First time, sort of sudden urge to travel, traveller

Think that title says it all... Also, hi =]
Erm yea basically, my life consists of working in a dive of a job (serving the general public) coming back to my parents house and living infront of a computer... So basically, from that exciting life, last august I just decided "I'm going travelling."

So basically, my rough estimate for leaving is this august and my rough plan is to do atleast a lap of the world (east to west), time isn't an issue and I'm more than willing to work abroad to help fund my travels. One of my main questions at the minute is, as I'm guessing most new comers is, how much should I be looking to save (£), i'm more interested in doing things as cheaply as possible but not being overly stingy if I don't need to be etc. In the long run, if I can handle the trip in the first place, I want to stay out as long as I can. I'm not really that interested in getting an RTW ticket to be totally honest, would rather travel by bus/train/boat and other general gravity obeying stuff...

I'm rambling a bit so I'll end this here haha.
Cheers

Hmmm well to start you could try the search function, get an idea what you want then come back with a bit more specific questions.

$20K is the least I would suggest leaving home with to give you a year + or - depending on your travel style.

Oh yeah should warn you that travel is highly addictive!

To be totally honest, im not that interested in western europe... Mostly eastern europe, north africa, india, russia, china, south korea, japan, aus, nz, then south america maybe a bit of NA and canada. I am looking to do things on a small budget. I'm just looking for advice really, am i living a pipe dream for a first trip? I'm looking to stay out for a long time etc, working along the way, I have relatives in Aus i can stay with when I reach there so that should save some money.
I am very open to changing plans... To be honest, I feel like as this is my first trip out the country, and being alone for it, I feel i should plan some of it but in the long run I would love to just be able to float along...
Cheers =]

For the countries you mention better add another 10K

Why don't you hop on a train/ferry combination that will take you to Moscow, then keep heading east all the way to Mongolia....and after some time there, keep going to China for as long as you feel like (don't be scared off if busman tells you not to go there - heehee), then the rest of South East Asia....your money will stretch and stretch there. Then you can see how you're going, whether you need to earn some more - before hitting the more expensive countries.

Check out www.seat61.com

Hmmm yea that does sound good, like I said, i'd rather not have any plans at all and just go based on what I feel like at the time, so something like that does sound good to be honest... China is one of those places I just feel like I need to see, I have some odd interest in it haha.
South East Asia is a definate for me. I'm assuming starting off with 5k wont get me far on this trip?

Not really. I'm aiming at $15k just for a year in Southeast Asia.

There's quite a few threads on around the world budgets, one of them will probably be about what you're looking for, short of a few adjustments.

One of the most expensive parts of traveling is getting from point A to point B. A plane ticket just to reach one of those destinations could easily set you back $1,000 right off the bat, depending on where you're departing from.

So if you've never traveled, and you don't even know if you'd like it, is there any reason you're not planning a more modest trip, just to dip your toe in the water? $5k could take you to any one (maybe three) of those countries for 3-6 months, easy. Once you get somewhere, it's a lot easier to settle down and make your money last. Or you could make a more longterm plan and keep working and saving money.

Aside from that, busman's advice is sound: a few searches will net you a lot of the knowledge you're looking for.

Aye that probably sounds like a better idea, i'll have a look into a few places I really want to visit =]
Cheers!

Kia Ora

Greetings from New Zealand.

You have not mentioned where you are from, but I am guessing the USA. Have you heard of a Working Holiday Visa? It means that US citizens can apply for a working permit for NZ, Australia and Singapore.

As long as your are aged between 18-30, you can apply to live and work for up to a year in these countries.

Here is a link for US citizens for the NZ scheme.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/ ... scheme.htm

Mama-to-many wrote:Why don't you hop on a train/ferry combination that will take you to Moscow, then keep heading east all the way to Mongolia....and after some time there, keep going to China for as long as you feel like (don't be scared off if busman tells you not to go there - heehee), then the rest of South East Asia....your money will stretch and stretch there. Then you can see how you're going, whether you need to earn some more - before hitting the more expensive countries.

Check out http://www.seat61.com

Good advise!

Just never got over the Chinese Police`confiscating my Lonely Planet China guide at the Nepal/Tibet border.

You have listed a mix of affordable and expensive destinations. Considering that you want to travel on a tight budget and you do not have travel experince, you may want to sort some key issues first. Do you really like to travel and in what style? Jumping from your current situation to low budegt travel in a place like India, just as an example, is a huge change. Then you have to sort the issue of funding. There are quite a few indians in India looking for jobs, getting a job there may be tricky. That is not the ideal spot to try and a get job. The same situation repeats in most other low budget countries. Work and travel in Aus, Canada or western Europe may work on the other hand. These more expensive destinations also offer plenty of cheaper accomodation alternatives, if you research carefully.
Lots of question to research ....
As it was said already, why don't you take a test trip. Some low budget destination, different that your home but not a total shock. Here are some safe bet countries: Peru, Syria, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia.... not overly expensive, different but not shoking, pretty safe and with lots of fellow travelers to compare notes with. If you hate low budget in any of them than low budget RTW is not for you. If you enjoy adventure in any one of them there is hope...
Good luck

I'm guessing you are English (since you said pounds sterling). You better find out how much visas cost for all the countries you posted, they are not cheap for US Citizens (like me). Almost every country on that list requires a visa (and the ones in South America are not cheap! At least for me, again.)

Hi, again, I disappeared from the internet for a while haha. Yes sorry I totally forgot to mention where i'm from, I am English.
I have relatives in Australia so I would have a place to stay for a while.
Would going straight to Aus and going out to NZ - SE Asia - India be a better idea for a first trip then?
Going travelling is a test in my commitment as at the minute I am totally not happy in my life so I want to get out and see the world and start to rely on myself properly and see what I am actually capable of.

keep in mind that the longer you stay in one spot the cheaper your trip will be. as someone else mentioned, transport is a huge expense. Also, by staying in one spot for a while you have the chance to network and find cheaper lodgings and you learn more how to live - and therefore spend - like a local. However, if it's really your first trip, living like a local in a developing nation could be a bit of a shock to the system. Perhaps take advantage of ryan air/easy jet and head for a shorter trip to one of their North African destinations. I know Easy Jet at least flies to Morocco, Jordan and Egypt. Try traveling in a minimalist/budget fashion and see if you feel it's something you can sustain. This would enable you to get a taste without dropping a huge chunk of cash on a flight.

As far as 5k (assuming GBP) goes, I personally would feel very comfortable heading to SEA for a year with that much. But if you're going to be flying a lot then no, it likely won't last you a year.

busman7 wrote:Just never got over the Chinese Police`confiscating my Lonely Planet China guide at the Nepal/Tibet border.

Hint: travel with a cute kid or two and hide your LP in the bottom of their pack - our kids' stuff was rarely checked at border crossings!!!!