You’re planning an all-around-the-world itinerary. Congrats! My one-year travel experience transformed into a decade of exploring and transformed my life. My one-year travel plans Around the World itinerary included fifteen countries and numerous experiences. But the task of narrowing my dream destinations into just fifteen was difficult.

After many years travelling the world–and several tours around the globe following the first one, I have some tips that I have learned for anyone who is planning your own itinerary. If you’re thinking of a Round the world, it’s typically an extended trip of at the very least several months, and possibly as long as a year across the globe or more. Here are eight suggestions–eight steps actually that can aid you in narrowing your travel plan around the world down to the stops along the way that be within your budget, highlight the most memorable spots to you, and create sense for the vacation you’ve always imagined going on.

1. Make the itinerary bucket list for the entire world 

The initial phase of planning your trip around the world is the most enjoyable. You may already have a long list of destinations you’d like to include in your plan. Perhaps you’ve already nailed down the most memorable experiences, but you’re looking for more ideas. Start by making a bucket list of places around the globe, as the weather and travel route could automatically leave a few places off your list.

If you’re looking for additional ideas for travel, check out the top travel books by location, or look for recommendations for podcasts and long-reads through my Destination Travel Guides. Take advantage of these books and sources to find inspiration for not just destinations to include in your round-the-world itinerary as well as activities to do. Perhaps you’ve had the pleasure of reading The Devil’s Picnic and subsequently include Paris on your list of destinations for the sour but delicious Epoisses de Bourgogne cheese, or perhaps you include Bhutan because of its captivating depiction of Bhutan in The Geography of Bliss (that’s the reason it’s on my plan to be added on the future RTW travel!). Podcasts and books can be a great way to broaden your perspective on what you can do on your next trip.

Once you’ve got an idea of the ideal destinations for your travel plans You should choose five places that are your top priority. These will form the foundation of your global plan. The other destinations you’ve listed will be incorporated into those spots depending on the timing, weather, and other factors. The level of detail you set is up to you. Some travellers depart with a specific itinerary of places to visit and timelines while others are planning the first few months.

My top three destinations for travel:

In my first year in Australia, I had three main tasks on my calendar. One of them was diving on the Great Barrier Reef. That’s why my journey began in Australia. Another highlight was meeting my sister in India and then backpacking north from Mumbai for two months, before concluding our time with an opportunity to volunteer in Nepal. The third one was a matter of timing because I’d always dreamed of going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is held during August every year in Scotland.

Then, as I travelled with my niece of 11 years for six months to Southeast Asia, I led her through some simple Google searches so she would be able to see what was available. We made our together RTW itinerary together that revolved around her three top priorities such as an encounter with an elephant that is ethical as well as ziplining in a place, and exploring Angkor Wat.

2. Pick your favourite direction around the world. 

To plan around the world will either lead you west to east or east to west around the world from your native nation. Backtracking is not recommended because it is expensive, worsens jet lag, and harms the environment. Use this method whether you purchase a round-the-world ticket (which necessitates this requirement) or if you make aeroplane reservations as you go. 

Pros and cons of travelling east:

• According to science, moving in this direction causes greater jet lag and is harder on your body. The short of it is that your body really prefers cycles that are slightly longer than 24 hours, not shorter, because you are losing time when you travel to plan around the world through different time zones.
• In order to avoid losing several days to jet lag in each new location, you’ll need to become an expert at minimizing it.
• If your route slowly circles the globe and you’re planning a really lengthy RTW journey, perhaps 18 months or longer, you probably won’t notice the difference much.

Pros and cons of travelling west:

• Your internal clock finds it far simpler to add hours to your day since, as previously mentioned, your body actually enjoys days that last longer than 24 hours. This means fewer evenings spent adjusting and pacing the hotel room at three in the morning.
• It is great to slowly bounce west throughout the world because your body can do at least two hours of time zone switching in this direction without having a visible impact on you. And if you’re travelling across the Pacific from the United States, your biggest time zone change will probably happen at the start of your journey, allowing you to travel plan around the world more leisurely for several months later.

3. Find unique places to travel

You now know where you want to go and in what direction. It’s time to fill in the blanks on your itinerary for your global travels. Use local transit to get about instead of flying; you’ll see more of the nation and its people and have a finer travel plan around the world experiences to plans around the world. Return to those few important places on your bucket list right away. These serve as the itinerary’s pillars of support. These points on the map should provide a general idea of the path. If they don’t, or if one is simply an anomaly that makes it difficult to see logical jumps, reduce your list to four and see if that helps. If you genuinely enjoy the concept of an event but it doesn’t fit this trip, it might make a fantastic vacation on its own in a few years. 

Start marking the countries on the map that are in close proximity to your primary travel destinations. That looks like this: Since you’ll undoubtedly be in the area and hiking in Nepal is a must-do, it makes sense to include Sri Lanka and India’s Golden Triangle in your itinerary.

4. Research festivals at your locations

Local celebrations are extremely vibrant, cultural, and enjoyable throughout the world. When you discover too late that you almost missed a significant religious celebration, it is extremely disappointing. And if you think you’re travelling in the off-season but really landed during Brazil’s carnival, it comes as a shock.

Plan your itinerary to match the festival dates that appear most enjoyable to you. This is crucial for family vacations with children as they enjoy the excitement, colours, and foods during these events. Depending on the occasion, you’ll need to reserve lodging in advance, limiting your ability to change your travel plans, but it’s worth it.

Here are a few popular annual festivals around which many tourists make plans: Late August sees La Tomatina in Spain; Holi, the Festival of Colors in India; early March has Songkran Water Festival in Thailand; and late October or early November sees Loy Krathong Lantern Festival in Thailand.

5. Use sites as Tetris pieces to match your travel budget.

I maintained an incredible $20,000 travel budget over the course of a year. Despite being in Asia, Japan is very expensive. Budget-friendly destinations include Mexico, Central America, and some of South America.

How I balanced my RTW trip expenses:

Three of my eleven months travelling were spent in the incredibly costly countries of Australia, England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was actually challenging to go over budget during the three and a half months that I backpacked South Asia. This is because India and Nepal were the cheapest destinations (even cheaper than backpacking in Southeast Asia). The remaining months were spent in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, two low- to mid-range regions. Even though some days in Europe were over $100. Overall, I was able to maintain an average daily budget of $50 comfortably.

6. Plan according to the weather condition

When planning your trip, do your homework on the places you want to go. Consider your personal preferences for the weather. Even if it’s unlikely that you’ll travel to every destination during your chosen season. You should be aware of when monsoon season makes the islands uninhabitable. You should also be aware when blizzards may scupper a planned ski vacation. My buddies have put together an incredible map of weather trends in South and Southeast Asia. It will help you with your research. Additionally, you may conduct research using this fantastic list of shoulder season destinations throughout the globe. This list of European shoulder seasons. This really amazing map of an example round-the-world trip with perfect weather in each spot.

7. Look for the cheap flights

You need to take into account more than simply the main long-haul flights when organizing your schedule. When I go, I look at regional low-cost airlines as well. So, I always have a decent knowledge of where in the world you can get cheap puddle-jumper flights to plan around the world. Read my exclusive hints and recommendations before you consider purchasing round-the-world tickets!

Among other airlines, Southeast Asia has JetBlue Airlines and United Airlines. Budget airlines like Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Frontier airlines are widespread in Europe. Spirit Airlines also offers affordable Plan Around the World to South Asia. By looking into low-cost airline routes, I may easily visit additional nations in a region. If there are flights that cost less than $100.