How to plan a trip around the world
1. Take to the sky
Naturally, the easiest way to get around the world is via air. Start by buying a global airline ticket through an airline alliance, which is a confederation of various airlines that enables you to pay for all of your tickets in a single transaction. If you wish to spend the majority of your time on one or two continents, the alliance offers regional passes that can be more beneficial.
The three major players are One World, Sky team, and Star Alliance; the latter has halted RTW ticket sales. One World’s thirteen airlines serve 1,000 destinations in nearly as many countries as Star Alliance, a confederation of 26 airlines serving 1,200 airports in 98% of the world’s countries.
The fine print varies, but fliers must never veer off course, always travel in a single global direction (east or west, depending on which better fits your circadian rhythm), only cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once, begin and end in the same nation, and stay in the air for a duration of 10 days to a year.
One advantage is that convenience helps you reduce paperwork. It’s important to remember that some nations, like China, need documentation of an outward plane ticket in order to provide visas.
How to do it: For £2,580 per person, Star Alliance provides a 133-day itinerary that departs from London and travels via Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Los Angeles, and New York.
2. Ride the rails
One of the only ways to go great distances a century ago was by long train rides. For those who want to travel more slowly and deliberately while reducing their carbon footprint, trains are a fantastic choice these days.
Travel Nation is an international travel agency that specializes in customizing rail odysseys that capture the romance of bygone eras. The Reunification Express in Vietnam, an Australian Ghan voyage across the Outback, and a Rocky Mountaineer ride in Canada can all be included.
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
Those who genuinely like to travel in luxury might use National Geographic Expeditions to fly around the world in a private plane. These journeys center on epic itineraries with amazing sites brought to life by leading authorities and academics in a variety of fields—people whom the majority of travelers never get to meet.
You can see ten UNESCO World Heritage sites during the 24-day Around the World by Private Jet excursion. Highlights of the journey include a Serengeti safari, the rock-carved Petra, the Moai statues on Easter Island, and the temple complexes of Angkor, which are surrounded by jungle. Up to 75 people will travel in a customized Boeing 757 starting in Washington, DC, and will stay in five-star hotels or lodges during their experience.
4. Head overland
Overland tour provider Oasis Overland is a good option for those who don’t mind spending time on the road. Its longest tour lasts 293 days and takes travelers from the UK to Cairo on an anticlockwise loop that includes stops at Victoria Falls and Zanzibar along much of the African coast. The Sahara desert, the Giza Pyramids, and the abundantly faunal plains of East Africa are just a few of the many highlights.
The group of 16 people, or fewer, will travel in one of Oasis Overland’s bright yellow vehicles, which are designed to be as comfortable as possible while navigating rough terrain. Camping is the main pastime on the weekends, and everyone pitches tents and makes dinners together.
5. Do it yourself
It is possible to arrange everything on your own; this is most conveniently achieved by booking multi-destination flights via a comparison tool like Sky scanner or Kiwi.com.
The ability to tailor something exactly to your needs is a huge benefit, but it will take some time, and you’ll give up some flexibility (changing dates can be difficult) and cancellation insurance.
Large airport hubs, such as those in Bangkok, Dallas, Dubai, Heathrow, Paris, and Singapore, are typically more convenient to target because they offer a greater variety of options due to the numerous competing services. An itinerary similar to this might be found on an average round-the-world ticket: London — Istanbul — Bangkok — Singapore — Sydney — Los Angeles — New York — London. These hubs will put you in a good position to include additional esoteric
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to travel by air between each level. You could reduce your carbon footprint by taking the train from London to Istanbul, for example. Alternatively, you might take a boat from Bangkok to Koh Samui and proceed from there, saving money on a plane ticket from Bangkok to Singapore. The website Rome2Rio is a dependable resource for determining the cost of trains, buses, boats, and taxis. Other options to consider are Amtrak rail passes in the US, Eurail Passes for European trains, and Greyhound coach tickets that span Australia’s east coast.
Making accommodations in advance is a wise decision. Make sure that any hotel reservations are made well in advance. Inns are a