its territory to be used to carry out the invasion.

But several athletes from the two countries are being allowed to participate as individual neutral athletes (AINs) without their flags, anthems and emblems, subject to vetting by the IOC to ensure they have no connection to the military.

Russia's judo federation said in a statement on its website that it would not accept the IOC ruling. 

"Until the very end, we had hoped that common sense and a desire to hold full-fledged Olympic Games with athletes from Russia and Belarus would prevail over political intrigues," the statement said. 

"Unfortunately, our hopes were not realised... Under the circumstances, the presidium of the Russian Judo Federation has decided unanimously that the Russian judo team will not accept the humiliating conditions and will take no part in the Paris Games in the form proposed by IOC officials."

The federation had long pledged to sign no declarations "discrediting the policies of our country" and rejected any selection method "aimed at...breaking the spirit of Russian athletes".

Putin, a judo blackbelt, has often sparred with his country's judokas. The International Judo Federation in 2022 said it had suspended Putin's status as an honorary president. 

President Vladimir Putin has called for resuming production in Russia of intermediate-range missiles that were banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the US.

The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty was regarded as an arms control landmark when then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president Ronald Reagan signed it in the 1980s.

It banned ground-based missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,410 miles (500 to 5,500 km).

The US withdrew from the treaty in 2019, citing Russian violations.

"We need to start production of these strike systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where - if necessary to ensure our safety - to place them," Mr Putin said at a meeting of Russia's national security council on Friday.

Mr Putin said Russia had not produced such missiles since the 2019 treaty scrapping, but that "today it is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe for exercises, to Denmark. Quite recently it was announced that they are in the Philippines."

The US has tested missiles that would have been banned by the INF treaty since it was scrapped.

The end of the INF was a milestone in the deterioration of relations between the US and Russia.

The last remaining arms control pact between Washington and Moscow is the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.

It is set to expire in 2026, and the lack of discussion about anchoring a successor deal has worried arms control advocates.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said that Mr Putin's statement was "part of the Kremlin's ongoing reflexive control campaign... aimed at discouraging Western military assistance to Ukraine".

"The Kremlin has invoked the fear of a nuclear confrontation between Russia and the West throughout its full-scale invasion to push the West to self-deter from providing Ukraine the weapons it needs to sustain its defence against Russian forces," the ISW said.

"The Kremlin notably employs this effort during key moments in Western political discussions about further military assistance to Ukraine."

In June, Mr Putin spoke to executives from international news organisations about Moscow's use of nuclear weapons.

"We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says," he said. "If someone's actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly, superficially."

Footage of the extraordinary rescue of a man trapped in his car after the Russian missile strike on Dnipro has emerged. 

The video shows emergency services removing debris from the strike that had severely damaged the vehicle. 

One person was killed in the attack, with two more still missing. 

At least 12 people, including a seven-month-old baby, were injured.

The Ukrainian air force has said they shot down 10 Shahed drones overnight in a post on Telegram. 

"As a result of combat work by fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft missile units... all 10 [drones] were shot down," the air force said in a post on Telegram. 

The drones were shot down over Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia.

Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry also said in a Telegram post that they shot down six Ukrainian-launched drones over Bryansk, Tver, and Belgorod, as well as occupied Crimea last night.

At least one person was killed and 12 injured in a Russian missile attack in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

The missile hit a nine-storey residential building on Friday.

Ukraine's interior minister Ihor Klymenko warned the death toll would likely rise as more people remained trapped in the building where four upper storeys collapsed.

The ministry later said a fire at the site had been extinguished and two people were listed as missing. 

Among the injured was a seven-month-old child, regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.

Three people were in severe condition.

Dnipro, which had a pre-war population of almost one million people, is a major Ukrainian city that lies on the road to the east of the country where the most intense fighting with Russian forces is raging. 

It has been regularly targeted by missile and drone strikes since the start of Russia's invasion.

Ten Ukrainians who had been imprisoned in Russia for years have been released after mediation was provided by the Vatican, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Some of the former captives arrived overnight by helicopter at Kyiv International Airport.

It was the first time in more than two years that the airport received passengers after it was shut when Russian launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Some of the released civilians had been captured before Russia's 2022 invasion.

One of the freed people was Nariman Dzhelyal, deputy head of the Mejlis, a representative body of Crimean Tatars. He was detained in 2021.

Mr Dzhelyal said: "I was in captivity, where many Ukrainians remain.

"We cannot leave them there, because the conditions, both psychological and physical, are very frightening there."

Prisoners were wrapped in yellow and blue flags as they reunited with their families in the main hall of the airport, where pre-war advertisements still hang.

As well as Mr Dzhelyal, two civilians from Ukraine and five civilians who were captured in Belarus were freed. 

Two priests were also among those who were returned. 

One of them, Bohdan Heleta, was detained in 2022 inside his church in the occupied city of Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.

According to Ukraine's Co-ordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 3,310 Ukrainians have already been released from Russian captivity.

Many thousands, both civilians and military personnel, remain imprisoned.

In a post on X, President Zelenskyy said: "I am grateful to everyone who helped. I thank our team that works on freeing the captives. 

"I would also like to recognise the Holy See's efforts to bring these people home. We will definitely free all our people."

More on the Ukrainian strike overnight. 

Five people were killed after a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building in the Kursk region of Russia, the Kursk governor Alexey Smirnov posted on Telegram. 

Two young children were also injured in the attack on the village of Gorodishche, around 73 miles (118km) from the Ukrainian border. 

Two other people, believed to be family members of some of the victims were injured and are in a "serious condition" in hospital. 

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free