Plannning my first trip

Hey folks, long way away yet but I am planning on taking a year off in 2015 and going travelling. Giving myself plenty of time to save up plenty of money so I can do it properly and do most of the things I want to do. I don’t plan on staying very long at each place as I want to see quite a lot rather than hang about. Some places I will stay longer than others but in general I wanna kinda get there, see what I have to see and be on my way again.

I want to start off in South America - North America, Fiji, NZ, Australia, Asia and then India if i can mange it. Here is a list of places in order I would like to see in each region on the list:

South America

Rio - Sao Paulo - Buenos Aires - Cordoba - Mendoza - Santiago - Machu Pichu - Lima - Bogota - Panama City - Mexico City

North America

Im leaving this kinda open just now as I am totally unsure of how I want to travel here. Route 66 would be amazing to do but I guess there’s a lot more to North America than just route 66 as far as travelling is concerned.

Fiji and NZ

I just want these to kinda be quick visits just to actually see what the scenery is like at these places as from what I have seen both look amazing.

Australia

Doing the whole Melbourne - Sidney - Brisbane thing sounds and looks amazing but I would also like to get to see things such as Ayers Rock etc also.

Asia

Indonesia - Malaysia - Thailand - Laos - Vietnam - Hong Kong - Shanghai - Beijing -  Hiroshima - Tokyo

I realise this seems like a shitload of travelling to do in the space of a year. What I am after is some advice really on whether this trip seems like it could actually work or whether this will never work. Im not looking to do this in luxury or anything, Also any ideas for places i should definitely try and make my way to, things i should try and see, activities i should try and take part in etc. I have never travelled before and am completely new to this. Any input will be very much appreciated.

Thanks

John

Why not save up for 3/4 years and travel for 2? you can spend a bit longer in each place :) and won’t miss out on anything then :)

this is good option but I wanna take a year out of work and come back to a job. Im not sure most companies would allow 2 years off work.

A girl on here emailed me a spreadsheet she made whilst travelling and you’re going to all the same places as her and her bf, I can email it to you if you like, might give you a feel of how much things are going to cost?

That would be perfect, thanks. I know this isn’t gonna be cheap but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

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hi would you mind sending me a copy aswell as im going to the same places.

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Ditto, exact same places I want to go as well!!! If you could send me it as well that’d be AMAZING!
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This is quite an optimistic amount of travelling for one year. Many people happily spend six months or more in South East Asia alone. I understand your urge to just get out there and see as much as you can, but honestly, once you’re actually travelling you’ll probably realise that it’s not about how much you manage to cram in, it’s about the experiences you have in the places you visit. I personally think it’s a bad idea to tie yourself into a strict, fixed itinerary (and for a trip like the one you are considering, you would have to have this in order for it to work).

What if you get to a place, meet a group of people you like, and just want to spend a few days chilling out and exploring the area at a more leisurely pace; maybe renting scooters and heading off to some waterfall a couple of hours away ... but instead you have to rush off to catch a train to your next destination, or you’ll miss your flight to the next country on your list the following morning?

I think it’s important to give yourself the option of changing plans and doing things on a whim. How about having a general destination in mind (South East Asia, South America, whatever), but getting there and just going with the flow a bit more? I find the best travel experiences tend to come from things that weren’t rigorously planned.

Of course, this is totally based on my own opinion, shaped by the travelling I’ve done ... but I bet a lot of people will agree with me.

And this isn’t even to mention the cost. I hope you’ve got a good plan for saving up, because you have some expensive destinations on your list and flights to South America alone can be ridiculously expensive.

You say this will be your first experience of travelling ... I’d say you have somewhat unrealistic expectations right now - you have the starting point for at least three separate big trips away there. Using these message boards is a good way to begin your research; you should also go get a bunch of guidebooks out your local library or read about costs on WikiTravel to get more of an idea of what’s achievable. I’m sure whatever you eventually decide on will be awesome, but you might have to cut down on what you hope to do!