A round the world trip is the dream of any travel enthusiast, but it can be hard to organize. All of the difficulties of planning an overseas trip are increased tenfold, as you now have to consider them for lots of different countries. If you give yourself enough time to plan well, and make sure that you are thorough, there is no reason why you can’t go on a successful round the world trip yourself.
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What To Do When You Get Back
It might seem like we’re looking at things backwards, but you need to think about what happens when you get back from your trip. Taking a round the world trip is not going to be like any other trip, you won’t be able to take a few weeks off work and then come back. You are likely to be away for an extended period of time so you need to make arrangements for that. If your employer is happy to take you back on after a year or so, then you can pick up where you left off when you get home. Unfortunately most employers will not be willing to do this, and will probably need to replace you. This means that when you arrive home from your trip, you will not have any income. Your living situation is another consideration that you need to make, if you are renting a place yourself, it will be expensive paying to keep it while you are away, so you might have to let it go. Most people plan their finances for the trip, but a lot of people forget to put aside money to help them get settled again when they get home.
Finances
One of the hardest aspects of planning a round the world trip is working out how to finance it. Saving up the money yourself is obviously one option, but it is not always as easy as that. If you don’t have the surplus money available, you might want to consider installment loans instead, that way you can go as soon as possible. A loan can also help if you are struggling for money when you get home.
Currency is one of the trickiest things to sort out when you are visiting a lot of different countries. In Europe, you will run into less trouble because a lot of the countries use the Euro. However, you are likely to be using a variety of currencies when you are out there. You could change all of your currency before you leave, but this could mean carrying a huge amount of cash with you, and if you lose it, you might find yourself stuck. Most banks will let you take money out of cash machines abroad but the exchange rates that you will get on it are usually terrible, and the banks take a hefty charge on top. Your best option is to use prepaid travel cards. Once you pay cash onto them, you can use them just as you would use your normal credit or debit card, so you don’t need to risk taking all of your cash with you. Make sure you do regular checks on the exchange rates so you can buy your currency at the best rate. Shop around when choosing a prepaid currency card, because some of them have charges for use, but you should be able to find some that will let you withdraw money for free.
Plane Tickets
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Knowing when to book your plane tickets can save you a lot of money. Tickets usually go on sale around ten or eleven months before the departure date and they are often cheapest at this point. Seven weeks in advance is another period during which the prices will drop quite a lot. Alternatively, you could look into getting last minute deals, but this is a bit of a risk. Sometimes you will be able to get a great deal buying last minute, but if you can’t, you will be stuck paying a higher price if you still want to go. Signing up for email alerts from all of the major airlines is a good way to catch prices while they are low. Do your research into the average price of the trip you want to take so you know if a deal is too good to miss. If you hesitate you might lose out.
Buying flexible plane tickets is a must if you are going on a trip around the world. You’ll find that you like some places more than others, and if you really fall in love with a country, you might decide that you want to stay for a bit longer. If you don’t have flexible tickets, then you will be forced to leave.
You can tick more countries off your list by choosing flights that have a stop off somewhere along the way.
Insurance
It is never a good idea to travel without insurance, but this is especially true of round the world trips. The longer you are away for, the more likely it is that something could go wrong, so you’ll need health insurance while you’re out there. Make sure you get a comprehensive cover, that extends to all of the countries that you are going to. Getting cancellation insurance can really get you out of a sticky situation if, for some reason, you can no longer go on your trip. If you don’t have it, then you will end up wasting a huge amount of money.
Research
Knowing a little bit about the countries that you are going to can be a big help. After all, you don’t want to arrive in a country, only to find that you can’t stand the place. Find out what the main attractions are, the best places to eat, and any local customs you need to be aware of. That way, when you arrive, you can easily accustomed to your surroundings.
Nobody is expecting you to become fluent in ten different languages, but it is a good idea to learn a little bit. Basic greetings, ordering food and drink, and asking for directions should be enough to get by for the first few days until you start picking it up. If you are really struggling, then you might need to resort to using translation apps on your phone.
Following these simple steps, you can get yourself prepared for a trip round the world.
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