RTW rough itinerary

OK its a very long post with only vague questions you may want to post again more specifically.

I'm not sure your ref to airtreks -I definitely would NOT pre-book your flights in Asia - you will get excellent prices with cut price airlines such as as airasia nearer the time.

You cant tour Burma without flying into/out of Rangoon - you can go overland from Thailand but only to the border town itself no further (check SEAsia branchs for more details) You don't need to go on a tour for Burma and you should be able to get a visa for 30 days - but all this might change in the next year with the current riots etc.
There are no cheap packages to Bhutan - the Bhutanee government restricts the # of tourists by charging very high prices to get in . How long are you planning to spend along the way - when will you be trekking - there is a distinct trekking season and you need to be in Nepal at the right time for it. Check India branch regards rules about entering Nepal/Tibet and v..v
I'm not familiar with Africa but $150 visa cost is the least of your costs in the big picture - I wouldn't right the country off because of it though - I would consider Sudan pretty dodgy place to go!
I have traveled Syria solo and met up with a US girl at 1 point -she couldn't believe the help and friendliness of the locals. The Western media really beats up the ME you will get nothing but coutesy so long as you dress respectfully. Turkey is great too.
Setting up a travel blog is a great idea!

Lis
Air Travel Tips

Thank you so much midlifetravel! After a lot more research over the past few days and pricing the flights around Asia I've realized how cheap it is to take short flights from place to place. I used to live in Kuching (Malaysia) and took flights to and from Singapore/KL/Bangkok/Bali, etc and now am reminded of how cheap they were aftermy research. I'm really afraid of the RTW ticket thing...I really don't want to be tied down/locked in to flying to and from places on certain dates. I'm actually thinking about omitting Western Europe all together and doing that another time. I'd still like to see Ukraine and Poland though. Over everything though I wish to see Africa, the Middle East, Russia, China and more of SE Asia. Western Europe is just so expensive. Referring to your reply on BootsNAll, thank you so much for providing me with the info on the transsib, the price I found is really expensive now that I think about it.

Is Bhutan worth paying the high package tour price to see? I've seen pictures of the place and read about it and it seems amazing but if the price is outlandish and will set my budget off I'd rather perhaps pay a visit to a few other countries I can see without that problem. I'd really like to see the 'stans, I've read a lot of blogs by solo women travelers who have been to the Middle East and have had no problems at all, so I'm thinking I'll add in a few Middle Eastern countries.

I spent a good 5 hours researching Africa, I'd really like to see the Serengeti (although expensive!) and I'd like to do some scuba while I'm there (Madagascar seems to be a great destination for that). I might trade out Sudan for a couple of other countries and maybe head down to South Africa, seems to be a popular one to see on most RTW's trips, I'd like to surf too.

As far as Nepal/Tibet goes I've picked up the LP guides and am currently reading about the treks I wish to go on. I see now that I have a lot more planning to do as seasons are such a large factor, but that's okay! I love planning and I still have a lot of time before I head out, it'll keep me busy ;)

Thank you again for your reply here and on BootsNAll, I appreciate it tons (as you can see I'm pretty clueless and need all the help I can get!)

Personally I would never choose to visit or travel in Burma with the current government in place. I would fly to KTM from BKK.

For Nepal treks you will need to pay at least $12/day for a guide, and that does not include meals. Accomodation is included with meals, not with guide fees. A better estimate for 2 people is $40/day sharing a guide/porter. Lots of info on options on the Nepal branch. In a year the costs will likely increase if the $ exchange rate keeps going up (all treks are stated in $, but costs are in rupees). 13 days is fairly tight for EBC trek. I'd plan for 15-16 days to accomodate weather delays on flights and extra acclimization days. You'd want to plan your schedule to be in Nepal in either April-May or October-November for best trekking weather.

I'm planning a similar trip in a similar time frame. Here are some thoughts:

First, as noted, it's impossible to go overland from Burma to India/Bangladesh. Second, there are no budget airline flights (that I know of, but I'm pretty familiar with these) from SE Asia; the only one I know is Air Arabia Sharjah-Chittagong, so you'd want to go via Kolkata, perhaps.

Bhutan, given your itinerary, probably isn't worth it. You could rent a 4WD with driver and go through Eastern Tibet for quite a bit less, and see very similar scenery. Also, there are nonrestricted areas of India near Bhutan (parts of Sikkim and Assam) that are similar in landscape.

Bits of Yemen and all of Oman are both quite safe. In particular, around Sana'a, Socotra, and in the Hadramaut, you won't have problems. I liked Yemen much more than other parts of the peninsula because it is much more Arab, and has much more interesting history. Oman and the UAE, for instance, were really nomadic societies until only a few decades ago. Also, in Oman (and especially in the UAE), you will meet far more S Asians than natives, which might not be what you're looking for.

I wouldn't cross W Europe off just yet. I know many travelers do, but if you can afford it (say, budgeting $100 or so a day, which should do you quite well), why not? There's a reason it's the #1 tourist destination in the world! Remember that, in terms of prices, it's Scandanavia > Switz > Northern Europe/UK > France > Southern Europe > Eastern Europe, and that within countries, the primate cities (Paris, London, etc.) are more expensive. My plan has me going essentially around the Med from Turkey up through the Balkans to Italy, France and Spain, with 6 or so weeks spent in the more expensive destinations. That's no problem on my budget, so I'm sure you can make it work in yours.

One more thing: you don't say when you start your trip, but if I were you, I'd plan around weather. You don't want to be in Southern Africa in, say, February, when the rains are falling and the mosquitoes are biting. Flights are cheap these days, particularly along the Europe -> Asia -> SE Asia route, so don't worry too much about doubling back if you need to.

In your case, actually, I don't know that I'd bother with booking flights early. The flights you list will all be very cheap; even New Delhi-Nairobi can be done under 500 one way.

Looking through your Africa itinerary, though: it's crazy. Through DRC to Sudan overland? The Eastern half of DRC is often impenetrable, and when you can get through, you'll be traveling through an enormously dangerous area.

I don't worry too much about safety, but the following places are just too dangerous right now for any sensible traveler to visit:
Eastern DRC
Somalia (outside Somaliland)
Southern Algeria
Western Sudan/Eastern Chad
Iraq outside Kurdistan
Much of Afghanistan
some smaller areas inside countries (e.g., bits of Bihar, bits of Yemen, some drug areas in S. America, etc.)

If you didn't have a very good reason for visiting those places, wait until they calm down first!

la_vache: Thanks for the advice about Burma, I wasn't sure of the current situation there but from reading the forums I was somewhat convinced that it was a decently safe place to visit. Since my trip will be well into the future I'll keep up with the travel warnings and perhaps post inquiring about the current situation there before I go. I appreciate your help. As far as going overland through Burma, I wasn't sure about that either, I suppose if I decide to go there I could fly from Rangoon to Calcutta? What about Mandalay? Can I make it that far into the country or would it just not be worth it at all?
As far as Nepal goes, thanks so much for the pricing, I had kind of done a rough search over thorntree for prices on hiring guides, I'll be going solo. The amount of days I had entered into my itinerary was only an estimate, I had googled and ravaged thorntree for estimates and found so many different ways to trek/timing of treks, so I estimated. Thank you soooo much for the seasonal info, I had yet to search for any info on that. Again, thank you tons!!! I appreciate it greatly!!!

kevincure: Wow!! What a wealth of info you are!! You're my new best friend! haha =) I found a good site with links to airlines w/i SE Asia, India, etc... http://wikitravel.org/en/Discount_airlines_in_Asia</a>

also check out this site, with amazing deals going on right now (hopefully they'll have some similar to this when it's time for me to head out!! haha)

http://malaysianunderwater.com/diving-gear/airasia-rm6-to-tawau-banda-aceh-phuket</a>

As far as Bhutan goes, I've pretty much gotten the same response as you from everyone on other travel forums, so I'll probably just put the nix on that, you're right....I can see the same scenery/landscape in the bordering countries while paying less and not having to be part of a darn tour. haha =)

I'm really interested in seeing the Middle East, I'll most likely re-route my trip (I've already done this about 5 times since posting that first itinerary up there haha) and include either Oman or Yemen (or both! they are cheap according to the guide books). I'd also like to include the 'stans but then it would be impossible (or is it?) to incorporate the trans-siberian railway into that, as it passes all that up.

Western Europe...hmm. I'm thinking of just visiting England to see a friend (who'll join me in seeing Ireland and Scotland) (she lives in the Lake District of the U.K.). I'm thinking of flying in to Reykjavik (I'm dying to see Iceland and I'll be couchsurfing there) from the USA then taking a cheap flight via IcelandExpress (like $100 US) to London. After my jaunt around the U.K. and Ireland with my friend I plan on flying to Warsaw, train to Krakow (seeing Auschwitz), train to Kiev (Chernobyl), train to Moscow then over to Asia or the 'stans. I'm nixing most of Western Europe because I plan of returning to France and Spain for the Camino Frances (France to Santiago de Compostela) aka the pilgrimmage after my trip (not directly after, homebound first, rest up...save up and return to Western Europe). I would like to incorporate Greece and Turkey into my RTW itinerary though.

The weather, I have yet to delve into the great abyss of 'seasonal information' yet...as I'm still trying to figure out where I want to visit in the first place...that's soon to come though haha.

Flights, I think I'm gonna say forget it to the RTW ticket and just get tickets along the way (that may become an issue for some countries though...as some require proof on onward travel).

Africa, I've nixed out Sudan (I assumed it was safe because my church is offering mission trips there) but after reading warnings on the U.S. gov sites and seeing little red x's and red hands signaling caution on every known site on Sudan I'm heeding their and your warning on the place. haha.
DRC...overland...you're right, not too safe.
I made this itinerary before I had done any research at all on Africa....after endless nights of research I've found that what I'm looking for is just as available in the safer countries.
Here are some possibilities of where I'd like to visit now: Mozambique (scuba!!!!), Kenya (possibly Masaai Mara and beaches outside Mombasa as well as Nairobi (in which will be the city I fly into Africa)), Tanzania (Serengeti (gonna get pricey I know), Kilimanjaro), Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls). As far as Northern Africa goes I'd like to see Egypt and possibly Morocco. Are there any better recommendations? Anything else worth seeing over something I've listed?

Thanks again soooo much kevincure, I might have more questions for you as you've provided me with some great info. I appreciate every bit of it!!! =) Keep in touch my friend! When are you heading out?

No doubt.

A couple more things: def check out the budget airlines. There is no question that the budgets are the cheapest way to fly in SE Asia (and even from SE Asia -> Oz or S Asia), India, South Africa, the Mideast and Europe. Easyjet (Europe), Air Arabia and Jazeera (mid east/India), Jetstar (Singapore to all points around) and Air Asia (based in Kuala Lumpur) are all great. If you get to china, you should also check out elong.net, which I think has an English version; you can get the "real" prices there for internal China flights instead of the craziness that gets spit out by Orbitz and Travelocity (I don't know any situation where you should pay more than $200 US one way incl. taxes). In general, none of these budget flights will pop up if you search on, say, Kayak, so you really just need to know who flies where.

Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of budget flights in the rest of Africa or in S. America.

Oman isn't expensive, but it's not terribly cheap either - $50 a day minimum. This is mostly to do with the vast distances involved between interesting sites - the country is about 800 miles end-to-end! Yemen is also relatively cheap, but not nearly as cheap as, say, India or SE Asia.

I haven't been to the stans, but I always wanted to see the Soviet Cape Canaveral, which is in Kazakhstan. The African bits you mentioned are the main destinations (though note you can see Vic Falls from Zambia as well). I really liked S. Africa, and it's nice in that you can rent a car fairly cheaply. If you've got a friend, renting a car and driving to Umfolozi and Kruger and the rest, then getting a bungalow inside for 75 bucks or so, is cheaper than any of the safari tours elsewhere in E. Africa. I also loved Lesotho, which is English-speaking, easy to travel around in (with a S. African rental car) and doesn't have any of the lingering black-white weirdness that still exists in S Africa.

Good luck planning; feel free to give me an email at (my lonely planet user name) @ yahoo.com. I'm not taking off until the end of July on my big trip as I've got to finish up the contract I'm on right now.

Hey Kevin,
Thanks again for all of the info! On the subject of budget airlines,etc.. I was doing some searches for rail tickets and went to a few sights there were in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, and the likes and managed to navigate my way around and get some incredible ticket prices for travel in the area, before I was doing searches on primarily touristy type websites (kayak, student universe (which isn't that bad actually), orbitz, etc..). I've also found flights in Europe out of London Stansted and the smaller airports that are tons cheaper (Ryan Air, easyJet, bmibaby, etc). It's funny how you can find flight on Orbitz for $1,000 from Reykjavik to London and then go to such places as IcelandExpress and get one for $100. haha. I feel bad for those people who pay those high prices as they are too clueless or lazy to search around.
Here's a few African ones I've found:
African Low Cost Airlines
Air Arabia.com From Sharjah (UAE) to the Middle East, North Africa, India and Sri Lanka
1time.aero South Africa
Kulula.com South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe
SA Express.co.za South Africa and Namibia
Virgin Nigeria.com From Lagos to London and African destinations

But your right, compared to Asia and Europe...there are so few! But a girl made a recommendation on BootsNAll, here's her quote:

"Just to add a few wee ideas - look up info about Truck Arica or similar trips that are really quite reasonable but most of all, safe. You'll meet a pile of great people and there are lots of different itineraries to choose from. You could end the trip in South Africa and stay there for a while or take a side trip to Zanzibar."

Thanks for the info on Oman and Yemen, I'm going to try my best to plan those in to my itinerary. I've seen some really great pictures from both, I'm really eager to make it over there.
I saw that I could visit Vic falls from Zambia too, as it's on the border but a lot of the info I've found says it's worth taking a trip over to Zimbabwe to see it from that side (though the visa is like 20-30 haha), Zambia would make more since though since it borders many of the destinations I plan on visiting.
Thanks for the renting the car idea, hadn't thought about that.

What kind of travel insurance of you getting for your trip? I'm thinking World Nomads myself.

Thanks again for the excellent information! I see from your webpage that you are well traveled! North Korea? Amazing. Expensive? I've seen the Koryo tour runs between $2-3,000.
Anywho! I'm off now! Thanks again for the mass amount of valuable info you've shared with me. Appreciate it!!!

Yeah, the budgets are awesome.

Zambia is also cool b/c there's a very cheap train from Dar es Salaam all the way to Livingstone, which is a nice change of pace from the buses.

I think the truck tours are really for a very specific type of traveler. Cost-wise, once you add in tips, local costs, "optional" excursions, etc., you're paying like 80-100 bucks a day even on the relatively cheap tours; this strikes me as way too expensive for Africa. On the plus side, they often take you to places that can be tough to reach on public transit, but I don't see the point of going to the backwaters if you're going to show up with a bus full of Westerners - how can you see the "real Africa" that way? I'd always thought of the truck tours as intended for relatively rich, hard-partying gap year types - the 17, 18, 19 year olds whose parents don't want them traveling independently because of safety concerns. You can search through this forum for lots more on the topic, for sure.

I hadn't thought too much about insurance, but World Nomads seems to be pretty awesome, so I imagine I'd go with them as well.

Haha, North Korea. Crazy place. Yeah, it's just ridiculously expensive, plus only open to Americans once in a blue moon (a few weeks at a time, announced right then, every few years). I was lucky in that I was in grad school at the time (basically studying the economics of former communist countries) and I finagled the Dean into paying for the trip in exchange for giving some talks when I came back! Not a bad deal!