Wmcmanus
President treasurer secretary and sole member of the Cayman Islands Head-Fi Club.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
- Posts
- 11,830
- Likes
- 27
WARNING: Long (but I hope, interesting) thread. Don't say I didn't warn you!
For several years, I've been thinking about doing such a trip. I've never been anywhere, really, other than North America and the Caribbean, and feel that now is the time to become more "international" in my thinking.
With the OneWorldAlliance, this Jules Verne idealism ("Around the World in 80 Days") has become a rather realistic possibility. Certainly, it is much more affordable and convenient now than ever before. I'm semi-retired, and run an online university as my "day job", so have laptop, will travel. The best part about it is that my ticket will be paid for, so long as I visit with students and faculty along the way, and they really are all over the globe. Plus, there will be people who are willing to put me up at many of the stops, so lodging won't be too bad either.
I'm figuring about 12 weeks in total and want to hit all 6 continents, with a departure date sometime in the Spring of 2006. If I'm "seriously" dating by that time, then by all means I'll take her along. If not, then I really don't have a problem travelling solo. I'll just wait to see how things go with her, and keep it under my hat for the time being.
The maximum number of "legs" is 20, but of course I/we could do fewer. Part of me says "quality over quantity", but since I've never really been anywhere before, I'm kind of thinking in terms of the "big gulp" theory, where you try to do it all on one trip - just in case you never get the chance again.
Here's a rough plan:
(1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Miami to New York
(4) Days 2-5, New York (and East Coast driving tour)
(4) Days 6-9, San Fransisco
(5) Days 10-14, Aukland, New Zealand
(5) Days 15-19, Sydney, Audtralia
(4) Days 20-23, Singapore
(5) Days 24-28, Bangkok, Thailand
(5) Days 29-33, Hong Kong
(5) Days 34-38, Tokyo, Japan
(4) Days 39-42, Moscow, Russia
(7) Days 43-49, Rome, Itlay
(4) Days 50-53, Paris, France
(4) Days 54-57, London, England
(4) Days 58-61, Madrid, Spain
(4) Days 62-65, Cassablanca, Moraco
(4) Days 66-69, Cairo, Egypt
(4) Days 70-73, Nairobi, Kenya
(4) Days 74-77, Cape Town, South Africa
(3) Days 78-80, Beunos Aires, Argentina
(3) Days 81-84, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1) Day 85, Back to Miami to Cayman
EDIT: See post #18 for an updated list of destinations. Europe is out due to time constraints.
North America:
I've been to a lot of the major US and Canadian cities (and although places like Montreal and Vancouver would be nice, those are much easier mini-trips for some future date. In fact, if I end up doing a solo trip, I would skip NY. So no advice needed here.
Australia / New Zealand:
This part of the world has always fascinated me in terms of the people, the terrain, and to some extent, the culture. Yet, I feel that the essence of it can be absorbed in a relatively short period of time. I wouldn't feel the need, for instance, to spend weeks on end in the outback, although an "out of city" experience driving tour would be essential. Maybe 3 days in New Zealand and 5 in Australia, instead of 4 and 4?
Asia:
So much to do and see, so many cultures, and so little time. India is also tempting, but maybe next time. The Northern progression should help in terms of reducing travel fatigue. I can't imagine less than a week in either Hong Kong or Tokyo, but 5 days should at least give "us" (see, some positive thinking) a sense of it. But hey, if she doesn't come along, maybe I'll meet a new friend in Bangkok!
Europe:
This is the part of the trip that is not mechanical at all in terms of my thinking. One thought would be to skip Europe altogether, because 1) it can be done another time rather easily since the London-Miami route is so well worn, and 2) there is so much to do and see. The close proximity of major cities makes it less important which ones we actually fly into and out of.
One thought would be to "arrive" in Athens from Moscow, then drive up (or take the various trains) through Italy and into Eastern Europe, including Berlin (a must for me), Amsterdam, etc., and then catch a flight "out of sequence" whenever it seems time to make it to London. Then to Madrid. This means that Rome and Paris would be "visited" but not flown into and out of.
By "out of sequence", the way the OneWorldAlliance works is that so long as you move from city to city as scheduled on your itinerary, you can travel on any day. This means that if you plan to spend 4 days in London, but decide to spend 3 or 7, that's fine, so long as Madrid is next (if that's the way you have it scheduled). So I guess my question for Europeans would be, what would be the best way to arrange a whirlwind trip for 19-20 days with no more than 4 flights, coming into Europe from Moscow? Fewer than 4 flights would be fine, as that would free up a leg or two to be used elsewhere.
The 7 days that I've shown for Rome would not all be spent in Rome. The idea was to allocate a good number of days for "Central Europe" which would allow a trip to Germany, etc. As I've asked above, maybe this isn't the best way to do it?
Africa:
The only "must see" for me would be Cairo. I'm told that Moraco is lovely, but I've never had any particular fascination with Africa in general (as I have had with Kangy and Kiwi land). Here is where it would be fun to "explore" and any suggestions would be welcome.
South America:
Again, I've never had any particular interest in this part of the world (no offense to anyone, I just don't know much about it). Any other places in South America that you regard as "must see"? There could be a leg or two saved from Europe or Africa, depending on the advice I get there.
12 weeks really is the max, so it's either a matter of shifting the number of days from one destination to another, or cutting out certain destinations to allow more time at others.
Any and all advice will be appreciated, either in this thread or via PM. If there are any experienced travelers or travel planners among the head-fi crowd, your input would be especially appreciated! I'm at the "95% sure" I'm going to do it stage, barring any unforeseen circumstances. It's just a matter of whether I'll have a "date" or not.
For several years, I've been thinking about doing such a trip. I've never been anywhere, really, other than North America and the Caribbean, and feel that now is the time to become more "international" in my thinking.
With the OneWorldAlliance, this Jules Verne idealism ("Around the World in 80 Days") has become a rather realistic possibility. Certainly, it is much more affordable and convenient now than ever before. I'm semi-retired, and run an online university as my "day job", so have laptop, will travel. The best part about it is that my ticket will be paid for, so long as I visit with students and faculty along the way, and they really are all over the globe. Plus, there will be people who are willing to put me up at many of the stops, so lodging won't be too bad either.
I'm figuring about 12 weeks in total and want to hit all 6 continents, with a departure date sometime in the Spring of 2006. If I'm "seriously" dating by that time, then by all means I'll take her along. If not, then I really don't have a problem travelling solo. I'll just wait to see how things go with her, and keep it under my hat for the time being.
The maximum number of "legs" is 20, but of course I/we could do fewer. Part of me says "quality over quantity", but since I've never really been anywhere before, I'm kind of thinking in terms of the "big gulp" theory, where you try to do it all on one trip - just in case you never get the chance again.
Here's a rough plan:
(1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Miami to New York
(4) Days 2-5, New York (and East Coast driving tour)
(4) Days 6-9, San Fransisco
(5) Days 10-14, Aukland, New Zealand
(5) Days 15-19, Sydney, Audtralia
(4) Days 20-23, Singapore
(5) Days 24-28, Bangkok, Thailand
(5) Days 29-33, Hong Kong
(5) Days 34-38, Tokyo, Japan
(4) Days 39-42, Moscow, Russia
(7) Days 43-49, Rome, Itlay
(4) Days 50-53, Paris, France
(4) Days 54-57, London, England
(4) Days 58-61, Madrid, Spain
(4) Days 62-65, Cassablanca, Moraco
(4) Days 66-69, Cairo, Egypt
(4) Days 70-73, Nairobi, Kenya
(4) Days 74-77, Cape Town, South Africa
(3) Days 78-80, Beunos Aires, Argentina
(3) Days 81-84, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1) Day 85, Back to Miami to Cayman
EDIT: See post #18 for an updated list of destinations. Europe is out due to time constraints.
North America:
I've been to a lot of the major US and Canadian cities (and although places like Montreal and Vancouver would be nice, those are much easier mini-trips for some future date. In fact, if I end up doing a solo trip, I would skip NY. So no advice needed here.
Australia / New Zealand:
This part of the world has always fascinated me in terms of the people, the terrain, and to some extent, the culture. Yet, I feel that the essence of it can be absorbed in a relatively short period of time. I wouldn't feel the need, for instance, to spend weeks on end in the outback, although an "out of city" experience driving tour would be essential. Maybe 3 days in New Zealand and 5 in Australia, instead of 4 and 4?
Asia:
So much to do and see, so many cultures, and so little time. India is also tempting, but maybe next time. The Northern progression should help in terms of reducing travel fatigue. I can't imagine less than a week in either Hong Kong or Tokyo, but 5 days should at least give "us" (see, some positive thinking) a sense of it. But hey, if she doesn't come along, maybe I'll meet a new friend in Bangkok!
Europe:
This is the part of the trip that is not mechanical at all in terms of my thinking. One thought would be to skip Europe altogether, because 1) it can be done another time rather easily since the London-Miami route is so well worn, and 2) there is so much to do and see. The close proximity of major cities makes it less important which ones we actually fly into and out of.
One thought would be to "arrive" in Athens from Moscow, then drive up (or take the various trains) through Italy and into Eastern Europe, including Berlin (a must for me), Amsterdam, etc., and then catch a flight "out of sequence" whenever it seems time to make it to London. Then to Madrid. This means that Rome and Paris would be "visited" but not flown into and out of.
By "out of sequence", the way the OneWorldAlliance works is that so long as you move from city to city as scheduled on your itinerary, you can travel on any day. This means that if you plan to spend 4 days in London, but decide to spend 3 or 7, that's fine, so long as Madrid is next (if that's the way you have it scheduled). So I guess my question for Europeans would be, what would be the best way to arrange a whirlwind trip for 19-20 days with no more than 4 flights, coming into Europe from Moscow? Fewer than 4 flights would be fine, as that would free up a leg or two to be used elsewhere.
The 7 days that I've shown for Rome would not all be spent in Rome. The idea was to allocate a good number of days for "Central Europe" which would allow a trip to Germany, etc. As I've asked above, maybe this isn't the best way to do it?
Africa:
The only "must see" for me would be Cairo. I'm told that Moraco is lovely, but I've never had any particular fascination with Africa in general (as I have had with Kangy and Kiwi land). Here is where it would be fun to "explore" and any suggestions would be welcome.
South America:
Again, I've never had any particular interest in this part of the world (no offense to anyone, I just don't know much about it). Any other places in South America that you regard as "must see"? There could be a leg or two saved from Europe or Africa, depending on the advice I get there.
12 weeks really is the max, so it's either a matter of shifting the number of days from one destination to another, or cutting out certain destinations to allow more time at others.
Any and all advice will be appreciated, either in this thread or via PM. If there are any experienced travelers or travel planners among the head-fi crowd, your input would be especially appreciated! I'm at the "95% sure" I'm going to do it stage, barring any unforeseen circumstances. It's just a matter of whether I'll have a "date" or not.