Planning a Round the World Trip: 3 Months to go
I write this as rain hammers the window outside, Selena Gomez sings out of my iPhone, and I’m vaguely considering the notion of making the day’s third cup of tea.
In other words, everything feels definitively normal.
But in as little as 5 weeks, I’ll have moved out of our cute little flat, and the ball will be rolling towards months,
, dislocation – and a distinct lack of normal.
Anyone who has ever planned a round the world trip (with no end date) will know just how much is involved, both practically and emotionally. I thought I’d give a run-down of what stage of planning Phil and I are at with three months to go before we fly.
What we’ve done
The first thing we did was decide on our rough route: USA, Canada, Aus/NZ, Asia. While leaving the second half of that sequence fairly open-ended, we planned the first half in a fair amount of detail in terms of route, timeline and travel.
Next we booked the first one-way flight, and our bus fares/domestic flights in the US. We still need to sort out our travel for perhaps the last month of our 3 months in the US.
We’ve also got travel insurance and Canadian working visas. I’m also learning to drive in advance of driving in America.
What we’ve bought
Getting yourself kitted out for a RTW trip can potentially be very expensive - it's so tempting to get carried away and over-buy. We’ve tried to balance this expense with the fact that the kit we take needs to sustain us in really cold climates. We can’t really skimp on technical clothing, or we’d definitely regret it later.
Backpack: I’m using the backpack I took to NZ, which is from Berghaus and cost about £100 at the time. It’s 65L and also features a detachable day pack.
Protective clothing: we went for the light layering approach to avoid taking big, bulky items. This is one of the main challenges we’ve found when packing for cold climates. I still need to pick up some thermal base layers, but went a bit North Face crazy with the rest: a fleece layer, a down jacket, and a waterproof. I also have waterproof trousers.
Extras:
we’ve picked up some extra bits and bobs like packing cubes for our backpacks, merino wool socks and multi-USB adaptors. There’s too much to list here, but I’m thinking about putting together a final packing list before we go.
What we still need to do
The most urgent thing we have to do is start properly booking our accommodation. A lot of our route in the US involves staying with friends and family, but there are some in between times where we really need to get our beds for the night booked. We’ll be staying in a mixture of hostels and Air BnB.
How we’re feeling
My emotions at the moment can be neatly categorised into three.
1
.
A little bit sad. I’ve loved our little flat, our first one together, and the thought of selling and offloading all of our stuff makes me want to have a little cry. I know I’ll miss my family and friends. But I also know that I’ll see them, and there’s always a weird little time as one chapter ends and another starts.
2.
A wee bit scared. What am I doing – do I have enough money? Shouldn’t I be focusing on my career at 25? What do I actually want to do with my life? I hope our trip is going to show that to me.
3.
CRAZY STUPID EXCITED. We’ve been waiting to go on an adventure for so long that we’re champing at the bit to get started. I spend a lot of time thinking about the things we’re going to see and experience, and I can’t wait for travel to start shaping me again and opening my mind to new things.
Next on the agenda:
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Accommodation. Really need to get those bad-boys booked.
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Picking up last minute bits and pieces like thermals, washbag etc.
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Moving out and finding places for all of our stuff.
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Learning to drive.
Have you been on/are you planning a long-term RTW trip? Please let me know your tips!
