The planned, round the world trip itinerary
Here is my planned, round the world itinerary. Like all things, it’s subject to change, and it most definitely will. I’ve decided to create an itinerary for one reason – to give me the freedom and flexibility to modify, ignore parts, or just abandon it totally.
Update 17/12/2017: I have pushed my departure date back by one month. Firstly, to coincide with camping grounds in Canada – most don’t open until May (and some roads may still be impassable). Secondly, it gives me the opportunity to see one more Test match at the SCG. 🙂
Round the world draft itinerary
Updated: 11/05/2018 23:32 AEST
| Region | Estimated duration | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 3 months | February, 2021 | April, 2021 |
| Canada | 6 months | May, 2021 | September, 2021 |
| United States | 1 year | October, 2021 | September, 2022 |
| South & Central America, and Antarctica | 2 years | October, 2022 | September, 2024 |
| Africa | 9 months | October, 2024 | June, 2025 |
| Europe & British Isles | TBD | July, 2025 | TBD |
| Asia | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Australia | TBD | TBD | TBD |
I’ve put together a series of maps, with proposed routes, which are linked below (each opens in a new tab/window) – with the exception of South Korea, for which, oddly, directions are not available.
- RTW, part 1.1 (New Zealand)
- RTW, part 2.1 (Canada: Vancouver, BC, to St. Stephen, NB)
- RTW, part 2.2.1 (USA, Pt. I: Calais, ME, to Kansas City, MO)
- RTW, part 2.2.2 (USA, Pt. II: Kansas City, MO, to Brownsville, TX)
- RTW, part 2.3 (Central America: Matamoros, Mexico, to Panama City, Panama)
- RTW, part 3.1 (South America, Pt. I: Caracas, Venezuela, to Santiago, Chile)
- RTW, part 3.2 (South America, Pt. II: Santiago, Chile, to São Luis, Brazil)
- RTW, part 4.1 (Africa, Pt. I: Cape Town, South Africa, to Jerusalem, Israel)
- RTW, part 4.2 (Africa, Pt. II: Marrakesh, Morocco, to Tangier, Morocco)
- RTW, part 5.1 (Europe, Pt. I: Tarifa, Spain, to Calais, France)
- RTW, part 5.2 (Europe, Pt. II: UK & Ireland)
- RTW, part 5.3 (Europe, Pt. III: Rotterdam, Netherlands, to Berlin, Germany)
- RTW, part 5.4 (Europe, Pt. IV: Berlin, Germany, to Istanbul, Turkey)
- RTW, part 5.5 (Europe, Pt. V: Odessa, Ukraine, to Yekaterinburg, Russia)
- RTW, part 6.1 (Asia, Pt. I: Yekaterinburg, Russia, to Horgos, Kazakhstan)
- RTW, part 6.2 (Asia, Pt. II: Khorgas, China, to Tianjin, China)
- RTW, part 6.3 (Asia, Pt. III: South Korea: Incheon to Busan, including Jeju Island)
- RTW, part 6.4 (Asia, Pt. IV: Japan)
- RTW, part 6.5 (Asia, Pt. V: Shanghai, China, to Dongxing, China)
- RTW, part 6.6 (Asia, Pt. VI: Mong Cai, Vietnam, to Attari, India)
- RTW, part 6.7 (Asia, Pt. VII: Wagah, Pakistan, to Mohan, China)
- RTW, part 6.8 (Asia, Pt. VIII: Boten, Laos, to Singapore)
- RTW, part 6.9 (Asia, Pt. IX: Medan, Indonesia, to Dili, East Timor)
- RTW, part 7.1 (Australia: Darwin, NT, to Bondi Beach, NSW)
Tiana
7th August, 2014 at 09:30
Wow, just WOW! This seems like the most amazing trip. I can’t help but be jealous! You’re going to experience the craziest things in 5 years around the world…
Stephen
7th August, 2014 at 10:20
Thanks so much for your comment, Tiana! I so can’t wait to do this. And this is only a draft. 🙂 I’m now going to be adding in Myanmar, so that’s going to change things. And, of course, other things will change along the way. That’s the beauty of a plan – you can change, or just abandon it altogether. 🙂
Tiana
7th August, 2014 at 10:46
Oh yeah. Pretty much the first thing I thought when I was reading this is: “well, this isn’t at all what his trip is actually going to look like!” Haha. Things just seem to happen when you’re actually on the road, and you’ll find yourself falling in love with one place or hating another. That’s the fun part, though!
Stephen
7th August, 2014 at 18:08
Change is what makes things all the more fun. 🙂
Stephen
12th September, 2014 at 20:28
I’ve pretty much dumped the dates and duration. I will move on, when I move on. 🙂
wisemonkeysabroad
23rd October, 2014 at 16:39
Amazing!! What an impressive draft/plan 🙂 You are inspiring us to take an RTW – we haven’t yet taken the time to do that but want to one of these days.
You are going to have one heck of an incredible adventure 🙂
Stephen
24th October, 2014 at 06:49
Thanks for the comments, Le and David! I so can’t wait to start my adventure! However, the hard work of saving (as well as paying off some debts) needs to be done first! I’ve taken a quick look at your blog, and it looks like you’ve been on some adventures yourself! So much to see out there!
mistynites
22nd March, 2015 at 18:10
That sounds absolutely amazing. I’m quietly jealous of quite a few of the countries on your list. I’d recommend adding Greece to your Europe category. It’ll be a cracking read when it comes!
Stephen
22nd March, 2015 at 18:16
Hi Misty! Thanks for your comment! Oh, Greece is definitely on it. Those countries are just the ones that I’ll be passing through to exit Europe. Of course, that’s all changed, now, as I’ll be cycling through the world. I have no idea which way I will now be going through. Take it as it comes. 🙂
RTW Plan | A Thousand Miles...
7th June, 2015 at 11:12
[…] Here’s a link to the planned draft itinerary […]
Ray
21st June, 2016 at 19:35
Amazing journey you have planned there! I had followed another couple who blogged about their RTW journey about 14 years ago. At best, they lasted 10 years before throwing in the towel and not making some places, like Africa. Hope you are successful in your mission. It is by no means an easy one. Will be following along the journey as much as I can!
Stephen
22nd June, 2016 at 11:02
Hi Ray. Thanks for the wonderful comments! Africa is certainly going to be one of the hardest continents to get through. It can be very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get visas for certain countries. I’m quite determined, though. There will certainly be many hard and frustrating days. And, at times, I’ll quite likely feel like giving up. However, the end reward will only be much better. 🙂