I don’t know about you, but all this talk of a financial market meltdown, mortgage crisis, global recession, and plunging job market makes me pine for the days when I was backpacking around the world and my biggest decision was whether to have shrimp with rice or shrimp with noodles for lunch.
If you’re getting similar itchy feet and don’t know where to start, you could begin with this good blog post on how to plan a RTW trip . Getting a copy of The World’s Cheapest Destinations would help too of course. (If you’re not leaving before the end of the year, wait for the new edition I’m working on now.)
On this resource page you’ll find links to a bunch of round-the-world travel books that will help put a framework on your dreams, books like Vagabonding, First Time Around the World, and Work Your Way Around the World. You will learn a lot more, in a faster manner, by reading these books on the sofa than by spending countless hours in front of a computer monitor. Trust me. Hey, your library probably even has a few of them. Remember that place? It’s still there and is really useful—and free.
With the airline game changing week by week, I don’t advise buying a round-the-world ticket in advance. Work out the first couple long routes, then wing it after that with local prices and a better view of the options.
It helps to pack well so you’re not overburdened. Here is a top-10 list for some popular travel backpacks .
I recently had a few beers with a friend who just returned from a year-long trip around the world. I’m going to put his current advice in a separate post.
