How is this for a Around the world itinerary (vacation, Amsterdam, Greece)

[k374]

A hypothetical Around the world itinerary, what do you think?

Spain/Andorra (1 month) - via Barcelona/Mediterranean Coast/Ibiza/Gibraltar by Bus/Train
Morocco (2 wks)
Zurich, Switzerland (5 days - very brief stopover)
Greece & Islands (20 days)
Egypt (2 wks)
Jordan (1 wk)
Syria (5 days in Damascus)
Israel (2 wks)
Turkey (2 wks)
India (2 wks) - very brief visit, been/lived there before
Thailand (3 wks)
Cambodia (1 wk)
Vietnam (1 wk)
Laos (5 days) (Bangkok as a RTW hub and travel to Thailand-Cam.-Viet-Laos will be via train/bus in a loop returning to Bangkok)
Singapore (5 days)
Malaysia (1 wk)
Indonesia incl. Borneo (1 month)
Brunei (2 days) (will return to Bangkok via Air Asia or Tiger airways)
Japan incl. Okinawa (2 wks)
China (3 wks)

[azoria]

Sounds amazing, I like it.

You have given yourself plenty of time for a good look around in every locale which is a commendable foresight. Too many people do two days here and one day there and then back on the train/plane/ferry till it wears me out just reading about it. Yes, good itinerary.

I don't actually know anything about it myself, but I have read here and there that people doing the Syria/Jordan/middle east/Israel thing have had problems with passport stamps. Something about if you've been stamped in Jordan etc. the Israeli's won't let you in, or vice versa. You might want to look into it.

Also I don't know what your nationality is, but you will need visas for many of those countries. There are often problems trying to get visas on the road when you're out of your home country. China has been a particular bugger for the last couple of years.

[k374]

Thanks much! I was thinking the same that it was a pretty doable itinerary.

you wouldn't believe it, I posted this very same itinerary on the Lonely Planet forum and they told me I was nuts and it was far too ambitious and that I should spend 4 months just in SE Asia and that spending 2 wks in Vietnam was sacrilege because I should spend at least 1 month. I think most of them were Brits.

My nationality is American

[foadi]

the lonely planet people have a point, an overland loop through cambodia, vietnam, and laos, originating and ending in bangkok in 19 days is not feasible. different people travel at different paces, but that is a little too fast for anyone. 40-50 days is much more reasonable for that route.

also, i wouldn't recommend that you restrict the number of days you spend in each country. you'll end up wanting to spend more time in some places and less time in others.

[lenny8000]

Originally Posted by azoria

Sounds amazing, I like it.


I don't actually know anything about it myself, but I have read here and there that people doing the Syria/Jordan/middle east/Israel thing have had problems with passport stamps. Something about if you've been stamped in Jordan etc. the Israeli's won't let you in, or vice versa. You might want to look into it.

If you went to Israel, only 2 Arab countries will let you in afterwards that is Jordan and Syria. If you want to go anywhere else in the middle east, you will not get past the boarder.

[sponger42]

[quote=k374;8870172]A hypothetical Around the world itinerary, what do you think?

Bit-by-bit,　based　on　my　own　RTW　trip　(currently　in　Hanoi) 　here　is　my　opinion:

Spain/Andorra (1 month) - via Barcelona/Mediterranean Coast/Ibiza/Gibraltar by Bus/Train

More　than　enough。　3　weeks　should　be　plenty。

Morocco (2 wks)

Don't Know.

Zurich, Switzerland (5 days - very brief stopover)

You only need 3 days in Zurich. Very boring city. Go to Bern or Geneva instead.

Greece & Islands (20 days)

More than enough. Go to the islands in shoulder season (fall/spring) for great deals. Try the 36 hour ferry from Patras to Venice. It's crazy! You can sleep in the salons, don't bother with booking a room.

Egypt (2 wks)
Jordan (1 wk)
Syria (5 days in Damascus)
Israel (2 wks)
Turkey (2 wks)

Can't Say.

India (2 wks) - very brief visit, been/lived there before

Enough.

Thailand (3 wks)

Okay, enough time for Phuket, Bangkok, and the northern hill country.

Cambodia (1 wk)

Enough for Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat, but not much else.

Vietnam (1 wk)

Too short. It takes that long to cross vietnam overland, unless you take a direct bus from Saigon to Hanoi (a grueling trip). Go for 2 weeks and take a side-trip to the hill country and Halong Bay.

Laos (5 days) (Bangkok as a RTW hub and travel to Thailand-Cam.-Viet-Laos will be via train/bus in a loop returning to Bangkok)

That works.


Singapore (5 days)

Plenty.

Malaysia (1 wk)

Add more time. KL is a great city. We enjoyed it more than Bangkok. Also visit Taman Negara and the islands off the northeast coast for at least 4 days.

Indonesia incl. Borneo (1 month)

Ok.

Brunei (2 days) (will return to Bangkok via Air Asia or Tiger airways)

Ok.

Japan incl. Okinawa (2 wks)

Too short. Especially if you're going to get all the way up to Tokyo or points north. You need to spend at least 5 days in Tokyo and Kyoto respectively. Also try to get to Takayama if you can. Also, you need to set aside time and money for a 1-2 night stay at an onsen.


China (3 wks)

Need more time. A month minimum.

[Dd714]

Too much time in the middle east and southeast asia. Not enough time in Europe, you are missing India and some other jewels like Nepal, and totally missing the Pacific Islands. Also I would divert to Sout America if you want the total package, although not necessary for an around the world trip.

Lonely Planet guys are fanatics. They (and I) don't like multicontinental trips anyways because one place starts to meld with the other.

Edit - ooops I see you listed India

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by lenny8000

If you went to Israel, only 2 Arab countries will let you in afterwards that is Jordan and Syria. If you want to go anywhere else in the middle east, you will not get past the boarder.

By visiting Israel you may not enter (on the same passport) all Middle Eastern, Gulf or North African countries, apart from Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. So that's: Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi-Arabia, Syria, UAE, Qatar and Yemen. This is not always consistent, subject to individual border officers and your willingness to provide 'backsheesh'.

Solution - Avoid the passport stamps if you can.

[tijlover]

Yes, I've posted on Lonely Planet, too, and I tire of these Europeans who are always there to say: You need to spend more time in a certain place.

What's wrong with "wine-tasting", as I call it? I've been known to skim through a foreign country, one city a day at a time, and then after completion of the trip, I then know where I'll spend more time the next time I'm there.
What's wrong with that?

I got a Round-The-World-Pass 20 years ago and rounded the globe in 5 weeks. Of course, I had already seen what I wanted to see in Europe, so that was basically a Skip. But I only had 5 weeks vacation, so it was dip down here, take a look, another dip down there, and off to the next place.
After the trip, I knew, with certitude, where I was going to spend more time in on my next trip. In that case, Nepal and India.

The biggest challenge of all will be lining up all your visas so they don't expire before you get there, or while you're there.

And do your weather research. You may find the overwhelming humidity and heat in SE Asian to be unbearable (as I did) and will want to shorten your stay there. That's the very first thing I research now before I travel anywhere is weather. And you can do that with Weatherunderground.com/Trip Planner.

Nothing is more unpleasant, when traveling, is being stuck somewhere where it rains every day you're there. And it will definitely influence your attitudes about that place as well. Have done Amsterdam twice, and each and every time, at different times of the year, it rained/drizzled every day. Ask me today how I like Amsterdam and would I ever go back? And the next person will write and say it was sunny every day they were there and loved it.

I'm a sucker for any Air Pass system, unlimited stops for the same price.
Have done an unlimited Air Pass in South America and one for the South Seas.
Some day I'll do another World Pass and hit all the odd places I've always wanted to see but didn't want to see them one trip at a time, like Iceland,
Sri Lanka, Israel.

[chielgirl]

You need 3 days minimum in Kyoto to see all of the sites; why Okinawa?
There's little public transportation, hopefully you dive. It's expensive to fly to Naha from mainland.
I just lived there for a few years.

Other than that, faboo.

Try Pongsavon in Lao, the Plain of Jars is interesting.
I loved Luang Prbang, nice and sleepy.