Round-the-world trip for most people is like a dream. To see the most interesting cities, to visit the most interesting countries, to feel the culture and to get to know local citizens of the Earth. All these things sound not only attracative but also for a 100 per cent real!

Planning of the round-the-world trip could seem to be difficult task, but do not worry, we have been able to collect all necessary information and write for you simple instruction, with the help of which your dream to travel around the worl will realize. Read this attentively and you will be ready to  realize the best trip of your life by yourself.

Main rules

• With great care plan any waypoint
• Value really your physical abilities
• Do not err your planed budget
• Make your own route with all stops
• Find out beforehand more information about countries, which you want to visit
• Do not travel without insurance
• Do not loose connection with your friends and relatives during the trip in order for them to know where you are if unforseen circumstances would happen with you
• Do not take with yourself extra stuff

What places do you want to visit?

Open a map of the world. Make a list of places, which you want to visit during your trip and note them. It is very good when you will have thematic journey. When you will realize that you want to go round the world and to see the best Zoos, best graperies or monumets in honor of cats, then your route sillhouttes by yourself. Idea for a trip is very important, not less then its organization.

How long do you plan to travel?

Decide for yourself how many days you want to spend in every place and how much time all your trip will last. You should not make your route with multiple changes of your location. First of all journey is a rest but not a marathon. If you would plan too much places for visiting, then your trip will turn into a test, you will not  have time to notice anything interesting and you will dream only about good sleep. Do not forget about acclimatization and how you will react on changes of time zones and climatic background.

Must see

If you have already combined the list of places which you plan to visit, then plan your excursions, visitations of museums and other sights. Divide everything you want to see on three groupes: “ certainly for visiting”, “ really want to see” and “possible for visiting”. Thanks to this way of systematization you will look across your own course for one more time and possibly will find extra points and will change the programme of your trip.

Choose of the  direction

Plan your own course and directions in geographical order from West to East. Because usually round-the-world flights of airlines use similar scheme (west-east).

Budget

It is difficult topic. First of all you should determine your largest costs. Amount sum which you will put away should be enough for air tickets, transportation, payments for accommodation and food. Then add a point to your list about additional costs for trifles, tickets to museums and theatres and payments for mobile connection. Average number, which we recommend for you to add for your additional cost is 100$ for one person in a day. By the way, when you will make visas on your way, you will need  “financial guarantees”- bank statements or travel cheques, so do not be stingly.

Choose of the season and weather for travelling

Explore the weather in every place of your stay.
For example, in Southern Hemisphere (South America, Australia, South Africa) is summer when  in northern hemisphere (Canada, Europe, Russia) is winter. Remember about monsoons in Southeast Asia and about the season of rains and hurricanes in the Carribean. Consider all the facts, then you will not need to hide in the hotel from heavy rains and gale-force winds, though in this case, even the walls of the hotel may not be the best place to hide.

Passport and visas

Check your own foreign passport. Expiration date must be at least 6 months from the day after returning home from a trip. Note the visa entry requirements for the whole route. Remember that the procedure of getting visa could last from two weeks till two months.When presenting form for visa in any embassy you should give the description of your own “world tour”, reservations in hotels, vouchers for rental cars and air tickets.

Health

You thought a lot about whether you will have enough forces for trip to the Amazon jungle but how will your body react to the diving on Bali you still do not know. For enjoying your dream  in real you need good health and real value of your physical abilities.  If you have some doubts, then you need to consult with your doctor. Also you need to find out befofrehand whether you will need vaccination in this very country or you will just need to take a medicine chest with yourself.

Reservation of  hotels

If you are sure that round-the-world trip is a very expensive pleasure, then you are mistaken. Of course, the price of a question will be different. You could stop in the best hotels during your journey, or you could choose for yourself cozy family  3-4 stars hotels.

On my opinion, the best way is the mix of budget hotels and luxury hotels. You could spend several nights in “4 stars hotel”, and then you could pumper yourself with luxury of “One&Only” or “Atlantis”. Moreover you could stop in “national” hotels such as traditional hotels “Ryokan” in Japan.

Car rental

You could order beforehand a rent in every city, where you plan to stop during your journey. You could use the blanks for renting cars on-line.

Travel insurance

You should not risk in this question. Insure your own life and health in companies, which offer special insurance programs. First of all you will need insurance policy when you will make visa. Also if during the trip you plan to ski, hike in the mountains or dive, then you should not rely on luck not to use this service.

Book flights

There is a great amount of airlines all over the world, which give the opportunity to make round-the-world trip on the most favorable tariffs.

*One World – British Airways, Qantas, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, JAL etc.
*Star Alliance – Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Continental, United etc.
*Sky Team – Air France, KLM, Delta, Aero Mexico, Korean Air etc.

There are several types of tariffs for round-the-world trip:
*One World – Global Explorer, One World Explorer и Discovery tickets. They are based on the number of stops or on the totality of miles and planned stops.

*Star Alliance- ticket, which gives the right to travel round the world on the totality of the number of miles. There are 4 levels 26 000, 29 000, 34 000 and 39 000 miles, it is possible to distribute them among companies-partners of the  alliance. In this situation you could make not less than three and not more than 15 stops in different airports.

*Sky Team- the system of “Round the World Ticket” is similar  to Star Alliance and also depends on the number of miles and stops.

For any of this tariffs it is possible to book places in economy class, business or you could travel by first class. The rules of the choice are the same, only the cost is changing. When using such possibilities, you could make the best journey, because you do not need to take “round trip ticket”.  These  tariffs let  you to divide your route on sectors and travel whether on an airplane, or on the ground. For example you have arrived to Bangkok and then you want to depart from Singapore, travelling all this time among cities by land or by water.

“Round the World Ticket” often has the longest period of validity which lasts 1 year and the least is for one week, beginning from the date of the first fly. Good variant is to book only the first flight and leave the next route “opened” for booking flights during your journey. But anyway, you should give your probable route. Also it is possible to book the route with precise dates of the departure, and  in case of changes in plans it is easy to fix the other date paying a small administrative fee.

And finally…

Pack your suitcase according to the places which you plan to visit. You will hardly need swimsuit if you are going for Alaska, just like you will not need surfboard even if you would see the ocean not only for one time. Think with your head and let your motto will not be minimalism-take as less as possible and those clothes about which you will not regret then. Do not pack all your wardrobe, thinking that “it is likely to be useful”, I am sure that you will not use a half of what you will take. You even could buy clothes in places, as you think, are untouched with civilization.

Wish you pleasant  journey!