Taking a grand trip around the world is a major life goal for a lot of people.
It’s the ultimate adventure but it involves a lot of logistics too.
Planning to tour the world can honestly take more time than actually doing it.
Use this guide to learn the basics of how to plan a trip around the world.
Give Yourself Enough Time
Traveling around the world isn’t like taking a week-long vacation. To see any serious portion of the planet the minimum is a month, and preferably two to four.
This will let you hit several destinations on several continents and still have some time for exploring. You should also consider how many different places you want to visit.
It can be tempting to try and pack a lot of cities into one trip. A good rule of thumb is to have at least three to four days for each destination.
That gives you a day to arrive, one to two full days there and a day to get to your next destination. That’s enough for some places, but just scratches the surface of others.
Figure Out Your Budget
Of all the questions we get, how much does a trip around the world cost is the most common. The best answer is that it depends.
You can have a very nice trip on a pretty strict budget. If you prefer to splurge there are plenty of places in the world where you can experience the high life.
It’s important that you figure out your total budget before you leave. This will affect everything from how long your trip is to what kind of hotels you stay at.
Break down exactly what you can spend and give yourself a daily total. A great way to stretch your budget is to alternate between pricey and inexpensive destinations.
Somewhere like Tokyo is going to cost a pretty penny. If you go from there to a low-cost backpackers haven like Bangkok or Chiang Mai you can balance out your costs.
Plan Your Trip Around the World
So now you’ve got your budget and how long you’re going to be traveling. The next step is to pick your actual destinations and start seriously planning.
Pick Destinations
A tour of the world is going to be a bit faster paced than a week on the beach. That doesn’t mean you have to go go go all the time.
Try to pick a variety of destination types. London makes a great historical and cultural stop, while somewhere like Park City, UT is an outdoorsman’s paradise.
You can find inexpensive accommodations or Park City luxury rentals depending on your budget.
Book Flights & Accommodations
You should think about ticket prices while choosing your destinations. A great help for this is something like Google’s flight tool.
It lets you explore flight costs and schedules from anywhere to anywhere else. There are similar tools like Agoda and Airbnb for finding hip hotels, hostels, and apartments to stay in.
There are also Round the World (RTW) tickets available but you usually get lower prices and more flexibility by piecing it together yourself.
Live in the Now
There are two constants in life: death and taxes. Stop putting your dreams off and start planning your trip around the world today.
Check out our other world travel articles to find helpful planning tips, destination suggestions, and restaurant recommendations.
