First Draft of a RTW- any thoughts?

Hi everyone,

I am a 23 year old American looking at leaving on a RTW trip next May. Current plans look like it will last 12-ish months. A good friend of mine has expressed interest in the past, but I'm not sure if that will work out so there may be two of us, or I may be a solo traveler. I like history. I like art. I like moderate treks and the occasional adventure activity. I'm sure I'll try to find cooking classes lots of places I go. I am not a hard partier, but I do drink.

1st draft of the plan

start May 2012
Spain (4 weeks)
Portugal (2 weeks)
Paris (4 days)
Turkey (4 weeks)
Egypt (2 weeks)
Jordan (1 week)
India (8 weeks)
Nepal (2 weeks)
Thailand (3 weeks)
Indonesia (4 weeks)
Singapore (5 nights)
Malaysia (2 weeks)
Laos (4 weeks)
Cambodia (4 weeks)
Vietnam (4 weeks)
China (5 weeks)
Mongolia (1 week)
Japan (2 weeks)

Okay, now for the reasoning. I know my friend will travel the spain/portugal/paris leg with me. Neither of us have ever been, and it just sounds like a nice way to start the trip. There are definitely bits of the whole plan that I am debating. Also, I think I screwed up my order in SE asia, I will visit them via the route that makes sense, not just whatever I typed.

Looking at it all typed out it looks like I would be traveling a lot. I'm sure I will end up cutting things, mostly this is just so I can start working on budget.

Budget- Currently I think I can have $30,000 US to pay for EVERYTHING including visas and flights and insurance and all. I feel like I would be okay on that, but by the time I get to Japan I may be running low for such an expensive country. I know myself well enough to know that I will not always stick to the cheapest guesthouses or the cheapest food. I'll be reasonable, but I will go up to nicer places on occasion.

Wow, I'm envious - sounds like fun!

To make Japan cheaper:

- minimize your time in Tokyo, as it's the most expensive part of the country
- minimize your alcohol consumption, especially from bars and restaurants (if you're still traveling with your friend, it's cheaper to buy beer/wine from a store or vending machine and drink it in your hotel room; if you're by yourself, I guess you'd feel kind of lonely drinking by yourself, though)
- eat at cheap restaurants like noodle shops - curry rice is another cheap meal
- go to a grocery store and fill up on free samples

My biggest concern is it sounds like you will be hitting the Middle East during the hottest part of the year, and this sounds like a terrible idea. Any chance of mixing up the order somehow?

I would take a couple of weeks off Cambodia and add it on to Mongolia. Just personal preference.

And yes, you will definitely change your Asia route when you start looking seriously!

I think it looks like you've got a pretty good grasp on it, almost like you've done it before? My first RTW trip I tried to see everything, and it meant I didn't do a lot of places properly. I assume this is just a rough guideline, that you aren't purchasing anything in advance? If you're travelling by yourself, or even with a friend, its best to be flexible, as you never know who you might meet, or what you might discover which alters your plans. In Bangkok my friend and I met some guys from England at the hostel, they ended up meeting up with us 2 days later at the full moon party in Koh Phangan, and we traveled with them for the next 2 weeks, changing our plans completely. 3 years later and I still keep in touch with them, I've met up with them several times all over the world since.

Bottom line, I think what you have here is great, go with it, and change it when you want once you're on your way. Haven't been to Mongolia, but I'd tend to think Mama-to-many is right. Cambodia is cool, but you have a lot of time there, and Mongolia probably needs more. But... if you love Cambodia, stay and let the trip sort itself out later.