“Plan” is a four letter word!
I’ve read more travel blogs in the last six months than I have in the previous six years, so by now I have formed a reasonably well-informed plan as to where I will go, how I’ll get there, and how long I’ll be gone. However, this plan is officially in effect… until I change it. And blowing the whole thing up is something I could very well do several times before I leave and then every few weeks or months while I’m on the road.
Not everyone will agree, but to me the “loosey goosey” plan seems like the most practical way of approaching something as complex as a round-the-world trip. I don’t want to be bound by pre-booked “RTW” tickets even if such things can be adjusted along the way and would undoubtedly be cheaper than the “book and pay as you go” option.
I’m travelling solo, will have left my job, sold my house, and given up a rented loft and leased car, so I simply don’t have to be home at any particular time — if I come “home” at all.
So why do I need to plan more than a few months ahead?
I don’t really know the answer to that question, but since a number of friends and colleagues have asked where I’m going and how long I’ll be gone, I might as well share my plan before it changes. It goes something like this:
6/20/2014: Last day at work, Toronto
6/21/2014: World Pride, Toronto
7/1/2014: Canada Day, Toronto
7/1/2014: VIA Rail to Winnipeg at 10:20 pm
7/13/2014: Calgary Stampede Finals
7/27/2014: Rocky Mountaineer (train) to Vancouver
8/25/2014: Burning Man Festival, Nevada
9/27/2014: Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu (8 days with Out Adventures)
10/8/2014: Easter Island
10/26/2014: Santiago de Chile
11/15/2014: Overland from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro (19 days with Dragoman)
Mid-December: Fly to Sydney, Australia
12/25/2014: Christmas in Melbourne, Australia
Followed by but not limited to…
New Zealand
Slow travel north to Singapore / Thailand / Vietnam / Cambodia / Laos
China / Mongolia
Overland from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to Istanbul, Turkey (120 days with Dragoman)
November, 2015: Fly back to India for Pushkar Camel Fair
India / Nepal
Fly to Cairo
Overland from Cairo to Capetown (141 days with Dragoman)
Fly to Morocco
Portugal
Spain
Walk the Camino de Santiago through northern Spain
France / Switzerland / Italy / Greece
Fly to Canada
So, there you have it. A plan. But like I said, this is a very tentative plan with many, many options for spontaneous stops and route changes.
Some friends and family have expressed an interest in meeting up along the way, and while I’m open to that, nothing is etched in stone until someone books a ticket AND I’m going to be within a continent or two at the time.
Let me know if you have any international travel plans for 2014 – 2016. I just might buy you a wine in Wenzhou or a beer in Botswana.
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“When you’re on your death bed, do you think you’ll say, ‘Boy, I sure wish I’d spent more time at the office!’?” – Anonymous blogger on BootsNAll.com
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