how to tour the world

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How to plan a trip around the world

 Making the fantasy of a global odyssey an achievable reality is not as impossible as it might seem.

Combining a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single around-the-world trip can feel like the ultimate expression of luxury travel. It can be a daunting prospect though, with many contending factors to consider. Here's how to start planning the ultimate round-the-world trip.

1. Take to the sky

Air travel is, predictably, the simplest way to traverse the globe. Start by purchasing an around-the-world plane ticket through an airline alliance — coalitions of different airlines which let you pay for all of your flights in a single transaction. The alliance offers regional passes which might work better should you want to devote the bulk of your time to one or two continents.

There are three main players: Star Alliance, OneWorld and Skyteam; the latter, however, has suspended sales of RTW tickets. Star Alliance is a confederation of 26 airlines covering 1,200 airports in 98% of the world’s nations, while OneWorld’s 13 airlines serve 1,000 destinations across almost as many countries.

The small print varies, but fliers must always keep to one global direction, east or west (the latter better suits your circadian rhythm), with no backtracking; must only cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once each; must start and finish in the same country; and must travel for a period between 10 days and one year.

Convenience is a benefit here, allowing you to minimise paperwork. It’s worth noting that some countries, such as China, also require proof of an outbound air ticket before issuing visas.  

How to do it:   Star Alliance offers a 133-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from £2,580 per person.  

2. Ride the rails

A century ago, taking extended rail journeys was one of the only means of long-distance travel. Today, trains are a great option for travellers looking to minimise their carbon footprint and take a slower, more measured route.

Recapturing the romance of the past, around-the-world specialists Travel Nation can tailor-make odysseys involving   separate train journeys. Vietnam’s Reunification Express, an Outback crossing aboard the Australian Ghan and a ride on the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada can all feature.

How to do it:   Travel Nation ’s 74-night, rail-focused global tour costs from £17,760 per person, including flights, trains, accommodation, most meals and some excursions.  

3. Go Private

For those who truly want to travel in style, it’s possible to circumnavigate the globe by private jet through National Geographic Expeditions. These trips are based around epic itineraries whose remarkable destinations are brought to life by a experts and groundbreaking researchers in various fields, who most travellers never get to meet.

On the 24-day Around the World by Private Jet expedition, you can visit 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Among the trip’s standouts are Easter Island’s Moai statues, Angkor’s jungle-flanked temple complexes, rock-carved Petra and a Serengeti safari. Departing from Washington, DC, up to 75 passengers will travel VIP-style in a customised Boeing 757, bedding down throughout the adventure in five-star hotels or lodges.

How to do it: National Geographic Expeditions ’ 23-night Around the World by Private Jet trip starts from £77,100 per person, all-inclusive, including medical evacuation insurance. Departures on 10 March, 29 October and 28 December 2024.  

4. Head overland

Travellers who don’t mind hitting the open road can try Oasis Overland, a tour company specialising in overland travel. Its longest offering is a 293-day trip from the UK to Cairo via an anticlockwise loop along much of the African coast, plus Victoria Falls and Zanzibar. The slew of highlights include the Sahara desert, the Giza Pyramids and East Africa’s wildlife-rich plains.  

The 16 (or fewer) group members will ride in one of Oasis Overland’s bright yellow trucks, built for traversing bumpy roads while offering as much comfort as possible. Nights are almost exclusively spent camping, and everyone is expected to contribute by pitching tents or cooking dinners.

You could also combine trips by flying from Cairo to Istanbul and then joining another overland tour all the way to Singapore, for example.

How to do it: Oasis Overland ’s 292-night UK to Cairo expedition starts from £9,495 per person, including all transport (except flights from the UK to Gibraltar or Malaga) and a selection of excursions.

5. Do it yourself

Arranging everything yourself is an option — most easily accomplished by purchasing multi-destination flights through a comparison website such as kiwi.com or Skyscanner.

A big upside to this is that you can work out something closely aligned to your specific needs; it’ll require a fair bit of time, though, and you’ll lose out in terms of flexibility — changing dates can be tricky — and cancellation cover.

It’s usually more convenient to aim for large airport hubs — the likes of Bangkok, Dallas, Dubai, Heathrow, Paris and Singapore — as the many competing services provide more options. A typical around-the-world ticket will involve something along the lines of London — Istanbul — Bangkok — Singapore — Sydney — Los Angeles — New York — London. From these hubs, you’ll be well placed to add in more obscure destinations in between.  

It’s also worth bearing in mind that you don’t have to fly between each stage. For instance, it’s possible to travel from London to Istanbul by train, lowering your carbon footprint in the process. Or, rather than flying from Bangkok to Singapore, you could get a boat from the Thai capital to Koh Samui and continue from there instead. A reliable tool for establishing train, bus, boat or taxi costs is the website Rome2Rio, and it’s worth investigating the likes of Amtrak rail passes in the US, Eurail Passes for European trains or Greyhound coach tickets covering Australia’s east coast.

Accommodation is something to decide on in advance. Be sure to have all hotel bookings locked in place well ahead of time. Hostels are a good bet, especially if you’re travelling solo or planning an ad-hoc approach during each stage of the trip, but can be lacking in privacy and comforts. House or apartment rentals can be much more comfortable and convenient, particularly for longer stays.  

How to do it: A sample 147-day itinerary from London via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York from kiwi.com starts at £2,189 per person, including checked luggage.

6. Enlist a pro

One of the best ways to arrange an air-based around-the-world itinerary is by booking with a specialist agent or operator such as Trailfinders, Travel Nation or AirTreks. This can cut out a lot of organisational stress, while also enabling you to take advantage of these companies’ many years of experience. These firms often have access to special deals and aren’t constrained to particular airlines or alliances, allowing them to further improve the offerings to their clients.

The AirTreks website even has a trip planner tool listing a series of suggested activities, interests and attractions such as hiking, beaches, meditation or family travel, providing an extra level of choice at the planning stage.

If you’re interested in earning air miles, specify this to the agent so that they can concentrate on finding flights that qualify. Agents will also be able to suggest tempting additional stops — Taiwan, maybe, or a pause in Oman — which can be a great way of adding an extra bit of excitement to burgeoning itineraries.  

Finally, a specialist company can also take care of — or advise on — vaccinations (such as malaria), and certification and visas you’ll need, saving you plenty of legwork.

How to do it: AirTrek s’ nine-stop ticket from London via Paris, Florence, Venice, Athens, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and Los Angeles costs from £1,325 to £1,770.

7. Learn to sail

Land ahoy! You might just get to utter those words by signing up for a unique sailing adventure with London-based operator Another World Adventures, which can arrange for you to join a classic, square-rigged tall ship for 90 days as it makes its way around the world on a 455-day voyage. Once on board, you’ll learn how to trim the sails, haul mizzen spinnakers and lean on trade winds to cross the tropics. No experience is required, and participants will become part of a tight-knit crew and make friends for life.

It doesn’t matter at which point on its itinerary the ship happens to be, as it’s entirely possible to join subsequent legs. Setting sail from Bali on 6 November 2023, leg three sees the ship call at the Indian Ocean islands of Rodrigues and Reunion before arriving in Cape Town on 6 February. Beginning one day later, the fourth and final stage is via Namibia, the British overseas territory of St Helena, several Caribbean islands and, on 13 July, Nova Scotia in Canada.

If you’d prefer to wait and tackle the whole trip — the other two legs are Nova Scotia to Tahiti, and Tahiti to Bali — then Another World Adventures (which also offers other, similar experiences) expects it to start in 2025.

How to do it:   Another World Adventures offers 90 nights, full board, from £13,600 per person, including transport, port fees and instruction.  

8. Cruise along

Ever more around-the-world voyages are being offered by cruise lines. To join one, you’ll need one important thing: lots of spare time. The circular itineraries are mostly more than 100 days in length, with Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise maxing out at 274 nights via seven continents and around 150 stops. These kinds of journeys really fit the ‘trip of a lifetime’ tag, running up to £100,000 per person.

Notably, 2023 marks a century since the world’s first continuous passenger cruise ship completed its pioneering journey. Chartered by the American Express Company, Cunard’s SS Laconia arrived back in New York City after completing a monumental six-month sailing via Japan, Singapore, India and Egypt.  

They also sell out quicker than almost any other cruise, partly due to having a limited number of departures. Holland America Line, for example, opened bookings this summer on its new 2025 Grand World Voyage. Departing from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, this is a six-continent, 124-day round-trip which transits the Panama Canal before visiting Callao (for excursions to Machu Picchu), Easter Island, Tahiti, the Great Barrier Reef, the Seychelles, Cape Town, Kenya, Jordan and Barcelona among 46 stops.  

How to do it:   Holland America Line’s 123-night Grand World Voyage starts from £19,900 per person, full board, including complimentary airport transfers, a $500 (£400) air credit and up to £6,700 per person in onboard spending credits if booked by 3 June 2024.  

9. Hop aboard a cargo ship

A rather more adventurous way of sailing the seas is aboard a cargo ship or freighter cruise. Carrying large containers of clothes, electrical equipment, foods and most other things between the world’s major ports, some of these allot space for four to 12 passengers.

Single, twin or double cabins are the norm, usually with sea-facing windows as well as a sitting area, a desk, a shower and a toilet. A few boats come with a pool, but most are very simple — they’re built for work, not pleasure, after all — and you certainly won’t find a spa or casino (though playing cards with the crew members isn't unheard of). All meals are provided in the on-board canteen.

The major appeal is the sense of serenity — watching the ocean drift by and having time to gather your thoughts or write that novel you’ve always planned.  

This can also be an amazing way to tick off some hard-to-reach places. Take freighters travelling to Singapore from New Zealand; be it for fuel and supplies or to make a drop-off, these stop at numerous Pacific islands en route, occasionally for a couple of days. That said, some port calls are too quick for guests to go ashore.

Note that good health and unaided mobility — due to steep gangways and lots of stairs — are mandatory, and it’s not suited for children or elderly travellers.

How to do it:   Cargo Ship Voyages offers a cargo ship crossing from Rotterdam to Cuba (estimated at 16 nights) from £1,880 per person, which includes all meals.  

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• LUXURY TRAVEL
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How to Plan an Around the World Itinerary in 8 Steps

Last updated on January 5, 2024 by Shannon

You’re planning an around the world trip . Congrats! My one-year trip turned into a decade of wandering and it transformed my life . My own one-year trip itinerary took me through 15 countries and countless experiences—but narrowing down my dream countries to just 15 was hard.

After so many years on the road—and after several round the world trips since that first one—I have some hard learned advice for anyone planning their own route and building their own trip around the world. If you’re planning a world trip, it’s usually a long-term route of at least a few months and up to a year around the world, or more.

These are eight ideas—eight steps really—to help narrow your travel itinerary down to those stops along your route that will fit your budget, highlight the most memorable places to you, and make sense for the trip you’ve always dreamed of taking.

Table of Contents

1. Make an itinerary bucket list for the entire world.

The inspiration phase of planning your round the world trip itinerary is one of the most fun. Maybe you already have a laundry list of places you hope to cram into your world trip itinerary. Or perhaps you’ve nailed down a few key experiences but you’re open to more inspiration. You should absolutely start with a long bucket list of locations all over the world, because weather and route might automatically strike a few off the list for you.

If you’re curious for more travel ideas, browse the  best travel books sorted by destination , or search for long-reads and podcast recommendations on my Destination Travel Guides . Use these books and resources for inspiration on not only places to add to your round the world route, but activities, too.

Perhaps you read The Devil’s Picnic and subsequently add Paris to your list for that stinky but toothsome Époisses de Bourgogne cheese, or you add Bhutan because of its intriguing portrayal in The Geography of Bliss (that’s what has it on the itinerary for my next around the world trip!).

Books and podcasts are a phenomenal way to expand your idea of what is possible on your trip.

Once you have a list of dream destinations for your travel itinerary, highlight up to five that are your absolute priorities—these will become the bedrock of your around the world trip. The rest of the places on your list will slot in around those stops based on timing, weather, and more.

How granularly you plan is personal—some travelers leave with a precise list of destinations and timelines, while others plan the first couple of months of their round the world trop.

My three key travel destinations:

For my first year, I had three key activities on my list. The first was diving the Great Barrier Reef —that’s why my trip started in Australia . The second was meeting my cousin in India and backpacking north from Mumbai together for two months before ending our time together at a volunteer placement in Nepal . The third was time-sensitive as I had always dreamed of attending the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , which takes place every August in Scotland.

Later, when I traveled with my 11-year-old niece for six months in Southeast Asia , I led her through some basic Google searches so that she could see what was on offer. We planned our joint world trip itinerary together centered around her three biggies: an ethical elephant encounter , ziplining somewhere, and visiting Angkor Wat .

2. Pick a direction around the world.

From your home country, your travel itinerary will take you either east to west, or west to east around the world. Backtracking is not ideal—it’s expensive, causes more jet lag, and is bad for the environment. Use this strategy whether you use a round the world ticket (which requires this stipulation) or if you book flights as you travel.

Pros and cons of traveling east:

• Science says this direction is harder on your body and produces more jet lag . The short of it is because you are losing time when you fly through time several zones, but your body actually prefers cycles slightly longer than 24 hours, not shorter.
• You’ll need to become a pro at minimizing jet lag so you don’t lose several days to it in each new location.
• If you’re planning a very long RTW trip, perhaps 18 months or more, and your itinerary creeps around the world, then you will likely not notice the difference much.

Pros and cons of traveling west:

• As noted, your body actually prefers days that run longer than 24 hours, so your internal clock has a much easier time adding hours into your day. This means fewer nights adjusting and staring at the hotel ceiling at 3am.
• Your body can do at least two hours of time zone jumping in this direction without having a noticeable effect on you, so it’s ideal to slowly hop west around the world. And if you’re crossing the Pacific from the U.S., your largest time zone change will likely occur at the beginning of your trip, so you can then enjoy more relaxing travel for the many months afterwards.

How I decided my world trip direction:

I was lucky that two of my key experiences could bookend my trip. Scotland and Australia are not close, so it was easy to plan many of my other dream destinations to fill the space between these countries.

Since I planned to leave the U.S. in November, it was easy to surmise that starting my trip in Australia, which was entering summer, made the most sense. Then I would make my way west toward Scotland for Edinburgh Fringe, handily skirting both winter in Europe and summer in Asia.

3. Find creative overland routes.

Whew, you now have a list of dream destinations for your world trip and a direction of travel. Now it’s time to fill in the space in your itinerary. And you’ll do that by using local transportation, which is a lot more fun than flying—you’ll see more of the country and culture, and you’ll have richer travel experiences .

Go back now to those handful of key destinations from your bucket list that. These are the foundational bedrocks of your world trip itinerary. These dots on the map should lend a rough overview of a route. If they don’t, if one is just an outlier that makes it hard to see logical jumps, narrow your list down to four, and see if that helps—if you truly love the idea of an experience, but it doesn’t fit this trip it might make a great trip on its own in a couple years time.

Now, your world trip itinerary needs the details, and those usually come from visiting clusters of bordering countries—you’ll be crossing overland among many of these destinations. (For that to work, however, check visa restrictions for your nationality as some countries require visas in advance, or don’t allow crossings at certain borders).

Popular routes ( backpacking Southeast Asia , for example), have only a few restrictions and those are easily handled online, or in the days before your border crossing.

Start dotting the map with the countries that are very close to your bedrock destinations. That looks like this: If trekking in Nepal is a bedrock item, and India’s Golden Triangle and Sri Lanka were both on your dream list, then it makes sense to add them into your route, since you’ll definitely be in the region.

My creative overland routes:

As I planned my itinerary, a dear friend announced she wanted to meet me in Florence, Italy in June. That became another bedrock item with a firm date, so I now had a time I had to leave South Asia and head to Eastern Europe.

Nearby Croatia was on my tentative list, and I had a friend in Bosnia , so both of those became stops on my itinerary that helped give it shape. Prague hadn’t been on my list, but I decided to move north through Eastern Europe after leaving Bosnia.

I filled in adventurous stops that would take me from my friend in Italy in June to Scotland in August—plenty of time for rafting in Slovenia , finding charming towns in Czech Republic , biking Amsterdam like a local, and walking through the Lake District of England first!

Research activities in countries you’re considering.

If there are countries nearby your “must-visit” locations, use a site like GetYourGuide to research the types of activities you could see and do if you visited these adjacent destinations as well. I like checking out the day tour sites more than a guidebook at this stage because it’s a very quick overview of the must-dos in each location.

4. Research festivals in your favored locations.

Local festivals around the world are amazingly full of life, culture, and fun. It’s a huge letdown when you learn too late that you missed a major religious and celebratory festival by just a few days. And it’s also a shock if you arrive thinking it’s shoulder season but you really arrived during Brazil’s carnival.

Plan your route to coincide with the dates of festivals that seem most fun for you (this is especially important for trips with kids, because they love the excitement, colors, and foods at these types of events. You’ll need to book accommodation early depending on the event, so that may take some flexibility from your world travel route, but it’s worth it.

Here are a few favorite annual festivals that many travelers plan around: La Tomatina in Spain in late August; Holi the Festival of Colors  in India around early March; Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival often falls within April and its Loy Krathong Lantern Festival falls in late October or early November.

Festivals around the world I sought out:

When my cousin told me should could only meet in India in February, and I knew we’d be there for two months, I went into planning mode to decide where we should celebrate Holi the Festival of Colors . It was a real highlight of my trip and I am so glad our world travel itinerary allowed us to experience this incredible Indian festival.

Then, of course, was the Fringe Festival —that was one of my bedrock destinations so it was definitely on the planned route.

5. Play Tetris with locations to fit your travel budget.

I stuck to an amazing year-long world travel budget that came in under $20,000. The only way I could do that was by carefully planning my time to favor budget-friendly countries, and then add in high-cost countries in smaller supply.

Research each of your dream destinations ahead of time because some places you might assume are budget actually cost more than you imagine (a safari in Africa is not cheap, nor is accommodation in much of Africa, but visiting a dream destination on the continent is worth it). Japan may be in Asia, but it’s pricey, too. Central America and Mexico are easy on your budget, as are parts of South America.

How I made my RTW travel budget work:

Australia , England, Scotland, and Ireland were mega expensive and represented three of my eleven months on the road. India and Nepal were, by far, the cheapest places (even cheaper than backpacking Southeast Asia ), and it was actually difficult to go over budget during the three-and-a-half months that I backpacked South Asia.

I spent the other months in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, two regions that are in the discount to mid-range. All told, I was able to easily average $50 a day, even though some days in Europe topped $100.

6. Plan around weather trends.

On your trip, research destinations ahead of time and plan according to your own weather preferences. While it’s not likely you will hit every destination in your preferred season, you should know when monsoon season makes a paradise island unenjoyable, or when blizzards will thwart a planned ski trip.

Research using this great rundown of shoulder season locations around the world, and this European shoulder season list , and this very cool map of a a sample round the itinerary featuring perfect weather in every location.

Why I chased summer around the world:

I planned my trip itinerary to chase summer around the world. As a native Floridian, my tolerance for heat is higher than most others, and I deeply enjoy warmth. A year of summer was lovely.

Whether your around the world trip chases summer or snow—and note it’s way easier to pack for long-term travel when you can leave behind thick jackets and boots—you’ll want to pack effectively using packing cubes .

I have probably 20 packing cubes after 15+ years of travel—cubes of all shapes, sizes, and uses to fit every trip. This eight-pack starter set is well-priced, durable, and will give you a worthy introduction into the sheer magic of packing cubes.

7. Consider how you will fly.

When planning your itinerary, you have to consider more than just major long-haul flights. On my travels, I research local budget airlines too, and I always have a good idea of which regions of the world offer affordable puddle-jumper flights. If you’re considering buying round the world tickets , read my insider tips and advice first!

Southeast Asia has AirAsia and Vietjet, among others. Europe has many budget carriers: Vueling, Ryan Air, and EasyJet. And JetStar has good flight deals in South Asia. By checking for budget airline routes, I know that I can easily visit more countries in a region if there are sub $100 flights around the area. (Tip: this is an amazing interactive map of low-cost airline routes ).

My transportation choices:

I priced out my year on the road and found it was cheaper to combine overland travel with local carriers than it would have been to buy a RTW ticket up front. I also have a guide to how I find good flight deals , since I never buy round the world airfare.

Generally, flights are likely necessary unless you plan an entirely overland route around the world , but flights are harmful if you solely rely on this form of transportation, so truly consider how you can incorporate other options, such as buying a Eurail ticket in Europe, or a Greyhound bus ticket to travel down the east coast of Australia.

Don’t forget to  book travel insurance for your trip —a great policy provides coverage in case of medical emergencies, lost or stolen gear, adventure sports riders, and more. I’ve used  IMG Global  for more than a decade  highly recommend it !

8. Remove some destinations from your world trip itinerary.

There is no wrong way to plan your route around the world, and there is no perfect number of places that you can visit in a year—it all depends on what you’re looking for on your trip. And no matter how carefully you plan, you will love some places, feel mediocre toward others, and perhaps even leave early from a few. You won’t know until you set out which type of places and experiences best fit your long-term travel style.

But please keep in mind that the pace of short-term travels is very different from a multi-month trip. Create a route that travels slowly, avoids the dreaded travel-fatigue , and includes destinations you have long dreamed of visiting. To do that, you now need to take a critical eye to your trip and trim the fat.

Is there something you added it because it seemed fun and was moderately close, but it wasn’t a bedrock item? Or perhaps it’s a location you love the idea of so much that you know you will plan a trip there in the future if you skip it now. Snip those from your world travel itinerary right now and you will be shooting me an email of thanks once you’re on the road.

The countries I cut from my around the world trip:

The best advice other travelers gave me when I asked for itinerary advice in a travel forum was to remove an entire leg of the trip. I had hoped to backpack Scandinavia between my time in the Czech Republic and Amsterdam, but long-term travelers assured me that I would be grateful for wiggle room in my itinerary by that stage of my trip (nine months into it).

Plus, they accurately pointed out that I just couldn’t swing these very expensive countries on my limited travel budget.

Turns out that I burned out a month before reaching Czech Republic and camped out in Slovenia for an extra two weeks—if I had been dead-set on Scandinavia, I would have never had time to do that while still making it to Edinburgh Fringe in time! (And let’s not even think about what Scandinavia would have done to my travel budget!).

If you’re overwhelmed about planning the nitty-gritty details on a months-long trip around the world, know that a rough route suffices. All you truly need before you leave home is logistics for the first couple of weeks—you can easily sort out the rest on the road. I promise.

Really, I promise. It seems scary but I swear to you that you will be grateful for flexibility once you land, and that it’s completely possible to plan the smaller details as you go. Moving between countries and regions was infinitely easier than I had anticipated before my first round the world.

Your Next Steps for Planning an Around the World Itinerary

Research places around the world and assemble a dream list of locations. That’s really the first step and should be a lot of fun.

While my travel books selections are a starting point, you can also peruse guidebooks for inspiration. I always buy a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for my first planned destination (and then I swap it along the way for each new country), and before my first round the world trip I checked out a stack of 25 guidebooks from my library. Do your research and dream big before you even begin selecting an itinerary and paring down your list of destinations.

This is my core page compiling resources on How to Travel the World and here are a few other pages sharing advice specifically for long-term travel planning.

• How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World
• How to Save for Travel
• Free Destination Travel Guides
• Best Credit and Debit Cards for Travel
• How to Pack for Long-Term Travel
• How to Pick the Right Travel Insurance

How to Travel the World

Free resources and first-hand advice on how to plan long-term and round the world travels.

Essential Travel Planning Resources

❗ Yes, you need travel insurance . IMG Global is the travel insurance I’ve used for well over a decade of traveling solo, and with kids. Here’s why .

🧳 Smart packing can save your trip. Shop my favorite travel gear , including all of the packing essentials for world travel , gear to keep you safe on the road, my favorite travel books , and more.

🛏️ Find great accommodation . Booking.com is essentially the only hotel booking site that I use. It has a wide and affordable selection of traditional hotels, but also hostels and vacation rentals, too. Use these pro tips to find the best travel accommodation .

📍 Navigate more effectively. Rome2Rio is super handy to assess the full range of transport options between two cities—shows everything from flights to trains, buses, minibuses, and more. If you’re booking a rental car, I’ve always found the best deals on RentalCars.com .

✈️ Book affordable flights. Expedia is one of the first places I look for low-cost flights .

☕ Peruse all of my tips for round the world travel , or learn how to move and live abroad .

The Ultimate Guide to Planning the Round the World Trip of a Lifetime

After planning 10 around the world trips, I’ve learned a few things. Here’s how to plan your dream RTW vacation, from Round the World flights to choosing your Bucket List itinerary.

Let’s face it, the pandemic was a punch to the gut for travel lovers around the world.

Never did I think I’d see a day when I couldn’t just bebop onto a transatlantic flight. Or just, say, leave my own home. But there we were.

When I (literally) dusted off my passport in early 2021, the thin layer of dust accumulated was borderline soul crushing.

But thankfully, the pandemic era is finally in the rearview mirror and international travel has rebounded with a heart-warming zeal in the years since!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to book through these links, I receive a small commission, which I will undoubtedly blow on more flights (it’s a vicious cycle).  All of this internet voodoo takes place at no additional cost to you. 

So now what?

You’ve got some lost time to make up for, that’s what.

And there’s no better way to do it than with a life-changing, Bucket-List-crushing, dream vacation around the world .

Take my word for it…I’ve done 10 around the world trips, visiting more than 175 countries on all 7 continents along the way.

And you can, too.

But I probably don’t need to waste my time selling you on the idea of a trip around the world. You found this site. I suspect you’re on board.

So let’s start with the basics.

What is a Round the World Trip?

Simply put, a Round the World (RTW) trip is a circumnavigation of the globe, either in an eastward or westward direction. Start in one city and continue east or west until you get back to it. That’s all there is to it!

Tip: West is best for combatting jetlag, while East saves time and hotel nights ($$) with overnight flights. (I’m cheap and usually short on time, I fly East. )

Read More: 8 Reasons to Stop Dreaming & Start Planning a Trip “Around the World in 30 Days “

Of course, while the concept of round the world travel is simple, the variables are far more complex.

For example, you may be wondering…

How many days do I need for a Round the World trip?

What you’ve probably seen on YouTube and Instagram from round the world travelers is true.

Most quit their jobs, sell their possessions, and hit the road for a year or more with big dramatic flair. Of course, that kind of nomadic commitment is not for everyone.

And I’m living proof that there are other options.

My first 9 RTW trips were approximately 30 days each. The lone exception was RTW #10, my honeymoon , which clocked in at a pretty incredible 3 months.

I’ve also done 30-day trips focused on various regions of the world like Europe , Central America , Oceania , the Balkans , and the Himalayas (a great option if there’s a specific part of the world that interests you or you just hate jetlag).

For me, a month is the ideal amount of time to travel.

Long enough to truly disconnect and explore.

Yet short enough that I’m unlikely to throw my carry-on (we’ll get to that) suitcase out the nearest train window because I’m tired of every single thing in it.

There’s no right answer to how long your round the world trip should take. I know someone who went around the world in 5 days (zero stars, do not recommend) and someone else who started 10 years ago and is still going strong.

So, two weeks, a month, or even 6 months to travel around the world? It’s totally up to you.

The bottom line: Take as much time as you can, anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months will do. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that you never know if you’ll have the chance to do it again.

A trip around the world sounds amazing, but how do I get the time off?

When I wrote the first edition of The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting 12 years ago, this topic was a central focus and the largest hurdle to taking a career-friendly trip around the world.

After all, most Americans are stuck with a measly 2 weeks of annual vacation leave (the horror!).

So, how do you travel around the world without tanking your career?

Amazingly, on this front, the COVID-19 pandemic gifted us with one gleaming silver lining:

WORK. FROM. HOME.

Yes, even the stuffiest of Fortune 500 corporations have finally come around to the idea that work from home can (and does) work – with the right employee.

This revelation is especially thrilling to me as someone who has been working from home (combined with business travel) for more than 20 years.

In fact, my friends will tell you that my life mantra has always been:

If you can work from home, you can work from Rome. Jenny McIver Brocious

Or Paris. Or Bangkok. Or wherever floats your boat.

You get the idea.

There’s a lot more to making this work successfully from exotic locales – time zone challenges, reliable internet, etc. (I go into that in detail in the book) – but I can assure you, it can be done.

And it beats the pants off working from your dining room table.

The bottom line: You can use the WFH option to increase your available time for travel. Add days or weeks onto your trip or schedule a trip just to work from somewhere inspiring.

What’s on your Bucket List?

And now we come to the fun part. This is where the magic happens.

Where in the world do you want to go?

I speak from experience when I say that there are few things more thrilling than sitting down in front of a giant foldout map of the world and plotting out your dream vacation .

Maybe you already have a dozen exotic destinations in mind. Or maybe there are places in the world you never considered visiting because they always seemed too far away.

The beauty of going around the world is that the entire world becomes just a short flight away.

How many destinations should I choose?

The answer will directly correlate to how much time you plan to take. My 4 week round the world trips have ranged from an uber-ambitious 15 stops on Round the World #1 to a more relaxed pace with 8 stops on Round the World #2 .

Here’s a simple, 3-step plan to crafting your round the world trip itinerary:

• Make your wish list.
• Compare it to the number of days you have to travel.
• Adjust accordingly.

Critically evaluate how long you actually need to see each desintaiton on your wish list.

For some (like me), 2-3 days per destination can be a good rule of thumb. Devote more time to your “ Top 5 ” must-see destinations and maybe just spend one day exploring the city you only added to the itinerary because it was right there and you couldn’t just skip it (you laugh, but I guarantee a few of these stops will sneak their way onto your itinerary!).

Remember that a 4 week round the world trip, however incredible, is not going to be an in-depth cultural experience at every stop.

Think more Amazing Race and less Under the Tuscan Sun .

It IS, however, a terrific way to get a taste of new and exciting places and start building a new wish list for future trips.

Depending on your interest level, you may not need a week to see the Pyramids , I did it in an afternoon and it was magnificent. A full day at the Taj Mahal and a morning walk along the Great Wall of China were enough to fulfill my dream of seeing those world wonders.

But that’s me. And I’ve been told I can be a little, ah, overly-energetic when I travel.

You do you.

Need some destination inspiration? Here are 30 of my favorite travel experiences around the world:

Around the World in 30 Extraordinary Travel Experiences

And here are the Top 50 places I think should be on every Travel Bucket List:

50 Amazing Places for Your Travel Bucket List (2024)

Round the World Flights: The RTW Ticket (your new best friend)

I am fortunate that my years of excessive business travel have one nifty little side benefit, I have a crap ton of airline miles.

So when I discovered the magical world of “ Round the World airline tickets ” years ago, those Delta miles not only afforded me the opportunity to take that first RTW trip but to take it in first class with Delta’s Skyteam Alliance.

Sadly, the days of booking a RTW ticket with miles went the way of the dodo bird in 2015. I won’t lie to you, I wept openly when Delta first announced it (followed quickly by United and American).

But all is not lost if you’ve been hoarding miles like pandemic toilet paper. All major US airlines now allow one-way award booking. This means you can still use your miles to route yourself around the world, one one-way flight at a time!

And honestly, the old mileage RTW tickets were a deal but they were a BEAR to book and had zero flexibility. One-way award booking gives you a ton more flexibility plus the option to mix economy and business class legs (for longer flights) on your journey.

This is a BIG perk.

Here are a few more tips for you “ Up in the Air ” business travelers out there with miles & points to burn:

How to Use Points & Miles to Redeem Your RTW Dream

No miles, no problem

Two of the three major airline alliances do still offer paid RTW ticket options. Delta’s Skyteam Alliance is the exception, they discontinued the RTW ticket option completely a few years ago.

There are pros and cons to booking a round the world ticket with an airline alliance:

• Cons – Airline alliance RTW tickets are not cheap and you’ll spend extra time connecting through hub cities to get where you want to go.
• Pros – You can earn a ton of miles (and airline status) as you travel and those extra cities can be fun stopovers. Plus, if you already have status with an airline in the network, you’ll get lots of extra benefits like free checked bags and early boarding.

If that option interests you, start here:

• Oneworld – World Travel (American, Alaska)
• Star Alliance – Round the World (United)

The affordable RTW ticket…

If redeeming (or earning) miles isn’t your jam and you truly just want the most affordable way to see the world, skip the airline alliances and head straight to:

• Airtreks – This site is more service oriented, you enter a proposed itinerary and a travel planner will contact you to create the perfect customized itinerary.
• BootsnAll – This one is more DIY. You can create and book an itinerary yourself online.

Unlike the airline alliances, these two round the world airfare specialists utilize all airlines to create your dream itinerary. This will often yield both the best price and the most direct routing for your trip.

WARNING: Once you start playing around with the trip planners on these two sites, you may become addicted to the global possibilities.

Tip: You guessed it, I’ve covered all the ins and outs of booking RTW tickets in the book.

Hotels vs. Airbnb – Where to stay?

Once again business travel rewards can be handy when planning trips around the world.

My Marriott and Hilton points have been offsetting the costs of my round the world trips for years. Not to mention affording me swank rooms at hotels and resorts that were WAY outside of my round the world budget, like these:

But if you don’t have points, not to worry!

I am a firm believer that a quality, affordable hotel can always be found, even in the most expensive destinations. My go-to hotel site (when I’m not using points) is Booking.com .

Tip: If you’re not a member of any hotel frequent guest programs, sign up for all of them before you go. It’s free and you’ll earn points as you travel. Many also offer perks during your stay, just for being a member.

If you’re not a fan of chain hotels or if you’re going to be in one spot for more than 3 or 4 days, I’d highly recommend an apartment rental. They can be considerably cheaper than even the most economical hotel, and having a kitchen can also be a tremendous cost-saver.

Not to mention it’s just fun to live more like a local!

One of my favorite apartment rental sites is Airbnb but I’ve also found that more and more apartment rentals are also listed on Booking.com (and the fees there are often cheaper than Airbnb). That said, I’ve booked with Airbnb all over the world (including the Tuscan villa we used for our wedding – below!) and never had a bad experience.

Who should I travel with on an around the world trip?

If you’re married, it would probably be rude to go without your spouse (try it at your own marital peril).

But if you’re single, this is a question that deserves serious consideration. If you’ve never traveled solo, your gut instinct may be to find a friend or family member to travel with.

But before you do that, consider this…

A solo trip around the world is perhaps the best gift you can ever give yourself, especially for women. It’s empowering, it’s safe and it just might be the best travel experience of your life.

Read More: Why Every Woman Should Travel the World Solo (at Least Once) & How to Stay Safe Doing It

So yes, it’s perfectly fine (and perhaps even preferable) to travel round the world solo.

No matter what you decide, choose carefully.

How to pack (carry on only!) for an around the world trip

Yes, you read that right. I just casually floated the idea of traveling around the world for a month or longer with nothing but a carry-on bag.

If you’re a guy, you were probably not at all alarmed by the previous paragraph and thought, “ Couple of t-shirts, some shorts, underwear, got it. ” You can scroll down to the next topic, this section is not about you.

Now, for my globetrotting ladies. I’m going to ask you to trust me on this one. We’ve known each other for 10 or 15 minutes now and I feel like you get me.

With so many flights involved in an around-the-world itinerary, carry-on is truly the only option.

Reuniting with a lost bag can quickly become a logistical nightmare when you’re changing cities every few days. (And I can assure you that no one at the lost baggage desk understands what “ RTW ticket ” means.)

If you don’t believe me you can read all about the one time I broke my own rule and ended up spending an entire day at baggage claim in Paris on Round the World #4 . (Actually, don’t. It’s mind-numbing reading and definitely not my best work.)

You can do this. You don’t need all the “ stuff ” you think you do!

(For the things you do need, here’s all the Stuff I Love most!)

I have traveled for as long as 3 months out of just a carry-on (and in case I forgot to mention it, I’m a girl!). I do freely admit, however, that I was over just about every item of clothing in that suitcase by the end.

I also confess I checked a bag to Antarctica. Because Antarctica .

How do I do it? This excerpt from “ The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting ” is guaranteed to help you overcome your RTW packing challenges:

How to Travel Around the World with Just a Carry-On: A Girl’s Guide to Traveling Light

What else do I need to know for a RTW trip?

We’ve covered the big-ticket items – how long to travel, how many places to visit, with who, how to find RTW tickets, where to stay, and what to pack.

So what’s left?

Well, a LOT actually. But hey, that’s where my book comes in (insert shameless plug here).

I’ll end with a hit list of other tips, tricks, and things to consider when planning your once-in-a-lifetime (or maybe more!) round the world trip:

• Apps : For currency conversion, I like the Oanda app. And Google Translate is also a life saver.
• Thoroughly research entry requirements for ALL countries you plan to visit well in advance. Almost all visa applications can now be completed online.
• A good universal power adapter & converter is a must. More than one is a plus if you have lots of devices (and don’t we all these days?).
• Check with your doctor for any immunizations you may need for your destinations. I got the works before my first trip and haven’t had to worry about it since (other than the occasional prescription for malaria pills).
• Consider purchasing travel insurance, for a trip of this magnitude, it’s a must! Especially in the post-pandemic era. Here’s a good independent review of the benefits of travel insurance and the options available: 10 Best Travel Insurance Companies
• Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your planned date of return because all countries have different requirements on this.

And finally…

Get the Book!

For more comprehensive advice on planning your around the world itinerary, booking Round the World tickets, and everything else you ever wanted to know about travelling around the world, get the ultimate Round the World trip planner:

Round the World in 30 Days: The Grown-Up’s Guide to Globetrotting

Now get out there and start planning the around the world trip of your dreams!

As Phil Keoghan says at the start of every season of the Amazing Race,

“The world is waiting for you!”

Here’s Everything You Need to Travel the World

F iguring out how to travel the world is no easy feat, especially when you’re trying to do it on a budget or planning world travel with a family.

There are many factors to keep in mind when evaluating your trip, including what to do before leaving and your budget. To help you get started, we’ve put together a guide on how to travel the world, including everything from how to start looking into your trip to how to save money once you’re abroad.

1. Get prepared

If you want to travel the world, there are some planning measures you want to take first to ensure you have durable luggage and the proper documents — a passport and possibly visas — and figuring out how much time off you’ll need.

Get your documents in order

Those in the U.S. will want an up-to-date driver’s license because by Oct. 1, 2020, all U.S. residents traveling domestically must have identification compliant with the Real-ID Act , which increased security requirements for state drivers licenses and ID cards.

Residents in 24 states including Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, Oregon and Washington have until Oct. 10, 2018 get a Real-ID compliant card, though states have the option to apply for exemptions through Oct. 1, 2020 when the last phase of the Real-ID Act is enforced, meaning residents in those states should regularly check the status of their IDs before flying.

For travel outside of the U.S., passport cards or trusted traveler cards can serve as documents at certain land and sea crossings. But you’ll want to make sure you have a passport book if there’s any chance you might leave or enter another country via plane, where passport cards won’t work.

Already have a passport? You’ll want check if it’s valid for at least six months after planned trips. That’s because some countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia make this a requirement for entering their countries. Renewing a passport takes at least six to eight weeks through the mail, but those with proof of international travel (like a flight itinerary) can get an expedited passport renewal for an additional $60 to the $110 fee and by visiting a passport center in person.

International travel could also require a visa depending on the location and duration of your trip. Some countries have agreements in place that allow travelers to enter and leave visa free. For example, the U.S. and Canada don’t require visas for travel ( except in certain circumstances ), and Europe’s 26 Schengen States have a system where a visa issued by one of the 26 states typically allows travel throughout the others for up to 90 days.

To find out if your trip requires a visa, check your destination’s embassy or consulate website. Some countries will allow you to travel visa-free for a short stay. Others, like Lebanon , also allow citizens from destinations like the U.S. to get a visa upon arrival.

Get your vacation dates in order

Working while traveling can be tricky, but there are a few steps you can take that don’t involve quitting your job to travel the world.

Start by saving vacation days if you work at a company that pays out for these dates. Those looking to trade in vacation days can also check out companies like PTO Exchange , which lets companies buy back unused vacation days so employees can convert these days into travel, health benefits or charity credits.

Speed up security wait times

Signing up for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry can help save you time when moving in and out of airports.

TSA PreCheck , which costs $85 for a five-year membership, allows you to speed through domestic airport security without having to remove your shoes, belt, laptop, liquids or light jackets. The service is currently available in 200 airports in the U.S. across 47 participating airlines .

Global Entry , which costs $100 for a five-year membership will get you the same expedited screening through airport security as TSAPreCheck does, while also giving you the added benefit of expedited U.S. customs screenings through automated airport kiosks when arriving from an international destination.

Look for work on the road

Even if you leave your job to travel the world, there are some ways you can make money while abroad .

Companies like Upwork allow people to find work almost anywhere, even while traveling, since it’s open to freelancers across a wide range of fields that include video production, translation, programming, designing, writing, and mobile development. Income will vary on the type of position and number of hours worked, but freelancers can often rack up hourly rates that go as high as $200 per hour, according to Upwork representatives.

You could also find a place to stay through companies like the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms ( WOOF ), which offers housing at organic farms around the world in exchange for volunteering on the farm, doing everything from feeding livestock and watering gardens to harvesting fruit trees.

Get the right credit card

Having the best travel credit card for your trip can not only prevent foreign transaction fees, but also help you reap rewards and perks during your trip.

A few cards with travel benefits include the Chase Sapphire Reserve ($450 annual fee), which offers $300 toward travel costs, $100 toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, access to thousands of airport lounges, zero foreign transaction fees, and a 1:1 point transfer program towards top airline and hotel loyalty programs. The Bank of America Travel Rewards no-fee card lets you easily cash points to use toward airline tickets, baggage, hotel stays, car rentals and cruise packages. The card offers unlimited points, with up to 1.5 points for every $1 spent and 20,000 bonus points if you make at least $1,000 in purchases the first three months of opening your account.

When it comes to savings on hotels, the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card lets you earn five points for every dollar you spend at one of the company’s hotels, and two points at participating Marriott Rewards hotels.

Read More: What Is Travel Insurance? And How Much Is It?

2. Book travel far in advance

After all that preparation, you’re ready to book your trip around the world, which will likely be a round-the-world plane ticket, a journey by sea, or a combination of flights and ground transportation.

Below is a breakdown of how different travel options work:

Consider a round-the-world ticket

Round-the-world tickets allow you to buy a ticket and fly with various airlines under one alliance. But there are some regulations to keep in mind. Tickets are usually valid for up to one year, though flyers are required to start and end their trip in the same country through the following major alliances:

• Star Alliance (including Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, Austrian, United, and Lufthansa) bases its round-the-world tickets on the number of miles, with levels of passes you can choose from based on mile increments. You can take up to 15 stopovers, but you’ll need to keep moving in the same direction as how you started your trip.
• OneWorld (including American Airlines , British Airways , Cathay Pacific , and Qantas) has two different round-the-world ticket options. Its Global Explorer ticket is a mile-based option with four different mile increments to choose from, while the One World Explorer is based on the number of continents you visit, with up to four segments (flights) you can take in each of the six continents the alliance flies into.
• Skyteam’s (including Delta, Air France, Korean Air, AeroMexico) round-the-world option requires a minimum of two stops and runs for a year, with the alliance even offering theme-based trips, like beach or history, to make planning your ticket a little easier.

Round-The-World tickets can cost around $2,000 , and Dave Grossman, author or MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points , recommends checking whether it’s cheaper to book a round-the-world trip or individual legs by entering itinerary into Google Flights and comparing the overall price to those offered when building an itinerary out on the alliance websites.

You can also book round-the-world tickets through a travel agent or third-party sites like AirTreks of Flight Centre . These sites can be cheaper because they often pull together individual airline tickets based on the lowest fares to create a round-the-world itinerary.

However, round-the-world ticket travelers should note: missing one leg of your ticket could cancel the rest of your trip, making it best for travelers who feel comfortable planning out a lengthy trip well in advance.

Take a world cruise

If you’re looking to travel the world by sea, a world cruise can provide the flexibility to explore multiple continents, traveling from the U.S. to Europe for example, or to hone in on one continent. Itineraries vary by cruise, and world cruises can be great for families, retirees or those who can be at sea for around three months.

Sometimes, cruise lines will offer the option to book only a segment of world cruise, which can range from two weeks to a month. To book a segment, prospective travelers will also have to add a one-way trip to or from the start or end of their journey.

The costs of world cruises can be anywhere from $13,000 to upwards of $40,000 per person, as Cruise Critic points out.

Take a repositioning cruise

If you’re looking to travel the world for cheap, consider a repositioning cruise, which take place when ships need to relocate from one region to another. The cruises can cost up to $50 less per day than classic cruises and typically take place during shifting seasons like the fall and the spring. Cruise lines often sell repositioning tickets as one-way routes.

Consider train travel

If you plan on using trains throughout your world travel, there are a few options. For example, select companies like Great Rail Journeys now offer around the world rail journeys as well as a variety of rail passes.

Amtrak offers U.S. rail passes with 15-day ($459 for adults), 30-day ($689 for adults), and 45-day ($899 for adults) pass options that let you travel across eight segments (stops), 12 segments (stops), and 18 segments (stops).

Rail passes are a popular way to explore multiple stops within continents like Europe on the cheap. The Eurail Global Pass is the only rail pass that lets international travelers visit all of Europe , with unlimited travel offered in 28 countries. Eurail sells its global passes directly through its official website with a variety of prices and time options, starting at $600 per person for six days of travel within a month.

Those looking for the cheapest ways to travel, which can involve buses or ferries, can check out Rome2Rio , which lets you see all the transportation you can take between two locations and what route will be the cheapest. There are also lower-cost options like Berlinbus (a low cost bus operator in Germany) and the Student Agency Bus , which will give you discounted prices on coach lines in Europe. Swiss Federal Railways, often called SBB , also provides travelers with a wide variety of overnight train options, allowing you to save on overnight hotel fees to travel instead.

Know when to book

Unfortunately, there’s no magic set of days before your trip that will get you the best deal on flights. But travel seekers can keep an eye out for regular flight sales on social media, where airlines will often announce flash sales. And there are certain travel apps that will alert you when the price has gone down on flights you’re interested in.

3. Avoid hidden travel and communication fees

Once you’ve started your trip, there are tips and tricks to help you travel each destination across the world on a budget. Here are some ways to cut costs during your travel around the world:

Grab a city pass

City-pass offerings vary by location, but many will give you free or discounted admission to top attractions in a city, as well as fast-track options to cut lines. Some passes, like the Paris Pass , also include free transport throughout the city as well as admission to attractions. If you’re traveling in the U.S., you can check out the CityPASS network , which provides discounts on attractions across 12 North American cities.

Eliminate hidden hotel fees

To reduce hidden hotel fees (that is, after checking what hidden fees the hotel charges before you book), you can ask the hotel whether they can forego additional fees for amenities you don’t use, like the gym or in-room safe. The hotel may be able to remove these charges from your bill before you arrive.

If you’re staying at an all-inclusive property, you’ll want to look into the fine print and the “terms and conditions” of your stay. The reason for this is that some properties will charge more for items like champagne, high-end liquor or some activities. The easiest way to spot these is by keeping your eye out for asterisks in promotions and advertisements.

Communicate for free

Communicating with friends and family while traveling is important, but roaming charges and international calling fees can add up quickly.

Apps like WhatsApp, Viber and Skype, which allow messaging and calling for free over Wi-Fi if you have an Android phone. You can also grab a local SIM card, which you can purchase at airport vending machines and convenience stores. The Local SIM app can pinpoint the best local cellular carrier to grab your SIM card.

Choose Restaurants Wisely

While eating food from around the world is often one of the best parts of traveling, dining out for every meal can become expensive. To save some money: stay away from restaurants located near tourist attractions, which generally have higher prices and lower quality . Some travel experts recommend making lunch your biggest meal, when prices can be half that of dinner, according to CheapOAir.

Ask about free amenities on flights and at hotels

Some airlines and hotels have free perks available to guests who know to ask for them. On flights, for example, travelers can request everything from ukuleles on some Hawaiian Airlines flights to hot chocolate on Southwest Airlines. Some hotels also offer free amenities that range from night lights, chargers and curling irons at Kimpton Hotels to complimentary yoga sessions at select Hyatt properties.

Now, if all you need is travel inspiration, check out the 20 best and affordable places to travel in 2018 .

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How to Travel the World

Last Updated: January 1, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Carmela Resuma, MPP . Carmela is the Executive Director of FLYTE, a non-profit organization headquartered in Georgetown, Texas that empowers students living in underserved communities through transformative travel experiences. Carmela has a Masters in Public Policy Analysis from New York University and is passionate about youth empowerment, social impact, and traveling. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 77,367 times.

Traveling the world is an enriching way to expand your knowledge of other cultures, find new work experiences, and gain unique educational insights. However, it can also be expensive, and unprepared travelers can soon find themselves in over their heads. World travel takes planning, frugality, and an independent spirit. Through careful planning both before your trip, and when you're on the road, you can have an enjoyable international travel experience.

Planning Ahead for Your Travel

• Certain countries (especially in Asia) can be less expensive for Western travelers, although they may lack some of the amenities that we've grown used to.
• Certain regions are also better set up to accommodate tourists and travelers, by offering hostels and other accommodations. (For example, New Zealand is well set up for travelers, while Japan is less so.)
• However, if you're looking for a more adventurous travel experience and want to avoid places most international travelers visit, you may want to plan to visit less accommodating destinations.

• How long do you want your trip to be? Your schedule will be dramatically different if you want to travel the world for a month, 6 months, or a full year.
• Plan ahead for how your world travel will fit into your life back home. Are you going to quit your job, or will your employer allow you to work while you travel?

• If you know any individuals in a country you'll be traveling too (even if they're only the friend of a friend), get in touch and ask them about any disruptive political or cultural events that may interfere with your travel plan.

Carmela Resuma, MPP

Our Expert Agrees: Research is key. You can look up everything, even something as simple as how to get from the airport to another place, or cultural things like how to dress or how to say a few words of the language. Just being able to say "Hello" or "Thank you" can go such a long way."

• Start planning well ahead of time and decide how you're going to fund your trip. For example, if you're going to pay for everything out of a savings account, you may need to work extra hours for months on end to fund your travel.
• A general rule of thumb is to try not to exceed $50 a day (not including air fare.) [4] X Research source
• Avoid expensive travel options within a country; travel by foot or local transportation whenever possible, and keep an eye out for budget-friendly airline or train options.
• Unless eating in restaurants when you travel is important to you, avoid them. Restaurants quickly become expensive, and you can buy groceries and cook your meals for much less money.
• Put a cap on your spending: an amount that you absolutely cannot exceed, and make sure that your budget doesn't put you over that amount.

• Work for an international teaching organization. Operations like the EKIP Program allow you to teach English overseas for an extended period of time, often with the majority of your expenses paid. [5] X Research source
• Stay at hostels when you travel. [6] X Research source Hostels are inexpensive, generally safe environments to spend a few nights in while you're traveling.
• Work on a cruise ship. These are built to travel, and you'll be generating an income at the same time.

Planning the Specifics of Your Trip

• Greet and thank someone.
• How to agree and disagree (a polite “yes” or “no).
• How to ask how much money something costs.
• How to ask where a place is located (the bathroom, the library, a restaurant, the airport or train station, etc.).

• Although financial saving may be your main goal, also consider the speed and safety of the methods of travel you are considering.

• The passport application process can take 4 to 6 weeks to complete, so give yourself a few months before you plan to travel in order to acquire this documentation.
• If you do not have a passport, the best place to look for instruction is online. There are online forms you can fill out to receive your passport. [7] X Research source
• You can also fill out and submit the passport paperwork at your local post office.

• Some visas last for more time than others. Check before you start traveling. You'll need to know if your visa lasts for five years, three years, or only one year.
• Check the U.S. State Department website to see if you need a travel visa for your intended destination. The State Department can also provide the paperwork you'll fill out to apply for a visa.

• Be sure to heed any travel health warnings in the countries you'll be visiting. Always check local and national health warnings before traveling to a new region.
• Be sure to pack any prescription or over-the-counter medications you need, since these could be difficult to acquire overseas.

Travelling Intelligently and Effectively

• Bring sturdy, comfortable shoes and clothing that can be layered to accommodate changing climates.
• Leave expensive electronics and valuable jewelry at home.

• Get plenty of sleep, especially if you're often changing time zones.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol, this will dehydrate you and can lead to poor decisions.
• Drink plenty of purified water. Unless you've checked ahead of time, the tap water at your destination may not be as clean and safe to drink as your local water at home.
• Eat a somewhat balanced diet. In unfamiliar countries, it can be tempting to eat an unhealthy diet (or even one comprised of junk food). Keep yourself healthy by eating regular, balanced meals.
• Wash your hands often.

• Before you look into an international cell phone, check with your current cell provider—they may be able to add an international calling plan for an additional monthly charge. [11] X Research source
• Depending on the number of countries you'll be traveling in, and the duration of your stay(s), it may be more practical to rent an international phone in each country, rather than buying a single phone for your entire trip. [12] X Research source
• International cell phones sometimes require that you buy separate SIM cards or recharge it with more minutes, but will keep you in constant contact with familiar people.

Community Q&A

• Always bring a good pair of earplugs; these will come in handy if a location is too loud to sleep, or if you're bothered by constant noise. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Bring a headscarf. This is a versatile object that can shield you from the sun, protect you from breathing in dust, and even works as a towel if you need one. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://worldofwanderlust.com/how-i-decide-where-to-travel-to-next/
• ↑ http://www.airtreks.com/ready/create-a-travel-budget/around-the-world-trip-budget/
• ↑ https://alittleadrift.com/rtw-budget-travel-around-the-world/
• ↑ http://expertvagabond.com/best-travel-tips/
• ↑ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/8-ways-you-can-travel-the-world.html
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/how-to-get-a-visa_n_4373745.html
• ↑ http://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/round-the-world-tips-rtw-basics.html
• ↑ http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/stay-connected/international-cell-phone-guide

About This Article

If you want to travel the world, first decide where you’d like to go. You may prefer to visit one place, or you might want to travel to a number of different destinations. Next, decide when you’d like to travel. Consider what the climate will be like during different times of the year, and research whether there are any special festivals or holidays that you can plan your trip around. Finally, set a budget for your trip, and save up as much money as you can before you leave. For tips on how to make your trip pay for itself, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource

Written By: The Planet D

Travel Planning

Updated On: February 9, 2024

Do you want to travel the world? There is finally light at the end of the tunnel and the world is opening up to tourism again. Now that people are getting used to working remotely, many are starting to look for other places to work from once borders begin to open.

There’s never been a better time to start planning for that trip around the world. It took us several years and a lot of researching everything we could about travel to finally bite the bullet at travel full time. The world isn’t quite ready to open up, so why not start planning now so you are ready to hit the road when it does. If you start planning now, you may find yourself on a plane by the end of this year or at least in early 2022.

From deciding on a budget to creating your itinerary we’re here to help you travel the world. We’ve compiled all our resources in one place to give you a step-by-step guide for world travel. 

Table of Contents

How to Travel the World

With these comprehensive travel tip s from our 10 years of experience as full-time travelers and 20 years of traveling the world you’ll be armed with the tools and resources to start traveling the world.

Want to Travel the World?

We’ve been right where you are now. We started dreaming of traveling the world in 2000 after a five-week trip to Thailand. It took us another three years of planning before we finally left for an extended journey. Also read: 21 Ways to Get Paid to Travel

It was 2003 and Toronto was in the grips of SARS. Our careers in the Toronto film industry were under threat but we knew we had to make a change. Little did we know, that travel would eventually become our career. It was the best year of our lives. So to help you start planning, we have a lot of information to share. Read more: Best Travel Jobs to Spark New Ideas for Your Future Career

Planning for Travel Around the World – Quick Links

From planning your budget to choosing your destinations and packing the right gear , these will help get you started. Check out these in-depth articles for more detailed tips to travel around the world.

• How to Save Money for Travel: 15 Tips to Get You Started Now
• Ultimate Pre-Travel Checklist
• Travel Packing List – What to Pack for Long Term Travels
• Our Best Travel Tips – From 20 Years of Traveling the World
• 10 Tips to Help You Plan Your Dream Trip
• 7 Common Travel Mistakes First Time Travelers Make

Step by Step Guide – Where to Start

The biggest concern most people have for traveling the world is money. How do you find it and how to you save it. We have some great money saving travel tips to get you started.

Save Money for World Travel

It is easy to find extra money if you really set your mind to it. If travel is something that you really want to do, you’ll find the ways. There are plenty of ways to also find deals and funds for your travels.

Think of things like selling your excess clutter on Kijiji, cutting out excess expenses, canceling all those binge-watching networks, and looking for free activities in place of your expensive hobbies.

Choose Cheap Hobbies

When we first started out, we spent a lot of time exploring our backyard and honing our adventure skills by camping a lot, learning to kayak, and mountain biking, as well as going for hikes on trails near our house. We gained valuable skills to help us when we started traveling, and we saved a lot of money by doing activities that didn’t cost much.

Instead of spending money on expensive vacations, expensive dinners out, and nights at the bar, we put money in our pockets for travel, while still having adventures at home. Once we hit the road, we were prepared for anything.

• We have an in depth post on How to Save Money to Travel the World

Travel the World on a Budget

It is amazing how you can make your money last while traveling and how you can find ways to make your money go farther. You just have to think outside the box.

Below we go through some good travel tips that allowed us to travel cheaper. With a bit of knowledge, you can use travel hacks to book cheaper flights, earn rewards, and travel in luxury on a budget.

• For and in depth guide to stretching your dollar read: How to Travel on a Budget – Our Top Cheap Travel Tips

Travel Credit Cards and Rewards

Even if if you have a tight budget there are ways to be able to travel. A great start is to take advantage of travel rewards cards . The biggest mistake we made when we first starting our travel planning was to not enroll in a travel credit card. You can save a lot of money for travel by using a rewards credit card to make purchases.

• Sign up for travel rewards credit cards and get instant bonuses. Cards like American Express offer 50,000 bonus points just for signing up.
• As you shop and save for your travels, use those cards to build the points. (but be sure to pay them off each month so you don’t travel with debt)
• Check to see what points they cover. American Express lets you move points 1-1 to Star Alliance.
• Our biggest piece of advice, is to be loyal to one program. That way you can build points faster for free flights and accommodation.
• If you are building piecemeal, you may have a lot of points to different programs with nothing that you can really use. So look into each card and reward program and make sure they all complement each other.

Check out this complete credit card comparer tool: Credit Card Comparer

Choose Cheap Destinations

A huge travel hack we have to keep living expenses on the road low is to look for destinations that are affordable. You can live like royalty in cheaper destinations. Cheap accommodations in Southeast Asia can be beautiful, while expensive accommodations in places in Australia and Europe can be horrid.

If you are wondering how to travel the world on a budget, the first thing you need to consider is choosing affordable destinations over the more expensive options.

For Example:

We all love the idea of over the water bungalows in the Maldives, but affordable guesthouses in Vietnam or Cambodia is the better option for stretching your dollar and keeping living expenses low.

• Read Our information Cheap Destinations to Travel

Travel Cheap and And Even Travel for Free

Depending on your comfort level, you can find free accommodation by being creative.

From booking sites like Couchsurfing to Housesitting and even working on a farm, there are creative ways to travel the world on a shoestring budget. Finding free accommodation is a great start for those looking for how to travel the world with no money. (we talk about accommodations further down this post you can click here to skip to it directly.)

If you combine using free accommodation ideas and looking for travel jobs, you can virtually travel for free and even make a little cash while you are at it. Dave and I now travel and not only get paid, but we make money and are able to save money for our retirement. It didn’t happen overnight, but it eventually did.

Read these resources for finding free accommodation:

• How to Find Free Accommodation Around the World
• Why You Should Start House Sitting – Plus 5 Top Tips to Get You Started

So, can you travel for free? It is possible…in a way. But you have to work for it. It’s not free travel, it’s earned travel. If you can make enough money to have it all even out, it turns out to be free! If you mix finding free accommodation (as mentioned above) with working on the road, you can travel on a shoestring budget.

So, how do you work while traveling? We have some ideas below.

Travel Jobs

If you want to travel but find that you don’t have enough money why not look for travel jobs and finding different ways for getting paid? There are so many amazing ways to get paid to travel here are a few ideas. But be sure to check out our full article Ways to Get Paid to Travel for even more ideas.

• Teach English overseas – One way to go abroad and get paid is to teach English. Of you have a degree you can make a lot of money teaching English overseas. But even if you don’t there are jobs for English teachers.
• Teach English Online – But if you want the freedom to travel wherever you want, teaching online is also a great option for getting paid while traveling with more flexibility. See our full guide here.
• Working at resorts – You can apply to work at five-star resorts from working as entertainment and poolside staff to bartending and serving.
• Teaching scuba diving – Get certified and teach scuba diving anywhere that has water!
• Tour leader – become a tour leader for companies like GoAhead Tours or and Intrepid Travel
• Cruise Line – There are plenty of options to working on a cruise ship, from bartending and waiting tables to entertainment staff and housekeeping.
• Casino Dealer (I’ve done this and it’s fun!) – Cruise Lines also need casino dealers. This is an easy way to work abroad without needing a visa.
• Travel Photographer and Blogger – It is still possible to make money as a travel photographer but you need to have your hands in a lot of pies. I combine my photography skills with travel blogging and social media.
• Woofing – You’ll need to read the post below to see what this is.
• Check out more ways of making money while traveling here

Think outside the box

Are you good with kids? Perhaps you could be an Au Pair. If this is something you are interested in, AuPair World i s a good place to start looking It can place you in a position abroad. Do you have a medical background? Look into places that offer medical internships abroad. Or look into Doctor’s Without Borders. They need everything from pharmacists, to nurses and sanitation specialists.

Think about your skills and put them to work. It is easier than ever to work remotely. We have hired social media assistants, people with website design experience, and technical help.

Are you thinking, I want to travel the world, but don’t know where to begin? Read About more ways to make money and travel:

• How to Get Paid to Travel
• How to Be a Professional Travel Blogger – 12 Steps to Financial Freedom
• How to Start a Travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps

How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World?

The cost of traveling the world depends on a lot of factors and varies greatly on what your style of trip you plan to have.

• What your budget is?
• Are you a solo traveler?
• Are you traveling with your family?
• Are you a couple?

But, it costs less than you probably imagine. Nomadic Matt explains how to travel the world cheap in his book, Travel the World on $50 a Day. If you want to learn how, check it out.

But it also depends on what type of experiences you want. We could spend very little money hanging out on a beach in Vietnam, but if we want to do epic adventures, it costs more. We spent more than our full monthly budget climbing to Everest Base Camp, but it was worth it. You need to budget for that “wow” experience during your travels.

If you are in the planning stages and want a good reference, the website Budget Your Trip is a good resource for figuring out your budget country by country.

To decided how much you think you will spend when traveling the world, you have to take these factors into consideration:

• What countries you are visiting
• What type of accommodation you want to stay in
• How long you plan to stay at each place.
• Are you taking organized tours or traveling independently?

If you travel in Southeast Asia you could travel on $50 (per person) a day that Nomadic Matt’s book recommends.

If you want to stay in more luxurious accommodations, Southeast Asia is a good choice to stay in luxury on a budget. In Thailand, we stayed in the beautiful Royal Orchid Sheraton for less than $100 per night. It was luxurious and a great location for only $50 per person per night.

But note: Southeast Asia also has beautiful five-star hotels that can break the bank too. You can’t just expect to travel on a budget without doing your research.

In Europe and Australia, you are looking at at least $125 – $150 per day per person for budget travel.

New Zealand has very expensive adventures and activities that can cost anywhere from $100 – $250 NZD per person, but travel can be quite affordable. We first toured New Zealand with the Flying Kiwi . This was a bare-bones tour with camping as accommodations and bbq meals included. It was a great way to get around the country on a budget. The Cost was approximately $115 per person per day.

Eastern Europe is much cheaper than Western Europe. You can travel for $50 to $75 per day per person. We stayed in some great apartment rentals for less than €50 Euro per night.

Africa and South America can be very affordable as well in the $50 to $100 per day range.

Budget Your Trip has in depth information on cost of travel destinations.

Ways to Keep Living Expenses Low

Save on Food

Food has always been a problem for Dave and I. We put a lot of pressure on eating out but we found the best thing to do was simply go for a walk, look for a busy restaurant filled with locals and walk inside. Avoid the restaurants recommended in guide books and travel apps. Instead, go local.

Book accommodation with a kitchen so you can eat the majority of your meals at home. Having breakfast in your room and packing a lunch can save a ton of money.

When you can, pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the scenery of your destination.

Hire Local Guides

One of the best travel tips we can give you is to hire local guides when you get to your destination instead of booking in advance.

Booking tours online is easy and we do love Get Your Guide, but to save money, hire local guides at your destination. Often times you’ll have a more authentic experience at a fraction of the price.

• Read: Organized Tours vs Independent Travel

Take advantage of free walking tours

Nearly every city in the world offers free walking tours and they are an excellent way to get acquainted with a city. You learn a lot and save a ton of money. All they ask for in the end is a tip for their service. Usually, $5 – $10 is all you need.

Travel Slow

Naturally, you are going to spend more money if you move a lot. The beauty of traveling the world is that you can take your time to get to know a destination.

If you are a solo traveler, it is also nice to stay in one place to get to know people. We have made lifelong friends just by sticking around a destination for longer than a couple of weeks.

Plus, if you stay in one place for a couple of weeks, you can save a lot of money and have a better experience.

Modes of Transportation

When you do book your transportation do your resarch.

Good flight comparison tools like Skyscanner help you save money on flights.

You can save a night’s accommodation on your budget by traveling on an overnight bus or train. And it makes for a great adventure.

Types of Accommodation

And finally, don’t just book hotel rooms online. Get creative and start looking for alternate accommodations. There are so many ways to save money on accommodation if you are willing to think outside the box.

• Book Air BnBs – After the pandemic, AirBnBs are looking more attractive. to the average traveler. Accommodations are cheaper when you book an apartment and you have a more local vibe.
• Apartment Rentals – There are other apartment rental sites like HomeAway, and even Booking and TripAdvisor offer apartment options for accommodations now.
• Hire a campervan – If you want to travel with a lot of freedom, a Campervan is a great option. In places like Australia and New Zealand, there are a lot of rental companies like Jucy, Hippy Campers or Spaceship. Read our experience – Explore New Zealand by Campervan
• 10 Things You Need to Know Before Living in a Campervan
• How to Live in an RV on Less Than $2,000 Per Month
• Utilize campgrounds – they have free WiFi, great amenities, and are very reasonable. Camping is also a great way to meet people. We traveled to the South of France and spent €20 a night!
• Book local guesthouses upon arrival
• Housesitting – Many digital nomads swear by housesitting. It is a way to have free accommodations and to have a more authentic experience. When you are in a residential neighborhood, you can meet people that actually live in the destination. See more at How to Become a House Sitter – Tips Start House Sitting
• Couchsurfing – We haven’t Couchsurfed personally, but it’s a great option too that many people swear by it.How to Find Free Accommodation Around the World
• Road Trip – Another cheap way we traveled across Africa, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand was on a road trip. With a car, we had the freedom to camp in cheap campsites, and in places like Mongolia and Kazakhstan, we could camp for free. Great ways to book a road trip is to either rent a campervan or even a car (as we did in Europe) and use a tent for sleeping.
• We also camped our way through Spain and France with a car and a two-man tent. You can and save a lot of money by sleeping in a tent. Most campsites in these countries are located close to the city and often have free shuttles to downtown.

But the best accommodation we’ve found are usually once we arrive at the destination and look for a locally run budget guesthouse or local B&Bs. If you are creative and have the time, you’ll be able to stretch your dollar far for your travels.

Packing and Paperwork

So you’ve saved for a year or so and have your daily budget decided for the way you want to travel, now it is time to start planning.

If you need some help with that, check out our 5 Tips to Get You Started Saving Money Now .

If you want to skip directly to packing check out these articles:

• Packing for Europe – Tips That Will Make Your Travel Life Easier
• Essential Tips for Essential Travel
• The Best Anti Theft Travel Bags and Accessories
• The Best Travel Gear – Unique Ideas for Smart Packing

Choosing Luggage for RTW Travel

Surprisingly the first thing you need to keep in mind is the type of luggage to use. luggage. Many people make the mistake of overpacking. Dave and I are guilty of this.

• We traveled through Central America carting all our scuba diving gear with us and we were miserable.
• We’ve carried large suitcases through Europe and suffered while navigating the metro system.

Don’t make the same mistakes we made. Pack light and use a backpack or something that you can easily hoist over your shoulders on places with a lot of stairs or uneven terrain.

We are fans of Backpacks for exended travel. When running to catch trains or buses it’s great to have your gear on your back so you hands are free.

What Type of Traveler are You?

Think about how you want to travel across the world. Are you taking more organized tours or going completely independent. We have met some people who take a year-long cruise to see the world.

Are you going to go the more Luxury route of travel or is Budget accommodation fine?

Will you be staying in one place and house sitting or renting an apartment for months on end? You can probably pack a suitcase since you won’t be moving too much.

Or are you going to be on a lot of buses and trains changing locations often? That is when you will really want to use a backpack. You won’t have to worry about lugging a bag upstairs and you don’t have to worry about curbs and doors.

Plus, you will often be flying in small planes and a lot of smaller airplanes only allow soft and light luggage. This is where a soft and durable backpack is a must.

Documents for Travel

Chances are you are planning an extended trip anywhere from 6 months to a year, so make sure your documents are in order. Know what countries you need visas for, how long your passport needs to be valid for, and what vaccines are required.

COVID vaccines will probably be required for future travels, but there are some paces that require vaccines to enter a country already. For example, some countries in Africa require a Yellow Fever vaccine upon entry. Go to a travel clinic and ask a doctor what specific vaccines you will need.

Passports and Visas

A lot of countries won’t let you in without a passport that will expire within 6 months. Make sure it has at least a 6 month buffer from the end of your trip.

Also, look into countries that you may need Visas for . You can’t just cross borders without the proper paperwork. Check to see if you can get Visas ahead of time for the country you want to visit or if you can get them as you go.

Since you are going for an extended period, you will have time to apply for a Visa at the destination. So you will have to account for spending more time in one destination while you wait for your visa in another.

We have bought Visas both ways. We’ve had all our paperwork lined up before leaving Canada and we have bought visas as we went along. It all depends on how much you plan your schedule.

Buying Visas in advance limits the time you spend at each destination. Visas have specific dates you must enter and exit the country, so you will have to plan your schedule and route ahead of time.

For example, while traveling through Southeast Asia, if we enjoyed a place we have gone to the embassy to apply for a Visa to Vietnam while staying in Bangkok.

For our Visas for our trip down Africa and through Eastern Europe to Mongolia, we bought our visas in advance. This restricted how long we could stay in each country as we had to be at each border by a specific date. However, it was needed because it could be tricky purchasing Visas along the way.

If you need help booking Visas for travel, a good service is The Visa Machine.

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance has never been more important. We never leave home without it and can personally attest that we have saved tens of thousands of dollars thanks to insurance. Read: Airlifted from the Amazon, our worst fears realized.

You will need to have good coverage with medical evacuation coverage and COVID-19 coverage. Even if you are the healthiest person on earth, anything can happen.

The best advice we can give is to phone the insurance company and ask them specific questions. Tell them of any underlying conditions that could void your coverage, ask what activities are included in coverage. (for example skydiving and bunjy jumping are not covered)

As about every detail that you can think of. Many people complain that their insurance didn’t cover them when needed and blame the company, but nine times out of ten it is the error of the purchaser not getting the correct coverage.

We have several articles on Travel Insurance

• Do I Really Need Travel Medical Insurance?
• How We Choose Travel Insurance To Best Suit Our Needs
• Busting 5 Common Travel Insurance Myths
• 6 Reasons you Need Medical Evacuation Protection
• Travel Insurance During Covid-19 What You Need to Know

Plus, you will want to check for evacuation insurance so you can be airlifted should the worst-case scenario occurs.

Travel Apps

Our smartphones have become our best tool for researching and booking around the world travel. We use KnowRoaming for data and phone calls when traveling for a short one to two-week trip. KnowRoaming can be used for as little as $3.99 a day. We usually use that for short stays, but if we are staying longer, we activate it only for our first day or two until we buy a local SIM for a monthly fee.

If you are traveling for the long term, purchase a local SIM card. These are often very cheap, have better coverage and are easy to install. You can often get them right at the airport when you land.

Before you fly, make sure you have some of the best travel apps loaded on to your phone. We keep our favorite booking websites, flight networks, and organizational apps on our phones.

Our go-to-apps are TripIt Pro, Google Translate, XE Currency Converter, Skyscanner and Hotels.com. But we have others as well. See our complete list:

• 31 Best Travel Apps for 2020
• The Best iPhone Photo Apps to Help You Shoot Like a Pro

Booking your flights

When we took our first several month long trip, we booked our flights in advance with an RWT Ticket. I wouldn’t do this again, as flight schedules are set, you must fly in and out of a specific city and there are stipulations like “if you miss one leg of a trip it could void the entire trip”

We prefer to book one leg at a time, that way if we like a place we are in, we can stay longer. If we aren’t jiving with a destination, we can fly on to our next country of choice. Plus, if you are flexible with your dates of travel, you can save hundreds of dollars on flights.

Booking sites like Skyscanner and Kayak are great for comparison.

We have an entire post on Travel Hacks for Flying

City and Rail Passes

If you are traveling in Europe, a Eurail Pass is a great way to get around and save money. Having a rail pass offers flexibility and discounts.

CityPasses are also a fantastic way to see a lot on a smaller budget. We love using CityPAss when we are new to a city as it usually has all of the top attractions in one place. Many passes like the ParisPass offer free entrances, skip the line tickets and transportation around the city.

Note : with CityPasses, you want to make sure want to see all the attractions in the city. These passes are only budget friendly if you plan on seeing and doing a lot. If you only want to see one or two things in a city, it might be better to book tours individually.

The great thing about CityPasses is that you don’t have to use them right away. They are usually good for up to a year after purchase. But, once you activate them you have 24 to 72 hours to finish up. (Depending on the package you choose)

Travel Tips for On the Road

Chances are you’ve done your homework and you know what to do once you are traveling the world, but here are a few insider travel tips we learned from our years of travel.

Health and Safety

Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean you won’t get sick or run into troubles. It’s important to be safe and think about the travel scams, illnesses and emergencies that can happen.

We’ve already talked about the importance of good travel medical insurance. But we have other references to help you have safe and healthy travels.

• Travel Safety Tips – How to Have a Safe and Healthy Vacation
• Top 10 Tips for Healthy Travel
• Travel Scams Around the World and How You Can Avoid Them
• Best Travel Snacks – Tip for Staying Healthy on a Flight

And that should help you get started traveling the world. Be sure to click the links to find out more about each subject and bookmark this post for future reading and travel planning.

So, are you ready to travel around the world? I know we are all going a little stir crazy with lockdowns and closures, but instead of being upset about not being able to travel the world right now, start planning for the future. Most people take at least a year to plan an around the world trip so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

What are you waiting for? Plan for an exciting future today! By the time you leave to travel the world, you will be ready! Happy travels.

More How to Travel the World Resources

• Check out our City Guides Page t o find out what to do and where to stay in Cities Around the World.
• See how to Save Money to Travel the World
• Our Best Travel Tips from 20 Years of Traveling the World

If you enjoyed all of these tips to travel around the world, why not share them to Pinterest for future reference.

See more of our travel tips

• Freedom to Travel – Never Take it for Granted
• How to Teach English Online Without a Degree

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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10 thoughts on “How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource”

I am a traveler and I love to travel to new places. I visited some of the amazing places in the world and found themself unique and beautiful. I want to explore the whole world and visit all the places which some of us just wished to travel. Thansk for sharing this article it makes me more inspired and motivated.

While it’s gonna be a while before I can wander the Earth, I have every intention of doing so within the next few years! Your guide is a big help to me!

The article is little long but very informative. Most of the time I focus on budget travelling but I was really unable to manage it properly. But now after reading your article I found myself that I should save money in food, taking advantage of free walking tours, modes of transportation and hiring a local guides. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Nice and very informative article. It really taught me a good way how to travel the world? More than that it guides me how to plan a travel around the world while focusing on budget. Yeah, definitely we have to save on food, take advantage of free walking tours, hire local guides, etc to keep living expenses low. Thanks for sharing your experience.

great posts, loved the quotes

these are great posts and really do have alot of helpful information

Totally what I need right now. Sweet. .-= Candice´s last blog .. Dumpster love =-.

Thanks for including me here 🙂 I also field a lot of emails about people who are so interested in taking the plunge into RTW travel, but intimidated by the costs, fears, and so much of what Anil’s e-book covers 🙂 .-= Shannon OD´s last blog ..A Little Contemplation…Readjusting to a Dose of Reality =-.

Thank you very much for the review! I hope that people feel like traveling as much as they want is really within their reach after reading the ebook. I think other long-term travelers and digital nomads will also enjoy reading since we all have fears and deal with changing conditions no matter where we are. .-= Anil´s last blog .. Questions and Comments Frequent Travelers Hear Frequently =-.

@Anil You are absolutely right, I loved reading it and I am a long term traveler. I also loved the quotes from other travelers that you included and all of the great links that you provided!

Ultimate Around the World Itinerary | 1 Year Around the World

By: Author Charles

Posted on August 25, 2023

In March of 2019, I quit my job, packed a couple of carry-on bags, and took a one-way flight to Auckland, New Zealand to begin my around the world itinerary.

Over the course of the next 375 days, I traveled to 20 countries and countless cities in 6 continents. I put together this post to walk you through the exact route, and how it all came together the way it did.

Whether, you are just interested in reading along, or you would like to put together an around the world itinerary for yourself, I hope this can inspire you!

*  Affiliate Disclosure : This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you make a purchase through the links provided, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting the work I put into TripTins!

1) Around the World Itinerary Overview

I knew from early on in my career that travel was a very important aspect of my life. I didn’t know at the time though, that I would have it in me to quit my safe corporate job of 6 years and travel for an extended period of time.

Instead of taking those few 10-day vacations and always looking forward to just taking that next trip, I thought a full year of solo travel would be the right move for me. I could visit places that would have taken years for me to get to, and challenge myself consistently along the way.

So, on March 13 2019, I hopped on a flight from JFK to LAX and then onwards to Auckland, New Zealand (essentially as far as one can get!). Over the course of the next 12 months, I got to experience some of the best travel moments of my life.

Whether it was meeting locals, exploring cities, hiking high into the mountains, trying new foods, engraining myself in new cultures, or hanging out with like-minded travelers. The one year of travel ended up being the best decision of my life, and one of the reasons, this site came to be .

Around the World Stats Days: 375  Countries: 20 Cities: ~100

2) Travel Considerations

As I planned the trip, there were a few “main” aspects that I was sure to plan the trip around. These included – weather, local holidays for & peak seasons, logistics, among a few other considerations.

Probably the most important aspect of the around the world itinerary, was making sure I was visiting countries during the best time of year from a weather standpoint .

I did not want to go through all of this, just to visit countries when it was rainy season or when I couldn’t take part of certain activities.

For example, I made sure to visit Nepal during November when the weather was at its clearest (but quite cold) and there was little risk of rain and clouds ruining the trekking views. I made my way to the Philippines at the tail end of the dry season and Costa Rica at the beginning of their dry season.

At the end of the day, it was all about being able to fully enjoy my time in each place on a day to day basis and not have constant days where the weather wouldn’t allow me to do anything.

With that said, the weather is unpredictable and you never know what it can bring (no matter how much you plan). There were certainly days I was completely rained out of doing anything, and times where I had to move things around last minute to circumvent the weather.

But by initially planning the trip to avoid poorer weather conditions, I feel as I was really able to get the most out of the journey.

Local Holidays & Seasons

Another thing that I considered is to avoid traveling to countries during the local’s national holidays . While dealing with tourists is one thing, dealing with a whole country traveling at the same time is another.

This isn’t across every country out there of course, but for some countries during these holiday times, many locals decide to travel for themselves.

This results in less availability for hotels and more expensive prices altogether . A couple that come to mind are Golden Week in Japan and Holy Week in the Philippines. 

I will caveat that with saying, sometimes it can be a great experience to take part of certain local celebrations if that is what is of interest to you.

In addition to holidays, I also tried to avoid peak season when most tourists are traveling to a certain destination .

Now, this is certainly not avoidable if traveling for a year, but it can help to steer clear of some places during those peak seasons.

Instead, I tried to visit places during shoulder seasons, as the weather is great but just less people are traveling to these places. At the end of the day it is just picking and choosing what works best.

The last main consideration when planning the trip was the logistics side of things. I just wanted to be sure that there was an easy way to get between city A and city B .

Whether that be a plane, boat, train or bus, I just didn’t want to put myself in the position where I would have to go drastically out of my way to continue on with the next city or country.

To the best of my abilities, I attempted to book direct flights when possible . I remember in the Philippines for example, there were not direct flights between certain islands or they were not operating every day of the week. I had to put the itinerary together so I was not wasting full days just to get between two islands. 

If I was renting a car, and I was taking a one way route through a country (such as Austria), I had to be certain that I could pick up and drop off the car in two separate locations without a hefty fee. 

With that said though, there were certainly times where I had to compromise with logistics. If I really wanted to travel somewhere but it would take days of traveling, I had to be fine with that. It all becomes a balance between everything .

Other Considerations

Also considered in the travel planning was the flexibility and having time to just unwind without anything planned. While I put together a list of countries and things I wanted to do in each country, I never had it written out to a tee.

I consistently moved things around as I went and sometimes did not even have a set date to leave a country I was in. Having that flexibility helped big time when things didn’t go 100% according to plan .

I also wanted to be sure that I had time to just rest and recover . For the majority of the trip I was out and about from morning until night. All of that traveling can take a toll on the body.

So, you will see times in the itinerary where I may have stayed longer than one may expect just to have time to do nothing and all.

When I combined the weather, holidays, and logistics, an itinerary began to form that I continuously worked on for months leading up to the trip.

→ Learn more: check out the planning a trip around the world and around the world cost guides for many more considerations when putting together an itinerary, as well as my around the world packing list

With that said though, there were some things that I had to plan around, making this around the world trip a bit more difficult to plan out than initially expected. See the next section for more on that…

3) What I Planned Around

Now, the around the world itinerary didn’t come without any hitches. There were a few things that came up which altered my initial travel planning.

Timing is never perfect to take a full year off from your friends and family. And there were certain events that I just had to come back for. Due to this, you will see a bit of interesting travel plans that the trip goes through.

» I spent October of 2019 back in the US as I had weddings to attend of close friends. Due to this I ended up staying the month back in the US before heading out again (and did get to visit NYC, Philadelphia and Chicago during my time back). Then again in December 2019, I came back again, but this time just for a quick weekend.

» On top of that, my trip was originally going to be closer to 15 months of travel. As we all know though, Covid started to ramp up in March of 2020. The end of my trip was a bit hectic trying to figure out where to go and what to do. But on March 20, 2020 I ended up taking one of the final flights out of South Africa before the world went into lockdown.

4) Around the World Itinerary Details

From start to finish the trip lasted 375 days with 329 days outside of the country. Over the course of those 375 days I visited 6 continents, 20 countries, and upwards of 100 cities. I ended up splitting out my trip in five phases:

Phase 1 : NZ/AU/Asia Phase 2 : Middle East / Europe Phase 3* : Nepal Phase 4 : Central and South America Phase 5 : Asia/Africa -> cut short

→ *I returned home before/after I traveled to Nepal

Below is the country by country route I took along with the number of days (including days to travel to them). Throughout the remainder of the post I will go into detail about where I decided to travel to in each country.

Country #1: New Zealand (29 days) Country #2: Japan (12 days) Country #3: South Korea (11 days) Country #4: Philippines (20 days) Country #5: Indonesia (30 days) Country #6: Australia (21 days) Country #7: Singapore (4 days) Country #8: Israel (17 days) Country #9: Jordan (4 days) Country #10: Austria (10 days) Country #11: Germany (6 days) Country #12: Slovenia (11 days) Country #13: Croatia (15 days) Country #14: Montenegro (10 days) Country #15: Nepal (26 days) Country #16: Belize (17 days) Country #17: Costa Rica (24 days) Country #18: Argentina (21 days) Country #19: Chile (11 days) Country #20: Sri Lanka (24 days)

Bonus : South Africa for 5 days until I had to take an emergency flight back home on my final day

Some of my travel plans would not necessarily look efficient on paper (Chile to Sri Lanka for example). However, given I did need to make some stops back in the US as I spoke about earlier, and with Covid ending the trip early, the trip doesn’t always make perfect sense without knowing the details.

You can see that I did spend quite a bit of time in many of these countries (24 days in Costa Rica). Like I said, when planning the trip, I did not want to rush myself in a country.

I wanted to truly enjoy all different aspects of where I was . I also wanted to be sure to have enough “rest” days, to just spend time to regroup and reset before continuing on.

You may find many itineraries out there that visit double the amount of countries in the same time period. But at the end of the day, each person has their own travel style and what they want to accomplish on a trip like this.

For me, it was seeing the world at my pace and really engraining myself in each country I visited.

5) Around the World Itinerary Map

Below is a map of each and every place I visited all along the year long journey. You not only can see the cities I visited, but you can also see nearly every attraction I got to visit along the way.

Feel free to zoom in for more details!

6) 1 Year Around the World Itinerary

With that all said, below is a breakdown of each country along with the main cities/attractions I got to enjoy along the way.

New Zealand (March 13 – April 10)

I started off the around the world itinerary by taking a one-way flight to Auckland, New Zealand and from there got to explore both the North Island and South Island of the country.

After spending a night in Auckland, I grabbed a rental car, and then began the journey from north to south. Along the way I was able to visit the following places:

• Auckland • Waitakere Ranges • Rotorua • Taupo • Tongariro Alpine Crossing • Wellington • Abel Tasman National Park • Punakaiki* • Wanaka • Te Anau • Queenstown • Mount Cook • Pukaki • Christchurch

* As I was making my way down the western coast of the South Island, a major storm caused mudslides and a collapsed bridge. I ended up missing out on Franz Josef and had to spend a day driving around the island to Wanaka. Always good to have the flexibility to change things on the fly!

Japan (April 11 – April 22)

From Christchurch, I hopped on a flight to Tokyo via Brisbane. After a full day of travel, I arrived to Tokyo, where started my 12 days through Japan .

Since this was my second time in Japan, I did not spend as long as I might have if it was my first time. While I certainly went to some of the same places from my initial trip, I did not go back to places like Kobe, Hiroshima , Miyajima and Osaka.

However, I did get to visit a bunch of new places as well, and took the following journey through Japan:

• Tokyo • Kamakura • Hakone • Takayama • Shirakawago • Kanazawa • Kyoto • Nara

South Korea (April 23 – May 3)

It was then off to South Korea as I flew directly from Osaka to Jeju Island. Over the course of the next 10 days or so, I visited three beautiful places in the country:

• Jeju Island (+ Mount Hallasan hike !) • Gyeongju • Seoul

Philippines (May 4 – May 23)

After a successful time around South Korea, it was then onto the Philippines. It was all about the beaches, water, and island life during this portion of the trip.

As the rainy season starts in June, I got there just in time to fully enjoy the experience. Besides a few nighttime rain showers, it was all clear to enjoy some time in the sun. I ended up spending time in 4 different islands for around 4-5 days each.

Logistics were important here as it can get quite tricky to travel around the country. With a combinations of boats and direct flights, I ended up visiting these places:

• Coron • El Nido • Bohol • Siargao

Indonesia (May 24 – June 22)

You are only allowed to visit Indonesia for 30 days without getting a longer term visa, so that is exactly what I decided to do. I spent a full month exploring the country visiting many places along the way .

While 30 days does sound like a long time, Indonesia is a massive country. I can honestly spend a year traveling around the country and still have things to do. But during my month there I started on the island of Java and then got to visit:

• Yogyakarta • Lumajang / East Java Waterfalls • Cemoro Lawang / Mount Bromo • Banyuwangi / Ijen Crater • Munduk • Ubud • Nusa Penida • Gili Trawangan • Mount Rinjani • Komodo National Park

From Komodo, it was then a quick flight back to Bali , where I headed off to Australia for the next portion of my trip.

Australia (June 23 – July 12)

Australia was one country, where it was a bit tougher to pick a time of year that worked weather wise for various cities around the country. I could have gone right after New Zealand but found some of the logistics a bit too difficult to manage.

Either way though, while I did not have the beach weather for Sydney, all else went great in the cities further up north. Below were the places I traveled to during my few weeks in Australia :

• Sydney • Blue Mountains • Whitsundays • Cairns / Great Barrier Reef • Port Douglas • Daintree Rainforest • Uluru / Kata Tjuta • Kings Canyon • Alice Springs / West MacDonnell Ranges

Singapore (July 13 – July 16)

From Alice Springs I took a flight over to Perth for a quick layover before heading off to Singapore. I decided to split Singapore into two parts.

The first couple days I would spend sightseeing all around the city. For the second two days, I opted for a bit of relaxing and treated myself to two nights at the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Overall, the four days in Singapore ended up great and got me ready for the next leg of my trip as I traveled all the way to Israel.

Israel & Jordan (July 17 – August 2)

When visiting Israel, I knew that I wanted to spend a few days in Jordan visiting a couple of the top sites.

So, I ended up traveling around Israel for 10 days, and then ended up in Eilat. From Eilat, I traveled into Jordan for 4 days and then re-entered Israel, where I spent another week.

While I could have figured out the logistics to be a bit more favorable, the three weeks between Israel and Jordan ended up something like this:

• Jerusalem • Ein Gedi / Masada • Dead Sea • Mitzpe Ramon • Eilat • Petra • Wadi Rum • Haifa* • Tel Aviv

* After visiting Jordan, I crossed back into Eilat, rented a car and drove all the way north to Haifa. I spent a few days exploring the northern coast and ended the trip in Tel Aviv for a few days of beach time.

Austria & Germany (August 8 – August 23)

After taking a flight from Tel Aviv to Vienna, I spent the next 2+ weeks driving my way through Austria and the Bavaria region of Germany. I spent time in cities and out in the mountains, while visiting several places along the way:

• Vienna • Hallstatt • Berchtesgaden • Garmisch Partenkirchen • Mayrhofen

This is also a time where the weather did not always go according to plan. It was nice to have some extra days here in order to wait out the couple days of poor weather and then get up into the mountains.

Slovenia (August 24 – September 3)

From Mayrhofen, I took the quick drive to Innsbruck, dropped off my rental car and then took a train over to Ljubljana. I spent the next 10+ days driving around Slovenia and enjoying all different aspects of the country including:

• Ljubljana • Lake Bled • Bohinj • Bovec • Piran

Croatia (September 4 – September 18)

A quick train from Ljubljana to Zagreb and it was then time to explore Croatia for two weeks . I opted against renting a car here and just made my way around the country using busses and ferries. Along the way I got to visit:

• Zagreb • Plitvice National Park • Zadar • Krka National Park • Split • Hvar • Korcula • Mljet • Dubrovnik

Montenegro (September 19 – September 28)

Montenegro was the last country on the first portion of my trip around the world . I took a bus from Dubrovnik to Kotor and then rented a car for the next 10 days. During those days I made my way to a few different places:

• Kotor • Durmitor National Park • Lake Skadar • Sveti Stefan

My last night of the 200 th day of my trip was spent in the small coastal town of Sveti Stefan, where I got to enjoy one last sunset before making my way back to the US for the next month.

After heading to a couple of weddings and traveling to cities like NYC, Philadelphia and Chicago, I then made the round trip journey to Nepal. Here is where I took part of the Three Passes Trek + Everest Base Camp.

Nepal (November 11 – December 6)

Visiting the Himalayas had been a life dream of mine, and during this around the world trip, I finally got to experience some time there. I decided to go for the Three Passes Trek , which is essentially a longer version of the standard Everest Base Camp trek .

In addition to EBC, I got to head over the Kongma La , Cho La , and Renjo La passes, visit the Gokyo Lakes , and trek up peaks like Chukhung Ri and Gokyo Ri .

After three weeks of trekking, I had a few days of relaxing in Kathmandu before heading back for a quick weekend in NYC .

Belize (December 10 – 27)

It was then time to explore some of Central and South America, as I headed from New York down to Belize. During my time in Belize I spent several days scuba diving, visiting the inland of the country, and finishing up at the beach .

Technically I actually went to another country during the trip as I also did make the quick one night journey to Tikal in Guatemala. Overall, the trip to Belize (and Guatemala) looked like this:

• Ambergris Caye • Caye Caulker • San Ignacio • Tikal • Cockscomb Basin • Placencia

Costa Rica (December 28 – January 19)

It was then off to Costa Rica , where I got to spend 3+ weeks traveling to all different parts of the country.

It was a great mixture between volcanoes, rainforests, wildlife, hiking, and beaches as I visited the following places:

• Poas / La Paz Waterfall Gardens • La Fortuna / Arenal • Monteverde • Manuel Antonio • Corcovado National Park • Uvita • Cerro Chirripo • San Jose*

*The plan was to visit the Caribbean coast for the final few days of the trip around Puerto Viejo. However, the weather had different plans. So, I decided to just spend a few days in San Jose, rest and recover there before heading off to Patagonia for the next month of hiking.

Argentina (January 20 – February 9)

While I did spend a day in Buenos Aires, the main aspect of this portion of the trip was to hike my way through Patagonia . While, I did visit during what is considered one of the best times of year to go from a weather perspective, I still knew the risk of the Patagonian weather.

One day can be nice and sunny, while the next day could be a complete snowstorm (yes even in their summer months!). I mean, I even had a day when it was sunny and snowing at the same time .

Knowing the unpredictability of the weather, I decided to always give myself extra days in each one of the places I visited . This way if the weather did not cooperate for a day or two, I still would be able to enjoy my time there.

And for the most part, that is exactly what happened. Half the time I was in El Chalten, the weather made hiking impossible. A couple days in El Calafate by the Perito Merino Glacier were completely clouded over. But since I planned to have more days than necessary, it all worked out pretty well in the end as I visited these regions:

• Ushuaia • El Calafate • El Chalten • Huemul Circuit

Chile (February 10 – February 20)

From El Chalten, I bussed back to El Calafate, and then took a bus ride over to Puerto Natales in Chile. From there began the O Circuit Trek in Torres Del Paine National Park (an extended version of the famous W Trek ) .

This was actually one portion of Patagonia, where I could not just add on more days for a weather buffer. Since I needed to book the accommodation in the park well in advance, I was locked into my days.

Although the weather was not perfect for some of the days on the trail, it was more than suitable for some trekking. Some top highlights included the Grey Glacier , French Valley , and Mirador Las Torres .

After 8 days of hiking the “O”, I made my way back to Puerto Natales and flew to Santiago to end my time in Chile.

Sri Lanka (February 21 – March 15)

It was then across the world to Sri Lanka , where I got to see the ins and outs of the country for the next three weeks. Yes, I know not the best flight plan, but I planned to spend the next several months in Asia/Africa. Along the way I got to experience a little bit of everything including:

• Colombo • Habarana • Polonnaruwa • Kandy • Dalhousie / Adam’s Peak • Nuwara Eliya • Ella • Yala & Udawalawe Safaris • Mirissa

And here is where things just started to get a bit crazy. We are talking March of 2020 as the world began to turn upside down. The remainder of my trip I was supposed to go to China (quickly got nixed), India, South Africa and Namibia.

I soon realized though, that traveling was no longer an option. After deciding to go to South Africa, I just lasted a few days in Cape Town, before taking one of the last flights out of the country back to the US. It wasn’t the way I wanted to end it, but I still did get to travel around the world for a year.

But now I have written a ton about the countries I visited before, during and after the trip around the world. I hope you find the itineraries and travel guides up on the site helpful!

If you have any questions or comments about any of it, just feel free to comment down below. Also be sure to check out some travel tips & tricks to help you better plan your next trip.

Have fun out there and safe travels!

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Monday 13th of November 2023

This is very helpful!, thanks so much for taking the time to put it together. Can you expand more on why you didn't go to Australia after NZ? Also, so it was fall when you went to NZ and winter for Australia, any regrets going when you did? thoughts? I've read travelling west, is the best way to do a RTW trip, so it's a given to start in NZ, but when to go to get less tourists but decent weather.

Sunday 6th of August 2023

This is all very inspiring and informative, as I’m considering doing the same. Question, how much did you spend your your entire trip?

Monday 7th of August 2023

Hi Mai - feel free to check out this overview I put together about the costs of traveling the world. Good luck with trip planning!

Monday 26th of June 2023

Hi, love your travel story. Have u visited china ever since u miss the last round? Do you plan to round china? I am looking for a company to go round china. I am 60 years old woman.

Hi Janet - I traveled a long while ago just to Shanghai and Beijing. I have yet to go back but would love to travel more around the country one day!

Friday 23rd of June 2023

Hi, this trip sounds amazing! myself and my husband would love to do this type of trip! How did you manage to sort all this out with transport etc? And how did you budget doing all the travel? How much would you need? Thanks. Katie

Saturday 24th of June 2023

Hi Katie - I just took everything one step at a time. The entire trip was not planned out from day one. While I knew of the overall route for the most part, I did not want to corner myself into making decisions too early. I would recommend writing out the countries that are most interested to you and then doing some research on what an overall route would look like. You can see what is possible and what may be too difficult or expensive to fit in.

As for budget, check out this around the world cost overview up on the site that will walk through it all.

Hope you have an amazing time!

Saturday 10th of June 2023

What was it like coming back to the US and finding work? I want to travel the world for a year or two but it would take me leaving my very stable/promising career.... Which scares me to death! My worry is that I would come home to the US and not be able to get the same type of job.

I also worry that a gap year (0r two) may look bad on a resume. Thoughts?

@hailey, from someone who used to work in Human Resources, the time you spend travelling is an education. Learning language, culture, customs, weather, geography, etc. As a candidate, you bring a lot to the table with this type of experience. It would be a completely different story, if you were just unemployed and laying on the couch for a year. Travel....you won't regret it at all!!!

Tuesday 20th of June 2023

@hailey, The current unemployment rate in the U.S is 3.7%. Anybody who wants a job can find one. As long as the gaps in your resume were doing something interesting and intellectually stimulating (like travelling) and were not spent doing something stupid (like in prison or in re-hab), you'll be fine.

Monday 12th of June 2023

Hi Hailey - everyone is different and I can't say for certain how hard/easy it will be able to come back and find work. I was able to do so within a few months but there are many factors at play such as industry, the economy, demand/supply, etc. I am an advocate of traveling as you can tell, and would recommend doing so if it is something very important to you. There are ways to fill up the gap in the resume - for me it was this site, for others it may volunteering, remote work, etc. It is certainly a tough decision, but hope you make the right one for yourself!! Good Luck!

How to budget for a trip around the world

Dec 11, 2019 • 5 min read

Bundling visas is one way you can shave your long-term travel budget © maybefalse / Getty Images

In Around the World in 80 Days , Phileas Fogg bets his friends at London ’s posh Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the globe in under three months. His fictional expenses were £20,000, and for nearly a century and a half, that number somehow stuck as the price for seeing the world. 

Despite the fact that author Jules Verne actually budgeted the equivalent of £2,242,900 in today’s money, some experienced world travelers will still tell you that $20,000USD is the baseline cost for a single person on a year-long around-the-world adventure. While that comes out to just under $55 per day, other globetrotters will insist that you’ll need at least $100 or more per day to travel comfortably. 

So how do you figure out what figure is right for you?

My husband and I spent 12 months visiting over 100 countries on all seven continents, and our day-to-day budget covered a huge range of expenditures. 

In Southeast Asia , it was easy to travel like royalty for next to nothing. Comfortable hotel stays that included a lavish breakfast for two could be found for around $30 a night. Huge bowls of savory dumplings were just $2 apiece, and centuries-old temples and gardens could be toured for as little as $1 a ticket. 

Related:   Safari without the big bucks

Eastern Europe was equally affordable, with bed-and-breakfast accommodations for under $30 a night, rental cars with unlimited mileage for just $17 a day, country-to-country bus passes for $19 or less, and a number of ancient castles and cathedrals open to the public for free. 

At the other end of the spending spectrum, our daily budget flared to $820 per person for an 11-day expedition to Antarctica . The cruise included three extravagant meals a day, a private cabin with a large ocean-view window and en suite bathroom, and all transportation and excursions. But for $18,000, shouldn’t it be all-inclusive? 

There are limitless ways to see the world, from holing up in luxury hotels to surfing couches, so before you can begin crunching numbers, you need to make some decisions. Here are the top questions to ask as you start to create your around-the-world budget.

Are you planning the trip yourself?

My husband loves trip planning. It is arguably his favorite hobby, aside from the travel itself. He will pore over flight schedules, train timetables and bus routes while keeping endless spreadsheets of costs and combinations and codes.

We typically travel in one direction (either moving continually eastward or westward) and book only one-way flights. It keeps us from wasting time and money by retracing our steps, but this kind of detailed planning is not for the faint of heart. It took him a year and a half to plan our around-the-world adventure.

Related:   Six smartphone apps for budget travel

Ready-made trips 

If a package deal is more your style, then you’ll find plenty of ready-made options. Several cruise lines will sail you to half a dozen countries in a month starting around $7,000, or you can spend half a year at sea and visit three dozen countries or more for upwards of $65,000 per person. We’re talking interior cabins without all the bells and whistles, but all you have to do is show up.

Prefer the air over the sea? You can regularly find cheap flights with long layovers in two or three cities for around $1,500 round trip. For example, one recently multi-airline itinerary on offer featured travel from London to San Francisco , Honolulu , Samoa , Fiji , New Zealand , Sydney , Singapore and Athens before returning to the UK five weeks later, all for $1253 (£950). 

How fancy are you feeling?

The level of luxury you expect from your around-the-world experience has a direct effect on your bottom line. Do you imagine yourself in glittering cities like Paris , Rome , Dubai , Singapore, Sydney, Los Angeles and New York ? Better bring the big bucks, even for a long weekend. Are countries like Thailand , Cambodia , Morocco , Portugal , Bulgaria , Romania , Colombia and Peru more your style? You could travel for several weeks on the same budget.

Once you’ve narrowed down potential destinations, take a look at places you can visit without paying for a visa. Many countries have reciprocal relationships that allow visitors holding certain passports to enter for free. You can also find regional deals that bundle countries, like the European Schengen Visa or the KAZA UniVisa that offers discounts to travelers visiting both Zambia and Zimbabwe . Don’t forget about required vaccinations for some destinations, too, since they can be pricey and often aren’t covered by regular health insurance. 

Destinations definitely makes a difference, but so do your day-to-day choices. Are you willing to take a bus instead of a taxi? Stay at a hostel rather than a hotel? Sip a soda in lieu of champagne? Our travel research includes typical costs for transportation and accommodation, but we also consider how much daily expenses like food and drink will be. 

Cost of living calculators like Numbeo give useful benchmarks for things such as taxi fares, groceries and gasoline, and you can see prices in both the local currency and your own currency, which helps you learn the conversion rates, too.

Can you save money along the way?

Establishing a travel budget ahead of time is important, but once you leave home, it’s easy to ignore the numbers and convince yourself that you only live once. That’s why we sneak in some money-saving tactics along the way that help us keep things in balance. 

Many travelers like to play it safe by buying bottled water, but all those dollars (and all that plastic) add up. We carry a lightweight, reusable water bottle and an ultraviolet light purifying pen wherever we go, which saved us over $1,000 on our year-long trip and kept our stomachs settled on all seven continents.

We will also go to great lengths to avoid checking bags and paying those extra fees on planes and trains. Traveling with only carry-on luggage shaved nearly $3,000 off our expenses and ensured we never missed a connection while waiting at the baggage carousel. 

Related:   Under-the-radar budget activities from around the world

The bottom line

There is no one-size-fits-all number for an around-the-world adventure. Your budget on the road is as personal as your budget at home. But you can approach it one of two ways: either begin with the destination in mind and plan accordingly, or start with your budget and see how far it will take you. 

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• GENERAL TRAVEL

I Want to Travel the World—Where Do I Start?

Jhasmine is a travel and lifestyle blogger promoting personal growth and development through trav...

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Have you ever said to yourself, "I want to travel the world, but where do I start?" Well, believe it or not, simply by having the desire to travel and asking questions, you are already off to a great start! We’ll share international travel tips, inspiration to travel the world , and insight on how to make money while traveling around the world.

Where will you begin your international adventure?

There is no right or wrong way regarding how you travel as long as you have done your research and a little planning. The idea of traveling around the world may seem overwhelming at first, but once you start to put things into perspective, you'll begin to ask yourself why you do this years ago!

Is it possible to travel the world and make money?

Yes, it is possible to travel the world and make money. Nomads have been doing it for years, and there are endless opportunities to earn income while you travel the world. Take some time to develop your skill set, identify your interests, then determine your niche.

Research what services are in high demand worldwide or gain an online certification that can allow you to make money from anywhere in the world. The opportunities are endless once you identify all that you have to offer and how to make it work to your advantage.

Believe it or not, you may find that making money abroad is easier than working a regular job in the United States! Nomads are said to have more flexibility, affordable costs of living, and better work-life balance once they finally take the leap to travel the world and find ways to earn an income.

READ MORE: Leave the Office Behind: 12 Best Places for Digital Nomads

Where to start if you want to travel around the world.

An easy solution when asking how to travel is just to get started! Spend less time fantasizing about travel and more time planning out your trip . That doesn't mean run out and start shopping for the cutest travel outfits and matching luggage sets. Although that part is exciting, there are more essential things to arrange first.

For example: Figuring out how you’ll actually *get* there.

1. Obtain proper documentation

Your passport is your first step to getting around the world, but in addition to your passport, you may need to obtain a visa depending on the country you visit and how long you plan to be there. Visas must be applied for and have various application requirements. You can obtain a visa by making an appointment at the embassy of your desired country.

READ MORE: International Visas: What You Need to Know

2. research the culture.

It's a good rule of thumb to understand the social norms and familiarize yourself with the language of the country you plan to visit. The last thing you want to do is accidentally offend a native person by not understanding their customs. Learn as much as you can to avoid culture shock .

For example, hot water may be a standard expectation where you're from, but that may not be the same in the country you're visiting. You'll also want to know how public transportation works, the currency difference, and the country's cost of living.

Lastly, determine the best time of year to travel to your destination. Planning a trip during the hottest time of year or the rainy season can impact your travel experience.

3. Create your budget

Dreams are great to have—but you’ll need a budget to make them a reality!

Believe it or not, you don't have to have thousands of dollars saved up to travel the world! Some people left their home country with less money than you and are thriving abroad. Consider starting a GoFundMe or FundMyTravel account to create a fundraiser to support your travel expenses.

Budget your flight, accommodation, transportation around your destination, and general spending, then start your saving and funding plan. Don't allow costs or a lack of funds to discourage you! There will always be a way to make it work with what you have if you want it bad enough.

READ MORE: 10 Cheapest Countries to Live and Work

4. book your flight.

Flight costs can be expensive, but you can potentially cut costs by purchasing your flight far in advance. Also, keep a lookout for advertised flight deals. There are even apps that help you find the lowest flight price possible, such as Skiplagged and Hopper. If you have a friend who works for an airline, ask them for a buddy pass. A buddy pass is not a confirmed seat, but it is a cost-effective way to get to your destination.

5. Find accommodations

Finding accommodation is an essential part of travel. You'll need a safe place to lay your head at night. Need a few international travel tips for finding accommodations around the world? Facebook Marketplace has countless rentals listing. You're able to filter your search to the exact area you want to stay in, your price range, and the type of rental.

Hostel? Hotel? Airbnb? Choose the right accommodation for you.

It isn't wise to pay for anything online until you have arrived and set eyes on the property if you go this route. Depending on your length of stay, Airbnb can be a cost-effective option. They even offer monthly stays if that fits into your budget.

Lastly, as a solo traveler, hostels provide a sense of community where travelers from all over the world reside during their travels. Hostels can be very affordable, and some even offer private rooms.

6. Understand credit cards and cell phones

Before you take flight, it's a good idea to review your bank policies on foreign transactions. Most banks charge international fees when using a foreign ATM or making a transaction abroad. However, other banks offer lower or no transaction fees abroad. Some Credit Unions provide low rates and even rebates for ATM fees.

Also, check with your cellphone provider for international travel plans. You may consider getting an unlocked phone and purchasing a local SIM card so you can have access to a working network throughout your travels. WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are great ways to keep in touch with family and friends if you only have wifi access.

7. Utilize social media

The great thing about social media is that it connects people from all over the world. You can use Facebook groups to find travelers just like you who have been where you are going and who are willing to give you free advice on how to travel.

The online travel community is an excellent resource for all aspiring travelers. Speaking directly to people living out your dreams can help you gain first-hand knowledge and excitement for the experience!

Ready to take the next step? Talk to our FREE Online Advisor and get 5 personalized travel program matches

Learn how to travel the world—and make it a lifestyle.

Did we mention to pack appropriately for the weather?

Have you ever heard the quote, "Your mind must arrive at the destination before your life does”? Believe it or not, having the right mindset can take your travel experience from a constant daydream to a reality.

The best way to get started traveling around the world is to surround yourself with those who can keep you motivated to achieve your goal. Traveling the world is a lifestyle for many individuals and families.

As you get closer to your travel goals, you'll learn so much and develop your own way of doing things. One thing is for sure—you can apply your knowledge anywhere in the world, even if you never traveled abroad before.

Be confident in your abilities and knowledge. Your purpose should be to find what you need and thrive while walking your path.

Sign Up for GoAbroad.com’s 20 Days of Travel Inspo for a Daily Dose of Positivity

This article was contributed by Jhasmine Wade . Jhasmine is a travel and lifestyle blogger promoting personal growth and development through travel. She has traveled extensively and shares her experience on her travel & lifestyle blog, Sincerely J. Wade. In her stories, Jhasmine highlights alternative ways of living and shows the world that the lines between travel, living, and working are no longer blurred. As an HBCU graduate, Jhasmine proudly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, where she discovered her passion for writing and travel.

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I'm David Leiter , the guy behind this website. I'm an American who's been traveling the world full time for 8 years now.

I started this travel blog in 2019 to document my own international trips, share my photos, and help others learn how to travel the world and find some really good spots off the beaten path.

I'm currently based in Bali , Indonesia , where I met my wife Intan, who’s a Bali local. Now she joins me on these wild and crazy adventures too.

Together, we've done some bucket list hikes , climbed active volcanoes , seen exotic wildlife , and visited some spectacular castles , temples , and monuments around the world.

I've worked with and been featured by BBC Travel , NBC News , Time , and other companies.

I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. I hope this world travel blog can help and inspire you in your own journeys as well!

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How to travel around the world: our complete guide

Last Update: 08/04/2024 5 COMMENTS

Planning a round-the-world trip (or long-distance trip) is not necessarily a small task! It can even be scary at first! You certainly ask yourself tons of questions like:

• Is it really a good decision?
• How much does it cost to travel around the world?
• Where to start between paperwork, vaccinations, insurance, and equipment?
• What about my résumé ?
• What to do with my apartment, my stuff, my furniture?
• It all seems very complicated to me…
• Aren’t there dangerous places in South America?

Does this sound familiar to you? We reassure you right away, we asked ourselves these questions before leaving for our trip around the world ! To tell you the truth, we were a little bit lost when this project emerged… But after spending a lot of time on travel blogs and forums, we managed to gather a maximum of information to stop making excuses and to start without any worries .

With the experience of this first long-distance trip (and the others that followed 😉), we can now share with you what we would have done differently, the mistakes not to make, the equipment that we think is essential, the useful tips, etc.

So, you want to start your round-the-world trip adventure? Follow the guide!

So we have created a complete ebook that details all the important steps to plan a round-the-world trip . This ebook is a project in which we put all our heart, it is now part of “ our babies “. We hope it will help you to take the plunge and organize your world tour to make the most of this wonderful experience!

To consult the ebook, you have the choice between browsing the different pages created for each chapter (we give you the summary below) on the blog or downloading it directly in PDF format to read it quietly on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or even print it if you want!

Here is the summary of the festivities:

• Leave everything and travel
• The Itinerary
• Round-the-world Tickets
• Health and travel insurance
• Travel gear
• Checklist and schedule

Chapter 1: How to leave everything behind and travel

In this first chapter, we come back to all the reasons that push you to travel but also to the excuses that are still holding you back from quitting your job and leaving everything behind to travel around the world ! We will break down each excuse and give you solutions to solve these problems. We also discuss an important question: should you travel alone or with someone?

Chapter 2: How much does a trip around the world cost?

It’s all very well to travel, but how much does a round-the-world trip cost ? In this chapter, we detail all the expenses related to a long-distance trip. Daily budget, accommodation, insurance, vaccines, equipment, transportation, visas, bank fees, budget for the return trip… Everything is covered! So you will find all our tips to save without sacrificing everything. Yes, a round-the-world trip is within your reach!

Chapter 3: How to plan your round-the-world trip itinerary?

Now that you have the budget, you will have to plan the itinerary of your travel around the world … or not! There are two different ways of doing this… We give you all the advice and all the elements to take into account so that you can establish YOUR itinerary for this trip around the world.

Chapter 4: Travel round-the-world ticket

Here again, there are 2 choices: take your plane tickets as you go or buy a travel round-the-world ticket . In this chapter, we review the advantages and disadvantages of these special round-the-world tickets and we give you all the tips to buy your plane tickets cheaper!

Chapter 5: Travelers’ health

Health is an important point when you plan a journey around the world because you have to think about it beforehand with insurance and vaccines , but also during the trip with specific treatments (your usual medicine, anti-malaria medication) and the backpacking first aid kit , which is essential for the trip. In this section, you will find all our pieces of advice to be prepared for any eventuality during your round-the-world trip and leave serenely!

Chapter 6: The gear backpacking checklist

What equipment should I take for a world tour? How much clothing should I take? If this is your first long-distance trip, you may be wondering how to carry everything you will need for 6 months, 1 year, or more. It’s like your home that you’ll be carrying on your back for all that time, so you might as well choose each item carefully. In this chapter, we open our backpacks and give you a backpacking checklist to help you prepare your gear!

Chapter 7: Risks of traveling

Even though it has many benefits, travel still has its share of risks , and knowing about them will help you avoid or overcome them. Whether it’s about diseases , security , or encountering all kinds of bugs or ailments (homesickness, motion sickness), we go over all the risks of traveling around the world!

Chapter 8: Planning your round-the-world trip and checklist

OK, you have all the cards in hand to plan your round-the-world trip, all you have to do is to establish a checklist before the big departure ! We have established a summary schedule for you, spreading out all the preparations over 1 year before D-day .

Download our free pdf E-book!

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get a free E-book with more than 100 pages to help you prepare your trip around the world

When do you plan to leave on a round the world trip? I don't know yet In the next 3 months In the next 6 months In the next 12 months In more than a year

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Reader Interactions

5 years ago

I LOVE your site design! You have such a beautiful theme and color scheme. And the dropped anchor on the right side of the page is a nice touch! Keep up the great work and keep living your dream life!

A Word To The Wise Poem

Thanks Wayne! We’ve put a LOT of work into our website so we are glad you like it! You too keep doing your best to chase after your dreams 😉

3 years ago

I am not sure if I’d like to travel around the world, but I’d like so much to spend some months travelling in Asia. Hope to do it soon!

11 months ago

Your presentation is beautiful, fun and very practically insightful. I am right now in Bansko and am able to compare your notes with reality. You have done excellent job reporting and describing many aspects of how things are. You are fresh and inspirational. Thank you.

5 months ago

I’m almost seventy years old And still have that itching in my soul to go places and meet new people, did a lot of traveling in my life (40 countries on 4 continents)my advice to young people, is don’t let life pass you by, you only live once and after thirty, time goes by so fast and never returns

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Around the World Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

Our 27 most popular around the world trips. compare tour itineraries from 17 tour companies. 102 reviews. 5/5 avg rating., popular around the world tours.

Discover the Baltics

• Discover three Baltic states in 12 days
• Visit stunning national parks, castles and museums
• Explore the magnificent Trakai Castle
• Citizen Science departures available on this trip

Budapest to Prague Adventure

• Discover the four distinctive capital cities of Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Prague
• Enjoy a wine tasting in the charming town of Mikulov
• Walk through the castle park known as 'the garden of Europe' at Chateau Lednice

The Grand Epic of Egypt, Jordan, and Israel

• Discover the mysterious pyramids, Great Sphinx, and Kings Valley
• Cruise leisurely along the Nile from Aswan to Luxor
• View the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo and the Mosaic Map of the Holy Land
• Trace the footsteps of Jesus and explore the old and new cities of Jerusalem

Get Social: Europe Express 2024-25

• Berlin highlights drive
• Walking tour of Prague with Trip Leader
• Vienna highlights drive
• Orientation walk in Venice with Trip Leader
• Orientation walk in Paris with Trip Leader

Balkans Rail Adventure

• Visit seven countries of Former Yugoslavia in just 16 days
• Experience a variety of scenic rail journeys
• Discover contrasting landscapes and cities in this lesser visited region

Cape Town to Victoria Falls - Hotel/Lodge

• Visit Cape Town, the most exciting city in Africa
• Discover the mountainous dunes of Sossusvlei
• See the fantastic wildlife of Etosha National Park
• Visit the Okavango Panhandle and Chobe National Park
• Marvel at the mighty Victoria Falls

London to Istanbul Rail Adventure

• An iconic rail journey across Europe to the gateway of Asia
• Discover rural Serbia, from local wine producers to narrow gauge railway routes
• Take a boat trip on Europe's largest wetlands in Croatia and explore the waterways of Venice

Imperial Escape

• Budapest: Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing, panoramic view from Fishermen’s Bastion, visit Heroe’s Square
• Vienna: Guided sightseeing, visit Heldenplatz and St. Stephen’s Cathedral
• Prague: Guided sightseeing, Astronomical Clock, visit the Hradčany Castle grounds; farewell dinner at a local restaurant
• On this guided vacation of Central Europe, experience the rich history and most popular destinations without the crowds—and even better—without the high-season prices
• This Central Europe escorted tour is a magnificent journey through the former Habsburg Empire offering romantic castles, churches, villas and modern architecture, vineyards, breweries, first-class shopping, art, and culinary delights

All Around the World , expedition cruises, self guided adventures and vacation packages. Find the best guided and expert planned vacation and holiday packages. Read more about Around the World

Small Group Around the World Tours

Peru, Chile, Argentina & Brazil in 20 days - Machu Picchu, Iguazu & Capital Cities - Superior

• Santiago de Chile
• Barrio La Boca
• Buenos Aires
• Iguazu Falls, Argentinian side

Indochina in 35 days - 5 Country Southeast Asian Discovery - Superior

• Kuala Lumpur

South American Odyssey with Amazon & Peru

• Rio de janeiro : Cable-car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain and Sugar Loaf cocktail party; sightseeing with a Local Guide; visit Corcovado Mountain and the cathedral; Churrascaria dinner
• Iguassu falls : Sightseeing with a Local Guide on both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides of Iguassu National Park; Ecological Jungle Train
• Buenos aires : Walking tour; visit the Metropolitan Cathedral and Recoleta Cemetery; empanada cooking class; Tango lesson & show; visit a local estancia
• Bariloche: Sightseeing with a Local Guide; chairlift to Cerro Campanario; Andes lake crossing
• Puerto montt : Sightseeing tour

Best Around the World Tours by Duration

Tours, Cruises & Private Trips

Best Around the World Tours by Price

Top Around the World Attractions

Diverse Experiences on Around the World Tour 

• Meeting locals from several different countries and discovering wonderful similarities and differences
• Seeing whales breach from the balcony of your cruise stateroom and diving and snorkeling in vibrant coral reefs like the Great Barrier reef
• Enjoying local cuisines, exploring street food markets, and taking cooking classes to learn how to make traditional national dishes
• Wandering around many archaeological ruins and historical sites like Machu Picchu , pyramids of Giza , and the historical city of Petra
• Discovering unique cultures and taking part in traditional festivals or ceremonies like Holi or Día de Muertos 
• Hiking among different landscapes, encountering majestic wildlife on African Safaris , and taking memorable pictures
• Making lifelong friends from around the world
• Indulging in luxury around the world trips featuring traditional Japanese ryokan, floating hotels in the Maldives, or ice hotels in Sweden for a unique experience.
• Visiting all the most famous locations during a single trip with custom-planned tours around the world — No need to pick and choose!

Around the World Tours & Travel

Around the World Attractions & Landmarks Guide

World travel is truly one of the most unforgettable experiences. As you visit multiple countries and continents, you gain a deep understanding of hundreds of cultures and forge wonderful connections with people around the world.

A small ship or 'expedition' cruise is one of the most popular modes of travel for a trip around the world. Many young people opt for overland tours to see the world because of budget and the community style. They usually use a few different modes of travel like trains or buses or join small group tours to individual destinations. 

You can also design a custom round-the-world trip to suit your preferences for price, duration, accommodation, and more. Choose the countries you wish to visit and super-personalize your world tour for the activities you enjoy. 

Luxury Around the World Trips

Imagine waking up in lavish four or five-star accommodations, imbibed with unmatched comfort and elegance. Think boutique lodges nestled in scenic landscapes to high-end homestays steeped in local charm!

That's the essence of our exclusively curated around-the-world luxury tours. Choose one of our private guided world tours to explore iconic landmarks, access hidden gems, and indulge in gastronomic experiences redefining culinary pleasure. 

Raise the bar for your travel experience—personalize your world trip and enjoy unparalleled service at every stop tailored to your preferences. 

How Long Should You Go For?

A round-the-world trip typically takes longer than a week or two. Your world tour should not be much shorter than one month. 

With one month to go around the world, you'll probably stick to one broad region. Long trips are a great way to really learn the nuances and extensiveness of human and geological history and how pronounced they can be in a relatively small area. You'll also gain a unique insight into fascinating cultural similarities and differences.

Most trips around the world are a bit longer than one month, typically between two and four months. The number of countries and continents you'll visit on your world tour can vary quite a bit, mainly based on how you get from place to place and the length of excursion allotted for by the itinerary.

How Much Does a Trip Around the World Cost?

One of the benefits of traveling on a package tour around the world is the cost-cutting aspect. Typically, some of your meals will be covered, along with a good amount of transportation and almost all accommodations (this is an excellent reason to book a small ship cruise).

In addition, your tour will have many activities planned to explore the culture and history of each destination, as well as enjoy the natural beauty with hikes and other exciting outdoor ventures. These activities are not always included in the price, which can be a good thing as it allows you to join as many or as few activities as you'd like, depending on your preferences. 

Typically, airfare to and from the start city and ending city to your final destination is not included in the tour price, but after that, you can expect to save a lot in expenses.

Note that you'll be around the same group of people for a very extended period, and your ability to be flexible in each destination will be limited. If you want to stay longer or shorter, this isn't typically an option.

Planning a Trip Around the World on Your Own

Traveling around the world on your own is an entirely different ball game. Transportation and accommodation are usually challenging to budget around. Budget hotels can help; however, finding a good deal can be tiresome. Travel agents can help, but this typically comes with a premium.

Certain airlines offer special round-the-world tickets, which could be an excellent way to book an independent trip around the world if you have miles to cash in. Otherwise, you're a bit stuck with the one-way ticket route. Try booking smaller airlines and shorter flights to keep costs manageable.

Choosing your destination and activities also requires a ton of research. You could spend a hefty amount of time trying to plan this yourself.

How To Pack for a Trip Around the World?

Ironically, you will be better off packing less than more for a longer journey. As you'll be on the move, you want a lighter suitcase and backpack to deal with. It's both more comfortable to move and far easier to store.

That's one significant benefit of traveling by cruise when you go around the world: the luxury of only unpacking once and being able to do laundry on board. You can lock your stateroom, so there's no worry about theft as you roam the boat and enjoy your shore excursions.

• Winter vs Summer Weather:    Since your tour around the world is likely to cross hemisphere lines more than once, you may experience warm highs and icy lows during your trip — bring clothing that can layer easily. 
• Shoes:    Footwear can easily become a packing challenge since it can take up a lot of space in suitcases. Choose shoes according to the planned activities and terrains. Pack a versatile selection: a pair for relaxation, one for hiking, another for city strolls, and one for a more refined option. 
• Dress Like a Local:    The beauty of a trip around the world is the opportunity to visit many far-flung places with diverse cultures and ways of life. You may encounter many different cultures, some with specific dress expectations. For example, in most Middle Eastern countries, expect to dress modestly—cover shoulders and legs and keep a scarf handy for covering your head. A similar dressing is also a good rule for touring many religious establishments.

Trip Reviews

Brilliant trip.

This is a well designed trip giving an excellent overview of all three Baltic states. This not only included the capital cities but other towns and much countrysid...

Travels in the Baltics

A bit of a whirlwind tour although the three Baltic States relatively small, green and flat. I knew virtually nothing about them before I went but learned a lot ...

Great holiday

Really interesting trip made extra special by our guide Melia, whose knowledge was incredible. We were really lucky with the weather and had a really good group o...

Explore and discover the Baltics

I enjoyed discovering an area of Europe I knew little about. Visiting many areas of all 3 countries. Guide well organized and itinerary good. Only problems were T...

Three small countries with a lot of character

The Baltic countries are interesting and the old towns are charming. They have suffered a lot under various foreign rulers and are proud of their independence. The...

See all Around the World reviews

Around the World Tours FAQ

1. Does Travelstride have all the tour operators?

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How To Travel The World Cheap: 57 Epic Budget Travel Hacks for 2024!

There are lots of practices you can adopt in order to travel the world cheap . The most effective ways are to take advantage of Airmiles, exchange work for free food and accommodation, have a well researched travel plan and to be savvy with bank cards and money exchanges.

Since 2008 I’ve travelled all over the world on a fairly tight budget, often working as I go. In this guide I want to share 57 cheap travel hacks that I’ve picked up which will have you exploring the globe for less.

So, let’s get straight into it!

Transportation Travel Tips & Hacks

1. Flight booking hacks. One of the biggest initial costs when travelling is your flight ticket. So in order to travel cheap, use flight comparisons sites such as Kiwi . You may find booking directly through the airline is cheaper but always use a price comparison engine to check before you book.

Pro Tip : Make sure to clear your cookies and browsing history to avoid price increases. By searching for flights you are signalling to the world that you are looking to buy, so prices will then increase daily in order to get you to panic buy. Delete cookies or browse in incognito mode to avoid this. @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter&family=Inter:wght@500&family=Noto+Serif&family=Noto+Serif:wght@500&display=swap'); .tp_wrapper { font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif; /* the font, can be replaced with 'Noto Serif' */ max-width: 1024px; } .tp_content { background-color: #DEE9F0; /* main block background color */ padding: 24px 32px 32px; } .tp_subtitle { margin: 0 0 16px; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 500; } .tp_text { font-size: 17px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 145%; margin: 0; } .tp_button { display: inline-block; background: #2A243B; border-radius: 6px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; color: #fff; font-size: 20px; margin-top: 24px; padding: 12px 32px; text-decoration: none; }

2. Try changing the home location of flight booking websites to see if purchasing in another currency is cheaper.

3. One of the cheapest ways to travel is through offering to get bumped off a flight in exchange for a flight voucher. These can be seriously rewarding! Companies will regularly overbook flights on the assumption that people will cancel or not show up. On those times when this doesn’t happen the airlines need to free up seats quick, and that’s where you step in!

4. For short trips choose carry on only or if you need to check baggage, pay for it online before you travel. Airlines will often charge more at the airport.

5. Save on rail travel costs by using railcards. I saved a ton through using the Japan Rail Pass during one visit, however they only save money if you use them to the full so do the research first.  Also consider using overnight trains to save on accommodation costs. This works great in some countries such as India and is an awesome local experience too.

6. If you feel comfortable, consider hitchhiking. Alternatively, connect with other travellers at your hostel to carpool.

7. If you have a flexible plan, investigate relocating vehicles to get free or discounted car hire.

Consider renting a car with Rentalcars , an international car rental booking service that is present all over the world. With Rentalcars you will definitely find a perfect car for your perfect trip wherever you are.

8. When travelling for long periods save money through walking or using buses, instead of using expensive taxis. Use ride sharing apps such as Uber, Lyft, Cabify and Grab. Uber opened the door for cheap car journeys but now there are lots of different companies operating all over the world. Research which ones are best for the areas you’re traveling too and download the app before you go.

9. One of the biggest ways to traveling on the cheap by far, is to use an Airmiles credit card. Every time you spend money with that credit card you will be earning Airmile points which can be exchanged for flights. Just remember to always pay off your credit card every month to avoid high interest fees.

10. Create frequent flyer accounts with every airline you travel with then sit back and enjoy the rewards.

11. A top sneaky travel hack is to jump on airline price errors. Sometimes airfares can pop up at crazy low prices, often caused by a glitch in the Matrix (or something!). If you manage to purchase one of these flights the airline will often honour the incorrect price. Act fast and take advantage of these opportunities by following these ninja websites:

• Secret flying.com
• Jacks Flight Club (UK) or Scott’s Cheap Flights (US)
• The Flight Deal

12. Pack light and smart to avoid excess baggage fees. Roll your clothes or use packing cubes to save on space.

13. Take advantage of layovers to enjoy a quick city visit without any extra flight costs.

14. Try booking two one-way trips rather than a return. I’ve had success with this on flights and rail trips.

15. Keep receipts for gift purchases and claim back the tax at the airport before you leave the country.

16. Travel by campervan. If you’re looking to explore your own country (or continent), consider buying a campervan to combine your method of transportation with your accommodation. My campervan has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made and I can highly recommend it. For all the latest info on converting your own campervan check out my van life section .

Accommodation Travel Hacks

17. Get cheap or free accommodation through housesitting . With housesitting you will generally look after the persons house whilst they are away. Many housesitting jobs often include pet sitting.

18. Get free accommodation and learn all about life from a local through couch surfing .

19. Pick accommodation with free breakfast to save on food costs.

20. Choose private hostel rooms instead of more expensive hotels.

🏨 Where can I find the cheapest hostels?

You will definitely find the hostel you need with Hostelworld , the global hostel-focused online booking platform, inspires passionate travelers to see the world, meet new people, and come back with extraordinary stories to tell.

21. Use booking.com ‘s price matching promise to get the best price on hotels.

22. Travelling on a special occasion? Be sure to let your hotel know and they might offer you a free upgrade.

Work Abroad

23. Exchange work for accommodation and/or food with companies such as Workaway or World packers. Or, if you want to learn about organic growing, check out WWOOF .

24. Earn a passive income to support yourself whilst travelling. There are so many ways to get a side hustle going these days but some examples include;

• Selling your photos on stock photography websites such as Dreamstime or Shutterstock.
• Starting a website. Make sure you use a fast and reliable host. For my websites I use Siteground .
• Selling your photos directly with a website that does it all for you. I use Smugmug .
• Teaching English online.

25. Join a voluntary programme abroad for example VSO. Many volunteer programmes charge a fee and in return they will provide accommodation, food and training. There are volunteer programmes all over the world in all sorts of different professions. For example, I joined the American Conservation Experience as I was interested in conservation and wanted to explore the South West . Here are some other ideas to explore .

26. Work in a travel job, for example as a tour guide with Contiki, Exodus or Backroads. For adventure travel consider life as an Overland Leader. I’ve worked as an overland leader for severn years and have travelled extensively through Asia, Africa and the Americas. Read more about this job here . If you have a particular trade you can also work on cruise ships or private yachts.

27. Work abroad with a work visa. Below the age of 30 work visas for many countries are quite straight forward to get. Whilst in that country you can then pick up temporary work which is usually unskilled, such as fruit picking, retail or a bar work.

After a certain age, usually 30, some countries will still allow you to work but will require work visas for specific professions, for example as a ski instructor or scuba dive instructor.

Alternatively you could get your TEFL certificate and teach English abroad. This can also be done remotely, online.

28. Do your job online. Can your work be done remotely? Post Covid it seems like more companies are exploring this as a full time option so this could open new avenues for many. If you have a service that can be provided online you could also offer your services on Craigslist or Fivrr. 

Destination Tips For Budget Travel

29. A cheap way to travel is to visit destinations where your home currency is strong. You’ll benefit from a strong exchange rate and from cheaper costs of living.

30. Whilst you’re on a tight budget, skip destinations with expensive visas.

31. Stick to one region at a time to avoid air travel costs. When I first went travelling I booked a round the world air ticket thinking I could see the world in 6 months. Boy did I have a lot to learn! Pick one region to fully explore first before moving onto the next. Don’t do what I did and be in a hurry to see everything all at once.

32. Travel during the shoulder season to benefit from lower costs and avoid the crowds at the same time – double win!

Food Travel Hacks To Save Money

33. Cook your own food. One of the best ways to travel around the world for cheap is to limit the amount you spend of food. Now don’t get me wrong I am a complete foodie and believe one of the best things about travelling is experiencing new types of cuisine. However, eating new types of food doesn’t mean going to the most expensive restaurants, in fact it’s often the opposite. But travelling on a limited budget does mean it’s not possible to eat out everyday since the cheapest way to eat often involves cooking your own food. Therefore choose accommodation with kitchens included such as hostels or rent an apartment.

34. Jump on happy hours and all you can eat deals.

35. Eat out at delicious and cheap street food stalls with the locals.

36. Avoid restaurants near popular tourist spots as these will often be overpriced.

37. Limit your alcohol if you have a limited budget.  Alcohol is often expensive and isn’t a necessity.

38. Use a filtered water bottle and never buy water again. Check out this guide to discover which filtered water bottle I recommend for travel .

39. Stealth budget travel hack: Use chewing gum or tic tac containers to transport your favourite spices. Cheap food doesn’t have to be bland!

Planning Tips For How To Travel On The Cheap

40. Set a budget and stick to it. But be sure to include a generous contingency to allow for times when things don’t go to plan or to cover a once in a lifetime opportunity if it arrises. 

41. If you are travelling on a tight budget you need to make a plan before you leave. List your priorities before you set off and refer to the list once you’re on the road. That way you won’t get sucked into doing expensive tours that you weren’t interested in anyway. Check out Google Maps Trip Planner for a great free trip planning tool.

42. Research whether activities you want to enjoy are cheaper to book in advance or are best left open and flexible. Last minute trips can sometimes work out cheaper.

43. If you don’t want the hassle of planning a trip use a travel agent. They know what they’re doing and can often find you the best deals.

44. Get smart and savvy with city tourist cards which provide entrance fees for multiple sites. If you know you’re going to visit all the top sites these will definitely save you money overall. 

45. Enjoy free city walking tours. I’ve enjoyed great free city tours in Galway and Yerevan to name just two. But of course they’re not completely free – don’t forget to tip!

46. Research entrance prices beforehand to avoid getting scammed. However, just be aware of what the local currency is doing as prices can jump up if a currency weakens.

47. Follow your favourite travel companies on social media to learn about special promotions or giveaways.

Money Top Tips For Traveling Cheap

48. Get smart on money Exchange. Never change money at the airport or at busy tourist spots as these will have the worst rates. Hotels or hostels may also offer exchanges which again typically aren’t the best rates but they are safe and convenient so way up the risks/benefits of both.

49. An easy but important cheap way to travel is to use a travel card or join a bank with no overseas fees. This way you can hit the ATM without getting hit with overseas withdrawal fees. I use Starling Bank which is an online bank. All of my transactions are managed online via an app. Also, if purchasing online, they don’t charge for overseas transactions and have decent exchange rates.

50. Haggle but don’t be a d**k! Some cultures embrace bartering, expect it even, but these local people also have to support themselves so don’t be the person that walks away from a purchase for the sake of a dollar! 

51. Use donatefull.com or groupon.com to find best coupons or use wikibuy to apply coupon codes at checkout.

52. A top life hack for travelling is to purchase a Scrubba bag and save on laundry bills. This nifty little bag packs down really small so doesn’t take up any room in your luggage and with just a 3 minute shake, can wash your clothes as good as any washing machine!

53. Keep rechargeable batteries in the fridge or at least in shady places. Rechargeable batteries retain 90% of their full charge if they’re kept cold. Not freezer cold though as this will have the opposite effect.

Phone and Internet

54. Get a local sim card and avoid hefty roaming fees. In some countries these can be a rather involved process but for most it’s quite straight forward. You often need your passport to register the sim card.

55. Use offline maps to save data. I use maps.me for most places when I’m travelling.

56. Consider investing in your own wifi router if you require a good connection. In our campervan we use this super fast Huawei wifi travel hotspot which allows us to connect multiple devices in areas where signal is typically poor.

Travel Insurance

57. Last but by no means least, get yourself some good travel insurance. Travel insurance can be expensive for long trips but you just never know when you might need it. The world of insurance can be a minefield but the guys at SafetyWing do great deals for long term travel through allowing you pay on a month by month basis. I highly recommend checking them out.

Summary On How To Travel The World Cheaply

Travelling around the world cheaply can do be done in many ways but it often requires a good amount of planning in advance. Be prepared for your trip through investigating the best deals, signing up for Airmile credit cards and joining frequent flyer programmes. Consider exchanging work for accommodation and reduce food costs through cooking your own food. Ensure you have the best bank cards to avoid big transaction fees, choose destinations where your currency is strong and use local Sim cards for the best phone and internet deals.

Through incorporating even just a few of these cheap travel tips you’ll be well on your way to exploring further, for longer 🙂

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Louise is an Adventure Tour Guide & Mountain Leader from South Wales. Through working as a tour guide and snowboard instructor, she has spent the last 15 years travelling Asia, Africa and the Americas. Louise is a published photographer and is currently based in the UK.

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Childish Gambino announces 'The New World Tour': See full list of dates

Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover , has announced a world tour that will cover North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The North American leg of the tour, called "The New World Tour," will feature 33 dates and will begin in Oklahoma City on Aug. 11. The final stop on the leg will be in Chicago on Oct. 3.

The European leg of the tour kicks off Oct. 31 in Lyon, France and ends Dec. 5 in Dublin, Ireland, and will feature 18 stops across the continent. The Australia and New Zealand portion kicks off on Jan. 28, 2025 and wraps up on Feb. 11, 2025.

Alongside the world tour, Gambino also surprised fans with the release of " Atavista ," a new version of his 2020 album " 3.15.20 ," which includes two new tracks, titled "Atavista" and "Human Sacrifice."

Here's a full list of dates for Gambino's "The New World Tour ," including ticket information.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

'The New World Tour' North America 2024 dates

• Sun Aug 11 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center *  
• Mon Aug 12 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center *
• Wed Aug 14 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum *
• Thu Aug 15 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center *
• Sat Aug 17 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena *
• Sun Aug 18 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *
• Tue Aug 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena *
• Wed Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center *
• Fri Aug 23 – Boston, MA – TD Garden *
• Sat Aug 24 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena *
• Mon Aug 26 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center *
• Tue Aug 27 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center *   
• Thu Aug 29 – Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena *
• Fri Aug 30 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena *
• Sun Sep 1 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena *
• Mon Sep 2 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena *
• Wed Sep 4 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena *
• Thu Sep 5 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena *
• Sat Sep 7 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center *
• Sun Sep 8 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center *
• Tue Sep 10 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *
• Wed Sep 11 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center *
• Fri Sep 13 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena *
• Sat Sep 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center *
• Mon Sep 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center *
• Wed Sep 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena *
• Thu Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena *                      
• Sat Sep 21 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center *
• Mon Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena *
• Tue Sep 24 – Portland, OR – Moda Center *
• Wed Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena *
• Fri Sep 27 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome *
• Sun Sep 29 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place *
• Wed Oct 2 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center *
• Thu Oct 3  – Chicago, IL – United Center *

'The New World Tour' Europe/UK 2024 dates

• Thu, Oct 31  –  Lyon, FR  –  LDLC Arena #
• Sat, Nov 2  –  Milan, IT  –  Unipol Forum #
• Mon, Nov 4  –  Cologne, DE  –  Lanxess Arena #
• Wed, Nov 6 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena #
• Fri, Nov 8 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum #
• Sun, Nov 10 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena #
• Tue, Nov 12 – Prague, CZ – O2 arena #
• Wed, Nov 13 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena #
• Tue, Nov 19 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena #
• Thu, Nov 21 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle #
• Sat, Nov 23 – Brussels, BE – ING Arena #
• Sun, Nov 24 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome #
• Tue, Nov 26 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena #
• Thu, Nov 28 – Glasgow, UK  –  OVO Hydro #
• Sat, Nov 30 – London, UK – The O2 #
• Sun, Dec 1 – London, UK – The O2 #
• Tue, Dec 3 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena #
• Thu, Dec 5 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena #

'The New World Tour' Australia 2025 dates

• Tue, Jan 28 – Auckland, NZ –Spark Arena #
• Sat, Feb 1 – Brisbane, QLD – Brisbane Entertainment Centre #
• Tue, Feb 4 – Sydney, NSW – Qudos Bank Arena #
• Wed, Feb 7 – Melbourne, VIC – Rod Laver Arena #
• Sat, Feb 11 – Perth, WA– RAC Arena #

Support key

• * with WILLOW
• # With Aamarae

Childish Gambino world tour ticket info

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, May 17 at 10 a.m. local time at thenewworldtour.com . Fans can also sign up for early access to tickets via the artist presale for all tour dates at thenewworldtour.com.

American Express card members can purchase tickets before the general public for North American, Australian and select UK dates. Presale start and end times will vary by market.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].

How To Buy Tickets For Childish Gambino’s ‘The New World Tour’

It’s happening: After teasing The New World Tour last month , Donald Glover has officially announced the new Childish Gambino tour. It kicks off this summer, so here’s what to know about getting tickets.

Tickets go on sale starting May 17 at 10 a.m. local time. There’s also an artist pre-sale fans can sign up for as well as an American Express pre-sale as well for North American, Australian, and select UK dates. The start times of pre-sales very depending on the location, so learn more information about tickets on the tour website .

Find the full list of tour dates below.

Childish Gambino 2024 & 2025 Tour Dates: The New World Tour

08/11/2024 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center * 08/12/2024 — Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center * 08/14/2024 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum * 08/15/2024 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center * 08/17/2024 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena * 08/18/2024 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena * 08/20/2024 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena * 08/21/2024 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center * 08/23/2024 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden * 08/24/2024 — Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Arena * 08/26/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center * 08/27/2024 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center * 08/29/2024 — Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena * 08/30/2024 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena * 09/01/2024 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena * 09/02/2024 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena * 09/04/2024 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena * 09/05/2024 — Sunrise, FL @ Amerant Bank Arena * 09/07/2024 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center * 09/08/2024 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center * 09/10/2024 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center * 09/11/2024 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center * 09/13/2024 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena * 09/14/2024 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center * 09/16/2024 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center * 09/18/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena * 09/19/2024 — Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena * 09/21/2024 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center * 09/23/2024 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena * 09/24/2024 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center * 09/25/2024 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena * 09/27/2024 — Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome * 09/29/2024 — Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place * 10/02/2024 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center * 10/03/2024 — Chicago, IL @ United Center * 10/31/2024 — Lyon, FR @ LDLC Arena # 11/02/2024 — Milan, IT @ Unipol Forum # 11/04/2024 — Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Arena # 11/06/2024 — Hamburg, DE @ Barclays Arena # 11/08/2024 — Oslo, NO @ Oslo Spektrum # 11/10/2024 — Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena # 11/12/2024 — Prague, CZ @ O2 arena # 11/13/2024 — Berlin, DE @ Uber Arena # 11/19/2024 — Paris, FR @ Accor Arena # 11/21/2024 — Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle # 11/23/2024 — Brussels, BE @ ING Arena # 11/24/2024 — Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome # 11/26/2024 — Manchester, UK @ AO Arena # 11/28/2024 — Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro # 11/30/2024 — London, UK @ The O2 # 12/01/2024 — London, UK @ The O2 # 12/03/2024 — Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena # 12/05/2024 — Dublin, IE @ 3Arena # 01/28/2025 — Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena # 02/01/2025 — Brisbane, QLD @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre # 02/04/2025 — Sydney, NSW @ Qudos Bank Arena # 02/07/2025 — Melbourne, VIC @ Rod Laver Arena # 02/11/2025 — Perth, WA @ RAC Arena #

* with Willow # with Amaarae

AI Impact Tour: How companies are going from ideation to real-world implementation

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The VentureBeat AI Impact tour made a stop in San Francisco, and this time the conversations dove into the real world applications of generative AI, and what it actually takes to deploy a gen AI initiative. Matt Marshall, CEO of VentureBeat, pushed past the hype to get serious about gen AI deployment with keynote speaker Ed Anuff, DataStax’s chief product officer, as well as Nicole Kaufman, chief transformation officer at Genesis Health and Tisson Matthew, CEO of Skypoint.

The conversation is crucial as enterprises graduate from the experimental, ideation phase that characterized the last year of generative AI excitement. They’re moving beyond testing out the possibilities of ChatGPT and natural language interfaces in general, and starting to answer the important question:  how do we take that power and integrate it with our own business-critical data — and then how do you put it into production?

“What we’re seeing is an AI maturity model emerging that shows that companies are moving from one-off projects that are primarily about getting a few quick wins and educating the company about the potential,” Anuff said. “You are seeing critical AI business initiatives where typically there’s a business champion going and saying, how do we deploy AI in a critical, high-visibility, high-impact way? That usually takes a little bit more time, but the payoffs are there and those are where the transformative aspects will happen.”

Gen AI is useful for a large number of use cases, spanning from back office to front office, to a public website, to mobile. And organizations may still be using terms like “chatbots” or “conversational interface,” but at the end of the what they’re building is a knowledge app — figuring out how to retrieve knowledge interactively in a situation-appropriate setting. The question becomes whether to do it in-house, or use one of the increasing number of off-the-shelf products.

Pre-production considerations

For applications like customer support or financial analysis, many companies want to leverage gen AI to set up an application that can generate results from internal data or reports, Anuff said.

“Those types of applications, depending on how much data you have, depending on the nature of the customized interface, you may use something that’s off-the-shelf,” he said. “There are solutions from Amazon and others that simply provide you with a way to upload a bunch of documents and have the chatbot respond against. And that’s a very good way of getting an out-of-the-box experience in a very short amount of time.”

But as you move from back office, small teams applications to addressing use cases that are critical to your core business activities, especially those that are external-facing, off-the-shelf no longer works, such as in use cases that require a lot of customized data curation. Anuff pointed to healthcare applications, connecting the gen AI interface to data sources so it can respond in real time as information changes or is updated — such as patient readings in a hospital setting, and so on. Anuff also spoke about the AI agents many Asia-Pac financial institutions are deploying, with chat financial planning directly accessible from financial statements.

“That’s not something you get out-of-the-box,” he said. “That is a custom bespoke AI RAG (retrieval augmented generation) application that is against your core data assets. if you’re a HomeDepot or Best Buy, you don’t build your website on WIX. You’ve got thousands of web engineers that are building a custom tailored experience because it’s core to your brand and your core business activities.”

Calculating readiness and cost

As enterprises move past the ideation stage they start to run into two primary issues, Anuff said.

“First is relevancy, which for many of us dealing with data is somewhat of a new parameter and a new measure, which is just how appropriate are these responses?” he explained. “A lot of it is just relevancy and retrieval issues, inefficiencies or just retrieving the wrong content. And a lot of companies struggle with that. That ends up going and forcing you to rethink in many cases your entire data architecture.”

And that, in large part, impacts the second piece, which is cost. It’s already expensive to find a way to surface relevant and clean results — next you need to determine how much more production will cost.

“As we talk with folks, that’s a really good way of calibrating realistically how close they are to production,” he explained. “If people are still at the stage where they’re struggling with relevancy, we know that they’ve made it past the initial architecture pieces. On the other hand, the production costs, these things do tend to go hand in hand. These are the two big bookends.”

Hallucinations, data and the importance of RAG

The term “hallucinations” gets used whenever a response turns up that seems wrong. It’s good as a colloquial term, but not all bugs and lack of relevance from an AI system are, in fact, hallucination — it could in fact simply be an error in the training set. Hallucinations happen when an LLM uses its training data as a launch pad to start making assumptions and speculations, and responses start to get a bit fuzzy. But there are ways around that, Anuff said, and part of that comes from RAG.

RAG is a natural language processing (NLP) process that merges AI based on knowledge retrieval with generative AI. RAG can also process and consolidate data from an internal knowledge base to return answers that are context-aware, in natural language, rather than just summarizing.

“[A large language] model is good for two things. One, it has an amazing language factor in terms of understanding what you said and what you meant,” Anuff said. “The second piece is it is also a knowledge base. How much of its own knowledge it uses is something that the programmer decides. You tell the model, limit your response that you generate to this information I provided as much as possible. You’re doing something called grounding. And what that means is that the chances of hallucination are reduced significantly because the model is not running off on a tangent. It’s essentially using the language faculty of the model to reorganize the content that it already had. This is why RAG and the variance of RAG has become such a powerful piece for reducing hallucinations.”

The second and more important reason RAG is critical is because it’s how you get your real-time company data accurately, safely and securely into the model at the time of inference, he added.

“There are other techniques of getting your data in there, but they’re not safe, they’re not real-time, they’re not secure,” he said. “So that’s why you are going to see this model database coupling for a long time to come, whether we call it RAG or not.”

106th PGA Championship: How to watch all the action from Valhalla Golf Club

No. 9, Twin Spires: The tee shot at this uphill par 4 is challenged by three fairway bunkers along the right side and two more left. The uphill approach makes judging the yardage difficult, exaggerated by the presence of one of the largest and deepest bunkers on the course just right of the green.The green itself is one of the most undulating on the entire golf course. (Source: PGA of America)

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The 106th PGA Championship is here and it comes with a boatload of major-calibur storylines: World No. 2 Rory McIlroy comes to Valhalla the same way he did in 2014 – off a win. The 2014 PGA winner at Valhalla, McIlroy has won his last two TOUR starts (alongside Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship) and now looks to break a decade-long drought without a major title.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler is expected to be in the field after the world No. 1 sat out the last few weeks ahead of the birth of his first child with wife Meredith. Tiger Woods, who won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla and has three Wanamaker Trophies in his collection, also returns to action for the first time since he made the cut at the Masters. Jordan Spieth eyes the career Grand Slam for the seventh time, while Xander Schauffele leads the pack of notables eyeing their first major title, an illustrious group that includes Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau and Max Homa – to name a few.

HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):

Editor's note: The PGA of America, which owns and operates the PGA Championship, controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. PGA TOUR LIVE coverage will resume next week at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Television :

• Thursday: 7 a.m.-noon (ESPN+), noon-8 p.m. (ESPN)
• Friday: 7 a.m.-noon (ESPN+), noon-7 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday-Sunday: 8-10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (ESPN), 1-7 p.m. (CBS).
• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m
• Saturday-Sunday: 2-7 p.m. (SiriusXM)
• More information on International YouTube streaming of the 2024 PGA Championship will be available during tournament week.

Click here for full How to Watch details via the PGA of America.

Must reads:

The First Look: PGA Championship

For Rory McIlroy, it's been a decade of glory and anguish

PGA Championship course notes: What’s different from 2014 at Valhalla?

Nine things to know: All about Valhalla Golf Club

Michael Block ready for PGA Championship spotlight one year after everything changed

Jordan Spieth gets another Grand Slam shot, but hardly anyone is talking about it

Rory McIlroy is ‘back’ after dominant Wells Fargo performance

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Donald glover announces first childish gambino world tour since 2019.

The rapper is heading back on the road in support of the newly released reworked version of his 2020 album, now titled 'Atavista.'

By Tatiana Tenreyro

Tatiana Tenreyro

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Donald Glover is heading out on a world tour in support of his reworked version of his 2020 Childish Gambino album 3.15.20 , now titled Atavista .

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The world tour announcement coincides with the surprise release of Atavista on Monday, after previously teasing that the updated album was coming . Glover announced Atavista ‘s release on social media at midnight, writing, “ATAVISTA is streaming now. This album is the finished version of ‘3.15.20’, the album i put out 4 years ago.”

In addition to announcing the LP, Glover wrote that there’s a “special vinyl” coming soon with “visuals for each song.”

The rapper also shared a video for “Little Foot, Big Foot,” his collaborative track with Young Nudy for the album.

In the video, Quinta Brunson plays a jazz club owner who advises Glover’s fictional doo-wop trio Johnny and the Pipes to not make eye contact with the front row, “as they will take it as a challenge.” The 1920s-inspired clip turns to present day for Young Nudy’s part, as the rapper sits beside a miniature set of the jazz club under a starry sky.

More than a month before Atavista ‘s release, Glover shared the tracklist for the album on an Instagram Story, introducing the names of the previously untitled songs. The record includes collaborations with Ariana Grande, 21 Savage and Summer Walker, among others.

During an Instagram Gilga Radio livestream back in April, Glover shared that the rerelease of 3.15.20 as Atavista (which was the title he originally wanted for the 2020 record) would be one of two final albums under the moniker of Childish Gambino .

The other album underway is Bando Stone & the New World , which will serve as the soundtrack for Glover’s film of the same name. Though he hasn’t given an official date for the final LP, he mentioned during the livestream and the Atavista release announcement that Bando Stone & the New World is slated to arrive this summer.

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Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, going on 'New World Tour,' including Milwaukee stop

Grammy-winning rapper and singer Childish Gambino — also known as actor, writer and director Donald Glover — has been teasing a summer tour.

On Monday, he made it official — and it includes a Milwaukee stop.

Gambino's "The New World Tour" — which will take him across North America, Europe and Australia — will include a Fiserv Forum show on Aug. 14 with special guest Willow, singer-songwriter and daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The tour announcement came after Gambino surprise-dropped his latest album "Atavista" early Monday morning, the finished version of an album previously known as "3.15.20" that came out in 2020, while also saying on X (formerly Twitter) that an all-new Childish Gambino album will come out this summer. On Monday, Gambino also released a new music video for "Little Foot Big Foot" directed by frequent collaborator Hiro Murai.

The Milwaukee show will be the first Childish Gambino concert in Milwaukee in a decade, following a 2014 show at the Rave's Eagles Ballroom. (Although Glover hasn't completely forgotten about Milwaukee, or that venue; the Rave got a mention in an episode of "Atlanta" in 2022. )

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Since that concert, Glover's become a sensation in multiple fields — from his acclaimed Emmy-winning FX series "Atlanta," which he created, wrote for and starred in; to co-creating the Amazon series "Swarm"; to starring roles in "The Lion King," "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and, most recently, Prime Video series "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"; to winning five Grammys, including song and record of the year for "This Is America" in 2019.

Tickets for Gambino's Milwaukee concert go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the box office (1111 N. Phillips Ave.) and fiservforum.com . Fans can sign up for presale access at thenewworldtour.com , and American Express card members can purchase tickets early beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Prices have yet to be announced.

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What to Know About Xi Jinping’s Trip to Europe

The Chinese president this week will be visiting France, Serbia and Hungary. His trip comes at a time of tensions with many European countries over trade and accusations of Chinese espionage.

By Emma Bubola

This week, for the first time in five years, President Xi Jinping of China is visiting Europe, with stops in France, Serbia and Hungary.

Mr. Xi’s trip comes at a time of tensions with many European countries over China’s support for Russia in the face of its war in Ukraine, its trade practices and its apparent espionage activities . The trip will also test Europe’s delicate balancing act between China and the United States.

Mr. Xi hopes to head off a trade war with the European Union as frictions rise over exports of Chinese electric vehicles and diminished market access for European companies in China. Mr. Xi will also encourage President Emmanuel Macron of France to pursue greater autonomy from the United States in a bid to weaken Washington’s global dominance.

Here is what we know about Mr. Xi’s trip, which began Sunday.

What is the significance of Mr. Xi’s itinerary?

The three countries Mr. Xi will be visiting, experts say , to varying degrees embrace China’s push for a redefined global order. All have to some extent questioned America’s postwar ordering of the world, and are eager to bolster ties with Beijing.

Hungary has close ties to China and is keen to attract Chinese investments in areas like electric car and battery manufacturing as Chinese producers expand beyond Asia. Serbia, too, has warm relations with Beijing and has secured billions of dollars in Chinese investment.

Mr. Xi’s first stop is France, where Mr. Macron recently said that Europe “must never be a vassal of the United States,” and has cast France as a bridge between the “Global South” and Western powers.

Despite his courting of Beijing, Mr. Macron has said he is still closer to its ally, the United States, than to China.

“I prefer to choose my relationship with the United States, with China, rather than have it imposed on me by one of the two parties, either pushing me in one direction or pulling me in the other,” he said in an interview with The Economist magazine. But, he added: “Very clearly, we are not equidistant. We are allies of the Americans.”

Before Mr. Xi’s visit, Chinese diplomats expressed hopes that ties between France and China would be at the forefront of China’s relations with the West .

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive branch, joined talks on Monday with Mr. Xi and Mr. Macron in Paris.

This year is also a symbolic one for China and the three countries.

It is the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and the 75th of those with Hungary.

This year is also the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, during the Kosovo war, which killed three Chinese journalists and set off angry protests at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Chinese authorities have continued to point to the bombing as a sign of NATO aggression and an example of why Russia was justified in feeling threatened before it decided to invade Ukraine.

When was the last time Mr. Xi visited Europe?

Mr. Xi’s last European visit was in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, which he spent hunkered down in China, leaving the country’s borders for the first time in the fall of 2022 .

The 2019 trip included a flashy ceremony in Rome to celebrate Italy’s participation in China’s Belt and Road global infrastructure project, which is aimed at expanding China’s influence abroad. France rolled out the red carpet for Mr. Xi in Paris and signed more than a dozen commercial and governmental treaties worth billions of euros, even as Mr. Macron warned that “China plays on our divisions” and that “the period of European naïveté is over.”

Mr. Xi also visited Greece , where he pledged his support to the country in its struggle with Britain to obtain the Parthenon sculptures known as the Elgin Marbles .

How is the relationship between Europe and China?

Since Mr. Xi’s last visit, there has been a widening rift in the relationship between China and much of Europe. The coronavirus pandemic , Beijing’s embrace of Russia and its repression of ethnic minorities, and a surge in Chinese exports have generated backlashes against China in many European countries.

China has quintupled car shipments to foreign markets in recent years, and the European Union has recently adopted a more confrontational tone over China’s trade practices. E.U. authorities have opened an investigation that could result in limits on Chinese solar exports, and have taken preliminary steps toward restricting trade with Chinese goods that include electric cars, wind turbines and medical devices.

Italy has also told China that it would no longer participate in its Belt and Road Initiative, and last month, six people in Europe were charged with spying for China in the span of a week, in a sign that European countries are stepping up their response to Chinese espionage.

At the same time, European nations vary in their views on how to engage with Beijing and benefit from economic opportunities there, and some are fearful of any imposition of European tariffs.

Mr. Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany also think that China’s leverage will be critical in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine.

David Pierson contributed reporting from Hong Kong, and Aurelien Breeden from Paris.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in London, covering news across Europe and around the world. More about Emma Bubola