Do it up, do it big, do it right

Excellent question!

To travel around the world in 6 months is a short amount of time but it's not impossible if you fly a lot and go to countries with good transport infrastructure. Since you are from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I presume you are looking to places different from home (less beaches, coastal resorts and more 'inland' scenery, cultural sightings and maybe snow?

Month 1: I'd fly to Santiago, Chile (1 week). Cross to Argentina in direction of Buenos Aires (2 weeks with a long weekend in Montevideo). Take time to visit the Andes (1 week). It will be late Fall, try to ski. You don't have big mountains like that near Florida! Fly from B.A. to South Africa. There are direct flights to Johannesburg.

Month 2: South Africa for 3 weeks. Then Egypt for a week (there are direct flights from Johannesburg to Cairo almost daily). Why South Africa? It is easy for first time traveller to Africa. It has good infrastructures. The National Parks are of quality if you want to discover the african fauna. It's not cheap but you will be going in the winter season. It won't be hot. Egypt, in a week, you can cover the pyramids, Cairo and a ride in the desert or a trip to Alexandria but I wouldn't try to squeeze the valley of the kings or the red sea on that tight schedule.

Month 3-4 Fly from Cairo to Istanbul. Fly Istanbul to Rome and go north from there to St Petersburg. My itinerary would be something like: Rome, Milan, the Alps (italian or Austrian), Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Warsaw. Take a low cost flight to St Petersburg.

Month 5: Transsmongolian train to Beijing from Moscow. I wouldn't stop in russian cities and go straight to Mongolia where i'd try to spend a week or so off the train. Enjoy the longest train trip of your life and make friends on the train.

Month 6: China (3 weeks) and Tokyo, Japan (last week of your trip). Just pick 2-3 destinations in China or else, it will feel like a marathon. In Tokyo, on your last night, book the best hotel you can and threat yourself because you'll spend a day on the plane the next day. :P

With USD$25.000, you shouldn't have much problems. I'd skip India and South East Asia for that trip. Why? Because those are destinations you must go slow. If you go fast there, you will hate yourself.

As for Europe, you can skip big western european cities likes London and Paris. You will have the opportunity to go again. Those are good destinations for later in life when you only have a 2 weeks vacation.

In Europe, try to couchsurf whenever you can. South America, Russia, China, sleep in hostels (book them in advance for Russia and China, it will help with visas). Your big splash will be South Africa. Book yourself a couple nights in a safari lodge. You won't regret it.

Martx, "Just pick 2-3 destinations in China or else, it will feel like a marathon". Your ENTIRE ITIN will feel like a marathon!

Seriously, have all you new posters ever been on an extended trip or an RTW? Ever? Have you ever travelled without the luxury of a pre booked package? From your posts I seriously doubt it.

Yes it is technically possible to travel the world in 6 months. Hell, Fogg did it in 80 days right? I'm sure the god that is Palin did it in less than six months. But you are not taking into account the myriad of factors which will make that trip a) unreasonable, b) stressful and open to failure and c) pointless.

First of all you are not travelling through a country if you are having a quick stopover in each major travel hub. You haven't seen Thailand if you only flew into Bangkok for a few days! You miss too much and miss half the point of travelling to those countries in the first place!

Secondly you are not taking into account fatigue. In that six months you will get increasingly tired and ratty. You will have no time to simply stop and recharge your batteries. You will be rushing through each place barely seeing anything, spending half your time either in transit or waiting in airport lounges and you WILL be knackered! You won't enjoy half the places you are in and you won't leave yourself open to half the experiences you could have.

And what if something goes wrong? A flight gets cancelled or delayed, you lose your luggage, etc etc etc. That ultra tight itin you are on will suddenly feel like a noose around your neck and will collapse like a deck of cards.

Thirdly, when you do hit those destinations you are spinning through, you won't have time to actually do anything in them! See a dive shop on an island and fancy getting your PADI? Can't, no time. The guesthouse you are staying in running a few really interesting excursions you fancy doing? Can't, no time. Fancy doing more than seeing the pyramids and the museum in Cairo in that week you allocated for Egypt? Can't, no time. Take time to visit the Andes? Can't, no time. Try to ski? Don't make me laugh.

Sure it is possible to fly around the world in that time, but don't you dare get back home and start bragging that you 'travelled round the world', because you didn't. You went on a fancy package holiday. That's it.

On the second part......you may have seen all these places.And the alternatives that Aribo mentioned...I don't know whether you have been to all of them or not.I DO know that the long term posters have been to these places when they talk about them.

Aribo reasonably points out that your choices are unusual for a first time traveller in Europe,with very little time.Probably 99 out of 100 people would go to Budapest over Bratislava,or Krakow over Warsaw.

Not many would go to all the expense of flying to Japan and then visit only Tokyo.

Or fly all the way to South America and then have enough time to see two cities.........

BTW...on your last 'personal attack'.It is quite possible to travel AND post on a forum.They even have the Internet outside the US these days! Personally i have posted on here from Nicaragua,from Uruguay,from Lesotho,from Borneo,from Torino (last week) and from dozens of other countries.......

Is it mandatory to wander around the world like a hippy and stay 6 months in Thailand with pot smokers to enjoy a trip? To read some people here, it feels like most people who travel for less than a year or wants to see more than 2 or 3 countries during a 6 months trip are crazy. Sorry but not everybody is the same and wants the same. I get bored after 2 or 3 days on a beach but reading everybody in here, i'm stupid and i am not a 'real traveller' if I don't stay less than 2 months in a country where everybody slouch on the beach all day long for week
That is a straw man argument indeed - though interestingly a very common one here, generally used by people who become defensive when told that two days each in Amsterdam, Warsaw, Athens, Zurich and Nice is not necessarily the best way to sample Europe.
Perhaps you should brush up your comprehensive reading skills before you try to outsmart others.

As if people with just a few posts were automatically more ignorant or naive
Bullshit. Every single user of this forum once had just a few posts, you know?

Believe it or not but some people travel instead of spending their days on a forum
Well, at least the ones who replied have actually travelled, and speaking for myself, I still do. Judging from your totally ridiculous itinerary suggestion, you have yet to set foot outside Hicksville NE - which doesn't matter, but then please keep your trap shut when more experienced travellers talk.

Oh and what about Osaka? Or Kobe? ... I could go on all day. Why I chose Tokyo over Osaka?
I didn't ask why you'd chose Tokyo over Osaka or Kobe (really?) - although I prefer Osaka over Tokyo myself, for the average tourist it would be a no-brainer if the choice was between only these two.
If someone would ask me (who happens to have lived in Japan almost 2.5 years) where to go with one week in Japan in order to get the most well-balanced mix of traditional and modern, I'd say Tokyo Kyoto, or otherwise Osaka Kyoto.
But hey, why am I even explaining this - the fact that you bring up two more ugly big and (for tourists) not very interesting towns after I mentioned a city that happened to be the center of the Japanese imperial court for centuries, has the largest number of traditional sights and is generally considered a must by 99,9% of all visitors to Japan, makes it very clear that you have never been to Japan, and lack even the most basic knowledge about the country.

I think it is great when first time posters come on here and criticise those who spend hours providing advice to new travelers-just because they have a different opinion.

Despite the fact that these first timer posters have put precisely nothing into the site.

Have we read the same thread? On the first page, out of the 5 itinerary suggestions, 3 are 'don't do a RTW on such a tight schedule and go to SE Asia instead'. The 2nd page, you got more itinerary suggestions from people with just a few posts and regulars replying with 'that's a silly itinerary' and patting on their backs 'yeah, right on bro, we are the truest traveller! look at those wannabes'.

I mean, come on! OP asked for RTW itinerary suggestions for a 6-months trip with USD$25.000. It is not that hard to understand. Sure, I could last more than 2 years with that budget but who cares? Let's dream and make a plan for a 6-months trip.

As I said on my 2 prior messages: your personal preferences are not universal. No need to be condescending. True, I never travelled for more than 6 months in one shot but that doesn't mean I am too ignorant to post what I would do with 6-months, 25.000$ and a RTW ticket. Going on a faster pace is not necessarily 'useless' or 'holiday package'... It still is a RTW.

I'm from Canada. Twice in my teens, I travelled from Montreal to Vancouver BY BUS both ways! The first time, I had only 18 days and the second time, 24 days. Do I regret not stopping more than 1 night in Winnipeg or more than 5 days in the Rockies? Not at all. That's 10.000km in a little more than 2 weeks and I still had a wonderful time. Now, Santiago to Buenos Aires, they are only 1500km apart and I plan 1 month to go from Point A to Point B. Sure, some people could do the same in 3 months while some others will do it in 3 days. It all depends on the person. For me, it's not a problem and I guess, it must be the same for some others too!

One month is very little time and it might seem silly to pay a plane ticket for a so short time there but you have to keep in mind, money is not really a problem in this scenario. In the end, it might cost about 5000$ in airfare but it's worth it IMO. Flying to Japan for only a week from North America would be silly indeed but from China, it is worth it when you take into account one-way tickets cost about 250$ and you end your RTW in one of the craziest metropolis on Earth with direct flight to many cities in North America (thus leaving you with more time to relax on that week). After almost 2 months in Russia, Mongolia and China, I do think it's wise to finish a big trip in a country with comparable standards of living as in the US. It soothens the shock of coming home. Congrats if you lived 2.5 years in Japan. I only visited once for 3 weeks and I still think Tokyo has more to offer than Osaka. Then again, it's a matter of personal tastes. It's pointless to accuse the other of being a wannabe.

I do think I wouldn't try many itinerary suggestions in this thread if I had to pay with my own money but if it was free? Why not? China, Nepal, Tibet and on to India in one month? Not very wise but technically feasible. You just have to take into account you will lose a couple days of that month on the loo (reason why I didn't add many 'off the beaten track' stops... it's no fun to get sick on a short trip).

As OP said, he only asked this question for fun. To see how different people can come up with different scenarios. I don't think he wanted a war between 'old-timers' and 'newcomers'. I know the Banana pancake trail is the ultimate cool spots to go for long trips but still... I just tried to mix things up a bit more. My goal was to give him a medium-pace trip which cover at least 3 different continents with a good mix of cultural/gastronomy/natural wonders.

As for Europe, it's really is a matter of personal preferences. I mean, anywhere has plenty to offer when it comes to cultural and natural sightings. Why Bratislava over Budapest? Only because Bratislava is closer to Vienna, easily reachable within a couple hours of bus/boat/train. It is a great capital city with a bit less tourists than Budapest. It makes it an attractive choice between 2 very touristy cities like Vienna and Prague. I just don't know what is the tolerance of OP when it comes to crowd. I wrote cities on the itinerary because it's simpler to follow. It's simpler to say 'go to Buenos Aires for 2 weeks' than 'visit the inner city of Buenos Aires for 5 days and then, go to the estuary of the Rio Plata for the remainder'. Each city has great, accessible natural areas around them. It is very often a matter of a short bus ride to end up in a quiet natural heaven. Cairo, as I said in a prior post, it's not that hard to book a driver and go into the desert or go straight to the Red Sea. Egypt is a very urbanized nation. I do think Cairo is representative of what the country is.

I don't try to force my personal preferences over yours but don't say my plan is garbage because it doesn't fit your personal view of what travel should be. Some people like fast paced trip while others don't. I don't mind explaining more in details my plan but there is a way to question someone's plan without making it sound like you are questioning the 'value' of the poster and rejecting it whole without any explanation.

PS: The only leg on my plan I didn't see yet is South Africa. Two friends of mine visited for 2 weeks each and they both absolutely loved it. That's why I added it. it's not a cheap destination but at that budget, OP can make it work.

BTW Mart...a genuine question,not trying to wind you up.....what is the 'slowest' you have ever travelled?

Have you ever tried just going to one country (or one continent) and spending months there...meeting the people,learning the language,getting away from the things that are in the guide books-the monuments and the tourist attractions?

To me, the number of posts is not necessarily a seal of quality for the poster. On the forum I am more active (voyageforum), I see a lot of people with hundreds and thousand posts on the counter but they seem to answer 1 or 2-liners and never a thorough answer and good explanations. I read a lot but don't write a lot on English forums. I answered this topic because it was a fun way to see how others would achieve a RTW with $25.000 in a 6 months time span. I thought it was a great challenge. For once, it's not just someone asking for directions on where to take the bus or the budget for X place for X months!

And you, Lucapal, Mikehuxley and Aribo, where would you go if you had to do a RTW with $25.000 and 6 months? To add some challenge, I would add that you must go to at least 2 different continents on that trip(excluding your own continent of departure). Where would that be and why? You all wrote many messages in this thread but never answered the primary question.

Lucapal, the 'slowest' I travelled was the times I took my 4-months vacations and exchanged my apartment. Last year was the 5th time I did it and it was magical as usual. I am a French as a foreign language teacher so I am lucky enough to be able to take at least 4 months vacation each year. So the 5 places I spent my whole 4-months vacation were Sardinia, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Costa-Rica and New Zealand. It probably doesn't count as travelling but I also worked 1 semester abroad ( 6 months) in Mendoza, Argentina and the year later, the whole school year in Rosenheim, Germany way back in 2006 and 2007. Both jobs gave me very little time to travel tho.. Only a couple weekends over that timespan to nearby areas (Andes and Alps). It sounds crazy but over that year, I never had the chance to see Berlin, Hamburg or cities in nearby countries. I only saw Munich (where I landed) and Bavaria.

AS for the 'primary question'...i have answered it.I wouldn't do a RTW.I think 6 months of constant travelling,hopping from continent to continent and ticking off tourist sites is not only a waste of money and energy,but would result (for me) in a very disappointing experience.

If you gave me the US$25000,and 6 months off work (I'd be grateful!)...at the moment I think I would go to Kyrgystan.I'm reading a book about it,and it sounds great.I would stay there as long as i wanted in order to see and do what i want to do.

If that was 6 months,fine.

If it was shorter,then I'd move on to one of the countries across the border.........

Well, the OP asked "How would you do it?" not specifically where to go. I'll take him at his word. What I would do:

1) Not get hung up on literally "round the world." If my journey involved a less-than-RTW for an itinerary I really loved, I'd be OK with it. I'm not a fundamentalist.

2) With 6 months and $25,000, I'd pick two and only two continents (outside North America). Feeling pretty confident that this way, I could get enough contrast yet balance out an itinerary on this sort of budget. Two-fers that could work well, noting that some of these are not necessarily RTW.

--Central/South America and Africa
--Central/South America and Europe
--Europe and Africa
--Europe and Asia
--Asia and Aus/NZ/Oceania

3) From my two continents, I'd choose the regions/countries that most interested me, knowing that coverage of an entire continent is impossible. Likely this wish list would still be way too long for either time or money. Then it would be time to sharpen the pencil, drill down into the priorities, and come up with a final rough itinerary blocked into modules. Make sure the visa requirements are workable and worth whatever hassle/cost the time per country has been allotted.

4) At this point, if it seemed that I should really dump one continent and just focus on the other, I'd do it and the travel plan would get less broad but more deep. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this---I pace different trips variably, depending on my mood, goals for specific trip, and the itinerary destinations themselves.

5) Make sure the long distance linkages (esp flights or trains) are workable and plan connections or itinerary adjustments if they aren't. Make sure that for every 2-3 travel weeks there are a couple of rest days, which also provide flexibliity in case of unexpected snags or opportunities.

That's what I would do. I can't speak for what anybody else would do.