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Around the World in 80 days

RTW air ticket in 80 days - thoughts?

15 years ago, May 8th 2008 No: 1 Msg: #34692 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

I am considering doing a RTW in 80 days, mainly for a challenge but also because I do not have much time to go away for.
Any ideas or resources I can use to plan this?
Oh...and should I use air travel or not?
The real challenge would be to not use air but to see enough places, air travel might be the only way.
However, I am a bit lost as to routes to take on some of the itinerary below as some of them are not typical One World / Star Alliance air routes?

I do not want to include Australia or South America on this trip as I feel I could see more of the other places plus I have alreday been to Sydney and I could maybe to South America on a Pole to Poel type trip at some point in the future.

London, UK
Venice, Italy
Athens, Greece
Heraklion, Crete
Cairo, Egypt
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Bombay, India
Madras, India
Singapore, Singapore
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Shanghai, China
Yokohama, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
LA, USA
San Francisco, USA
Las Vegas, USA
Vancouver, Canada
Ottawa, Canada
Chicago, USA
New York, USA
London, UK

?? Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 2 Msg: #34730 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Wow!! That is quite a challange Qwertyjjj. 😊
One would get a real prespective on just how big the world is by travelling overland.

You could try the overland route that the following service takes. Not necessarily use the service, but take the same route. They are experienced with overland travel so their route has to be reasonable safe and viable in my opinion.
Oz bus from London to Australia

Mel

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15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 3 Msg: #34737 Delete Edit

denidax
Deni, Dax and Ella

B Posts: 568

I don't think you could go to all those places traveling overland unless you don't stop on any of them,and do it as a kind of race, like Phileas Fogg did... 24 destinations in 80 days is only 3 days for each one...thinking that it takes some time to move from one to the next I can't see it possible to enjoy the trip...

I would suggest to take a few destinations off your list and concentrate on just one region, let's say Europe or South East Asia, get a plane there and travel around by local transport...

By the way...are you a Michael Palin fan?? "Around the world in 80 days", "Pole to Pole"...that's all too familiar ;oP Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 4 Msg: #34741 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

😊

Well I don't want to make it too hard on myself.
Are there some bits in that itinerary that I could replace with other areas more easily accessible by plane?
I think the overland train / sea journeys are a nice idea but a massive waste of days on my journey... Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 5 Msg: #34747 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

A relatively easy land-only part can be SE Asia, arriving in the north (Hanoi) and travelling down through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia to finish in Singapore.

The whole region is well set up for independent travel, and if you were determined, you could probably see some of the highlights in 30 days.... Or maybe a shortened version from Bangkok to Singapore in 20 days....

Why is it setup for independent travel?

So, if I cut out Saudi Arabia, what would be better?
London, UK
Venice, Italy
Athens, Greece
Heraklion, Crete
Cairo, Egypt
HOW TO GET TO MIDDLE EAST HERE?
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Bombay, India
TO ASIA HERE ?????
Singapore, Singapore
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Shanghai, China
Yokohama, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
LA, USA
San Francisco, USA
Las Vegas, USA Could cut this out, I've been before.
Vancouver, Canada Could cut this out and go another time.
Ottawa, Canada Could cut this out and go another time.
Chicago, USA Could cut this out and go another time.
New York, USA
London, UK

Or may be go from SF to Vancouver, then back to UK and just do New York another time? Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 6 Msg: #34752 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

So, if I cut out Saudi Arabia, what would be better?

Many(most probably) who travel from Europe to India overland go Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India.

Mel

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15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 7 Msg: #34753 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

It doesn't have to be overland. In fact I have changed my mind and would prefer to get as much flying in as possible unless maybe in SE Asia:
London, UK
Venice, Italy
Athens, Greece
Heraklion, Crete
Cairo, Egypt
HOW TO GET TO MIDDLE EAST HERE? or Turkey
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, UAE
Bombay, India
TO ASIA HERE ?????
Singapore, Singapore
Hong Kong, Hong Kong - been before so no need to but I imagine the flight connections are better?
Shanghai, China
Yokohama, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
LA, USA
San Francisco, USA
Las Vegas, USA Could cut this out, I've been before.
Vancouver, Canada Could cut this out and go another time.
Ottawa, Canada Could cut this out and go another time.
Chicago, USA Could cut this out and go another time.
New York, USA
London, UK

or forget NY and go to Vancouver instead? Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 8 Msg: #34754 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

What about a round the world plane ticket then?
You could explore one or a few countries overland at each stop.

Mel Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 9 Msg: #34764 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

Makes more sense I think.
How does this look for 3 months, maybe 3 1/2 ?

I'm struggling a bit with the stuff between Athens to Mumbai, maybe it would be better to take a different route at that stage.
Then do SEAsia overland?

London
Venice
Athens
Mumbai
Bangkok
Phuket
Singapore
Hong Kong
Shanghai
Tokyo
Honolulu
San Francisco
Vancouver
New York
London Reply to this

15 years ago, May 9th 2008 No: 10 Msg: #34767 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

What about going to Turkey instead of Greece? Then head overland to India via Iran.....
As far as I know there is both a bus and train to Tehran from Istanbul. Train is probably more comfortable.

Also to save time you could consider making your overland journeys at night.

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15 years ago, May 10th 2008 No: 11 Msg: #34834 Delete Edit

Maisondubonheur
Pierre-Alexandre

B Posts: 1,583

That's a fun challenge you've got there...not sure these day a Round the world tocket with Star Alliance or Oneworld would match you first itinery as most of it can do with some cheap one way tickets...

So let's try

London-Venice...easiy on a low cost...
Venice-Grece...flight will be expensive as it is still Europe and not a popular low cost...I would get down by train through Italy with one or two short stops, and boat from Brindisi...
Athens-Heraclion...easy, domestic return on a flight...
Athens-Cairo...tha's a tricky one...and I do this without checking any other site...my guess is a flight....could be one stopping in Istanbul...enjoy a long stop-over there. Turkish is a new Star alliance member.
Than you do Cairo-Doha-Saudi Arabia on Qatar with stop over in Doah
And Saudia Arabia-Dubai-Bombay on Emirates...one 1 way ticket...with stop-over....
India is easy with Jet Airways...and after that very easy to flight to South East Asia....
Singapore-HK-Shanghai...one way on Cathay if you want to spend big....or take airasia to Macau...follow by one way to Shanghai.
Shanghai-Japan-LA...esay, either NWA, United, JAL or ANA...one way with stop-over allowed in Japan...

After that the states is all one way low cost.
From NY to London, bet the cheapest one way is on Aer Lingus through Shannon or Dublin.

So yes, all of this is feasible...and a great trip...my shortest "fun" round the world was 6 years ago in 21 days...HK-SFO-Costa Rica-Lima-Cusco-Rio-Scotland-London-Paris-Brussels-Bangkok-HK...have fun!

Peter
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15 years ago, May 10th 2008 No: 12 Msg: #34841 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

Do you think it would be best to get a RTW ticket and only really start using it for Inida, SEAsia, Japan, America, and Canada - would that be cheapest?
So then, I need to cover Europe with cheap flights and Middle East, if I go, with Qatar and Emirates.Maybe it would be better to cut out the Middle East to give me extra time in SEASia or is it doable? Reply to this

15 years ago, May 10th 2008 No: 13 Msg: #34888 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Use it to get all the way around Qwertyjjj. I think that would be the cheapest. Take overnight bus and train trips to get around at each stop.
If you want it to be as cheap as possible then spend more time in countries like the ones in SE Asia and India and less time in the more expensive places like Japan.

Mel Reply to this

15 years ago, May 10th 2008 No: 14 Msg: #34889 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

But that's the thing.
There are no One World flights from Middle East to India for some reason.
And getting from Istanbul to Egypt you have to go through Amman.
Seems a pain that part of the journey.
The rest is easy with a RTW ticket.
😞 Reply to this

15 years ago, May 10th 2008 No: 15 Msg: #34890 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Cant you go the easy and possible route?
You can always have another round the world trip in the future and take in some of the bits you miss on this trip. Those countries are not going to disappear so you will surely have another opportunity.

Mel Reply to this

15 years ago, May 11th 2008 No: 16 Msg: #35009 Delete Edit

soultravelers3
Soul Travelers III

N Posts: 7

Hi qwertyjjj

I love your passion and ambition!

BUT, I would pair it down further, truly less is more when it comes to travel.

If you go to fast, you really will not have time to enjoy the experience. We have been on a trip around the world for almost 2 years, so I have some experience with this. Not everyone has the luxury to go as slow as we do, but you will enjoy the experience much more if you spend a longer time in less places. We sometimes do fast travel, but then we need time to recover. It is cheaper, more earth friendly and MUCH more rewarding to go slower.

I have talked to too many people who felt even a year was much to fast for a trip around the world. We have wintered in Spain the last 2 winters and have seen more of this country than any other and still have barely made a dent, even though we have immersed deeply. We have been to only 15 countries so far. I would rather see them deeper than faster.

I am not sure if one gets much out of a race around the world except lots of airports that look pretty much the same. It all begins to look pretty much the same at a fast pace and gets to be the "this is Tuesday it must be Rome" kind of blur attitude. Soon, you do not care what you are seeing, nor want to bother with seeing anything else new.

Weather is something else that you will want to look at as it is much more fun to travel in good weather and miss the worst if you can.

The faster you go the more you need to plan before hand. Remember too that often things go wrong, there are delays, getting around in strange cities where you do not speak the language nor read the signs REALLY slows one down. Little things like just catching a bus or a train in a foreign land can be very challenging. The faster you go the more out of sorts you will be just doing simple things like finding a bed, getting something to eat, getting money etc.

If you have some time, you get oriented, learn bus and or subway systems etc, the key words, have time to make mistakes or hit huge delays etc. It is not a race, you want to enjoy the process and that takes some time to adjust every time you move.

Good luck with what ever you wind up with. Look at our website, perhaps there is something there that can help you:

Soultravelers3 Reply to this

15 years ago, May 15th 2008 No: 17 Msg: #35303 Delete Edit

Erik 2006
Erik Aelbers

B Posts: 24

Hi Qwertyjjj,

Sounds like a pretty ambitious trip... but then again... it's not actually that different than what I did 2 years ago! I took 100 days to go around the world on a Star Alliance RTW ticket - made quite a few stops, travelling largely by train within countries and by plane between countries. I stuck to the Northern Hemisphere - thinking I would do the Southern Hemisphere another time. It was an awesome trip. Full stories can be found in my entries. Didn't feel overly rushed...

So, here's what I did:
- Started in London, UK (Plane to Istanbul via Frankfurt)
- 4 days in Istanbul, Turkey (Plane to Dubai)
- 4 days in Dubai (Plane to Chennai, India)
- Just over 3 weeks in India - travelling on land from Chennai to Mamallapuram, Mysore, Ooty, Kerala, Kochi, Goa Mumbai (Plane to Singapore)
- Couple of days in Singapore and then about a week in Malaysia: by bus/boat to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia followed by plane to Kuala Lumpur (Plane from Pulau Tioman to KL not part of RTW ticket. Plane to Hanoi, Vietnam)
- 10 days in Vietnam - Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City (Internal flights Hanoi to Da Nang and then to Ho Chi Minh not part of RTW ticket. Plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong)
- About 3 weeks in China - travelling by train Hong Kong - Shanghai - Xi'An - Beijing - Harbin - Beijing (Plane to Osaka, Japan)
- 4 days in Kyoto, Japan (Plane to San Francisco, US)
- 9 days driving down the California coast to Los Angeles (Plane to Toronto)
- A day in Toronto before flying on to Havana, Cuba
- A week in Cuba before flying via Toronto to London and the trip was sadly over...

Let me know if I can help out with any further info!

Cheers,
Erik Reply to this

15 years ago, May 15th 2008 No: 18 Msg: #35304 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

Some of the advice says not to travel through the SOuth region of Thailand due to terrorism. What are the possible routes for travelling back and forth between Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and then onto SIngapore?

Actually, I could avoid Singapore altogether couldn't I if there's not much to see there...although not sure how to get to Delhi then.

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15 years ago, May 15th 2008 No: 19 Msg: #35307 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

You could skip Singapore.
You are not going to be in SE Asia for long so the other countries should be enough to keep you busy.

If you really want to go to Singapore you could buy a cheap flight to there when you are in Bangkok.
It is also possible to go overland but get very good advise about the safest route into Malaysia from Thailand if you do this.

You can also get cheap flights to India in Bangkok. They will also get the visa for you for a reasonable price. You would however have to leave your passport with them for around a week to get the visa so could not leave Thailand during that time.

Mel

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15 years ago, May 15th 2008 No: 20 Msg: #35311 Delete Edit

qwertyjjj
qwertyjjj

B Posts: 162

How cheap? 😊
Because I'm getting an RTW, I'm trying to do as much as that as possible.
Seems the only route I can do is
tokyou to hanoi
travel around SE Asia then
Bangkok back to Hong Kong
HK to Delhi

OneWorld doesn't seem to fly Bangkok to Delhi.
It's going backwards slightly but I guess only a 2 1/2 hour flight to HK from Bangkok. Whata do you reckon? Reply to this