Alright guys, I am about to embark on an 11 month RTW journey in just 19 days and I have very little planned out in advance (a plus according to some?) but have researched each place. Planning got neglected because of a family tragedy a couple months back, but I would hate to have to postpone the trip..thoughts and advice are so welcomed.

Based on what I have read here I think I might be overdoing the trip. I have a full breakdown of the itinerary on my site www.alittleadrift.com/my-route/ But it basically looks like this:

3 wks in Oz
3 weeks in NZ <-- is this too ambitious?
3 weeks back in Oz (if I include NZ I have to backtrack to meet up with a friend for New Years in Syd)
5 weeks in SE Asia
4 weeks in India (10 days in a meditation course)
3 weeks Greece
3 weeks Italy (already traveled extensively here)
2 months in Eastern Europe to hit: Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Czech
1 month for Scandinavia (not much longer to save $$)
1 month in Scotland
1 month in Ireland (again already traveled some here)

What are your thoughts since I am totally new to this. Also, the only plane fare booked thus far is one from LA to Sydney on Nov 4th

I really don't want to push it all back to plan more unless ya'll think I should...

Advice needed!! And thanks :-)

~Shannon
www.alittleadrift.com

5 weeks for the whole of South east asia but one month for scotland?

How about 2 weeks scotland and 5 months for south east asia?

You can do SEA in 5 weeks if you stick to 2 countries.

i have to agree that your time schedule seems a bit odd...

6 weeks in oz, 2 months in EE (only 4 countries), a whole month for scandinavia (only 3 countries unless you count denmark), and a month each for scotland and ireland...

i'd seriously consider extending SEA, though i guess that depends on how many countries you plan to see there (just china and nepal. you're probably okay)

it just seems to me like the trip is rather stuttered... taking a little here and a little there, spending a long time in a small place then a short time in a big place.

i am a whirlwind traveler so I think you are fine...1 month in scotland does seem odd and will hurt your budget since I believe they use the pound there. You can certainly do SEA in 5 weeks, I did it in less and did not feel cheated and did all the countries minus Myanmar. 1 month in Scandainavia at the end of your trip will be iffy...you better stick to your budget to be able to sustain 3 months in pretty expensive countries.

2.5 weeks in India will be tough since 10 days is a meditation course. I suggest going to Mumbai, Delhi, Agra and seeing the highlights. I am guessing your meditation course will be in the north, Ladakh? That will be your hardest part as unless you fly, travel is quite slow by train and even slower by bus especially in the north.

Scotland does use the pound and isn't cheap. What are you planning on doing there for a month? Personally I would visit Northern England too if I had a month.

SEA will be tough in a month in my opinion as you'll spend a lot of time travelling if you want to cover any distance. Getting out to islands etc can take a lot of time. If you just want to visit Thailand, say, it would be fine.

I would try and avoid doublebacking to Australia as you'll add a lot of expense and hassle. Why not just spend nine weeks in Australia and visit NZ another time? Australia is a huge country (same size as USA), so there is plenty to see with big distances between places.

Thanks for the advice guys, it really looks like I should cut out NZ - as for the time in Scotland, that includes time in northern England, Wales, etc and I am def pondering how long I am staying there, I kinda let the consideration about the pound slip my mind..yikes..

Some of the weird times in some places are to account for meeting up with a friend who is going to be somewhere - ex. I need to be in Italy in April to meet up with two friends... That's perhaps why it looks a tad scattered.

Also the time in SEA is meant to just include Thailand, Loas, Vietnam and Cambodia...still too ambitious?

3 weeks in oz and 3 in NZ is not enough time. honestly...to fly from LA all way to SYD and only spend 6 weeks in the area is a bit of a waste. I am a whirlwind traveler as well and you really can't do OZ or NZ in less than 1 month each. Also, it's a huge country, so if you're only spending 3 weeks consider just focusing on a few cities.

As for SEA, i also agree that you should extend it. There is too much going on there to do in 5 weeks. if you're going solo you'll meet tons of backpackers in SEA. consider extending it to at least 2 months.

As a New Zealander, I have to say ,don't ditch us, come on down! Even if it's just to get a taste and then come back for more. You'll love it! If you're in Oz you might as well come to NZ even if it's for a flying visit. Good luck with your plans!

My opinion is that the more planning = less adventure. Take your trip to Sydney meet people and follow.

My best trips have started with a vague goal and no expectations. Experience where you are, see the people and you will not be disappointed.

Thanks guys for all of the tips and advice, I truly appreciate your time. I am taking NZ off of the planned itinerary, but if I end up meeting up with some others heading there I just might tag along!

Other than that, I am taking everyone's advice about just chilling out on the planning and instead seeing what happens when I get there.

Thanks again and I will keep ya'll up dated

~Shannon
www.alittleadrift.com

Depends what u want to do there but if u really want to see the country, give SEA Months!!

Thailand- one month
Cambodia- two weeks AT least but i love it there would say spend the month there...cheap too!
Laos- 2 weeks
Vietnam- 3-4 weeks...

With that, you'll move around slow but not too slow but not too fast either...though in thailand, even with a month u wont seem much...

I've been twice to Thailand for a total of eight weeks and still haven't seen lots of it. Partly this is because I have a friend in Bangkok, so have spent a lot of time there, but also because there's lots to see and travelling is sometimes slow, particularly out to the islands. I'm planning another RTW trip for two years time and we're going to spend at least three months in SEA.