BootsnAll Travel Community

Heyo,

I decided long ago that I wanted to do an RTW, and I'm nervous. Of course I am. I wanted everything to be perfect, to take a year and have the money, and I'd do the perfect RTW trip and everyone would go "oh wow, you did that just right." And I would, because I'm young and responsible and blah blah blah. But life's making it hard to go. I volunteer as a diver at the aquarium, and that was one of my childhood dreams. It's so hard to leave that. And my family's in Chicago, and I'll be off to graduate school in autumn, and I should spend time with them. And anyway, with graduate school looming, why go on an RTW now and try to rush rush rush in 4 months? Why not do it perfect, like you were supposed to?

Because 4 months is what I have, Jake. I just gotta go now. And you know what, you can go again later! But you're never going to do it if you don't DO IT. Every time I've surprised myself, every time I've said "I can't believe I just did that!" it's because I JUST DID IT. Just go.

Of course you'll make mistakes. Of course you'll smack yourself and say "I should've spent more time here," "why did I take the train to this junk destination?" "why did I buy this thing I thought I'd need?" You'll say that a hundred times. And that's FINE! You'll laugh at yourself and go "Ha! I thought I'd need THIS of all things? In India?" and you'll realize how much you've learned about India, about the world. That's the whole point, Jake. You're SUPPOSED to make mistakes! That's the fun of it!

But look at this spreadsheet. These numbers are tough to look at. See those in red? That's how much money you're planning to spend. Yeesh man, why not just travel the US? Why not do something smaller, something that doesn't cost so damn much? This is the most consumptive thing you've ever done. It's the most expensive BY FAR. And that's what you've saved up your whole life. But of course, that's the whole reason you saved up, right? Right? Damn right! You're goddamn right! That's why the money's there, to do this! To see the world, to explore, to leave the apartment, leave the 9-5, go! Thank you, Jake, for giving me the means to do this! That's what the money's for! Atta boy!

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Okay, I'm pumped up. I'm stoked about my itinerary, and I'm okay writing down all these numbers. That's what the money's for. Enjoy it.

ITINERARY ($3847 - already done)
4.15.08 -- Chicago to Kuala Lumpur -- 5 weeks in SE Asia
5.21.08 -- Bangkok to New Delhi -- 4 weeks in India
6.16.08 -- Mumbai to Dubai -- 3 days in Dubai
6.19.08 -- Dubai to Alexandria -- 4 weeks in Egypt
7.19.08 -- Luxor to Accra -- 2 weeks in Ghana
8.02.08 -- Accra to Casablanca -- 1 week in Morocco
8.08.08 -- Casablanca to Chicago

PER DIEMS ($3970)
SE Asia - 36 days x $30 = 1080
India - 26 days x $30 = 780
Dubai - 3 days x $70 = 210
Egypt - 30 days x $30 = 900
Ghana - 14 days x $50 = 700
Morocco - 6 days x $50 = 300

HEALTH ($783)
Vaccines - 519 (already done)
Dive insurance - 64 (already done)
Travel Insurance - 200

PACK LIST ($335)
backpack - 110
moneybelt - 15
small locks - 20
camera - got for hannukah
new shoes - 80
repellent infused clothes (recommended by travel MD) - 80?
watch - use dad's
book light - 15
travel towel - 15
daypack - use disc bag
multitool - own
disc - own

OTHER ($1600)
diving - 700 (lots of mental wrestling with this, but... I love diving)
trains and busses - 300
visas - 200
who knows - 400

TOTAL - $10,535

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Advice, criticism, omissions, anything. It would all be very much appreciated.

all the best,
Jake

Looks fun!

You are going the opposite way around the planet than I am!

Maybe I'll meet you for a beer on the other side of the universe!

quote:

wanted everything to be perfect, to take a year and have the money, and I'd do the perfect RTW trip and everyone would go "oh wow, you did that just right."

Quote "Why not do it perfect, like you were supposed to?"

Jake do this trip only for one person that is you! You are the only one who should look back and say yeah man that was great. I'm sure freinds and family will say wow but in the end it should matter to you. There is no perfect travel...there is no supposed to be. Its all about you.

Don't pack too much into the itenary (within the countries)..take a good break once in a while from sightseeing but chill and enjoy the rest. If you miss a temple or two who cares. In the end what you see or do..do it with quality not quantity.

Your budget and itinerary look very realistic to me. I think you'll have a blast! I like that your itinerary isn't standard.

It sounds like now is the best time for you to do a rtw - if you wait until after grad school you'll have loans and jobs and obligations and responsibilities to worry about. Don't stress too much about spending extra money on your interests - after all the point is to have fun

When are you leaving? I assume you've thought about storage for any of the "stuff" you have at home?

MAX, thanks! It took me a while to decide which direction to travel, but there was no avoiding summer in India and Egypt, so I don't suppose it makes much difference. We'll trade stories and guidebooks when we cross

MADHU, absolutely I'm doing this for myself. It's a little tough to resist trying to plan out everything -- from temple A to museum B, cab over to park C -- but I know you're right. A little planning is wise, but nobody wins the sightseeing checklist game.

MALENA, glad to hear the budget isn't too off. The itinerary isn't standard because I didn't plan to "go on an RTW." I just wrote down the places I was DYING to see (and pruned some areas for the sake of time, but I'll travel again), and when I was exploring travel sites on the www, I found all this RTW info. I didn't know what RTW meant before that.
You're leaving in 3 days for an 18 month trip? Wowza. Wow. Good luck! Your blog is terrific. Well-laid out, and fun to read. Thanks!

I'm leaving April 15th. I don't have much "stuff" in the first place, but I flagged off a closet in my folks' place, so that's really ideal. My lease is up at the end of this month, and I'll be crashing with some friends for the weeks before go-time. That's half the reason I want to do this trip now. I don't have a wife, kids, a house, cars, whatever. It's relatively easy for me to pack up and go.

Hmm, I better get back to work.

Yeah we might cross paths around Alexandria!

I don't have a schedule though

quote:

Originally posted by Panthroman:
MALENA, glad to hear the budget isn't too off. The itinerary isn't standard because I didn't plan to "go on an RTW." I just wrote down the places I was DYING to see (and pruned some areas for the sake of time, but I'll travel again), and when I was exploring travel sites on the www, I found all this RTW info. I didn't know what RTW meant before that.
You're leaving in 3 days for an 18 month trip? Wowza. Wow. Good luck! Your blog is terrific. Well-laid out, and fun to read. Thanks!

I'm leaving April 15th. I don't have much "stuff" in the first place, but I flagged off a closet in my folks' place, so that's really ideal. My lease is up at the end of this month, and I'll be crashing with some friends for the weeks before go-time. That's half the reason I want to do this trip now. I don't have a wife, kids, a house, cars, whatever. It's relatively easy for me to pack up and go.

Hmm, I better get back to work.

Thanks for the comments on my website! I've put a lot of time into it so it's nice to hear that people like it Have fun enjoying the nice parts of living in the US over the next few weeks... I think you're more ready than me as I haven't figured out insurance yet!

i think everything seems perfect should be a great trip enjoy bro...this is the place to rant, rave, complain, bitch and moan...if you come home drunk and want to post we got a thread for that...if you want to make an inane comment we got that covered also....

Jake, Great to find another Chicagoan planning a RTW!
Planning my RTW has gotten me through this loooong winter we've had. I'm also heading out in April and coming back in August.
Turkey - Eastern Europe - Egypt/Jordan - Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam - Australia.
We'll be in Egypt around the same time. You're absolutely right - there's no way to avoid the heat in the summer. At least we can travel light!
I'm leaving my job to take this brief (honestly, when I started planning I thought 4 months was a pretty big deal - after reading everyone's plans, now I wish I were taking one year off!) RTW, and am so excited to get going.
Your itin looks great!

I spent 4 weeks in Egypt in August once and it was ok weather-wise. It was very warm but it was pleasant and dry. There were breezes in Alexandria by the sea and along the Nile. It was wonderful to sit in the rooftop restaurants in the summer evenings. I think Egypt will be fine weather for you.

This trip is for you, there's no right way. Some people like to plan and to examine all their options and some just go for it. As long as you're doing what you want to do, traveling in the direction you want and spending the money you earned there's nothing wrong with it. I've done two RTWs and neither were typical. MY second covered many countries that aren't on the RTW path and that was great.

Four weeks in India will be rushed but if you stick to one region, or fly between two areas you should be fine. Just go in knowing that you won't see all of India but you can always come back. Ignore the people you'll meet who tell you that they've been there 8 months and haven't cracked the surface. People made fun of me there for only spending 2.5 months, you can never win.

Your per diems look good, SEA, India and Egypt have some padding in there in case you're spending a lot on transport because you're moving fast.

I don't know that repellent infused clothes are worth the money. I find that either mossies like you or not. Wearing light colors, long sleeves, spray and a net didn't help me in Africa and I'm not sure expensive clothes would have either.

If your watch has an alarm that will help keep the extras down. Do you really need a book light? I think a head lamp is more useful since it can be used as a flashlight and on your head to read in bed. Don't worry about getting a fancy one, you can find them for under $30.

Diving's your thing so don't worry about spending the money. This is your trip. The divers I saw in Dahab seemed to be mostly new so make sure you don't get saddled with a bunch of beginners.

From one Chicagoan to another, have a great trip.

MAX - Thanks man. Wish I didn't have a schedule, but I couldn't swing it financially with open jaws. Have fun on your trip!

MALENA - So you're off, and you won't be back for a good YEAR after I return. Yeesh - so jealous. I'm pretty impressed with your packing list. That backpack is tiny! Makes my 60L camping pack look enormous, but I already have it for camping, so it's free.

EPPY - Hopefully (very hopefully) I won't be too plugged in on the trip. Just a blog update now and again to keep the parents from flipping, and some emails if I'm getting lonely. But if you're lucky, maybe a drunk post or two will end up on the boards...

GENIE - Woah, Chicago, out April, return August. Groovy. I've been to Turkey, Australia, and some Eastern Europe. I had fun in Eastern Europe, loved Australia (especially Kangaroo Island, off the south coast), and LOVED Turkey. Istanbul is just gorgeous. I don't know how many hours I spent on the ferry drinking apple tea. You're going to have a blast. And yeah, when I started planning, 4 months was long! Now...

KATHRYN - Good to hear. I don't mind the heat too much, and if it lowers the number of tourists, I'll take it. (I feel like the driver complaining about traffic...)

BUNGLE - 4 weeks will certainly be rushed in India. Frankly, the whole thing's a little rushed, but hey, it's the time I had. I've acquiesced to leave some places for next trip There's just no way I can fly into Delhi, see Agra, see Varanasi, and fly out of Mumbai. Er, maybe I will, but I'd rather be a little more relaxed. And, by the way, I plan to do trains in India. I assume they're less than flights, and don't require such advanced purchase, right? Per Diems will likely include a fair amount of transport, or a flight/ferry/bigtrain amortization. I already got a pair of infused pants and two shirts (total: $80), so no use regretting now. But I'll let you know if it doesn't work! Head lamp seems wiser than a book light; good call. I'm stealing my dad's analog watch (I hate digital), and I can't seem to find a cheap-ish analog watch with an alarm, so I'll have to go for a travel alarm. They're small and cheap, though.

10 more days of work!

Thanks all, and happy travels,
Jake

In four weeks in India you can see more than Delhi, Agra and Varanasi. Varanasi's the tricky one because it's the opposite direction of places most people want to go. I started there in India since I came overland from Nepal so it worked out well for me. I spent about 5 days in Delhi but I was getting clothes made, stocking up supplies and going to the doctor. If you're just seeing sites a few days is enough. Personally I rally like the temples of Southern India the best...

Trains don't require purchase too much in advance although sometimes popular long overnight routes may sell out of the class you want. I usually tried to buy them as soon as I could, maybe 3 days in advance. But if there's a train you HAVE to get, like o your flight out, book it asap.

If you can deal with a digital watch you can find ones with alarms at Target pretty cheap. Mine even had two time zones. I think a lot of them are around $30, I even saw one on sale for $9. Can't say I ever see analog watches with alarms though.

In response to Panthroman's response about having less tourists: The best way to get less tourists is to have a middle east crisis when you're headed there. I flew to Egypt from Kenya in Sept 1990 just as they announced Iraq invading Kuwait. All the tourists in Egypt just suddenly disappeared. There were still some when we arrived, but no new ones came in. We went to a sound and light show at the pyramids and sat in the second row. Of course we had to put up with locals telling us they they "hated brocoli" (like the old President Bush). Everyday we were in Cairo, we went down to the Nile Sheraton to the teletype machines (amazing old stuff eh) to see the hottest press releases to know what was going on in the world. In any case, hopefully you won't have to have a crisis to have a wonderful trip.

BUNGLEGIRL - I'm really glad to hear you say I'll be able to do more than Delhi, Agra, and Varanasi. Friday was my last day at work (woowoo!) and I'm currently selling all my junk and moving out of the apartment, but in a few days I'll start researching more practical stuff like exactly where within each destination I want to go (or more specifically, potential things to do if I find myself in city X or province Y), and the trains, planes, and automobiles to take me there. I'm not sure how much advance planning I'll do, but I don't want to wake up in Kuala Lumpur without informed options.

KATHRYN - Woah! That would make me a bit nervous. My folks are uneasy about me going to Egypt because I'm Jewish, but I feel like that's comparable to telling Nigerians not to travel to America because they're black. It's just FUD.

MALENA - You're off! Your website is just great. You're a really solid writer.

safe travels all,
Jake