
How to travel around the world for a year (2011) - hpagey
http://alexmaccaw.com/posts/how_to_travel_around_the_world
======
nikcub
I've taken 4 gap years, where I would travel the world for a year, in the last
14 years of my career since leaving High School. It is the best thing I have
ever done. I would thoroughly recommend it to everybody - after high school,
between jobs, etc.

Go travel for a year, discover the world, discover yourself, discover
interesting people

My only tip would be to not cross too much of the globe at the same time. Let
one part of the world sink in for a good few months.

I don't like the type of tourism where you rush to one tourist destination,
take a photo of said landmark, and then rush to the next. All the while you
are surrounded by people who are the same as you. I prefer sinking into
cities. It doesn't even have to be off the beaten track, most times the local
sites are mere meters from the tourist sites (this is true in Sydney and
London).

For eg. I spent 12 months in Eastern Europe and ended up getting citizenship
in Bosnia (via ancestry) and got to really, really know the place - to the
point of having long-term friends, paying for things as a local, voting in
elections, telling people to keep quiet when the news comes on, playing cards,
smoking (still got it), drinking (stopped that one) etc. There are a lot of
things you don't pick up when you spend 2-3 days, or a week there.

I used that experience to travel out to the rest of East Europe, and I knew my
way around much better because of it (I got out of being arrested in Hungary
on visa violations by bribing my way out to a guard who could speak Serbian).

I have now done Asia, although only parts of it and lived in London for years
- part of that was a 6-month gap where I travelled Western Europe. I lived in
South Africa and have been through a lot of Africa. Same with North America. I
would next like to go and stay in either Argentina or in China.

As for planning, I try not to plan anything. My first 'gap year' started as a
one month summer holiday to visit family. I didn't return to Australia until
10 years later. The only thing you gotta get good at is opening multiple bank
accounts and backups and moving money between banks and knowing how hard/easy
it is between different countries. Usually you can't beat cash.

~~~
Zaheer
How would the finances for travels like this work? I'd love to travel after
college and take a year off at a time between jobs etc, but just wondering how
financially feasible this is. Do you work while travelling? And if so what
type of work?

~~~
joeguilmette
I work/travel 50% of the time. In 6 months I earn around $30-40k, and in that
time can save around $15-25k. I am spendthrift and buy whatever want. I also
return lots of merchandise (just "rented" an Xbox for my last month of work).
I usually don't buy anything that:

-Can't fit in a backpack

-Isn't returnable

-Isn't either the cheapest option or the best option

This doesn't have much to do with travel finances, but I usually either buy
the best/smallest/lightest or the cheapest/most disposable.

For example, I have $200 earbuds, a $40 safety razor (that takes 5¢ blades), a
few pairs for $70 merino wool tshirts, a store bought $700 unlocked iPhone,
but for shoes I have a pair of flip flops and an $8 pair of shoes that are
getting thrown away on my flight out of the country. I buy $1000, 20 year old
cars and sell them at a loss when I leave the country.

The totality of what I own and keep is around $5000 worth of stuff that all
fits into a 40L backpack and a largish box that I mail to and from my family's
house when I'm going to be working. The box has winter clothes, work equipment
and outdoor gear, as I like to go backcountry camping here in the US. The
$5000 includes my laptop ('11 MBA) and about $2000 of top shelf camping gear.

My gf and I have been together for a few years. She works full time min wage
jobs to keep busy while I work. I support her while working and traveling. In
6 months of balls out travel in 3rd world countries we spend around $10-15k
including everything.

I _love_ this lifestyle and at this point get anxiety at the thought of
staying on one place longer than 5 months.

When traveling I usually stay in each destination from 1-4 weeks. So in 6
months we'll usually see around 15-20 different places and get to know them
reasonably well.

We generally make zero plans besides those broad and vague: ie "lets go to
Mexico and then Cuba, and then maybe South America or Central America" or
"let's go to the beach. how about Southeast Asia?"

Everyone needs to do this.

~~~
Zaheer
Amazing lifestyle!! Thanks for the detailed response!

------
grecy
I spent only $27k in two years driving from Alaska to Argentina.[1] It was an
absolutely like changing experience.

For anyone interested in this kind of self directed travel Overland, checkout
WikiOverland[2] for all the information you'll need

[1]<http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure>

[2]<http://wikioverland.org>

------
orofino
Like the article. Some excellent advice however, I'd like to add a couple
things. First, some background - my wife and I have been on the road for 6
months through South America and splurged on a trip to Antarctica. We're
moving to Europe tomorrow.

Organizing Flights: Cheap flights abound and we've travelled almost only by
bus once on a continent. Bus is cheap, I can't say that I find it particularly
enjoyable. I'd argue against the RTW ticket, it seem superfluous. I just
booked tickets 2 days ago from Buenos Aires to Rome for $940, I like the price
and flexibility.

Packing: Smaller is better, to a point. My wife and I have 40L packs, I'd
recommend 45L or 50L. If you travel with fewer electronics than we do, a 40L
pack would be fine. (<http://orofino.me/daniels-rtw-packing-list/>)

Accommodations: I'd add Airbnb to that list, we're getting higher quality
accommodations for the price of dorm beds (2 people) in Europe. Hostels have
been great in South America though. Plus you get to stay with a local who can
show you good restaurants.

Cash and Electronics: Americans, get a Capital One card, zero international
fees. I agree on electronics, don't show them off everywhere and you should be
fine. In the poorest of countries in South America we didn't have any issues.
We travel with a travel power strip, I recommend it so you only need one
travel adapter.

Companions: Travelling with my wife is awesome... most of the time. At the
start we argued way more than we did at home. I chalk this up to the stress of
new environments and of living something you've been dreaming about for 5
years. After a month, we settled down into a groove and are loving every
minute.

Lifestyle: Please, never stay anywhere for less than 3 nights. It helps you
get a feel for the city. We occasionally stay for a week or a bit more in
places so that we can get a real feel for it.

~~~
jrheard
How was Antarctica? Would you recommend it? Any tips for how to arrange the
trip?

~~~
orofino
It was amazing, though the cost is nothing to scoff at. If you've got the
spare cash it is absolutely worth it.

I just wrote up our experience yesterday. <http://orofino.me/antarctica-the-
genesis-2/>

------
polemic
One quibble:

> _"no point giving commission to a travel-agent when you can plan it
> yourself."_

Travel agents often purchase in bulk and can get discounts that you can't get
via 'do it yourself' flight tools. I recently travelled to Vancouver and
Helsinki from New Zealand (effectively a round-world ticket) that worked out
about $NZ 700 cheaper via an agent than online.

Good agents are also adept at 'working the system' - ie, knowing when and
where cheap flights are available, upcoming deals, etc. It would pay to check
whether your agent can do a better deal before booking online.

~~~
clueless123
Further more, in some countries a local broker may get you a far better deal
than you would ever get online. It is just that online tools penetration is
not quite there for the smaller tour/lodge/travel operators in 3rd world
countries.

One example:From Lima to Cuzco (on your way to Machu Pichu) Flight via regular
airline ~$300. Overnight bus on a 1st class seat/bed (Very comfy!) ~$30! (You
sleep most of the way, so you save 1 night hotel and adjust to the high
altitude while on the road)

~~~
pyoung
From what I have heard, that bus ride is pretty hairy. Not sure if this was in
first class or not but a friend who recently went there opted for the flight.
Then again he was only there for a few weeks and time was probably a bigger
factor than budget.

------
jasonkester
I remember reading this last time it came through. The only thing I'd differ
with is the RTW ticket. Don't do that.

I always book a single one-way flight to start my trip. Bangkok, Cape Town,
Cartagena, etc. Just get to one end of a continent and plan on spending as
much time as you need moving across it.

Dates on the calendar are the biggest source of unhappiness when you're on the
road. There's nothing worse than having to leave a place you're really
enjoying because you have a flight to catch two countries away next week.
You'll never expect to spend six months in the place you end up spending six
months in. If you book ahead of time you're guaranteed to have to either blow
off your expensive ticket or miss out on what would have been the best part of
your trip.

~~~
indiecore
I've heard people can get turned away for not having a return ticket, is that
true?

~~~
jasonkester
I've had it happen to me twice.

On landing in Cape Town, the only other ticket I had booked was from Nairobi
to Cairo. Evidently, they figured I'd be able to do that without ever leaving
South Africa, so it wasn't sufficient proof. In the end, all they did was cut
my 3 month visa-on-arrival down to one month.

Another time, checking in for a SEA-BKK flight, I was stopped at the counter
for only having a one-way ticket. So I booked a full fare, refundable, return
flight on the spot, then found the airline office in Bangkok the next day and
refunded it.

Most places, it's not an actual issue. Scary places like Russia and the USA
are exceptions.

------
corkill
Good article I especially like the perspective about one months income to one
years travel.

If your thinking about doing this one thing I would recommend is a much
smaller backpack. With a 90L pack you are lugging it around everywhere, you
will also look like a tourist everywhere you go.

See <http://tynan.com/2010gear>, Tim Ferris also has a post on light packing I
believe. A 22l can be done (although prob not with an SLR).

An added benefit is you will not need to check luggage for flights.

~~~
bradly
Yes, a 90L pack is quite big, and the thing about backpacking is you almost
always fill whatever size bag you use. I have a 50L bag that is perfect. In my
younger days I did 6 weeks with a 30L (include an SLR), but it really wasn't
worth the hassle of packing it so full. The zipper actually broke towards the
end of the trip.

~~~
orofino
I agree that there is such a thing a too small, something the backpacker
community seems to eschew [see Tynan article above]. We've been travelling for
6 months with 40L packs, we're consistently wishing they were about 5-10L
larger.

However, we make due and are always grateful when we see a fellow backpacker
with an enormous bag.

------
nopassrecover
It's a nitpick, but what kind of consulting pays $22k after tax from one
month's work? Does Ruby/JS consulting really pay $500k a year in the US?

~~~
adwf
Depends on your country's tax system, but one of the advantages of only
working one month a year is that you usually fall below most minimum tax
brackets. Or at least only get lightly taxed and can reclaim most of it.

------
digitalWestie
If you reduce your mobility and spend longer periods of time in places you can
drastically reduce costs. You may also find that you get a better experience
and understanding of a place by staying there for longer. I completely agree
about travelling by land rather than air! This is a great tip!

------
frdgr
I did my trip last year. 21k and not a booking (not even planes). My only
advice is: do not plan things that much.

Traveling is not a job. It is not about filling up a to do list. Of course
there are specific things you want to see, but you should not turn your trip
into a real-world travelling salesman problem. We all know it is NP-hard.

Travelling is about living experiences, meeting people that move you in some
weird way. Be flexible. Be open. Forget travel agents. It is a life changing
experience. Good luck everyone.

~~~
heymishy
couldn't agree more, the things you book up front you will regret and wish
you'd waited to arrange when you got there. 6 months in south america and the
one thing I booked (machu picchu trek) was a constant annoyance to plan
around. dont entirely rule out travel agents, they can offer even more
flexibility in terms of flight changes, but stay well away from booking things
in advance

------
hannahmitt
I've been thinking about this and I have one major question.

I'm not a particularly nervous person and I'm comfortable in a lot of
situations, but I'm not very good at being pushy and as a younger chick, not
going to intimidate anyone. I'm not saying I fear for my physical safety, but
even as a target to hustle into buying things.

I'm really not sure: should there be any concerns for a girl traveling alone
on a non-tourist-beaten track?

------
iamtyce
There are a few things I'd take issue with in this post. I'm currently 5
months in to a South American trip, and developing along the way (frontend
dev).

Firstly, a 90L is absurd and far, far too large. My girlfriend and I carry 38L
Deuter packs that do the job perfectly, without breaking our backs.

If you're American, travel in South America can be difficult as visa's are
required for almost every country. USA, Canada and Australia are forced to be
between $80 and $150 when arriving by air in to Buenos Aires or Santiago.
Australians also need a proper Brazilian visa to enter the country, and a
flight out of Brazil.

It is definitely possible to work while you travel, but the added stress of
having expensive pieces of hardware (MBP, iPad etc) with you while you're in
these places can sometimes not be worth it.

I would highly recommend working your butt off and saving minimum $10k,
potentially $15 / $20k and then leaving your tools at home and getting out
there with the least amount of tech as you can manage. Still jump online,
network, Twitter, meet folk along the way but focus on what's important;
travel.

~~~
orofino
Regarding your issues, I have issues (well, issue): Travel in South America
does not require visas for an American. It is very easy to travel here, we've
had no problem for the last 6 months.

Bolivia charges a reciprocity fee upon entry for all Americans. Other than
that we haven't paid anywhere else. That said, we've done land border
crossings since Colombia. Brazil, Argentina, and Chile WILL charge a fee when
you fly into them internationally.

We've also travelled for 5 months through the poorest countries of South
American with an iPad, MBA, 2 iPhones, 2 Kindles, and $2,000 in camera gear.
This doesn't cause stress, you just don't flaunt these things openly in
public.

I however agree with the sentiment of not working while travelling.

~~~
iamtyce
That's great to hear about traveling here as an American. I was only going off
what other Americans had told us, they had said it was harder than it needed
to be. We have just about the same gear you're traveling with, and I totally
agree; just don't flaunt it around in public and you're fine. We haven't had
any problems at all (so far!) with that.

------
mcdowall
I usually work for 6-9 months contracting and then set about an area of the
world to travel, this year I've done Australia and Central America. Come April
next year my plan is to start off in NYC, travel the states for 6 weeks and
then spend 6 or so weeks trying to promote my startup in SF.

As an added extra I would suggest checking out flightfox.com (no association),
I recently plugged in an 8 stop trip and managed to get really good prices
from their agents. The advice they gave though about where and when to book
for the best discounts by airline was probably more useful.

A great tip other posters have noted, take the advice and book a single
outbound flight then use other carriers when you have chosen your next
destination.

------
hkmurakami
_Vagabonding_ by Rolf Potts is a very good book for more information on world
traveling on the cheap.

[http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-
Term-T...](http://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-
Travel/dp/0812992180)

------
eggoa
_"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain_

I really dislike this quote since is so obviously false. If you read Twain
(e.g. Innocents Abroad) you've got to believe he was being ironic when he said
this.

------
malandrew
If you plan on traveling around the World for a year, I highly recommend
couchsurfing, which Alex did not mention. You'll save a lot of money and get
to know places a lot better through it. If you haven't tried it yet and want
to know more about it, check out the recently released full length documentary
One Couch at a Time

(disclaimer: my girlfriend made the documentary, but even if she wasn't my
girlfriend, I would recommend it to others interested in traveling the world.)

~~~
andrethegiant
Just bought it, thanks for the recommendation!

------
davidjohnstone
Previous discussion: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016>

------
dsego
I'd really like to do this sort of thing. But given my current income (1k $
per month) and living expenses (about half goes to rent, food, etc.), I'm not
sure I would be able save enough for a month of backpacking to neighbouring
countries, let alone another continent :(

------
knes
One of my good friend is starting his travel around the world in January. He's
writing a "hacker / dev / traveller blog" at <http://www.maximebf.com>

------
sareon
My goal is to travel around the world one day but for now I have a goal of
competing in the 2016 Olympics so that kind of takes up full time.

With my job I also can't just quit it... but when I am done I will do a trip
like this, go for a year and see where I go. Start up here in Canada, work my
way down through the US, through Mexico, down through South America (quick
trip to Antartica) - hope over to Africa travel up the eastern side, through
the middle east, India, Asia, down through New Zealand and Australia before
going home.

------
Lucadg
glad to hear there's many like us in the community. I have been managing my
business online and travelling for 11 years now. My own RTW:
<http://www.tripfoto.com/roundtheworld/> (excuse the horrible website, here's
better <http://www.tripfoto.com>). Greetings from Riga.

------
tyoung
Beautiful pictures!

My partner and I squeezed in a 10 day Mediterranean cruise during our 3 month
backpacking trip. It was a great way to get back on budget (cost about
$40/person/day for room and board + 3 meals) and it was pleasantly fun to get
dumped at a new port every morning.

------
hcarvalhoalves
OT: $22k for one month consultancy is pretty nice. I can only dream charging
that in my country.

------
aluhut
If I had enough money to travel the world, I won't do it in only one year...

~~~
heymishy
cost of travelling is relative, it costs suprisingly little to travel in a lot
of places (south east asia, south / central america). only barrier is flights
and these are very cheap these days

------
wting
Off topic design comment.

The site is defaulting to FreeSerif on my Linux machine (tested w/ Chrome,
Firefox, Opera) and the kerning is absolutely terrible:
<http://i.imgur.com/iQyq0.png>

