After two backpacking tours through Europe, I thought I`d have no problems preparing for an around-the-world trip. I was wrong. I didn`t pack right. I didn`t have the right shots. And I didn`t choose a good flight plan. During the six months it took my wife and me to circle the globe (via Greece, India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti) we swapped stories and advice with travelers from all over the world. I often found myself thinking, ”If I could do this again, I would have . . . .”
So let me share with you 10 things we learned in making our trip:
1. Discount air fare: If you know exactly where you want to stop on your way around the world, if you want tickets in your hand before leaving and if you want the best price possible, contact a discount travel agent. Discount agents create around-the-world fares by linking tickets from different airlines. You must fly in one direction (no backtracking) and use the tickets within a year of purchase. You can book flight dates or leave the tickets open. In either case, the tickets are not refundable, transferable or exchangeable.
Not all discount agents handle around-the-world tickets, and some who claim to will leave you on hold indefinitely or never return phone calls. Two discount brokers with good prices and service are Global Access (800-229-5355) and Air Brokers International (800-475-9041); both are in San Francisco.
Around-the-world fares from Chicago start at $1,399 (Chicago, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairo, Paris, New York) and can climb to more than $2,000, depending on destinations.
If you don`t mind traveling without a return ticket, there are advantages to buying tickets as you go. Almost every major city worldwide has discount travel agents that compete for popular destinations. Prices are the same as or less than those at home, and you won`t need travel insurance to protect against losing unused tickets.
When you buy tickets as you need them, you won`t rush to meet flights you booked from home or be stuck waiting for an available flight if you purchased open-date tickets. You can choose among different carriers or take the less expensive options of train, bus or boat.
Most important, you have the flexibility to change your itinerary, which almost inevitably you will want to do. Hostels and cheap hotels often carry notices from travelers who had a change of plans and are trying to sell cheap tickets.
2. Health care before you go: Before traveling to an underdeveloped country, get the necessary vaccinations. Since most family doctors don`t know about the latest strain of malaria-drug-resistant mosquitoes in Indonesia or Kenya, you should contact the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Their O`Hare International Airport office tells you health requirements and recommendations based on your itinerary (312-686-2150; hours: noon to 8 p.m.). The CDC also will provide a listing of Chicago area clinics that give immunizations.
3. Health care when traveling: Medical care generally is cheaper outside the U.S., but it can be hard to find a doctor you trust. In Bombay a search for hepatitis inoculations took us to public hospitals with broken windows and patients sleeping on doorsteps. We learned that if you want a good doctor overseas, you should contact the U.S. embassy. Even if the staff doctor isn`t available, the embassy will give referrals.
4. Guidebooks: Lonely Planet publishes excellent guidebooks for the independent cost-conscious traveler. Their books are thorough and honest and usually amusing (Lonely Planet Publications; 112 Linden St.; Oakland, Calif. 94607). In India travelers rely so much on their Lonely Planet guidebook that it`s referred to as ”the book.” Lonely Planet guidebooks cover most of the world except for Western Europe and the continental United States. (The
”Let`s Go” series is usually best for those areas.)
Before leaving, read as many travel books as you can, but you will only want to carry one. You can swap books with other travelers as you go, buy them second-hand or find them in bookstores (sometimes for less than they cost in the U.S.).
5. Trains and buses: Reserving a sleeper on an overnight train is considerably more romantic and comfortable than a bus, and it eliminates a hotel bill. Sometimes, however, long bus trips are unavoidable. In India and Nepal buses were so crowded that passengers clambered aboard as soon as the bus pulled into the station. It`s nearly impossible to compete with citizens who`ve been boarding moving buses for years. Instead of missing bus after bus, as we did at first, ask a porter or a local who is hanging around to grab you a seat. He`ll be pleased with a modest tip.
6. Packing and equipment: It`s not easy to follow the good advice to
”travel light” when traveling to different climates. For free packing and travel advice call Patagonia`s travel advisory service 800-523-9597.
7. When to go: Unless you`re planning a beach vacation in the monsoon season, it`s best to go off-season. It won`t be crowded, and hotel rates are often half in-season rates. In New Zealand we hiked the country`s most popular trail in July, their winter. We had clear, comfortable weather and passed fewer than a dozen people during our four-day walk. During their summer, the trail attracts more than 5,000 hikers a week, and vendors sell beer and soda. 8. Beware of too many recommendations: If 10 people from home tell you how undiscovered the beaches of Thailand are, think again. One village in Bali put up a sign, ”Authentic Balinese Village,” after reading a guidebook description. Prices doubled, and villagers hawked cheap souvenirs.
9. Money: A credit card is necessary to avoid carrying wads of traveler`s checks. Visa allows you to get cash advances (limited by your credit line, of course) from banks around the world. An American Express green card allows you to cash checks for $1,000 every 21 days at the company`s travel offices throughout the world. Just make sure someone at home is taking care of your bills.
10. Budget: Budgets vary wildly, depending on tastes and location.
My wife and I watched our pennies carefully. Our total bill for 192 days away from home came to $6,792 each, $2,084 of which went for an around-the-world ticket. The remaining $4,708 covered everything from rooms, food, souvenirs, medical expenses and brief phone calls home to other transportation costs, including intercountry flights in India and Indonesia, first-class train travel in India and buying, maintaining and selling a car in Australia. If you don`t have a calculator handy, that averages out to $70.75 a day for two, including our air fares. That amount would have been considerably more if we`d spent all our time in Australia and considerably less if we`d never left Asia.
