3 Months - Regional Focus or RTW

Region, hands down.

The RTW ticket will allow you to city hop, but you'll end up disoriented & feeling unconnected. After a few weeks you'll wonder what the point of it all is.

You'll feel the same way anywhere 3 mos on the road, but if you stick to one region a few things start happening:

+You run into travelers who are on a similar route, and who share the same experiences. That will not happen if you pick world cities at random.

+You start to pick up more of the language (a lot, if you try hard) and start to blend in just a bit more. You start to feel a connection to a place. An ownership, almost. I spent four months in Indonesia a decade and a half ago, and I still feel a connection to the place that I would not have if I had just passed through.

• You start having deeper relationships with locals. You are not always thinking about how much time you have, or where you have to be to catch the next plane, so there is a lot more room for spontaneity.

+You start to discover what the meaning of it all is. Not that you won't loose it again, mind you.

Your regions are all so different! My biased opinions: Save the Pacific for regular vacations (it's home to me, but it is expensive to travel in!). SE Asia is classic, an awesome intro to world travel & has thousands of options (from party islands to remote villages to Lonely Planet vortices. Indonesia or Turkey could both occupy 3 months just on their own. Greece might be pricey - I've only been to Mykonos and Samos. Egypt is rough for the backpacker. Go there, see what you want, and get out. If you are in the area, though, Jordan is super friendly, has Petra, Wadi Rum, Crusader Castles, Roman ruins, deserts and valleys and the Dead Sea, & is still just a bit off the beaten path, though I can't imagine it staying 'undiscovered' by the masses for long. They say Syria is even more cool.

3 potential hella-cool life-changing 3-month journeys: Cairo to Istanbul overland, Bangkok to Bali overland, or use Bangkok as a base to loop around SE Asia.

Excellent advice by hisurfer. I am in total agreement about all the points of region instead of rtw.

Also i would point out that regional travel should work out more cheaply as regards airfares.

I disagree a little bit though with some of the country comments. I didn't find Egypt difficult when i went as a 22 year old and later as a 25 year old. First on my own, then with someone else.

As regards Greece, I wouldn't limit myself to Santorini. And greece is another place you could easily spend three months. Try at least to spend one whole month there visiting different Islands and some of the mainland. I am in favour of your mediterranean selection. Although SEA is cheaper and of course a good choice too. I haven't been to Africa. Look, they all have a lot going for them. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the chosen areas. I think you shouldn't try to cram in too many countries though. For the SEA I would consider leaving out Beijing and make china a whole separate trip. Keep abreast of the politics in Fiji if you are thinking of going there. Its a bit up in the air lately.

My ideal regional options are:
Mediterranean: Italy, Croatia, Istanbul, Santorini, Egypt (Cairo and Luxor)
Southern Africa: Cape Town, Namibia, Botswana (Chobe National Park), Vic Falls
Asia: SEA (Thailand, Cambodia (Angkor Wat), Viet Nam, Laos, Beijing)
Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I have never done extended travel (the most I've travelled probably being about 6 weeks) and don't really have a good idea of which would be better - but it seems as if regional is a better option.

I agree that Greece needs more time, but I will be visiting the mainland on a short trip this coming summer, but won't have enough time to get to the islands. Also agree that Beijing is a bit out of the way for a SEA trip.

I will probably go to either Southern Africa or SEA since I have already travelled in Australia and NZ, as well as most of Western Europe. I also feel that Europe (i.e. Italy, Greece and Croatia) will always "be there" for me to travel, whereas I'd love to visit the developing world while I am young.

Thanks again!

As always, you can see a little of a lot or a lot of a little. No one can do both at the same time but many THINK they are.

Even in a region people rush around spending 2 nights here and 1 night there. They will still see very little. There is no doubt that the longer you spend in 1 place the more you will experience. There is no maximum time you should spend in a place but there is a minimum time.

I went to a Greek island intending to spend a week and stayed for 7 years kornkamp. What might be of interest to you about that is how I thought after varying times. The minimum time I refer to above is the 3 days that it takes to 'suss' things out. You start to get a feel for how and where and why. After 3 weeks on the island I was sure I knew how things worked. After 3 months I realized I had been a bit premature in my assessment. After 3 years, I actually did know how things worked. Between 3 years and 7, not a lot of new info flowed in, So I have to conclude that 3 years is how long it actually takes to really know a place.

I realize not everyone can stay somewhere for 3 years but it should be evident to anyone that moving every 2 days will get you very little and yet we constantly see people posting itineraries here with detailed travel plans for every couple of days.

regions it will give you more feel and if you chose a decent route you can travel overland thereby reducing the costs and do some research before hand you can add value.