Around the World Flights & Tickets

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I went round-the-world via Central America

I went round-the-world via South America

I went round-the-world on the Basic route

I went round-the-world via Russia

I went round-the-world via the Far East

I went round-the-world via SE Asia

I went round-the-world via Asia

Round the world via Russia

Name: Stef Marianski

My RTW route: London -> St Petersburg -> Moscow -> Siberia -> Ulaanbaatar -> Beijing -> Shanghai -> Japan -> Hong Kong -> Cairns -> Adelaide -> Sydney -> Fiji -> LA -> London

How would you rate your RTW destinations on a scale of 1 - 5? 1 being to complete suck and 5 being to completely rock?

St Petersburg (5) Moscow (3) Moscow (5) Siberia (4) Ulaanbaatar (4) Beijing (5) Shanghai (3) Japan (5) Hong Kong (4) Cairns (3) Adelaide (1) Sydney (4) Fiji (4) LA (3)

What was the best destination of the lot and why?

Tokyo; the best nightlife, best culture and the best people.

What was the worst destination of the lot and why?

Adelaide - not much to see or do, no entertainment, no character and just a really ordinary city.

What was the absolute highlight of your RTW trip?

Borrowing mountain bikes on Olkhon Island; a small Island in the middle of the vast Lake Baikal in Siberia. Beautiful scenery and perfect weather, it’s Russia's best kept secret

Looking back now, what would you have done differently when planning or booking your RTW trip?

Cut out the bits that weren't so exciting in exchange for more time in the places that were... If we'd cut out Oz we could have spent more time in SE Asia, for instance.

What top tips would you pass on to anybody about to book their RTW ticket or head off on their trip?

If you're going to be moving from place to place over a long time, for God's sake get / make some kind of calendar so you can see at a glance all of your booked movement dates - flight numbers, times, airports, hostels, train numbers etc.

If you're doing things properly and not getting a package tour, know when to get your arse in gear! If you've got a departure date, crack on with visas, buy what you need to buy, do your homework, get your admin all squared away!

Try to go somewhere original. I guess it's up to the individual, but there's a lot of places out there that are very unexplored. If you're one for creature comforts then by all means go to Oz or Thailand where it's all laid on for you, but don't go calling yourself a 'backpacker'!

Don't pack the kitchen sink... A lot of things you can buy as you go along. Also, don't go spending 100 squids on a pair of Oakleys if your first stop is Oz. They're a lot cheaper out there. Because we were moving from a cold climate to a hot one, we sorted out a parcel to be sent out to Hong Kong with summer clothes and dropped off a load of winter gear.

Give yourself enough time to do good cities properly - one of my biggest regrets was arriving in a place that I'd want to spend a week in, to find that we only had a few days!

Click here >> for Stef's diary

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