Tickets Booked! Advice on Destinations/Budget Please!

Hi everyone!

While I probably shouldn't have booked my tickets, I did! I'm not sure if I can swing this financially, but I'm going to have to make it work whether it means dipping into my Student Line of Credit or not...preferably not! I'm only 24 years old but I've been dreaming of doing a long-term trip around the world for years now and had a goal set in my mind to do it before I turn 30 and BAM! I am leaving in 6 1/2 weeks! I will likely be gone for about 10-11 months. Here is my itinerary for anyone interested:

Aug9: Fly Calgary-Saint John, New Brunswick (my hometown, say hellos and goodbyes)
Aug14: Fly from Halifax, Nova Scotia-Frankfurt, Germany
Aug17: Fly from Frankfurt-Cotonou, Benin (I'll be volunteering at an orphanage....see www.beninorphanage.com)
Sept.22: Travel to Togo
Sept.27: Travel to Ghana
Oct.12: Fly from Accra, Ghana-Casablanca, Morocco
Oct.26: Fly from Casablanca, Morocco-Paris, France
Oct.31: Travel to Belgium
Nov.3: Travel to Luxembourg
Nov.5: Travel to Cologne, Germany (staying with my friend Liz)
Nov.7: Fly from Cologne, Germany-London, England
Nov.11: Fly from London, England-Amman, Jordan (travel through Jordan and Israel)
Nov.22: Fly from Amman, Jordan-Bangkok, Thailand (not doing the entire country, mostly just finding an island and chilling there the whole time...I will get back to Thailand and SE Asia one day!)
Dec.11: Fly from Phuket, Thailand-Sydney, Australia (this is the only ticket we don't have booked...)

Once in Australia I will begin my working holiday visa and stay roughly 6 or 7 months then travel back to Canada for my brother's wedding (possibly with a return flight to Oz). Could I get some feedback? I know the itinerary is rushed, but I will be low on funds and on a pretty tight budget. In Europe and Australia we hope to do a fair bit of couchsurfing. If anyone has suggestions on what to do in countries like Morocco on 2 weeks and Jordan and Isreal on 3 weeks it would be greatly appreciated.

My budget will be close to $6000 CDN. I also will have close to $7000 available on my student line of credit, though would ideally not have to use this...at least not until Australia!

Hopefully will tour Aussie by campervan at the end of our working holiday then maybe hit a few pacific islands before flying back to Canada (I would LOVE to get back to Vanuatu!) It may seem crazy to some, but I did a working holiday in New Zealand a few years ago and arrived in the country with only $900 New Zealand dollars and managed to stay for 7 months, do a 3 week roadtrip throughout the entire country and travel to Vanuatu and Fiji without using my credit card or borrowing money from my parents! Hoping I can manage to pull a similar miracle in Aussie!

Any thoughts/suggestions/critiques are appreciated! Thanks!
Ben

Hey there Ben,

Looks like you got an amazing trip planned. My first thought was that you're going to be moving fast, which isn't necessarily ideal for not spending money, but you seem to know that, and it looks like you've done this before, so I'm gonna guess that you know what you're doing.

Couchsurfing is definitely the way to go, or you could look into a site like AirBNB as well.

I have not personally been to Jordan/Israel/Middle East (yet!), but I have heard wonderful things. Obviously the main attraction in Jordan is Petra, but don't overlook Wadi Rum. From what I've heard of Jordan, it's the people of Jordan that really put that country over the top.

Enjoy your trip!

Ben-

Don't want to ready any more words re: I probably shouldn't have........This adventure will be well worth any $ concern you are currently having. Things have a way of working out. Your biggest expense will be Europe. Hold true to your budget in those expensive countries and the rest will fall in place. When traveling overland in Europe take night trains to save hostel expenses where possible, take local trains and not the express trains. The slow trains are more fun anyway. Hitch hike and Couch Surf!!!! and use all of the connections that you make along the way.

Your next largest expense will be Aussieland but sounds as if you will be finding some work there. Most of all ENJOY. Spoken from a mamma sender her 21yr off to the airport for 5 wks in Indochina.