I tend to be very disappointed when I come across a “round the world” site and the itinerary has not been defined in advance, thus preventing me from dreaming and imagining what it would be like. trip and this blog. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to fall into this same trap and disappoint some of you…
The itinerary of a world tour is the first thing to think about. We take a piece of paper and we start making a long list of all the countries we would like to include in this round. It’s time to let go and list all our desires. Generally, the list is long, too long. Especially when you haven’t traveled that much before! It must then be reduced rationally (or not) according to several constraints: budget (and therefore choice of more or less expensive countries), seasons, visas, duration of the trip, round-the-world tickets, etc. Other factors may come into play if you have a thematic trip, if you want to attend a particular event or festival (carnival in Brazil, cherry blossoms in Japan, football world cup or whatever) or if you want to meet friends on the way. Suffice to say that the factors and constraints are numerous and that the development of an itinerary is a long-term job.
I had more or less drawn up a rough itinerary two years ago, to dream a little, but above all to calculate an approximate budget. Only then, six months ago, I decided to leave without an itinerary and my initial itinerary therefore ended up in the trash… It’s not out of laziness to work on the itinerary or not to complicate my life, but for a real desire for freedom. Finally, not defining an itinerary in advance can also complicate your life later (oh joy, I feel it’s going to be very funny): defining a budget then becomes difficult, you have to get vaccinated against everything because you don’t know where you’re going, you may spend more money because you won’t have bought round the world tickets and above all you will have to organize everything along the way! But I’m a very organized person.
Lucia in Cornwall, February 2013A journey as free as the air is even more exhilarating ©Gwendoline Pointereau
A slightly different choice, but which makes me very happy. I’m the type who desperately wants to go somewhere for a year and when I buy the ticket, three months before, completely change my mind and go somewhere else. I prefer to follow my desires of the moment. I could tell you where I want to go today, but that might change in a few months. It’s going to take a lot of planning and constantly keeping tabs on ticket prices, visas and seasons, but none of this is insurmountable. Small difficulties, which are nothing compared to this incredible freedom. Anyway, it is likely that you will see me learning the tango in Argentina, climbing Machu Picchu in Peru, going to marvel at the fauna of the Galapagos Islands, To take myself for a Hobbit in New Zealand, to bask in the pill in Indonesia, to stuff myself with sushi in Japan or to work in a kibbutz in Israel… Everything is still possible and I remain open to all opportunities and encounters. But you’ll be the first to know as soon as I find out more about where this journey will take me.
I am also leaving without a return date. I imagine that I will be on the road for a year or two, depending on my desires and my budget. But who knows, maybe I’ll come back after six months or fifteen years, or maybe I’ll settle down somewhere along the way, in a corner of the world that I like?
One thing is certain, I plan to leave in the fall of 2013. I will have gathered the budget I had set myself, I will have acquired a good first professional experience for my CV and I will be ready to say goodbye to London. All the conditions are therefore met. I will be leaving London at the end of July, for a short return to France, to spend some time with family and friends and to make the final preparations. Then, I will leave in September or October, depending on the good deal I find for my first plane ticket! (By the way, if you have good plans, I’m all ears…)
EDIT 02/24/2013 : A very good deal on the net led me to buy my first tickets and change my itinerary a bit! Like what, it’s good not to have an itinerary… I thought I’d start with South America, but I’m finally going to make two small detours. And I’m delighted!
EDIT 02/06/2013: New good deal and therefore new ticket purchased. It will be the last before very long months I think. This is the Santiago de Chile-Auckland flight that I found to be between 200 and 500 euros cheaper than usual!
EDIT 07/13/2014: After a short stay in Australia, I decided to enter Asia via Indonesia and travel for a while with my friend Sarah. We are leaving for Hong Kong on 07/23, after which we will each go our own way. The target will be China for me.
EDIT 01/22/2015: This first part of the world tour is over and as expected, I followed my instinct and my desires and constantly changed my mind. I had to go to China, I decided to go to Japan first. I had to spend a lot of time in Southeast Asia, I found myself going back and forth to the United States. I had to finish my trip in Thailand, I decided to discover Burma.