Thorn Tree travel forum

Welcome to the Gap Year & Round the World Branch

Hi all

There's a chance your question has already been answered somewhere on the Thorn Tree, so use the search function before you post a message - you'll be amazed at what's already here.

This thread will stay at the top of the branch, so check inside for links and info relevant to the destination you're interested in and feel free to add any useful links you have found.

Here are links to three very useful threads to get you started:

All Travel Questions Welcome

Credit Cards and Debit Cards

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General questions about gap year, spec. Burma/Myanmar

Hi everyone :)

I'm in the early stages of planning a gap year beginning in September 2011 - it seems so far away :( I'm hoping to spend some time in South America and Asia, and my big question is: which first?

Is Asia better for first time travellers to get a feel for the experience and learn the basics? How about the time of year - as I'm leaving in September would it be better to do Asia or South America first?

Also, I'm not really sure how long I need to spend in Asia. It's my priority, and the amount of time I spend in South America really depends on how much time I spend there. I really hope to go to:

India
Nepal
Japan
South Korea
Thailand
Indonesia
Vietnam
Laos
Cambodia
Singapore
Burma

To cover all of these places, is about 8 months enough? I want to see each of them fairly conclusively, though obviously I understand I won't be able to do everything. I w... more »

Question about Worldnomads - policy extension?

I'm considering Worldnomads travel insurance for an overland trip (independent travel, not overland truck!) as it is one of the only ones that can be extended while travelling.

Does anyone have experience with extending their policy while travelling? I was wondering if I buy 9 months initially and extend it by a further 3 months while travelling will it cost me more than buying 12 months initially? I'm asking as I will be travelling until the money runs out and am trying to decide how long to buy insurance for intially.

I have looked at thie rwebsite but can only see that it is possible to extend but can't find any info on the costs. I know their short term policies are a lot more expensive than their long term policies (per day) but don't know how it works out with extensions.

Gap Year - The World is a big ol' place!

Hi there,

I would love to see some of the world, but I just can't decide where to start, there's so many places to see that I'm finding it hard to even narrow it down countrywise, let alone regions!
I'm currently at university, but in a year and a half I'll be free to fly (/boat it/train...) away from the UK. I'm thinking I will probably have a budget of around 8k (very much maximum) by then. I'm not looking for any luxuries, just somewhere to eat and sleep, some good scenery and a bit of a friendly culture. a few months ago I came back from a 5 week trip to Borneo, with Raleigh International (expect many of you have probably heard of them, charity for young people to basically get an experience of traveling and volunteer helping with projects in less advantaged countries) and I now have the travel bug. It was an amazing experience but I want more of it.

The idea of overlandin... more »

Airport Taxes Around the World

Hey Fellow RTWers,

Here's a good question I think. I am currently in the process of planning and buying a RTW ticket with Star Alliance.
For those who are not familiar, you essentially pick your destinations, there's a flat fair and then they give you an estimate of what the applicable airport taxes and such will be.

I just came to realize that depending on what airports someone flies into, these airport taxes will vary. Ex. Toronto's Pearson International Airport has one of the highest taxes in the world.

SOO...I am wondering if anyone knows of say, a list or catalogue of sorts, where I can figure out what these taxes might be and therefore plan which airports are cheapest to fly into.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and happy travels!

-Brock

Round the World plane tickets

Hi everyone,
Does anyone know where I could go to find out how many Round-the-World tickets are sold to UK students every year? I'm helping a student with a 'gap-year' project and we've reached a dead end.
Thanks.

London to Capetown - Leaving January 2010!!

LONDON TO CAPETOWN OVERLAND - LEAVING JANUARY 2010

Hi All,

I am planning to drive from London to Cape Town in early January 2010. I originally planned to do this in September (hence the other posts) but had to hang around for slightly longer. January is now set in stone as i'm leaving work for this trip. If you fancy some adventure then read on!

I have a 300 series Landrover Defender called Himba which has been built from scratch to a decent expedition spec and am looking for 2-3 people to join me on this trip.

The trip should take around 6 months and take in:

Libya
Tunisia
Egypt
Sudan
Ethiopia
Kenya
Rwanda
Uganda
Tanzania
Malawi
Zambia
Botswana
Namibia and
South Africa

I’m a 28 year old male from London who’s had enough of city life and wants to fulfil a life long ambition! I’ve been lucky to have travelled quite extensively through Europe, the US, Cana... more »

in diyarbakır

hi everyone ,

ı would like to tell the people who wants to have a holiday in east part of turkey..

ı been east part of turkey ..and it was great trip there..ı been in şanlıurfa , adı yaman , batman and van..than ı decided to go in diyarbakır..ı went...ı met a guide who called MURATTO ( İTALİANO )..AND he did guide me around of diyarbakır...than he offered me to go to mardin , midyat and hasankeyf..ı said ı have no much time to visit this 3 places..but he said that it s possible to see 3 places in same day..ı was shock than he also guide me this 3 places..it was like a adventure...and his nickname was İTALİANO MURAT..
HİS MAİL : matakbey@gmail.com
HİS MOBİLE : 00 90 54 55 88 57 05