BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey Everyone,

Didn't see a spot for these but just wanted to say hi.

My girlfriend and I are planning to go RTW next year... sometime around July 2009. Long ways away but just looking to start gathering some info between now and then.

I have some experience with backpacking.. I backpacked solo around Europe for two months in 2005. I had an amazing time but spent WAY too much time in big cities and not nearly enough time getting to know the country and culture in smaller towns.

Matt

Hey Matt, welcome to Boots..

Where abouts are you looking to go on your rtw? Tell us about the adventure you'd like to plan... I'm sure you'll get plenty of help around here and dont be afriad to ask anything, no matter how stupid it might sound. Many of us have been in your position and know what is like and we'll do our best to help you out...You'll also find plenty of others here planning big trips too..

Hey LC2,

We'll as of right now we're thinking of going for about 8ish months and we'll start by heading East toward Morocco then going up through Europe over to India, South East Asia, Japan, Australia then back home.

I'm hoping for a trip that moves a bit slower than my last trip, we've talked about settling down in a place we like for a few weeks, maybe finding some work at the hostel to make a few bucks to extend our trip. Also, renting a beach house in Thailand for a month just to totally decompress and relax. I remember getting worn down after only 2 months of travelling last time so I need to build in some rest and relaxation pit stops along the way.

How long we'll stay in Europe before we head to the cheaper areas of the world depends on how terrible the US$ is converting to Pounds or Euros...

On my last trip my favorite places were Interlaken, Switz and Cinque Terre, Italy.

Sounds like an excellent trip!

Its definately important to slow the pace down on a long trip, I think it takes an experience like the one you had in Europe to tell you that. Its a concept some people have trouble grasping and understandably.

Everyone travels in different ways and it sounds like you're already well aware of some of your likes and dislikes which is a great grounding to have.

I heartedly recommend Phi phi for a bit of relaxation tim eon the beach in Thailand! We arrived after seeing Krabi and Phuket and felt like we had arrived in paradise! We came for 2 nights, stayed 7 and came back for 7 more at the end of the trip. You'll find your own little spot like that (I'm happy to give you more info on the place we stayed in Phi Phi if you want too) and I think its important to give yourself the flexibility to stay if you like somewhere.

I'm a City person, although its not a love for EVERY City, thats for sure. It would seem strange then that I would consider New Zealand probably my favourite Country. I think I just like the variety. Some Cities such as Buenos Aires, Bangkok and Wellington have something I adore, yet all 3 are remarkably different. Likewise I much prefer Singapore to Hong Kong where there are distinct similarities.

Just take your time, try places, see hw you take to them, you might even suprise yourself too!

sounds like a great time! That's pretty much what we intend on doing as well. Don't worry the time will go by quick. I had to extend my deadline a couple times but it still feels like it's approaching soon. Who knows - maybe we'll see you guys out there!