15 ms·

How to travel around the world for a year

243 points by shawndumas 13y ago

wallflower 13y ago
If you're thinking of traveling (even if it is just in persistent day dream mode), spend some time looking at: "WorldHum" http://worldhum.com http://worldhum.com "Brave New Traveler" http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/ http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/
philsnow 13y ago
Those photos would make Thomas Kinkade blush. The Taj Mahal one isn't terrible. As far as I can tell that's because there isn't much in the foreground. The HDR used makes the others appear uniformly flat / without depth, like an old chinese woodcut (e.g. [0], in which perspective is flattened). [0] http://lifeasahuman.com/files/2011/12/P14-Old-Chinese-woodcut-Pingyao-Shanxi-Province-China-2008-c-Vincent-Ross.jpg http://lifeasahuman.com/files/2011/12/P14-Old-Chinese-woodcu...
GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
Re cost: My girlfriend and I managed to travel South East Asia for 3 months for £1200 between us. Flights to Malaysia were £350 return each from the UK. That included travel, accommodation, eating, activities, etc... We had a £10 a day budget.
- dejv 13y ago
  I just return from a year of traveling in SE Asia and 10 GBP per day seems like really low. Transportation alone could eat that amount easily. My budget was something around 20/day, which buys me dorms at nice hostels (no bugs, aircon and usually hot water), food at local restaurant (I usually stays out of hawker stalls), transportation and occasional sights (like Angkor Wat and such).
  - GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
    Lol, we didn't have any of those luxuries... Could only afford hotels in Cambodia (3USD per night for a double ensuite!), hostels everywhere else. Only had aircon a couple of times. Never had hot water (it's 30 degrees there all the time, I never needed it). We only had restaurant food occasionally, most of the time from street stalls, or peoples houses. We only had beg bugs in KL, but we had them for the full 15 days we were there, 5 different hostels... PS: We got a 3 day tour of all of the Ankor Wat temples, including transport between them for $9 each. For anyone who's not been, they are incredible.
    - wito 13y ago
      offtopic, but it remainds me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo have fun ! ;)
      - switch007 13y ago
        I knew it was that video before clicking. Upvote for Monty Python ;)
- Keyframe 13y ago
  I guess it could be done. I was there for 6 months and working, but I easily burned through $2.5k per month. Most of it on really nice accomodation though.
  - GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
    We usually spent 40-60% of our budget on accommodation. Our target was 30MYR in Malaysia, 250THB in Thailand, and 3USD in Cambodia. Singapore was too expensive for us to do much, so we only stayed a week, and used our whole budget every day just on a bunkbed in a hostel...
- NanoWar 13y ago
  Yeah, $22k sounds crazy. I'm planning a 3 month South East Asia trip for around €2-3k, can be done for sure...
  - whatusername 13y ago
    12 months including places like NZ and AU for $15K isn't terrible though. Costs in SYD/MEL/AKL are higher than somewhere like BKK or KUL. $7k on flights sounded pretty high though.
thefinalboss 13y ago
About cost: I did 9 months in Asia for 12K$ and never felt stressed for cash. My main problem on the go was motivation for side projects. It is so easy to get caught up in meeting locals, doing activities that it can fill up your whole day. There are so many interesting distractions. If I wanted to travel and get work done now I wold probably revisit some of the same countries.
nfg 13y ago
Spent a year away (2011-2012) on a budget of about €13K, itinerary was: Turkey, Iran, India, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Brazil. Best decision I ever made! Edit with more details: Choosing where to go: get a big map and an imagination! Flights: Just booked mine as I went and that seemed to work out well costwise. In any case try to overland as much as possible, it's more interesting. Packing: Bring as little as possible, I had a 50+10L backpack and it was more than adequate. Every litre extra you pack is more and more hassle when moving. Visas: This obv depends on where you're from and where you're headed. I sorted visas for Iran and India before leaving home (Ireland). Generally what the article says is true, it's usually possible to throw some money at the problem and get visas while on the move if necessary. Some visas run from time of entry, some from time of issuance (particularly India) - pay attention to this!
- arethuza 13y ago
  How did you find things in Iran? We've been tempted to go but I wasn't sure how much hassle it was.
  - nfg 13y ago
    It was great! People are really friendly, mostly you can find someone who speaks English in any given situation, and it's pretty cheap - I'd highly recommend going. People often stopped us on the street just to say "Thanks for visiting Iran"! We just had a two week visa, original plan was to take the train from Istanbul - Tehran. Alas we could only buy tickets in person and they were sold out (lots of Iranians holiday in Istanbul before Ramadam). So instead we flew Istanbul - Tehran. Spent a few days in Tehran, then Isfahan (our favourite city there, the bazaar and square are just beautiful), Yazd (amazing mud architecture) and Shiraz (best spot to visit Persepolis from), then flew on to Mumbai. Hasslewise: I was traveling with my partner, she had to wear the hijab (hair covering) at all times while outdoors which was a bit of a challenge (try keeping it on with the wind blowing out of the metro in Tehran!). People are very accommodating though, a huddle of women would sometimes form around her to set things right if it was slipping off! This was exacerbated by the time of year (midsummer), you'd be better going sometime cooler. Only other thing I can think of is that the banking system is totally cut off from outside (no ATMs which accept foreign cards, very few places accept western credit cards), so you need to carry in as much cash as you need for the trip. Definitely intending to go back in the future with more time on our hands - there's just endless places to see and visit - it truly was a unique experience. We've got some blog posts here that might help: http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/08/iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/08/iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/09/traveling-as-woman-in-iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/09/traveling-as-woman-in-i... (I have blog posts written but not published for the rest of the trip - really must get them up!).
wito 13y ago
This link has already been on HN once, and yeah, it helped me to make decision to follow my dream and do a 6 month travel to SE Asia. Thanks Alex! Cheers from KL :)
- stuff4ben 13y ago
  I seem to recall the last time this was posted I commented and said for people to do this! If you wait and you get baggage, it makes it much harder to do. But I took some of my own advice and just last week I spent a week in Nicaragua working in a camp for the youths of the surrounding cities. Best thing I've done in a long time! I can't wait for my trip to Thailand in October. BTW, I'm doing this with a soul-sucking enterprise IT job with a wife and 2 kids. So if I can do it, you can too (albeit scaled back a bit).
  - boothead 13y ago
    Do you mind if I ask a few questions? How do you find traveling with kids? Do you keep the same soul sucking enterprise IT job, or save up, travel and then find a new one when you return? What do you do about maintaining a permanent base at "home"? This one's the biggest struggle for me; how do you travel without having somewhere stable to come back to? I'd have to be bringing at least £1.7k/month just to cover rent/mortgage and fixed costs for a house in the UK on top of what it would cost for the traveling itself. I don't think finding a new place to live every time I come home would work.
- shawndumas 13y ago
  It was posted on their blog June 20, 2013 so you are saying it was on HN yesterday? I'm confused...
  - wito 13y ago
    Don't be:) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 also it says "This is a repost of a post first published in December 2011." at the end of the post.
juokaz 13y ago
I'm doing this now(1), almost 300 days into it. Currently have lived in 13 countries(2). I work as I travel so haven't done too many crazy places, but definitely have learned a lot of things I would do differently now. Finishing this in October, going to be a long story to share. Was worth every single stress-minute. [1] - http://juokaz.com/blog/living-homeless.html http://juokaz.com/blog/living-homeless.html [2] - https://twitter.com/juokaz/status/348036931214524416 https://twitter.com/juokaz/status/348036931214524416
alxbrun 13y ago
Don't fly, travel overland, that's the most interesting part of the trip, especially the remote areas near borders... The worst is to book this round-the-world ticket, where you have to decide in advance how long you'll stay at each point. We travelled around the world for 1 year and ended up staying as much as one month in one place where we'd planned to stay 1 day, or literally flee out of countries like Malaysia after 2 days.
- raldi 13y ago
  I traveled around the world on an RTW, and while we did have to pick the cities in advance, the dates could be adjusted at any time. So we used the flights to create the backbone of the trip, and found local* transportation along the way. And we adjusted the dates quite a bit. *by which I mean within one continent
- GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
  Some part of Malaysia make you want to flee ASAP (KL, Kota Bharu), but there are some great parts too (Pankor Island, Perhentian Islands, Taman Negara)!
- saryant 13y ago
  My dream trip is Houston to Singapore overland via a transatlantic crossing, the Trans-Siberian Railway and trains/buses across Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. Theoretically I could return via Central Asia and the Caucasus but I haven't figured that part out yet.
- grecy 13y ago
  Checkout http://wikioverland.org http://wikioverland.org for the logistics required to drive yourself overland Round The World. I drove Alaska->Argentina and had a blast
_k 13y ago
Here's a tip : Become a Belgian citizen, get a job, use a 1 year time credit, let the government pay you € 1,000 a month, travel the world for 1 year and still keep your job. You do need the company's permission. But no wonder our country is getting deeper in debt. I don't know that many people but I do know 5 people who have done this.
- tdec 13y ago
  1000/month is a bit of an exageration, more like 400 if you work less than 5 years for your employer. You also need to work at least 2 years for your employer. Oh, and don't be so eager to jump on the neo-liberal thought wagon. Some people travel, most use it to raise babies. Source: I've done it.
  - _k 13y ago
    Those I know were getting around 1000 a month. All 5 of them. I'm not against time credit (babies need their parents, sick people need help) but some abuse the system.
- aktau 13y ago
  As a fellow belgian, I agree with the commenter below. Some people use it for other things too. Also, I just visited South America for 3 months and decided beforehand that I would quit my job (which I didn't hate but it didn't provoke any passionate response either) and afterwards start working on something I'm truly passionate about. So no leaching off the state budget and couldn't be happier.
smackfu 13y ago
It's quite a large scale-up to go from the typical week or two vacation to travelling for a whole year. I wonder how many people get tired of it after a couple of months? I've met some pretty damn jaded world travellers in hostels, the kind who talk about "the same bullshit hostel conversations every day."
- tdec 13y ago
  I felt that after 4-5 months, you get "used" to the travelling, you're not as excited anymore. The best thing to do then is either take a longer break in a nice place or simply start travelling in a different way. Another option that seems to work is to switch continents, everything is new then.
orofino 13y ago
Another traveller chiming in, I've just started working after taking off for 8 months to travel South America (top to bottom), Antarctica, and Europe. I've been working now for almost 2 months. Regarding packing: My wife and I each carried a 40L backpack. This is pretty small, but I'd highly recommend it for this kind of trip. They were a godsend on buses in South America. Cost: Over the course of the trip we spent almost 40k ($165/day), if you exclude Antarctica it was a much more reasonable $92/day. Last minute deals for Antarctica DO exist, I recommend them highly (we saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 20k). Transport: As with others in the thread, we bought as we went and opted primarily for overland travel. Tips for 30 hour bus rides: carrots to snack on and Harry Potter audio books. My most recent post [1] was a wrap up after being home for some time. You can check out the blog for more on packing, budget, etc. Happy to answer any questions. [1] http://orofino.me/ http://orofino.me/
- junto 13y ago
  I also travelled through central and south America over 6 months. My trip is journaled here: http://blog.benpowell.co.uk/search/label/backpacking http://blog.benpowell.co.uk/search/label/backpacking The third best thing I ever did (after getting married and starting a family).
- nether 13y ago
  $92/day is a lot, is that per person? I'm guessing you stayed in hotels every night?
miloshadzic 13y ago
Props for earning 20k in a month. I love the rest of the post but that part always strikes a chord with me.
andrewcooke 13y ago
don't forget guys, remember to pack your colour-saturation-level-adjusting glasses. travel abroad isn't the same without them. more seriously, having travelled much, and now living "abroad" i think it's way over-rated. people are fundamentally the same. the ways in which societies differ are in the rituals people are accustomed to - and dealing with that gets old quickly.
- spiek 13y ago
  It may differ for you, as an experienced traveler. For someone who hasn't gotten out of the country, ever, it could be a highly instructive experience. Both in terms of mutual understanding with the wider world, and in terms of independence and experience. Traveling by oneself forces one to become more independent, more confident in navigating difficulties without a large support network. I think it's an extremely beneficial experience.
  - andrewcooke 13y ago
    i guess it's difficult for me to know about other people. i was wondering if it's a difference between europeans and americans (since for europeans, "abroad" is much closer). but isn't america a varied place with different cultures in different states? maybe another way of making my point is that the kind of people whose mind is most likely to be be broadened by travel are already aware of the kind of issues you might think they would learn. while those so closed they don't get it, won't - travel or not... your argument only seems (to me) to apply to the lucky few who are closed-minded at home, but open-minded enough to suddenly change when the food is different or the people don't react the way they're used to.
    - spiek 13y ago
      America's culture does differ from place to place, but it's all under the same umbrella, and has only been growing for a few hundred years. It lacks the long span of history and conflict that a lot of the rest of the world has. I think that experience is the best teacher. Whether or not you think you understand issues, or think you are experienced enough to deal with certain situations, you don't know that until you are put in those situations or confronted with those issues. I also think it's a mistake to say that people are binary "close minded at home" and "open minded" outside. People have a range of experiences and impressions that colors every interaction they have.
TheAnimus 13y ago
I spent last summer travelling in SEA, funded entirely by freelance. Well thats a lie I came back to the UK for one week inbetween (it was a good party, worth two 13 hour flights). I had a very good client for whom it didn't matter where I was, I worked on the relationship with the travel in mind and noted from day one. This ment I was about £300 a day less than my normal London day rate for two months for them. However, even down by three hundread I was travelling like a king, well king of economy travellers. It worked well, but I had one massive disadvantage, I had to ensure good wifi whereever I moved. SEA is mostly 6 hours ahead of London, so keeping London time isn't hard, 11pm is the latest your expected to be online. The main problem I had was due to a staff change at the clients end. The people I had been dealing with before quit on mass over a pay dispute. The placements, they were a little bit bottom draw (think where is the defintion of this 'web service', I don't want a WSDL, this is a web service, this isn't good enough types). That is where we come to the crunch. Would I do it again? No. It was a bit of a pain really, my friends I'd met up with along the way were off having fun, but I was stuck still chained to a laptop. Given that I'd taken a substaintial rate cut, I would have been better off just working full time as normal for half a year, saving, and taking time of normally. The digital nomad traveller isn't all its cracked up to be. However working remotely from a fairly fixed base is great. It's very easy to get a 6 month tourist VISA to say Thailand, which has great food, and a great countryside. Rent a place for duration, make sure it has reliable good internet, and working remotely isn't such an issue when your not moving around. Now I type this I realise it was the moving around that was the issue. If working say 40hours, you either move round at a snails pace, or miss really interesting things. I am actually looking to buy a condo in the mountains of Thailand as a bolt hole, my girlfriend and I could just run and hide there for a month or two, still work if need be, but have a change of scenary, weather and society.
- keiferski 13y ago
  This is actually what I've been thinking. The whole "move every week or two" travel lifestyle doesn't really appeal to me, and I probably wouldn't get any work done. Instead, I'd rather live in foreign cities for 1-3 months at a time. 1 month in Krakow here, 2 months in Chiang Mai there, etc.
spiek 13y ago
Is anyone else amused by the idea of choosing your travel destinations according to an HDR photoblog? It seems somewhat absurd to base your travel destinations on some doctored photographs, and to ignore the cultural and historical context of all of the places you're planning on going.
- sockgrant 13y ago
  I mean... I don't think there's a right way to pick destinations for everyone. It sounds like cultural and historical context is important to you. It may not be for another traveler. Traveling is about living in the moment and doing whatever makes you happy :)
jzwinck 13y ago
A few related thoughts: Travel guides: buy Lonely Planet or similar books as dead trees, not Kindle which is almost useless for this. Buy them in the US if it's convenient, because they definitely aren't cheaper in many other places. Visas: US passport is usually good, but may increase the odds of being asked to pay someone off. In Cambodia specifically, better to get a visa in advance via the official website; some of the border stations are well-known for various schemes to get extra cash from those seeking visas on arrival. Make sure your passport starts out fairly empty--some visas take a whole page each. For US passports, extra pages are free initially, expensive to add later. Room and board: if breakfast is free, great. But don't buy it in advance if it's not included, unless you're in the middle of nowhere. Transportation: hitchhiking can be easier in poorer areas where many people do it, harder in places where everyone owns a car. For regional flights not every country does things online, and some smaller airlines do not charge a lot for last-minute tickets. Packing: a 50 liter pack is enough if you don't have many gadgets. Take thin clothes that dry quickly, avoid jeans, wash a few items in the sink each night and enjoy perpetual clean clothes for free. An ultralight daypack like Marmot's Kompressor ($35) is useful, or get a cheapie abroad, e.g. $7 in Bangkok.
- orofino 13y ago
  I agree about the kindle version being useless, not just because of the device, but because the formatting of their books on these devices is awful. We used mostly wikitravel on an ipad, made notes, and used our notes while moving about cities.
  - gurkendoktor 13y ago
    +1 for wikitravel on iPad (or wikivoyage - I don't know which fork has more info these days) The new offline support in Reading List is really a godsend for this. Just hammer cmd+shift+D on the laptop/desktop while browsing along the wiki, and the iPad will have it all available when you need it.
    - nanidin 13y ago
      Wikivoyage has been taken on by the Wikimedia project, and most of the editors of wikitravel jumped ship around the same time that happened. I used the offline reading list so much for wikivoyage also - it was amazing!
madsravn 13y ago
I loved this the first time I read it and I loved it now again. This is definitely a dream of mine and when I finish university, I'm gonna find me some work and collect some money to do this. I mean, who wouldn't want to see the world?
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
crazygringo 13y ago
As an alternative perspective... (absolutely nothing against the original post) Consider picking just one country, and living there, instead of travelling around the world. Learn the language, get a job (teaching English?), get a boyfriend/girlfriend, travel locally. I know a lot of people who have done both (travel around the world, or live abroad). Travelling around the world can be utterly exhausting -- absolutely exhilirating, but the endless work involved in finding accomodation, food, etc. can wear people down faster than they think. Also, the lack of any constant companions, that all your human relationships last only a day or a couple of weeks at best. Setting down some kind of "roots" in a place can be very rewarding as well, and can be more deeply educational as well -- what you see about a country in the first few weeks, versus what you see about it after a year or two, can be strikingly different. But, it all depends on your goals and personality of course!
- personlurking 13y ago
  I did this in Brazil. Actually, I kind of did both while in Brazil. Within the country, I lived in several cities and parts of each city. Now I'm doing it in another country, this time in Europe, though I'm staying in the same city this time. Even doing the moving around every few months within a country can be quite tiring. As for your MB(A), if you have one, be careful because when the summer hits, it can heat up really quickly and everything will slow to a snail's pace. I was using a 2010 MBA all through 2011 and 2012 and it was seriously tough-going. In terms of banks, I recommend Capital One 360, no foreign withdrawal fees, no monthly fee. While using Citibank in Brazil, I must have given them thousands in fees over the years. If you trade being in the most popular places of whatever city you're in with a nearby neighborhood or district, (at least in terms of Brazil) you can spend just US$6K for the year...but for that price, you'd have to be okay with living more or less on the poor side. The great thing about living in a tropical, developing nation is there's plenty to do for cheap or free.
- orofino 13y ago
  This is something that most don't talk about. Travelling is work. I'm not saying it is anything like 40 hours a week at bigcorp USA, but it is certainly work. The constant movement, decisions about where to sleep, what to do, and where you're headed to next can be very stressful. The three weeks we spent in Ecuador learning spanish are some of our fondest memories of our trip. We were ready to get moving after three weeks, but in hindsight I think it would have been good if we stayed longer.
danielharan 13y ago
Just did 10 countries in 10 months, most of them in Asia. Vietnam and China visas I wish I had known about before. For some passports, China is something you should get even before leaving your home country. Otherwise, I definitely agree that travelling over land is much more interesting.
_mulder_ 13y ago
Whenever I read these blogs, and the comments that follow, I'm amazed at how much money people spend doing this! Has nobody heard of www.couchsurfing.com? Why travel all the way around the world to pay money and sit in a hotel room/private apartment? I've done travelling and couldn't recommend it enough. It's a fantastic experience but by far the biggest benefit, and most memorable moments, were from the people I met (even though I'm not really a 'people' person). Couchsurfing allows you to stay for free with a local host.. think AirBnB but FREE and where you can actually speak and interact with them. Most of the hosts in the more remote countries are fellow American's doing Peace Corp. It's interesting to hear their different perspective on their host country, and they enjoy the contact with another 'westerner' too. Lots of other hosts will happily invite you sailing, climbing, hiking, BBQing with them or their mates too. If you're happy to sleep on the floor occasionally (rarely in my experience) then I highly recommend any travellers (particularly solo) give it a go. If you're really adventurous, or want some even more amazing, serendipitous encounters with incredible people, stick out your thumb ;-)
- DocG 13y ago
  I love traveling but I avoid couch-surfing like fire. I think is down to the kind of person you are. Hostels are my time off. I can sleep in my bed as long as I want, I don't have to talk to anybody, I can pay and not ask/talk. Socializing is huge energy consumer. Hostel time is when I don't have to worry about a thing, relaxing and recharging.
  - gurkendoktor 13y ago
    Especially since the OP is working on the road. I would feel shitty being a CouchSurfing guest and immediately asking for the WiFi password because I need to fix something.
- grimlck 13y ago
  As a former couchsurfing host, i implore you, couchsurfing is great, but do couchsurfing because you want to meet new people and have cultural interactions. Do NOT use couchsurfing just to save money - that might be a nice side effect, but that shouldn't be your primary goal. The worst guests are the guest who treat it as a free hotel and/or are so cheap that they aren't willing to go out for a pint of beer with their host or do anything that requires a few dollars. And if you are working working while travelling, then that is a sign you both less willing to interact with your hosts and that you can easily afford a hotel.
sockgrant 13y ago
I've done 4 week trips every year, but this year I'm looking at going away for a year or longer. A question I have: Does anyone have any experience being a landlord while traveling abroad? What's it like? I was thinking that investing in an apartment before I leave might be a great way for me to get some low-maintenance income while traveling.
- mixmastamyk 13y ago
  Find a reputable property management company. They can handle scheduling maintenance, bad tenants, etc.
  - sockgrant 13y ago
    Any experience on what are good rates?
    - mixmastamyk 13y ago
      I think they are in the realm of 10%.
boothead 13y ago
I'd love to hear some perspective from people doing this with small kids. Almost all of these posts are from people young free and single!
- enewcomer 13y ago
  My kids aren't that small, but I moved to Africa with them two years ago (they are now 7 and 9). We are actually living abroad, not really "traveling" as in the OP, though it has provided some interesting travel opportunities as well. We don't homeschool, so any travel is tied to their school calendar as well. Even without side-travel, I feel like we have a better connection with the place we live and for that it will always be a part of us. There's no way you can get that in 90 days. It depends on where you go, but we live very well on far less than we did in the US and it's been a great experience for our entire family in many, many ways. I always used to read posts like this jealous of those who are unattached. While it's a different experience doing it with kids. and takes a bit more planning, it's got its own rewards (such as the impact of your children living first-hand in a different culture).
  - utnick 13y ago
    Please write a blog post about this!! Like how you found a job, how you found schools, how the kids are liking it etc
grecy 13y ago
I spent 2 years driving a little Jeep Wrangler from Alaska to Argentina, because I wanted to.[1] I'm a Software Engineer, and did some freelance stuff while on the road. For the entire 22 month, 65,000km (40k miles) journey through 16 countries, I spent $27,300 [2]. That's only $1200 a month, which is barely more than I was spending to live in a city and go to work every day. I'm extremely happy to answer any questions or help anyone that has an interest in traveling like this. WikiOverland [3] has tons of the logistical information you'll find helpful. The FAQ [4] is a great place to start for anyone new to driving themselves around continents or the world (called Overlanding) [1] http://theroadchoseme.com http://theroadchoseme.com [2] http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure [3] http://wikioverland.org http://wikioverland.org [4] http://wikioverland.org/Overland_Frequently_Asked_Questions http://wikioverland.org/Overland_Frequently_Asked_Questions
- reustle 13y ago
  This awesome and inspiring! I leave for backpacking through Europe and freelancing in a few days :)
jasonkester 13y ago
Nice summary, but this looks like a writeup of somebody doing this the first time. There's lots of room for improvement. First off, there's way too much planning going on beforehand. Having done several of these trips, my pre-planning now involves booking a single flight and letting things work themselves out from there. Dates on the calendar are really really bad to have, since they force you to move faster or slower than you want to. Avoid them at all costs. And, of course, he overpacked. 90 liters is way too big. 40 liters is probably still too big, but at least realistic. You want to be able to fit your full pack on your lap on a crowded chicken bus without drawing angry looks from the locals. One complete change of clothes is plenty. Most of the stuff you think you need, you don't. Beyond that, there's a lot of good stuff here. Sounds like he had a fun trip.
- orofino 13y ago
  I feel like for most beginners, 40L is the least they'll want to take, calling it too big is disingenuous I think. My wife and I both had 40L packs, the size was good, at then end perhaps we could have gone smaller, but not much below 35L each. At the start, 40L was really tough and I think for someone doing this for the first time, 40-50L is ideal. The focus on bag size can be almost fetishistic for some long term travelers. Those who travel with two shirts, one pair of pants, and a laptop are going too far in the opposite direction in my opinion. I don't want to spend all my time doing laundry or smelling awful.
- jblok 13y ago
  Agreed. Take as little as possible and if you really feel you need something, you can buy it locally (often for much cheaper). It makes you realise how few things you need in life, and how much crap you end up buying back home.
  - lifeformed 13y ago
    What do you do with the local things you buy? I'm assuming you don't keep accumulating them after moving to another country. Is it easy to resell them?
CrunchyJams 13y ago
Solid article. If you like that, you should read Four Hour Workweek. He outlines a full plan for how to stay productive while globetrotting for months at a time.
notdrunkatall 13y ago
This thread is making me want to travel again. To that end, now I'm thinking about changing my major from engineering to programming...
nanidin 13y ago
I saw the author used wikitravel a lot - I used to also. But now, wikivoyage is probably the preferred route. They've been adopted by Wikimedia after some drama with the company that owns wikitravel. wikitravel is now covered with ads and most of the editors abandoned ship for wikivoyage. It's a great resource though! I have never owned a travel guide.
tbug 13y ago
I was planning to do something like this. My problem is, If I get to a place that requires no VISA but I have no return ticket because I plan to buy the next hop while I'm there, won't this make getting into the country more complicated?
- crdoconnor 13y ago
  I thought this might be a problem, but I was only asked for a return ticket in one place - Hong Kong.
  - tbug 13y ago
    And what happened?
    - rdouble 13y ago
      I was asked for a return ticket in Japan. I had to buy a return ticket in the customs lobby before I was allowed into the country.
      - tbug 13y ago
        Ouch! I take it was much more expensive than usual economy tickets. What if you planned to buy a train ticket to leave? I don't know about HK but in China it's a mess since it can only be done a few weeks before the travel date and might not even have been possible to do prior to entering the country.
        rdouble 13y ago
        Actually, I didn't have to buy a ticket to leave immediately, I just had to prove I had a return ticket. I just bought the cheapest one close to the date when my tourist visa would expire. I think it was around $600. There is no train that connects Japan to another country that I know of.
        13y ago
wavesounds 13y ago
I just skimmed this, does he mention how old he is? Pretty rare circumstances to be able to make 22k in a month consulting and then be able to take a year off of everything to travel. Sounds like a dream to me.
31reasons 13y ago
>So the net cost for the trip was about $22k. I paid for the vast majority of this with one month’s consultancy beforehand. Wow. Consultancy that pays $20k+ still eludes me.
andion 13y ago
Nice! I admire you for being able to travel and do all this stuff. I'm travelling for 7 months now and after the 1st month I realized I couldn't do both things. Keep moving! :)
mililani 13y ago
How does one make $22k a month doing consulting work? The most I ever got doing side consulting was $80/hr, and that was just a 2 week gig.
- pacomerh 13y ago
  That's exactly the same thing I questioned, in which country or doing what do you make 22k just like that by consulting.
- rdouble 13y ago
  Charge $100/hr and work 55 hours a week. The easiest way is to do something like network engineering or "oracle financials" for a huge corporation. iOS consulting also pays that much but finding the work isn't as easy.
gautamnarula 13y ago
I'm curious, how much of an issue is language when doing a trip like this? This is something I'd like to do, but I'm only fluent in English and have a basic proficiency in Spanish.
- oftenwrong 13y ago
  In my opinion, travelling is more fun and so much easier if you speak the language, even if only a little bit. My Spanish is shit, but I managed well when I was in Argentina. Had some good conversations, met cool people. I found that having a good vocabulary is far more important than having proper grammar. Lucky for us they speak Spanish in so many places. After that trip I went directly to Brazil, where I encountered a sharp language barrier, and had a much worse time. Now I feel like I should at least know the basics before travelling somewhere. As soon as I got home I started studying Japanese.
izztmzzt 13y ago
Im always impressed by folks who can keep on the road like this. I myself prefer to stay in an area long term and marinate the local culture and language. I studied abroad in Beijing for one year in undergrad, and taught english in Japan for 2 year. You discover many subtle things by staying somewhere for an extended period of time, and learn a new way of living. Definitely want to do it again. But before I die, I'd like to try this method too.
jungziege 13y ago
Just wanted to link to the old HN discussion about this article when it was first posted a yea ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016
brent_noorda 13y ago
Alternative adventure idea: Instead of travelling the world for a year, spend that year travelling within 50 miles of your home (or, if you're starting in Silicon Valley, like this author, anywhere that Bart reaches). Get to know the immigrant communities spread throughout your area (the Thai community, the Cambodian community, Peruvian, Bolivian, etc…) They are all there, practically in your back yard (maybe literally in your back yard—ask your gardener where he's from), living in ways that are culturally different from yours, and yet when you get to know them, hang with them, drink and dance with them, you'll learn that we're all people and we're all fundamentally the same living, loving, learning, lonely scared human beings. You need only travel 1, 5, 10, 15 miles from wherever you are right now to find entire communities that are outside your techy echo chamber. Meet them, and you will get some perspective. Best of all is with this alternative plan is what you won't do. You won't waste many many days (weeks? a month?) of your life either in airports, flying between airports, travelling to and from airports, or recovering from jet lag. Most importantly, in my opinion, you won't be burning 250 to 500 gallons of gasoline, and releasing 2.5 to 5 tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

243 points by shawndumas 13y ago

If you're thinking of traveling (even if it is just in persistent day dream mode), spend some time looking at: "WorldHum" http://worldhum.com http://worldhum.com "Brave New Traveler" http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/ http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/

philsnow 13y ago

Those photos would make Thomas Kinkade blush. The Taj Mahal one isn't terrible. As far as I can tell that's because there isn't much in the foreground. The HDR used makes the others appear uniformly flat / without depth, like an old chinese woodcut (e.g. [0], in which perspective is flattened). [0] http://lifeasahuman.com/files/2011/12/P14-Old-Chinese-woodcut-Pingyao-Shanxi-Province-China-2008-c-Vincent-Ross.jpg http://lifeasahuman.com/files/2011/12/P14-Old-Chinese-woodcu...

GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago

Re cost: My girlfriend and I managed to travel South East Asia for 3 months for £1200 between us. Flights to Malaysia were £350 return each from the UK. That included travel, accommodation, eating, activities, etc... We had a £10 a day budget.

dejv 13y ago
I just return from a year of traveling in SE Asia and 10 GBP per day seems like really low. Transportation alone could eat that amount easily. My budget was something around 20/day, which buys me dorms at nice hostels (no bugs, aircon and usually hot water), food at local restaurant (I usually stays out of hawker stalls), transportation and occasional sights (like Angkor Wat and such).
- GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
  Lol, we didn't have any of those luxuries... Could only afford hotels in Cambodia (3USD per night for a double ensuite!), hostels everywhere else. Only had aircon a couple of times. Never had hot water (it's 30 degrees there all the time, I never needed it). We only had restaurant food occasionally, most of the time from street stalls, or peoples houses. We only had beg bugs in KL, but we had them for the full 15 days we were there, 5 different hostels... PS: We got a 3 day tour of all of the Ankor Wat temples, including transport between them for $9 each. For anyone who's not been, they are incredible.
  - wito 13y ago
    offtopic, but it remainds me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo have fun ! ;)
    - switch007 13y ago
      I knew it was that video before clicking. Upvote for Monty Python ;)
Keyframe 13y ago
I guess it could be done. I was there for 6 months and working, but I easily burned through $2.5k per month. Most of it on really nice accomodation though.
- GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
  We usually spent 40-60% of our budget on accommodation. Our target was 30MYR in Malaysia, 250THB in Thailand, and 3USD in Cambodia. Singapore was too expensive for us to do much, so we only stayed a week, and used our whole budget every day just on a bunkbed in a hostel...
NanoWar 13y ago
Yeah, $22k sounds crazy. I'm planning a 3 month South East Asia trip for around €2-3k, can be done for sure...
- whatusername 13y ago
  12 months including places like NZ and AU for $15K isn't terrible though. Costs in SYD/MEL/AKL are higher than somewhere like BKK or KUL. $7k on flights sounded pretty high though.

thefinalboss 13y ago

About cost: I did 9 months in Asia for 12K$ and never felt stressed for cash. My main problem on the go was motivation for side projects. It is so easy to get caught up in meeting locals, doing activities that it can fill up your whole day. There are so many interesting distractions. If I wanted to travel and get work done now I wold probably revisit some of the same countries.

nfg 13y ago

Spent a year away (2011-2012) on a budget of about €13K, itinerary was: Turkey, Iran, India, Nepal, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Brazil. Best decision I ever made! Edit with more details: Choosing where to go: get a big map and an imagination! Flights: Just booked mine as I went and that seemed to work out well costwise. In any case try to overland as much as possible, it's more interesting. Packing: Bring as little as possible, I had a 50+10L backpack and it was more than adequate. Every litre extra you pack is more and more hassle when moving. Visas: This obv depends on where you're from and where you're headed. I sorted visas for Iran and India before leaving home (Ireland). Generally what the article says is true, it's usually possible to throw some money at the problem and get visas while on the move if necessary. Some visas run from time of entry, some from time of issuance (particularly India) - pay attention to this!

arethuza 13y ago
How did you find things in Iran? We've been tempted to go but I wasn't sure how much hassle it was.
- nfg 13y ago
  It was great! People are really friendly, mostly you can find someone who speaks English in any given situation, and it's pretty cheap - I'd highly recommend going. People often stopped us on the street just to say "Thanks for visiting Iran"! We just had a two week visa, original plan was to take the train from Istanbul - Tehran. Alas we could only buy tickets in person and they were sold out (lots of Iranians holiday in Istanbul before Ramadam). So instead we flew Istanbul - Tehran. Spent a few days in Tehran, then Isfahan (our favourite city there, the bazaar and square are just beautiful), Yazd (amazing mud architecture) and Shiraz (best spot to visit Persepolis from), then flew on to Mumbai. Hasslewise: I was traveling with my partner, she had to wear the hijab (hair covering) at all times while outdoors which was a bit of a challenge (try keeping it on with the wind blowing out of the metro in Tehran!). People are very accommodating though, a huddle of women would sometimes form around her to set things right if it was slipping off! This was exacerbated by the time of year (midsummer), you'd be better going sometime cooler. Only other thing I can think of is that the banking system is totally cut off from outside (no ATMs which accept foreign cards, very few places accept western credit cards), so you need to carry in as much cash as you need for the trip. Definitely intending to go back in the future with more time on our hands - there's just endless places to see and visit - it truly was a unique experience. We've got some blog posts here that might help: http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/08/iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/08/iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/09/traveling-as-woman-in-iran.html http://www.sarahandniall.com/2011/09/traveling-as-woman-in-i... (I have blog posts written but not published for the rest of the trip - really must get them up!).

wito 13y ago

This link has already been on HN once, and yeah, it helped me to make decision to follow my dream and do a 6 month travel to SE Asia. Thanks Alex! Cheers from KL :)

stuff4ben 13y ago
I seem to recall the last time this was posted I commented and said for people to do this! If you wait and you get baggage, it makes it much harder to do. But I took some of my own advice and just last week I spent a week in Nicaragua working in a camp for the youths of the surrounding cities. Best thing I've done in a long time! I can't wait for my trip to Thailand in October. BTW, I'm doing this with a soul-sucking enterprise IT job with a wife and 2 kids. So if I can do it, you can too (albeit scaled back a bit).
- boothead 13y ago
  Do you mind if I ask a few questions? How do you find traveling with kids? Do you keep the same soul sucking enterprise IT job, or save up, travel and then find a new one when you return? What do you do about maintaining a permanent base at "home"? This one's the biggest struggle for me; how do you travel without having somewhere stable to come back to? I'd have to be bringing at least £1.7k/month just to cover rent/mortgage and fixed costs for a house in the UK on top of what it would cost for the traveling itself. I don't think finding a new place to live every time I come home would work.
shawndumas 13y ago
It was posted on their blog June 20, 2013 so you are saying it was on HN yesterday? I'm confused...
- wito 13y ago
  Don't be:) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 also it says "This is a repost of a post first published in December 2011." at the end of the post.

juokaz 13y ago

I'm doing this now(1), almost 300 days into it. Currently have lived in 13 countries(2). I work as I travel so haven't done too many crazy places, but definitely have learned a lot of things I would do differently now. Finishing this in October, going to be a long story to share. Was worth every single stress-minute. [1] - http://juokaz.com/blog/living-homeless.html http://juokaz.com/blog/living-homeless.html [2] - https://twitter.com/juokaz/status/348036931214524416 https://twitter.com/juokaz/status/348036931214524416

alxbrun 13y ago

Don't fly, travel overland, that's the most interesting part of the trip, especially the remote areas near borders... The worst is to book this round-the-world ticket, where you have to decide in advance how long you'll stay at each point. We travelled around the world for 1 year and ended up staying as much as one month in one place where we'd planned to stay 1 day, or literally flee out of countries like Malaysia after 2 days.

raldi 13y ago
I traveled around the world on an RTW, and while we did have to pick the cities in advance, the dates could be adjusted at any time. So we used the flights to create the backbone of the trip, and found local* transportation along the way. And we adjusted the dates quite a bit. *by which I mean within one continent
GotAnyMegadeth 13y ago
Some part of Malaysia make you want to flee ASAP (KL, Kota Bharu), but there are some great parts too (Pankor Island, Perhentian Islands, Taman Negara)!
saryant 13y ago
My dream trip is Houston to Singapore overland via a transatlantic crossing, the Trans-Siberian Railway and trains/buses across Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. Theoretically I could return via Central Asia and the Caucasus but I haven't figured that part out yet.
grecy 13y ago
Checkout http://wikioverland.org http://wikioverland.org for the logistics required to drive yourself overland Round The World. I drove Alaska->Argentina and had a blast

_k 13y ago

Here's a tip : Become a Belgian citizen, get a job, use a 1 year time credit, let the government pay you € 1,000 a month, travel the world for 1 year and still keep your job. You do need the company's permission. But no wonder our country is getting deeper in debt. I don't know that many people but I do know 5 people who have done this.

tdec 13y ago
1000/month is a bit of an exageration, more like 400 if you work less than 5 years for your employer. You also need to work at least 2 years for your employer. Oh, and don't be so eager to jump on the neo-liberal thought wagon. Some people travel, most use it to raise babies. Source: I've done it.
- _k 13y ago
  Those I know were getting around 1000 a month. All 5 of them. I'm not against time credit (babies need their parents, sick people need help) but some abuse the system.
aktau 13y ago
As a fellow belgian, I agree with the commenter below. Some people use it for other things too. Also, I just visited South America for 3 months and decided beforehand that I would quit my job (which I didn't hate but it didn't provoke any passionate response either) and afterwards start working on something I'm truly passionate about. So no leaching off the state budget and couldn't be happier.

smackfu 13y ago

It's quite a large scale-up to go from the typical week or two vacation to travelling for a whole year. I wonder how many people get tired of it after a couple of months? I've met some pretty damn jaded world travellers in hostels, the kind who talk about "the same bullshit hostel conversations every day."

tdec 13y ago
I felt that after 4-5 months, you get "used" to the travelling, you're not as excited anymore. The best thing to do then is either take a longer break in a nice place or simply start travelling in a different way. Another option that seems to work is to switch continents, everything is new then.

orofino 13y ago

Another traveller chiming in, I've just started working after taking off for 8 months to travel South America (top to bottom), Antarctica, and Europe. I've been working now for almost 2 months. Regarding packing: My wife and I each carried a 40L backpack. This is pretty small, but I'd highly recommend it for this kind of trip. They were a godsend on buses in South America. Cost: Over the course of the trip we spent almost 40k ($165/day), if you exclude Antarctica it was a much more reasonable $92/day. Last minute deals for Antarctica DO exist, I recommend them highly (we saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 20k). Transport: As with others in the thread, we bought as we went and opted primarily for overland travel. Tips for 30 hour bus rides: carrots to snack on and Harry Potter audio books. My most recent post [1] was a wrap up after being home for some time. You can check out the blog for more on packing, budget, etc. Happy to answer any questions. [1] http://orofino.me/ http://orofino.me/

junto 13y ago
I also travelled through central and south America over 6 months. My trip is journaled here: http://blog.benpowell.co.uk/search/label/backpacking http://blog.benpowell.co.uk/search/label/backpacking The third best thing I ever did (after getting married and starting a family).
nether 13y ago
$92/day is a lot, is that per person? I'm guessing you stayed in hotels every night?

miloshadzic 13y ago

Props for earning 20k in a month. I love the rest of the post but that part always strikes a chord with me.

andrewcooke 13y ago

don't forget guys, remember to pack your colour-saturation-level-adjusting glasses. travel abroad isn't the same without them. more seriously, having travelled much, and now living "abroad" i think it's way over-rated. people are fundamentally the same. the ways in which societies differ are in the rituals people are accustomed to - and dealing with that gets old quickly.

spiek 13y ago
It may differ for you, as an experienced traveler. For someone who hasn't gotten out of the country, ever, it could be a highly instructive experience. Both in terms of mutual understanding with the wider world, and in terms of independence and experience. Traveling by oneself forces one to become more independent, more confident in navigating difficulties without a large support network. I think it's an extremely beneficial experience.
- andrewcooke 13y ago
  i guess it's difficult for me to know about other people. i was wondering if it's a difference between europeans and americans (since for europeans, "abroad" is much closer). but isn't america a varied place with different cultures in different states? maybe another way of making my point is that the kind of people whose mind is most likely to be be broadened by travel are already aware of the kind of issues you might think they would learn. while those so closed they don't get it, won't - travel or not... your argument only seems (to me) to apply to the lucky few who are closed-minded at home, but open-minded enough to suddenly change when the food is different or the people don't react the way they're used to.
  - spiek 13y ago
    America's culture does differ from place to place, but it's all under the same umbrella, and has only been growing for a few hundred years. It lacks the long span of history and conflict that a lot of the rest of the world has. I think that experience is the best teacher. Whether or not you think you understand issues, or think you are experienced enough to deal with certain situations, you don't know that until you are put in those situations or confronted with those issues. I also think it's a mistake to say that people are binary "close minded at home" and "open minded" outside. People have a range of experiences and impressions that colors every interaction they have.

TheAnimus 13y ago

I spent last summer travelling in SEA, funded entirely by freelance. Well thats a lie I came back to the UK for one week inbetween (it was a good party, worth two 13 hour flights). I had a very good client for whom it didn't matter where I was, I worked on the relationship with the travel in mind and noted from day one. This ment I was about £300 a day less than my normal London day rate for two months for them. However, even down by three hundread I was travelling like a king, well king of economy travellers. It worked well, but I had one massive disadvantage, I had to ensure good wifi whereever I moved. SEA is mostly 6 hours ahead of London, so keeping London time isn't hard, 11pm is the latest your expected to be online. The main problem I had was due to a staff change at the clients end. The people I had been dealing with before quit on mass over a pay dispute. The placements, they were a little bit bottom draw (think where is the defintion of this 'web service', I don't want a WSDL, this is a web service, this isn't good enough types). That is where we come to the crunch. Would I do it again? No. It was a bit of a pain really, my friends I'd met up with along the way were off having fun, but I was stuck still chained to a laptop. Given that I'd taken a substaintial rate cut, I would have been better off just working full time as normal for half a year, saving, and taking time of normally. The digital nomad traveller isn't all its cracked up to be. However working remotely from a fairly fixed base is great. It's very easy to get a 6 month tourist VISA to say Thailand, which has great food, and a great countryside. Rent a place for duration, make sure it has reliable good internet, and working remotely isn't such an issue when your not moving around. Now I type this I realise it was the moving around that was the issue. If working say 40hours, you either move round at a snails pace, or miss really interesting things. I am actually looking to buy a condo in the mountains of Thailand as a bolt hole, my girlfriend and I could just run and hide there for a month or two, still work if need be, but have a change of scenary, weather and society.

keiferski 13y ago
This is actually what I've been thinking. The whole "move every week or two" travel lifestyle doesn't really appeal to me, and I probably wouldn't get any work done. Instead, I'd rather live in foreign cities for 1-3 months at a time. 1 month in Krakow here, 2 months in Chiang Mai there, etc.

spiek 13y ago

Is anyone else amused by the idea of choosing your travel destinations according to an HDR photoblog? It seems somewhat absurd to base your travel destinations on some doctored photographs, and to ignore the cultural and historical context of all of the places you're planning on going.

sockgrant 13y ago
I mean... I don't think there's a right way to pick destinations for everyone. It sounds like cultural and historical context is important to you. It may not be for another traveler. Traveling is about living in the moment and doing whatever makes you happy :)

jzwinck 13y ago

A few related thoughts: Travel guides: buy Lonely Planet or similar books as dead trees, not Kindle which is almost useless for this. Buy them in the US if it's convenient, because they definitely aren't cheaper in many other places. Visas: US passport is usually good, but may increase the odds of being asked to pay someone off. In Cambodia specifically, better to get a visa in advance via the official website; some of the border stations are well-known for various schemes to get extra cash from those seeking visas on arrival. Make sure your passport starts out fairly empty--some visas take a whole page each. For US passports, extra pages are free initially, expensive to add later. Room and board: if breakfast is free, great. But don't buy it in advance if it's not included, unless you're in the middle of nowhere. Transportation: hitchhiking can be easier in poorer areas where many people do it, harder in places where everyone owns a car. For regional flights not every country does things online, and some smaller airlines do not charge a lot for last-minute tickets. Packing: a 50 liter pack is enough if you don't have many gadgets. Take thin clothes that dry quickly, avoid jeans, wash a few items in the sink each night and enjoy perpetual clean clothes for free. An ultralight daypack like Marmot's Kompressor ($35) is useful, or get a cheapie abroad, e.g. $7 in Bangkok.

orofino 13y ago
I agree about the kindle version being useless, not just because of the device, but because the formatting of their books on these devices is awful. We used mostly wikitravel on an ipad, made notes, and used our notes while moving about cities.
- gurkendoktor 13y ago
  +1 for wikitravel on iPad (or wikivoyage - I don't know which fork has more info these days) The new offline support in Reading List is really a godsend for this. Just hammer cmd+shift+D on the laptop/desktop while browsing along the wiki, and the iPad will have it all available when you need it.
  - nanidin 13y ago
    Wikivoyage has been taken on by the Wikimedia project, and most of the editors of wikitravel jumped ship around the same time that happened. I used the offline reading list so much for wikivoyage also - it was amazing!

madsravn 13y ago

I loved this the first time I read it and I loved it now again. This is definitely a dream of mine and when I finish university, I'm gonna find me some work and collect some money to do this. I mean, who wouldn't want to see the world?

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

crazygringo 13y ago

As an alternative perspective... (absolutely nothing against the original post) Consider picking just one country, and living there, instead of travelling around the world. Learn the language, get a job (teaching English?), get a boyfriend/girlfriend, travel locally. I know a lot of people who have done both (travel around the world, or live abroad). Travelling around the world can be utterly exhausting -- absolutely exhilirating, but the endless work involved in finding accomodation, food, etc. can wear people down faster than they think. Also, the lack of any constant companions, that all your human relationships last only a day or a couple of weeks at best. Setting down some kind of "roots" in a place can be very rewarding as well, and can be more deeply educational as well -- what you see about a country in the first few weeks, versus what you see about it after a year or two, can be strikingly different. But, it all depends on your goals and personality of course!

personlurking 13y ago
I did this in Brazil. Actually, I kind of did both while in Brazil. Within the country, I lived in several cities and parts of each city. Now I'm doing it in another country, this time in Europe, though I'm staying in the same city this time. Even doing the moving around every few months within a country can be quite tiring. As for your MB(A), if you have one, be careful because when the summer hits, it can heat up really quickly and everything will slow to a snail's pace. I was using a 2010 MBA all through 2011 and 2012 and it was seriously tough-going. In terms of banks, I recommend Capital One 360, no foreign withdrawal fees, no monthly fee. While using Citibank in Brazil, I must have given them thousands in fees over the years. If you trade being in the most popular places of whatever city you're in with a nearby neighborhood or district, (at least in terms of Brazil) you can spend just US$6K for the year...but for that price, you'd have to be okay with living more or less on the poor side. The great thing about living in a tropical, developing nation is there's plenty to do for cheap or free.
orofino 13y ago
This is something that most don't talk about. Travelling is work. I'm not saying it is anything like 40 hours a week at bigcorp USA, but it is certainly work. The constant movement, decisions about where to sleep, what to do, and where you're headed to next can be very stressful. The three weeks we spent in Ecuador learning spanish are some of our fondest memories of our trip. We were ready to get moving after three weeks, but in hindsight I think it would have been good if we stayed longer.

danielharan 13y ago

Just did 10 countries in 10 months, most of them in Asia. Vietnam and China visas I wish I had known about before. For some passports, China is something you should get even before leaving your home country. Otherwise, I definitely agree that travelling over land is much more interesting.

_mulder_ 13y ago

Whenever I read these blogs, and the comments that follow, I'm amazed at how much money people spend doing this! Has nobody heard of www.couchsurfing.com? Why travel all the way around the world to pay money and sit in a hotel room/private apartment? I've done travelling and couldn't recommend it enough. It's a fantastic experience but by far the biggest benefit, and most memorable moments, were from the people I met (even though I'm not really a 'people' person). Couchsurfing allows you to stay for free with a local host.. think AirBnB but FREE and where you can actually speak and interact with them. Most of the hosts in the more remote countries are fellow American's doing Peace Corp. It's interesting to hear their different perspective on their host country, and they enjoy the contact with another 'westerner' too. Lots of other hosts will happily invite you sailing, climbing, hiking, BBQing with them or their mates too. If you're happy to sleep on the floor occasionally (rarely in my experience) then I highly recommend any travellers (particularly solo) give it a go. If you're really adventurous, or want some even more amazing, serendipitous encounters with incredible people, stick out your thumb ;-)

DocG 13y ago
I love traveling but I avoid couch-surfing like fire. I think is down to the kind of person you are. Hostels are my time off. I can sleep in my bed as long as I want, I don't have to talk to anybody, I can pay and not ask/talk. Socializing is huge energy consumer. Hostel time is when I don't have to worry about a thing, relaxing and recharging.
- gurkendoktor 13y ago
  Especially since the OP is working on the road. I would feel shitty being a CouchSurfing guest and immediately asking for the WiFi password because I need to fix something.
grimlck 13y ago
As a former couchsurfing host, i implore you, couchsurfing is great, but do couchsurfing because you want to meet new people and have cultural interactions. Do NOT use couchsurfing just to save money - that might be a nice side effect, but that shouldn't be your primary goal. The worst guests are the guest who treat it as a free hotel and/or are so cheap that they aren't willing to go out for a pint of beer with their host or do anything that requires a few dollars. And if you are working working while travelling, then that is a sign you both less willing to interact with your hosts and that you can easily afford a hotel.

sockgrant 13y ago

I've done 4 week trips every year, but this year I'm looking at going away for a year or longer. A question I have: Does anyone have any experience being a landlord while traveling abroad? What's it like? I was thinking that investing in an apartment before I leave might be a great way for me to get some low-maintenance income while traveling.

mixmastamyk 13y ago
Find a reputable property management company. They can handle scheduling maintenance, bad tenants, etc.
- sockgrant 13y ago
  Any experience on what are good rates?
  - mixmastamyk 13y ago
    I think they are in the realm of 10%.

boothead 13y ago

I'd love to hear some perspective from people doing this with small kids. Almost all of these posts are from people young free and single!

enewcomer 13y ago
My kids aren't that small, but I moved to Africa with them two years ago (they are now 7 and 9). We are actually living abroad, not really "traveling" as in the OP, though it has provided some interesting travel opportunities as well. We don't homeschool, so any travel is tied to their school calendar as well. Even without side-travel, I feel like we have a better connection with the place we live and for that it will always be a part of us. There's no way you can get that in 90 days. It depends on where you go, but we live very well on far less than we did in the US and it's been a great experience for our entire family in many, many ways. I always used to read posts like this jealous of those who are unattached. While it's a different experience doing it with kids. and takes a bit more planning, it's got its own rewards (such as the impact of your children living first-hand in a different culture).
- utnick 13y ago
  Please write a blog post about this!! Like how you found a job, how you found schools, how the kids are liking it etc

grecy 13y ago

I spent 2 years driving a little Jeep Wrangler from Alaska to Argentina, because I wanted to.[1] I'm a Software Engineer, and did some freelance stuff while on the road. For the entire 22 month, 65,000km (40k miles) journey through 16 countries, I spent $27,300 [2]. That's only $1200 a month, which is barely more than I was spending to live in a city and go to work every day. I'm extremely happy to answer any questions or help anyone that has an interest in traveling like this. WikiOverland [3] has tons of the logistical information you'll find helpful. The FAQ [4] is a great place to start for anyone new to driving themselves around continents or the world (called Overlanding) [1] http://theroadchoseme.com http://theroadchoseme.com [2] http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure [3] http://wikioverland.org http://wikioverland.org [4] http://wikioverland.org/Overland_Frequently_Asked_Questions http://wikioverland.org/Overland_Frequently_Asked_Questions

reustle 13y ago
This awesome and inspiring! I leave for backpacking through Europe and freelancing in a few days :)

jasonkester 13y ago

Nice summary, but this looks like a writeup of somebody doing this the first time. There's lots of room for improvement. First off, there's way too much planning going on beforehand. Having done several of these trips, my pre-planning now involves booking a single flight and letting things work themselves out from there. Dates on the calendar are really really bad to have, since they force you to move faster or slower than you want to. Avoid them at all costs. And, of course, he overpacked. 90 liters is way too big. 40 liters is probably still too big, but at least realistic. You want to be able to fit your full pack on your lap on a crowded chicken bus without drawing angry looks from the locals. One complete change of clothes is plenty. Most of the stuff you think you need, you don't. Beyond that, there's a lot of good stuff here. Sounds like he had a fun trip.

orofino 13y ago
I feel like for most beginners, 40L is the least they'll want to take, calling it too big is disingenuous I think. My wife and I both had 40L packs, the size was good, at then end perhaps we could have gone smaller, but not much below 35L each. At the start, 40L was really tough and I think for someone doing this for the first time, 40-50L is ideal. The focus on bag size can be almost fetishistic for some long term travelers. Those who travel with two shirts, one pair of pants, and a laptop are going too far in the opposite direction in my opinion. I don't want to spend all my time doing laundry or smelling awful.
jblok 13y ago
Agreed. Take as little as possible and if you really feel you need something, you can buy it locally (often for much cheaper). It makes you realise how few things you need in life, and how much crap you end up buying back home.
- lifeformed 13y ago
  What do you do with the local things you buy? I'm assuming you don't keep accumulating them after moving to another country. Is it easy to resell them?

CrunchyJams 13y ago

Solid article. If you like that, you should read Four Hour Workweek. He outlines a full plan for how to stay productive while globetrotting for months at a time.

notdrunkatall 13y ago

This thread is making me want to travel again. To that end, now I'm thinking about changing my major from engineering to programming...

nanidin 13y ago

I saw the author used wikitravel a lot - I used to also. But now, wikivoyage is probably the preferred route. They've been adopted by Wikimedia after some drama with the company that owns wikitravel. wikitravel is now covered with ads and most of the editors abandoned ship for wikivoyage. It's a great resource though! I have never owned a travel guide.

tbug 13y ago

I was planning to do something like this. My problem is, If I get to a place that requires no VISA but I have no return ticket because I plan to buy the next hop while I'm there, won't this make getting into the country more complicated?

crdoconnor 13y ago
I thought this might be a problem, but I was only asked for a return ticket in one place - Hong Kong.
- tbug 13y ago
  And what happened?
  - rdouble 13y ago
    I was asked for a return ticket in Japan. I had to buy a return ticket in the customs lobby before I was allowed into the country.
    - tbug 13y ago
      Ouch! I take it was much more expensive than usual economy tickets. What if you planned to buy a train ticket to leave? I don't know about HK but in China it's a mess since it can only be done a few weeks before the travel date and might not even have been possible to do prior to entering the country.
      - rdouble 13y ago
        Actually, I didn't have to buy a ticket to leave immediately, I just had to prove I had a return ticket. I just bought the cheapest one close to the date when my tourist visa would expire. I think it was around $600. There is no train that connects Japan to another country that I know of.
        13y ago

wavesounds 13y ago

I just skimmed this, does he mention how old he is? Pretty rare circumstances to be able to make 22k in a month consulting and then be able to take a year off of everything to travel. Sounds like a dream to me.

31reasons 13y ago

>So the net cost for the trip was about $22k. I paid for the vast majority of this with one month’s consultancy beforehand. Wow. Consultancy that pays $20k+ still eludes me.

andion 13y ago

Nice! I admire you for being able to travel and do all this stuff. I'm travelling for 7 months now and after the 1st month I realized I couldn't do both things. Keep moving! :)

mililani 13y ago

How does one make $22k a month doing consulting work? The most I ever got doing side consulting was $80/hr, and that was just a 2 week gig.

pacomerh 13y ago
That's exactly the same thing I questioned, in which country or doing what do you make 22k just like that by consulting.
rdouble 13y ago
Charge $100/hr and work 55 hours a week. The easiest way is to do something like network engineering or "oracle financials" for a huge corporation. iOS consulting also pays that much but finding the work isn't as easy.

gautamnarula 13y ago

I'm curious, how much of an issue is language when doing a trip like this? This is something I'd like to do, but I'm only fluent in English and have a basic proficiency in Spanish.

oftenwrong 13y ago
In my opinion, travelling is more fun and so much easier if you speak the language, even if only a little bit. My Spanish is shit, but I managed well when I was in Argentina. Had some good conversations, met cool people. I found that having a good vocabulary is far more important than having proper grammar. Lucky for us they speak Spanish in so many places. After that trip I went directly to Brazil, where I encountered a sharp language barrier, and had a much worse time. Now I feel like I should at least know the basics before travelling somewhere. As soon as I got home I started studying Japanese.

izztmzzt 13y ago

Im always impressed by folks who can keep on the road like this. I myself prefer to stay in an area long term and marinate the local culture and language. I studied abroad in Beijing for one year in undergrad, and taught english in Japan for 2 year. You discover many subtle things by staying somewhere for an extended period of time, and learn a new way of living. Definitely want to do it again. But before I die, I'd like to try this method too.

jungziege 13y ago

Just wanted to link to the old HN discussion about this article when it was first posted a yea ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3476016

brent_noorda 13y ago

Alternative adventure idea: Instead of travelling the world for a year, spend that year travelling within 50 miles of your home (or, if you're starting in Silicon Valley, like this author, anywhere that Bart reaches). Get to know the immigrant communities spread throughout your area (the Thai community, the Cambodian community, Peruvian, Bolivian, etc…) They are all there, practically in your back yard (maybe literally in your back yard—ask your gardener where he's from), living in ways that are culturally different from yours, and yet when you get to know them, hang with them, drink and dance with them, you'll learn that we're all people and we're all fundamentally the same living, loving, learning, lonely scared human beings. You need only travel 1, 5, 10, 15 miles from wherever you are right now to find entire communities that are outside your techy echo chamber. Meet them, and you will get some perspective. Best of all is with this alternative plan is what you won't do. You won't waste many many days (weeks? a month?) of your life either in airports, flying between airports, travelling to and from airports, or recovering from jet lag. Most importantly, in my opinion, you won't be burning 250 to 500 gallons of gasoline, and releasing 2.5 to 5 tons of carbon into the atmosphere.