[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus If I end up travelling alone, I'd probably cut Europe out.

Speaking of cutting something.... I'll predict that in the end you will regret the initial use of the 10 first days in the US. It's something you have already done quite often in the past.You could use that time to stay a little longer during each stops you'll do in those often «exotic» places:

http://www.visit-chile.org/admin-soc...ntarctic-3.jpg
(Too bad this location is not in your plans...)

Is it me, or I'm eager to read your first posts on the road....

Amicalement

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic Speaking of cutting something.... I'll predict that in the end you will regret the initial use of the 10 first days in the US. It's something you have already done quite often in the past.You could use that time to stay a little longer during each stops you'll do in those often «exotic» places: http://www.visit-chile.org/admin-soc...ntarctic-3.jpg (Too bad this location is not in your plans...) Is it me, or I'm eager to read your first posts on the road.... Amicalement

Ahhhh, yes! Alaska! Now there is a seperate trip if there ever was a seperate trip.

EDIT: Oooooops, now I see the link is NOT to Alaska... but it sure looks like Alaska.

Agreed about cutting out the US portion, but I think I'd like to see San Francisco for a while, and we would need to go that way in any event since Cayman is South of Miami. I'm not as interested in Mexico City, for instance.

No problems with pics and posts about the trip while it's in progess. That would be fun to do.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Here's a rough updated plan:

(1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco
(3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco
(6) Days 5-10, Christchurch, New Zealand
(6) Days 11-16, Sydney, Australia
(2) Days 17-18, Singapore
(5) Days 19-23, Bangkok, Thailand
(3) Days 24-26, Hong Kong
(6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China
(10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan
(5) Days 43-47, Cassablanca, Moraco
(5) Days 48-52, Cairo, Egypt
(4) Days 53-56, Nairobi, Kenya
(7) Days 57-63, Cape Town, South Africa
(3) Days 64-66, Beunos Aires, Argentina
(3) Days 67-69, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1) Day 70, Back to Miami to Cayman

Note that I've cut Europe and Russia out of the trip completely. I'd like to visit Moscow and St. Petersberg as an extension of a European trip when the weather is better.

I've extended the time in New Zealand, Australia, Tokyo, and South Africa. I've also added Beijing to the trip. The total "planned" time of 10 weeks will probably work better than 12 weeks. That way, if something especially cool is happening, there would be 2 weeks of slack time built in, so we could stay a few extra days wherever.

This schedule would allow also for some expansion in terms of the number of destinations. Maybe another stop in Oceania (Papua New Guinea)? Maybe another stop in South America?

 

[GWN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Here's a rough updated plan: (1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco (3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco (6) Days 5-10, Christchurch, New Zealand (6) Days 11-16, Sydney, Australia (2) Days 17-18, Singapore (5) Days 19-23, Bangkok, Thailand (3) Days 24-26, Hong Kong (6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China (10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan (5) Days 43-47, Cassablanca, Moraco (5) Days 48-52, Cairo, Egypt (4) Days 53-56, Nairobi, Kenya (7) Days 57-63, Cape Town, South Africa (3) Days 64-66, Beunos Aires, Argentina (3) Days 67-69, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1) Day 70, Back to Miami to Cayman Note that I've cut Europe and Russia out of the trip completely. I'd like to visit Moscow and St. Petersberg as an extension of a European trip when the weather is better. I've extended the time in New Zealand, Australia, Tokyo, and South Africa. I've also added Beijing to the trip. The total "planned" time of 10 weeks will probably work better than 12 weeks. That way, if something especially cool is happening, there would be 2 weeks of slack time built in, so we could stay a few extra days wherever. This schedule would allow also for some expansion in terms of the number of destinations. Maybe another stop in Oceania (Papua New Guinea)? Maybe another stop in South America?

That new plan looks a lot better to me. This should be a fun trip. Be sure to bring a digital camera and send back photos and impressions. You're making me think about travelling again. I haven't done any in the past five years, burned out by all that business travel.

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus (1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco (3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco (6) Days 5-10, Christchurch, New Zealand (6) Days 11-16, Sydney, Australia (2) Days 17-18, Singapore (5) Days 19-23, Bangkok, Thailand (3) Days 24-26, Hong Kong (6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China (10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan (5) Days 43-47, Cassablanca, Moraco (5) Days 48-52, Cairo, Egypt (4) Days 53-56, Nairobi, Kenya (7) Days 57-63, Cape Town, South Africa (3) Days 64-66, Beunos Aires, Argentina (3) Days 67-69, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1) Day 70, Back to Miami to Cayman

This is great and amazing. Some call it walkabout; some of us just want to find others; some ourselves. I any case, I think it is a great idea, and here are my suggestions, Bill:

(1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco
You really should fit NYC into the first leg; although our city is still in transition with 9-11 four years ago, the people are what make it. Besides it is so very clean now

(3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco
Have a drink by the outdoor fireplace at Houston's; ride the trolley up to lombard street; get thai noodles near union square and just talk to people everywhere - people in SanFran are amazing.
(6) Days 5-10, Christchurch, New Zealand
(6) Days 11-16, Sydney, Australia
(2) Days 17-18, Singapore
(5) Days 19-23, Bangkok, Thailand
(3) Days 24-26, Hong Kong
(6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China
Why so much time in the most rapidly growing technology user? I would try to spend more time in a few of China's more spiritual locations
(10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan
Try to get to Hakone and visit the garden and tea room; one of the most tranquil places in the world.
(5) Days 43-47, Cassablanca, Moraco
(5) Days 48-52, Cairo, Egypt
(4) Days 53-56, Nairobi, Kenya
(7) Days 57-63, Cape Town, South Africa
(3) Days 64-66, Beunos Aires, Argentina
(3) Days 67-69, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(1) Day 70, Back to Miami to Cayman

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus Here's a rough updated plan: (1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco (3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco (6) Days 5-10, Christchurch, New Zealand (6) Days 11-16, Sydney, Australia (2) Days 17-18, Singapore (5) Days 19-23, Bangkok, Thailand (3) Days 24-26, Hong Kong (6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China (10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan (5) Days 43-47, Cassablanca, Moraco (5) Days 48-52, Cairo, Egypt (4) Days 53-56, Nairobi, Kenya (7) Days 57-63, Cape Town, South Africa (3) Days 64-66, Beunos Aires, Argentina (3) Days 67-69, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1) Day 70, Back to Miami to Cayman This schedule would allow also for some expansion in terms of the number of destinations. Maybe another stop in Oceania (Papua New Guinea)? Maybe another stop in South America?

WOW it's getting more interesting by the hours....

Leave the girlfriend at home I'm joining the expedition....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus EDIT: Oooooops, now I see the link is NOT to Alaska... but it sure looks like Alaska.

In fact the extreme South part of Chile is not that extravagant of a destination if you are, as you do, comming from Cape Town to South America. But the part about meeting some of your students could be a bit more difficult to pull off...

Amicalement

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevesurf (1) Day 1, Leave Cayman to Atlanta to San Fransisco You really should fit NYC into the first leg; although our city is still in transition with 9-11 four years ago, the people are what make it. Besides it is so very clean now ... (3) Days 2-4, San Fransisco Have a drink by the outdoor fireplace at Houston's; ride the trolley up to lombard street; get thai noodles near union square and just talk to people everywhere - people in SanFran are amazing. ... (6) Days 27-32, Beijing, China Why so much time in the most rapidly growing technology user? I would try to spend more time in a few of China's more spiritual locations ... (10) Days 33-42, Tokyo, Japan Try to get to Hakone and visit the garden and tea room; one of the most tranquil places in the world.

Hey Steve, thanks! Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I've been to NY a couple of times in recents years (for head-fi meets of all things!) and will probably be back in June this year. Hope to see you there!

If I were doing the trip solo, there would be no reason to stop in NY since I'm looking for 100% new experiences. About the only things about this trip that I'd be familiar with in advance would be the Atlanta and Miami airports! If I'm travelling with my girlfriend, then I think it would be great for her to see NY and Niagra Falls. But really, to keep the "100% new experiences" rule in effect, we could easily go to Vegas instead... of course, that might not be the best FIRST stop!

Thanks for your ideas about San Fran. Sounds like my kind of place. I can talk to anyone anywhere, and almost got myself killed for that "ability" in New Orleans once! Long story...

About Bejing, the number of days (6) simply means how many days we will be in China before leaving for the next destination. Depending on what time of day we arrived, we would probably spend the first and last nights in Bejing, and would otherwise be roaming the counrtyside. Same is true at all other destinations. For example, of the 10 days in Japan, probably only 3-4 would be in Tokyo. We'll definitely have to check out Hakone. By this time in the trip, a little peace and tranquility will be most welcome. In general, I'm not the "mad traveller" type who rushes around to get everything "done" only to do in myself! As between the ""Type A" and "Type B" personalities, I've been recently described as a "Type B Minus!"

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic WOW it's getting more interesting by the hours.... Leave the girlfriend at home I'm joining the expedition....

Whoa! I had to quickly double check back to page one, and I'm glad you're not the same drunk guy who was wanting to marry me! (that was minya). I'm strickly exit only... but I do know what you mean, it will be a fun trip.

Quote:

In fact the extreme South part of Chile is not that extravagant of a destination if you are, as you do, comming from Cape Town to South America.

I've heard about this region recently, with the glaciers and all, and it's definitely worth checking into. By scheduling 7 days in South Africa, it should allow a lot of flexibility. I'm not so sure what we would do there, quite frankly, so maybe more time in South America would be good. Certain of the destinations (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and to some extent China) are more about getting out into the courntyside than seeing all there is to see in the cities. This is the VERY REASON I've decided to cut Europe out. I'd like to see Stonehenge, explore castles, wander around museums, and such, and time wouldn't allow for it on this trip. If we were to try to "see it all", the end result would be total frustration. On the other hand, I'm not interested in 30 days of aimless wandering through the outback or on an African safarri. Not that these would be bad things, but not for "first time" travellers outside of North America. But certain number of designated "nature days" would add to the mix quite nicely.

 

[Feanor]

Wow, Sounds great! I myself would spend more time in every location, and travel locally. Say 1 month Australia & NZ, 2 months southeast asia (dont you want to visit India?). After all, there is no hurry to dash around the world (unless you have some specific reason for this all-in-one thing). Another reason against too frequent long plane rides is jetlag, that could take a week or two of enjoyable time away. But that is just me, maybe this is the best way for you. The plan seems very exiting, although I dont know how overloaded you can get from travelling 80 days straight. Do you like to hike? Some places you want to go to have even more to offer to somebody who takes a bit of time to hike around. As for Europe and the US, I also advise you do them separately (heh, I' advise doing every continent separately). Europe is so rich in stuff, a couple of months with a good rail pass will be the best. There are also plenty of beutiful places to see in the US, I have very fond memories of visiting most of the US national parks. Definitely visit the US nat. parks, most are amazingly beutiful.

EDIT: I missed your comment on India, sorry. Also: check out Peru! supposed to be a great place. (the matchu pitchu is a must)

 

[dj_digital]

Just to add my 2 cents to this:

IMO you want to go to too many places too fast. It's like you're going to be doing the "amazing race" by yourself. You might just be passing through places and just glancing at all the things around you. I think you'll miss many of the things you wanted to see. Also you'll always be in a rush and this may be stressful for you. (Sometimes lines in museums are a couple hours alone).

I've found in my travels that things always take longer than expected. When I was in Barcelona, it took me more than 4 hours just to find the Nou Camp! Then another 2 hrs to tour it and before you know it, there's half of my day gone. This is because you're in a different place and sometimes, there may be language barriers, traffic, time zones etc.

Also, the costs of the plane tickets alone are going to be huge!!

If I were you I'd suggest separating you trip into a couple sections. So like australia/new zealand could be one section and you could go there for like a month and explore the many places there. Then you could come back. Rest for a while. Then do a month (or more) in Europe. etc..

I think you'll get a better bang for the buck and enjoy what the world has to offer more.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_digital Just to add my 2 cents to this: IMO you want to go to too many places too fast... I think you'll miss many of the things you wanted to see. ... I've found in my travels that things always take longer than expected. ... Also, the costs of the plane tickets alone are going to be huge!!

I hear what you're saying and understand completely about the "race" as well as the unexpected delays. Your example about Barcelona was right on point and I can easily imagine that sort of thing happening.

My attitude in travelling has never been to "do it all" but instead to relax and experience the essence of the place by just roaming around (to the greatest extent possible). The fewer "must do" items on my list at each stop along the way, the better.

The main reasons that I'm trying to fit in so many cities/countries are that:

1) my attention span is short and it's easy for me to get bored quickly,

2) the OneWorldAlliance charges an "all inclusive" fare based on the number of continents that you visit, and not based on how many destinations you fly into. There are limits of 4 destinations per continent (but you can pay for any extra stops) and not more than 20 destinations in total. So whether we were to visit 10 or 20 places, the airfare would be the same. Depending on the number of continents we visit, it would run from $3k-$4k per person (or at least that sort of ballpark, which I think is pretty reasonable).

Anyway, I do understand what you've said and will have to think more carefully about which places are "must" stops and which could wait for another time. As I think more about it, I'm sure this will become clear. I'd say the big ticket items for me are Australia, New Zealand, and all of the stops in Asia. Even Africa and South America could be done on another trip, if necessary to accomodate my girfriend's schedule. But for now, I'm kind of stuck on this OneWorldAlliance thing as a way of getting a "sample platter" of as many places as possible, which would then help to direct my plans for future travel (i.e., which places to go back to to explore in more detail).

 

[Edwood]

Holy S**t, Wayne!

I think you really do deserve an adventure around the world after all that crap last year.

Just remember to not drink the water anywhere. And brush your teeth with bottled water as well.

-Ed

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood Holy S**t, Wayne! I think you really do deserve an adventure around the world after all that crap last year. Just remember to not drink the water anywhere. And brush your teeth with bottled water as well. -Ed

Normally I use a toothbrush to brush my teeth... "thank you, thank you very much... have you tried the veal?... I'll be here all week..."

Now Guru wants me to go to India so he can be my tour guide! Can you imagine? For some reason, I've never had any big India types of dreams, but I do like their food. There is this place in Cayman called "Gateway of India" and if you ask them real nice when you get up to the buffet, they will rank order the foods for you from "hot" to "very hot" to "out of your mind hot". This helps me because after one bite of the "out of your mind hot" stuff, I can't taste anything else, so I tend to save that for last.

Anyway, is India like Indiana? I like Indiana. Maybe I should try India too. Bombay or Calcutta?

 

[Edwood]

LOL, you could turn this trip into a world-wide Head-fi meet.

Well, at least it would be fun to have dinner with a Head-fi member in each country.

-Ed

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood LOL, you could turn this trip into a world-wide Head-fi meet. Well, at least it would be fun to have dinner with a Head-fi member in each country. -Ed

No kidding, and I'd take that "Head-fi Travel Couch" thread that jpelg started some time ago rather seriously. The way it looks, the university that I work for will pay the airfare (including my guest!), and there are a ton of students and faculty who are willing to host us for a night here and there. It might not turn out to be as expensive as I initially thought.