We often get asked about the logistics of a trip around the world so we decided to compile a list of statistics and frequently asked questions about our trip for your enjoyment. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us.
Transportation Since we left New York in June 2006 and arrived in San Francisco in August 2007:
- Buses 85
- Cars 81
- Trains 51
- Boat 26
- Airplanes 23
- Scooter 4
- Trucks 3
- Rickshaw 3
- Walking 3
- Bicycle 2
- Funicular 1
- Camel 1
- Money Spent $30,000 (2006-2007 exchange rates)
- Distance Travelled 68,000 miles (110,000 kilometers)
- Bodies of water swum in: Lake Como, Ligurian Sea, Tyrrenian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Mideterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Southern Ocean, Milford Sound, Tasman Bay (part of the South Pacific Ocean), Coral Sea, Milaa Milaa Falls, Lake Eacham, South Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea, Halong Bay, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Worsley Lake, Jackson Lake
- Trams taken in the following cities: Rome, Naples, Athens, Konya, Istanbul, Kolkata (Calcutta), Melbourne, Sydney, Tallinn, Helsinki, Kharkiv, Odessa
Frequenly Asked Questions:
- Did you plan everything in advance and make all the reservations?
- We had a rough outline of the trip in that we knew which countries we wanted to visit and in which order. This made it easier to purchase tickets as we went along. We would tend to purchase tickets to the next place, several months in advance if we had to fly there, and about one week in advance if we were to take the train or the ferry to another country. Otherwise, all local transportation was done on the spot. Accomodations were mostly reserved either one or two days in advance, or sometimes we would just find it once we arrived in a particular place. It all depended. Sometimes accomodations fell through upon arrival and we had to something else. We Couchsurfed only one time and would recommend people to do it more. It didn’t make that much sense to do it in cheap Asian countries, but it would give you a wholly different traveling experience. About 3 weeks prior to arriving in a country, we would purchase a Lonely Planet guidebook and plan our rough route for that country. We would then mail the Lonely Planet once we were done with it along with some other knick knacks that we would collect along the way.
- What was your favorite place?
- That’s a very difficult question because we liked every country and there were downsides in all of them. There’s no perfect place. However, some countries made a larger impression than others.
- What country made the largest impression on you?
- India. India makes no excuses for the tourist. It is a raw experience and is not for the fainthearted. Travel is not easy, it is overwhelming on the senses and is absolutely exhausting. It is hard to describe India adequately in words, and we definitely don’t have the wordsmithing craftsmanship to pull it off. For all the trials that we experienced on our travels there, it was all worth it. We hope to be able to go there again in the future.
- How did you handle your money?
- We budgeted to spend $30,000 on the trip for the two of us for one year. This included all our expenses for the year. With the internet, we kept track of our bank account on a bi-monthly basis. We didn’t use the credit card that much, because of the locations where we traveled. In more developed countries, where credit card use is encouraged and widespread, we used them, and it was convenient to order tickets online. As for ready currency, 95% of the time we would withdraw money from a local ATM. No bank, no matter how global it is, has a global reach, and even if you are a customer of HSBC, the HSBC in Istanbul is a different entity from the one in US and you will be charged a withdrawal fee. You just have to suck it up. We would go to the ATM about 2-3 times a week, never withdrawing too much but not too little. Just have to see your pace of spending. We didn’t have a budget for every country but kept track of our bank account. Thus, it was mostly luck that we spent the exact amount that we budgeted. However, we didn’t buy many items, since we were lazy and didn’t want to deal with the process of shipping packages. If there’s some experience that you’re dying for, you should spend the money. Who knows when the next time will be that you will be in that location. Also, we didn’t drink a lot of alcohol, and that can really eat into your budget. We did travel with about $500 in cash and also had $600 in Travelers Cheques. However, we never used the Travelers Cheques. All credit card bills were paid online, and we filed our taxes online. If you’re going to do that, make sure that you have your bank account routing number handy so that the money is directly deposited into your account. We brought a MasterCard and a Visa credit card, and would say that both are accepted. And no, we didn’t walk around with those silly secret wallets. They’re supremely uncomfortable and I would implore someone to come up with one that is easy to wear.
- What was your scariest experience?
- The first bus ride in India, from Jaipur to Pushkar in Rajastan was scary. This is when we realized that bus drivers put all their trust in Shiva, press on the horn and refuse to use the breaks. This led to passing cars at breakneck speeds while blasting polyphonic horn noises and barely avoiding oncoming truck traffic. Also, jeep rides along the twisty roads of Sikkim, India. Ravine on one side, and a narrow road with little room for maneuvering. Lastly, nearly getting into a fight with a drunken rickshaw driver in Pingyao, Chia, got Simon’s adrenaline rushing.
- Where was the best food?
- Italy had the best food. However, we were very surprised with the quality and variety of food in China and would say that it comes in second place. The variety and freshness of ingredients is astounding. The Chinese are huge gourmands.
- Where would you recommend to travel if you only had 2-3 weeks of vacation?
- If you’re interested in winging it altogether, we would recommend going to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and figuring out from there. There’s plenty to see and it is easy to organize trips to the Gobi Desert and other fascinating locations in this mesmerizing country. We would recommend everyone to take the Trans-siberian/Trans-mongolian railroad.
- Regrets?
- Could have spent less time in Australia. But that’s a minor thing.
