how i traveled the world in three and a half months on my own dime

Quitting one’s job and traveling around the world has been one of those fantasies most often dreamt about by office workers I know. Unfortunately, for most of them, their financial status and responsibilities, familial obligations, and/or aversion to risks or the unknown dissuade them from taking the leap. Of course, these concerns are all valid. Traveling could be expensive, it could be hard when one has family, and it could be scary. Nonetheless, many have already written about traveling cheaply, traveling with families, and how traveling has been one of the best decisions of their lives. There are many ways that one can travel around the world. My perspective comes from my own three and a half month circumnavigation of the globe on my own dime. 

A street performer along the lakefront in Queenstown, New Zealand.  

A few brief things about me. I am a lawyer and have been for 14 years. I was fortunate enough to enjoy short holidays around the country and abroad on my modest income (I drove a junky car, lived in a tiny apartment, loathed shopping but loved dining out). As I headed towards the then-dreaded age of 40, my wanderlust became even more magnified. As much as I enjoyed my job (I worked for the good guys), I also longed to travel beyond the long weekend trips or the annual two to three week vacations.
Further, my hubby, a freelance writer, would be traveling abroad (also on his own dime) to write a book and being apart for months on end was not an ideal situation. So, I decided to put my planning skills to good use and set about how I could make traveling around the world happen and still hang out with my partner.

I was able to make my three and a half month journey on my own dime happen after answering the following questions:

1.  What does traveling around the world entail?

Most people take small breaks by traveling to different destinations over multiple trips. Certainly, they have traveled around the world. For me, traveling around the world meant taking off for an extended period of time, visiting as many countries in a reasonably leisurely manner, and heading east (or west) until I return to where I started.

2.  How long do I want to travel?

There is no correct number of weeks, months or years one needs to travel around the world. But in order for me to start planning my journey, I first needed to decide on the length of my travels. I chose three and half months because I could see the world in a somewhat unhurried pace with the limited funds I have set aside.

3.  What should I do with my job?

A lot of employees have the option of taking a personal leave of absence, taking a sabbatical or quitting their job depending on the employer’s policies and the employee’s comfort level with unemployment. After a lot of discussions with the hubs and weighing all available options, I chose to part in good terms with my employer and focus on helping him with his freelance job. It was a difficult decision to make. But, working with him - although it certainly called for a huge pay cut - allowed us to spend time together, gave me the flexibility to travel, and helped hone skills I could use in future jobs.

4.  What countries do I want to visit and how can I afford to travel the world?

A sign for the Sydney, Australia suburb of Woolloomooloo.

Traveling could be as expensive or as cheap as anyone wants it to be. People can choose to fly first class or, if you’re like me, choose to turn right and keep on going to the back of the plane. They can choose to include Australia or Great Britain in their itinerary, where the dollar is not as strong, or choose other countries such as Taiwan or the Philippines, where the dollar can be stretched a bit further. Either way, they will need to prioritize how they want to spend their money. Once we made our decision, in addition to budgeting and saving pre-trip, I did the following to help us afford our travels:

           

a.      Flights

I planned ahead by signing up for credit cards that offered a high signing bonus with at least double points on dining and travel expenses and the annual fee waived during the first year. I also signed up for credit cards with no foreign transaction fees so I could use them during my travels without having to pay additional fees. As a caveat, I paid off the balance of my credit card bills every month to avoid late charges, interests and any other fees.

Once I accumulated enough miles, I tried to use them wisely. Many folks tend to use their miles for short haul flights. I find, however, that my miles were more useful when I redeemed them for international flights because they tend to be more expensive.  Similarly, I am not so keen on using my miles to upgrade my fare from economy to business or first class when the number of miles needed to upgrade a flight might equate to at least two economy international flights. I like to use my miles so I can pay as little as possible to travel to more places regardless of comfort (or in my case on international flights, discomfort).

I also gathered all the frequent flyer miles I have accumulated from domestic carriers and tried to use them with their international partners. For example, in addition to the Star Alliance and One World partner airline miles I have accumulated, I also accumulated some Virgin America miles. I have previously used those miles for travel from the UK to the US through Virgin Atlantic, and more recently, for expensive flights within Australia through Virgin Australia.

Finally, to ensure that I could actually use my miles, I booked my flights well in advance – at least 6-8 months for international flights. If a flight was unavailable online, I called agents at least twice or thrice a week until a flight became available or until the agents told me to stop (they never did). 

b.      Accommodations

Youth hostels are not necessarily limited to the youth, backpackers, party-goers and folks who must sleep in bunk beds with 10 other people. Indeed, my 40 year old self stayed in youth hostels with private rooms and bathrooms while rolling around my carry on sized luggage and meeting 60 year old travelers in the hostel’s laundry room. Sure, youth hostels are not the Four Seasons but they are clean, usually centrally located, come with free (or almost free) Wi-Fi and cheap.

Inside our campervan.

Campervans are also a cheap way to save on in-country travel and accommodations. Some car rental sites may also have relocation deals (where you travel one way to bring the car back to headquarters within a given time period) that could save travelers some money. In my experience, among the downsides of campervan-ing it are living in very small quarters (I have seen a group of four people rent a similar campervan!), hitting my head on the roof (and I’m not even tall), and the camp sites could be far from civilization. Among the upsides are saving money on accommodations, getting to see the countryside, and campsites far from civilization.

Traveling with the hubster meant we could not avail ourselves of the services of Couchsurfing.com (i.e., staying on a couchsurfing.com member’s house, and usually sleeping on someone’s couch, for free). Airbnb.com, however, proved to be a cheap alternative to hotels while providing a clean private space with (in most circumstances) laundry facilities, free Wi-Fi and a fully functioning kitchen while living in a local neighborhood. Of course, as with anything, research the neighborhood for centrality and safety, read the reviews, and ask your host questions pre-trip.

In the rare situation where we stayed in a hotel, we used Hotwire.com to book rooms. While this was our priciest option, it was cheaper than booking a hotel full price. Again, research the neighborhood. In one instance where the hotel I booked was inaccurately described as being in a certain neighborhood, I called Hotwire.com and they refunded my booking. 

5.  Will our “must-do” bankrupt us?

A stew or cazuela festival in Fuengirola, Spain where each
stew and drink combo (one can choose between water, beer 
or wine) cost €2.

Most travelers have “must-dos” when they travel. And that must-do could make a trip pricier than necessary. It is a personal matter whether one should indulge that must-do. Some must visit museums and/or various sights where hefty admission fees are usually the norm. Some must go shopping for Louis Vuitton purses or jewelry or artwork. The hubs and I must eat. Eating out, however, could be one of the more expensive parts of traveling. I will admit that my round the world trip could have been much cheaper but for our proclivity to eat. To be fair, we ate street food, at moderately priced restaurants, and in people’s homes when invited.  I (or more accurately, my husband) even cooked food during our travels. But, we also ate at high end restaurants including places with one or three Michelin stars or on San Pellegrino’s 50 Best Restaurants in the World. We could travel in the back of a plane and sleep in a hovel. But, eating was our priority and we like to eat food whether inexpensive or expensive. So I guess that answered that question.

With these questions answered, it was easy enough to set out an itinerary, book flights, reserve our accommodations and research places to eat and drink. If you are thinking of traveling around the world, keep these questions in mind and answer them truthfully. Then, go about and explore the world.

In my future posts, I hope I can provide you with travel tips, trip highlights and other insights based not only on my round the world trip but from many other trips I have taken on my own, with the husband or with martinkitty and/or dentite.  

Welcome to Travel Bits & Bites. If you have tips on how you traveled around the world, please share them in the comment box below.