When you’ve taken the plunge and went from that dreaming stage to the actual planning stage of a RTW trip, it can be overwhelming to consider all the possibilities.  I know when my wife and I first started planning our RTW trip, we (wrongly) assumed we would be able to go everywhere.  For someone whose longest trip up until then had been 3 weeks, a year seemed like forever.

But once you get into the nitty gritty of the planning stages, you quickly realize that while yes, you can visit all seven continents over the course of a year, there are some major deterrents for doing so.  One, the cost.  The more stops you add, the more expensive those flights become.  Two, for many, the enjoyment of a trip like this is really getting the chance to dig into a culture by exploring it in depth.  When you’re constantly on the move every few days, that makes it impossible to do so.

So how do you choose your destinations?  What activities, cities, and places do you build a trip around?  Recently, BootsnAll started a new series called Indie Flight Hacking.  The idea behind these new articles is to get travelers new to the long-term travel game thinking.  We want to help these new RTW planners by looking at real itineraries, giving some tips on how to plan around these itineraries, and make you think about all the important information that doesn’t automatically come to you your first time planning an extended trip.

The first Indie Flight Hacking article we published followed a simple, hub city RTW trip to New York, London, Delhi, and Bangkok.  The great thing about this trip is the flexibility of it.  By flying in and out of these few major hubs, you can get a plane ticket for a good price, and the overland possibilities from each city is endless.  If you only have a short time (3-4 weeks), you can do it.  If you want to expand it to 3, 6, 9, 12 months, you can do that, too.

The second article follows the route that my wife and I took on our RTW trip through popular backpacking regions of South America, New Zealand, SE Asia, and India.  We even provided sample pricing for the flights (both the RTW ticketing options and the buy as you go option), as well as information on why we chose this route, how we chose the order in which we visited these places, and how we planned around things like weather, holidays, and high and low seasons.

For first-time planners of an extended trip, it’s helpful to get into the minds of the planner and see some real examples of trip itineraries.  We realize that everyone has different preferences for what they want to get out of a trip like this, but we hope this provides a start.  These itineraries can all be adapted to fit your specific wants and needs.

The next Indie Flight Hacking article will be published on Monday, May 12, and will highlight a trekking RTW trip.

What other types of trips would you like to see profiled on this series?  Comment below to share your thoughts so we can help you get out on the road.

Wanna plan a trip around the world?  Let the folks at BootsnAll help out! 

Photo courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission.