Q: I’ve just got three months. Is that too short to travel around the world?
Well, since the actual flight time to circumnavigate the planet is about 40 hours, no it’s not, but it is too short to try to see most of it. As long as you don’t attempt to visit too many destinations, you’re fine. In fact, you’ll likely have a far more enriching trip than someone who travels for twice as long but tries to see four times as much (see How much time should I spend in each place?).
Q: I’ve got £4000/$6160 saved up. Will that get me around the world?
No problem. You can find great deals on round-the-world tickets for about a third of that price, or hitchhike on yachts for free. The more important question is what kind of trip do you want to take and how long do you want it to last? To figure out a daily budget that fits your comfort level, and to learn which countries offer the best value, turn to the “Costs and savings” chapter, where you’ll find some budgeting tips.
Q: I’ve got a smartphone. How do I use it while travelling without it costing me a small fortune?
You’re going to have to make some adjustments to your mobile usage. Exactly what depends on how long you’re staying in one spot and what you’re willing to spend for the convenience of constant connectivity. If you’re spending a couple of weeks or more in one place, it can be worth your while to pick up a local SIM card (or a cheap phone with one if your SIM is locked in). Otherwise, you’ll probably want to shut off data roaming until you find a wi-fi hotspot.
Q: How do you know where to sleep each night, what to see during the day, and how to get around?
Carry a guidebook. It will cover all the sights in each town, with a short review of the best affordable accommodation, often accompanied by a helpful map (although getting a bit lost now and then is a healthy way to travel). In peak season, you may want to book accommodation a day or two ahead of time (or week or two in hub cities like London, NYC and Singapore), easily done online from wherever you are, since just about every remote hostel around the planet has a high-speed connection these days. If you want to think even less, just wander into the tourist office, tell them your budget, and they’ll call around and make a booking for you, draw it on a free map and tell you how to get there.
Q: I can mispronounce about five words of French and less than that in Spanish. Can I manage travelling around the world speaking English?
Sure, if you’re OK with eating only at McDonald’s. Learning the local language would enrich your experience and make it easier to understand your new environment and to meet locals, but even the least gifted linguist can pick up “please”, “thank you”, “excuse me”, “how much?” and “no, that’s my backpack you’re smelling” in around twenty minutes – about the time it takes to make the final descent before you touch down in the new country. If you must use English, lose the slang, keep your speech slow and basic, and don’t take a puzzled look as a sign to speak louder.
Q: Are there some basic precautions that can help me travel more safely?
Quite a few. You can make yourself less of a target for pickpockets/muggers, you can learn how to avoid unsafe neighbourhoods in each city (see Pack to prevent theft) and you can inform the right people when you head off the beaten path (see Taxi-dash scam). It’s also a good idea to register with the State/Foreign Office and keep an eye on local alerts for violence/terrorism. Solo women travellers should also be aware of special safety strategies.
Q: What about travellers’ diarrhoea? What should I expect?
You should expect to get it. But if you get it checked out quickly (simple microscope analysis) you can typically get some meds at any clinic and you should be feeling fine within an hour or two. Don’t “ride it out” – total waste of a couple of days. Surprisingly, more travellers get the shits when eating from buffets (yes, even in nice hotel restaurants) than simple, cheap restaurants because so many people work with the food and all it takes is one set of unwashed hands.
Q: Is taking time off going to ruin my career?
It might delay that promotion, but there’s a better chance it will improve your career prospects, and make it easier to land a new job. That gap in your CV (résumé) isn’t going to make you look like a dropout stoner unless you walk into your first post-trip job interview in that same tattered shirt you only washed twice while crossing India. Most prospective employers will find your journey an interesting topic of conversation; it’s likely to be either something that they’ve done or a dream they wished they had fulfilled. Make sure you’ve worked out a few life-lessons from your trip and how they apply to the job at hand. Or consider looking for employment that might fit well with your travel experience (such as wine sales if you worked on the grape harvest in France, or a job at a newspaper if you honed your photography skills and put together a solid portfolio from your travels). If you’re particularly concerned, you might see if you can plan some work-related education into your trip – such as learning a language, taking a writing course or attending cooking school. That also shows prospective employers you were cerebrally engaged during your trip and viewed it as a continuation of your education.
Q: I’m thinking of going with my best friend. Is that a good idea?
It’s a tough decision. And if doesn’t seem like one, that’s probably because you haven’t fully considered what you’re getting into. Make sure you think through the potential pitfalls and how to minimize them.
Q: C’mon, do I really need travel insurance?
Only if you get really sick. Or injured. Or sued for some driving accident. In short, yes. But unless you get insurance that fits your travel plans, it won’t do much good. Which means you shouldn’t necessarily sign up for that convenient policy your travel agent pushes across the desk or the convenient “click here for insurance” button when you buy your ticket online. If you plan to trek in the Himalayas but your policy doesn’t cover you for trekking (and you get injured), it’s a policy payment down the drain and you’ve still got an enormous bill to cover. Oddly, insurance companies rarely cover the exact same things, so you have to dig a little deeper to find out.
Q: I want to make my journey alone, but I’m worried about several things… about feeling alone, about foreign diseases, about getting injured overseas, about getting everything stolen. What should I do?
There are hundreds of thousands of travellers out there right now making solo journeys and most of them had just as many concerns as you do. Loneliness can be a problem, particularly at the beginning of a trip and during some meals, but you’ll find your stride and start meeting other travellers before long. For tips on coping with this, learn how to manage the “culture shock” of your new surrounds. For advice on how to handle injuries, diseases and other survival issues, it’s not a bad idea to pack a little emergency kit and manual such as the SAS Survival Guide 2E by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman, which will run you through what to do in the event that everything gets stolen, how to get rescued if you get lost in the wilderness and how to treat the most common travel medical emergencies.
Q: I hear a lot about “attractions”, “must-sees” and “wonders”. Is it tourist-bureau hype or is there something to it?
A bit of both. When the hype lasts long enough, it seems to become legend, or even fact. The classic is the “Wonders of the World” lists. Truth is there’s no such thing as a “must-see” and you’ll have a far more enriching trip if you personalize your journey and don’t construct it around seeing the major attractions.
Q: Is there one thing I’m likely going to forget?
Earplugs. Hostels and cheap hotels are often located next to busy streets and nightclubs. Some buses and trains have minimal ventilation and you’ll need to keep the windows open, which lets in plenty of air but more decibels than you’d care for. And don’t forget about the snoring room-mate – there’s typically one assigned to every dormitory room. There are a few more things you’ll want to bring; see our clothes pack-list, toiletry pack-list and medical pack-list to make sure you don’t forget anything.
Q: Should I register with my government before I leave?
Not a bad idea. If there’s any terrorism or a natural disaster, you’ll be first on the list to get help from the embassy. Plus you’ll get important updates as you go. It’s easy to sign up and it’s all free.
Q: What new technology is available to help me travel more safely?
A well-informed and well-prepared traveller is the best form of safety, but there are two interesting gadgets that some may find appealing. Rather, your worried parents may find appealing. These wallet-sized items pair with your smartphone and tap into the global satellite network to send out text messages (sorry, no photos yet) to your friends and family (by email or via Facebook/Twitter) from any ocean, desert or mountain top. If you enable a function, they can even follow you on an online map. Best of all, if you get into trouble, they can send out an SOS. However, it’s another gadget you have to keep charged, worry about and learn how to use. And the interface on both items still leaves room for improvement.
Q: Is couchsurfing the only way I can save money?
Not at all. Lots of other sectors have caught on to the idea of leveraging the goods and services of locals to benefit travellers and others. Travel more cheaply with Uber or a ride-share outfit, cook and eat together with locals, borrow someone’s tent for a hike in exchange for walking their dogs. By connecting people and bypassing traditional profit-based tourist companies, the sharing economy is revolutionizing travel and cutting expenses for individual travellers.
This entire book is filled with lessons learned, but here are the seven most noticeable things that have changed in the way I travel after having spent ten years on the road in over 120 countries. I’ve noticed many of my most experienced travelling colleagues have developed similar habits.