The Trip Not Taken----Yet

Show us your imagination--
We find that planning is part of the fun, the joy.

You've just been given $50,000 and 8 months off work. Design your trip. Where are you going? Reply to this

Four years ago I actually had nine months and $60,000; so I finally took the trip I had dreamed about for a decade plus. I blogged that long US road trip starting here: Introduction: The rites of passage

If I got the chance to do another one, it would probably be an RTW of some sort. Some Europe, some Middle East, some India, some Southeast Asia, some Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, and finish in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Like the last one, I'd work out the details mostly as I went along (except for festivals that must be booked far in advance), try to get off the main tourist routes, and include plenty of time outdoors. Reply to this

In response to: Msg #192156

Roosta-- a fantastic trip on your horizon. I do hope you will get to do it some day. Reply to this

It would be either South America or Africa for us - starting at the top and working our way south until we ran out of money or time! Although I don't think I would want to travel for more than 6 months at a time...I like down time at home. Reply to this

In response to: Msg #192242

Sounds fantastic !! Reply to this

As I've done most of my traveling north of the equator, I've often planned an RTW in the southern hemisphere where up until now I have only visit Peru, Kenya, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and a few South Pacific islands.
My itinerary would be as follows:
Denver to French Polynesia (Bora Bora) for a week, and the Cook Islands for a week.
Then on to Australia for at least a month, making my way from Adelaide, to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Alice Springs/Ayres Rock, and finally to Cairns.
From there I would fly to Bali and eastern Java (Borobudur) for two weeks.
Then on to Singapore for a few days and India for a quick visit to see the Taj Mahal and Jaipur, but going first class all the way...no Delhi Belly for me!!
Next would be Dubai, where I would visit the various emirates in the UAE for a couple weeks.
The majority of my time on the RTW would be devoted to Africa arriving in Dar Es Salam and overlanding to Cape Town via Tanzania (Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro), Malawi, Zambia (Victoria Falls), Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Although I have contemplated overlanding the rough way (e.g., Dragoman: traveling in trucks, shopping for ingredients and then cooking the meals ourselves, and setting up tents each night, no showers, etc,), with $50,000 I could afford to take a more luxurious tour.
From Cape Town I would fly to Valparaiso, Chile and catch a two week cruise (suite of course) around the southern end of South America stopping in Punta Arenas (where I would catch a two hour flight to Antarctica for the day...no seasickness by taking the ship there...where I could walk around on the continent before flying back to catch the ship again), Ushuaia, the Falkland Islands, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires. From there I would fly via Cordoba and Iguaçu Falls to Rio de Janeiro for a week or so, before flying north to cruise the Amazon River.
The cruise would include or connect to another cruise to the eastern Caribbean islands. I would then fly to Costa Rica where I would travel for three week overland through Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and end in Riviera Maya in Mexico for a week to recuperate.
If I had any of the $50,000 left I would fly to Munich to pick up a new BMW and then drive all over the European continent, revisiting my favorite cities and country sides, until the money and time ran out. Now to win the lottery! Reply to this

In response to: Msg #192288

What a well planned trip, Bob!

I would love to go to Antarctica as well, but deep down, I knew it would never happen because of my sea sickness; I didn't even know there were planes going there, so thanks for mention it!

Reply to this

Oh the possibilities of having $50,000! Like many people have mentioned, I would love to go to Antarctica since it is on the pricey side! If I were to do a big trip, I'd cover the entire east side of the world and visit the Asian countries I haven't been to like Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Bali, Philippians, Vietnam, and Nepal. Also on the east side, I'd love to swim with the jellyfish in Palau, swim with the whales in Sri Lanka, adventure around New Zealand, and return to Australia which we'll always remember as our favorite country. Reply to this