Lapping the globe on round the world travel (RTW) is a dream and bucket list item of many, but reality for few when fear or uncertainty takes over. Many questions arise in terms of costs, where to go, who to go with, and how long you can actually sustain a nomadic lifestyle. Whatever your reason for travel - exploration and adventure, pushing your limits, breaking free from the grind, escaping the everyday or another reason entirely, we hope to answer your queries and calm your nerves that it is possible and will be one of the most life changing experiences you can embark on.
Budgeting
Having the money to go around the world is one of the biggest worries. Should you sacrifice everything- give up your apartment, car, and job to go? Will you have enough cash flow to sustain the trip as long as you want? The first step is to do a monthly inventory of your expenses- rent, car, bills and what you can potentially sell vs. store. Your three major expenses while traveling will come from accommodations, food and transportation. Aside from the initial plane ticket,- the other things can be accomplished fairly cheaply with the help of hostels, sites like coachsurfing.com, and local food like street vendors. You should also consider planning your round the world trip around where you'll get the most for your money like where the US dollar is strongest.
RWT Tickets
The problem with using main carrier website for airline tickets is they don't allow for multiple stops, which makes planning a challenge, especially if you are flexible in terms of your itinerary and looking for the most bang for your buck. TripPlanner allows you to compare and contrast around the world tickets with different routes to give you the best options in terms of costs and scheduling.
Questions to Ask Yourself
There are plenty of logical reasons you can talk yourself out of round the world travel- it's too expensive, what will you do when you get back, it's not practical, etc. The biggest question you should not be asking yourself is not whether you will regret it if you do go (giving up the familiar, breaking out of your comfort zone), it's if you'll regret it more if you don't. As the saying goes, "buy the ticket, take the ride."