World Trip Route - Version 1.1

It has taken me many hours to check out times, routes, flights and train times and available accompanied overland tours, but I think that I have come up with a fairly decent route.

 

I admit to cheating with my route, as I really want to include Egypt ( Great Pyramids ) and Mali ( Timbuktu ), but the rest of the route makes the best use of a round the world theme and also should allow me to meet quite a few of my International friends at the same time.

 

However if it is too costly I can always remove the travelling to Africa both times and then the route becomes more direct.

 

The cost will still change as September is many months away, but I am hoping, by booking early and avoiding first class flights, 4 or 5 star hotels and any sporting/shopping elements, that I should be able to it afford it, assuming that I save what I have estimated.

 

The hardest part was making a sensible guess for the duration of each visit.

Too short in days could mean missing a connecting flight or weekly train.

Too long will mean that I will have to stay in hotels for more nights that I need to and this will increase the price.

 

The route is as follows ( Starting and finishing in U.K., London ) :-

 

Mali, Bamako, Timbuktu – Canada, Halifax, Oak Island - U.S.A., New York, Niagara Falls, Boston, Washington DC, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, New Orleans – Mexico, Mexico City, Morelia, Teotihuacan, Cancun, Chichen Itza -  Cuba, Havana - Dominican Republic, Puerta Plata, Santa Domingo – Panama, Panama City – Colombia, Bogota, Barranquila, Cali – Ecuador, Quito, Galapagos Island, Guayaquil – Peru, Piura, Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Arequipa – Hawaii, Honolulu – Fiji, Nadi - New Zealand , Auckland, Rotarua, Napier – Australia, Sydney, Ayres Rock, Alice Springs, Cairnes, Great Barrier - Indonesia ( Java ), Jakarta – Singapore – Malaysia, Sarawak – Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Wat – Thailand, Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Khong – Laos, Pakbeng, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane – Vietnam, Hanoi – Philippines, Manilla, IloIlo, Cebu – Taiwan, Taipai - Ja pan, Tokyo – Republic of South Korea, Seoul – China, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kowloon, Nanning, Beijing - Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar – Russia, Moscow – Egypt, Cairo – Italy, Rome – Greece , Athens, Meteora, Kavalla – Turkey, Gallipoli, Istanbul – Bulgaria, Black Sea Coast – Romania , Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj Napoca – Hungary, Budapest – Austria, Vienna - Czech Republic , Prague – Germany, Berlin – Holland, Amsterdam – Belgium, Brussells – France, Calais

 

The first part is mainly flights into and out of the Americas and then flying to various Pacific Islands.

 

The second part begins when I reach Bangkok and from there is a long overland trek by train.

 

Heading up and across Russia to reach Europe I will travel, and then fully across Europe to the French port of Calais ( via a quick stop over in Egypt ) just a few days after my 33rd birthday.

 

Now that I have made my route, I have to agree it with the travel agency who will advice me of which types of ticket to purchase and when will be the best time to order the tickets.

 

I am very excited about this trip and I hope that it will be a truly amazing trip of a lifetime.

Round The World Trip

Mali	Bamako
Mali	Timbuktu	Timbuktu
Canada	Halifax
Canada	Oak Island	Oak Island
U.S.A.	New York
U.S.A.	Niagara Falls	Niagara Falls
U.S.A.	Boston	Boston
U.S.A.	Washington DC	Washington
U.S.A.	Mount Rushmore	Mount Rushmore
U.S.A.	Grand Canyon	Grand Canyon
U.S.A.	New Orleans	New Orleans
Mexico	Mexico City
Mexico	Morelia	Morelia
Mexico	Teotihuacan	Teotihuacan
Mexico	Cancun
Mexico	Chichen Itza	Chichen Itza
Cuba	Havana	Havana
Dominican Republic	Puerta Plata
Dominican Republic	Santa Domingo	Santa Domingo
Panama	Panama City	Panama City
Colombia	Bogota
Colombia	Barranquila
Colombia	Cali
Ecuador	Quito
Ecuador	Galapagos Island	Galapagos Islands
Ecuador	Guayaquil
Peru	Piura
Peru	Lima
Peru	Machu Picchu	Machu Picchu
Peru	Cusco
Peru	Arequipa
Hawaii	Honolulu	Hawaii
Fiji	Nadi	Fiji
New Zealand	Auckland
New Zealand	Napier
Australia	Sydney	Sydney
Australia	Ayres Rock	Uluru
Australia	Alice Springs
Australia	Cairnes
Australia	Great Barrier Reef	Great Barrier Reef
Indonesia ( Java )	Jakarta
Singapore	Singapore
Malaysia	Sarawak
Cambodia	Angkor Wat	Angkor Wat
Thailand	Phuket
Thailand	Bangkok
Thailand	Chiang Mai	Bankok To Hanoi
Thailand	Chiang Khong
Laos	Pakbeng
Laos	Luang Prabang
Laos	Vang Vieng
Laos	Vientiane
Vietnam	Hanoi
Philippines	IloIlo
Philippines	Manilla
Philippines	Cebu
Taiwan	Taiwan
Japan	Tokyo
South Korea	Seoul
China	Shanghai
China	Kowloon
China	Nanning
China	Beijing	Forbidden City
Mongolia	Mongolia	Beijing to Moscow
Russia	Moscow
Egypt	Cairo
Italy	Rome
Greece	Athens	Athens to London
Greece	Meteora
Greece	Kavalla
Turkey	Gallipoli
Turkey	Istanbul
Bulgaria	Black Sea Coast
Romania	Bucharest
Romania	Brasov
Romania	Cluj Napoca
Hungary	Budapest
Austria	Vienna
Czech Republic	Prague
Germany	Berlin
Holland	Amsterdam
Belgium	Brussells
France	Calais

Back in Action

Despite a very long absence I have decided to come back to my first blog world persona and, with minor modifications, pick up where I left off.

 

Anonymity, it's a tricky thing. I want feedback, honest I do, but like most people I don't like too much negative feedback. So I tried a blog that no one knew was me, but I just couldn't get into it as much, knowing that not only was I hiding but I still had to keep in contact with all my friends through other mediums and hated repeating myself, even in word.

 

I think the trick with requesting and giving feedback is to still try and be both objective and constructive wherever possible, and also as my mum always tells me, if you can't say anything good then best not to say anything at all.

 

I stopped my blog for all the wrong reasons, so I am back to make amens, not to anyone else, but for myself and I will now write what I want, when I want and as often or infrequent as I chose and not for anyone else.

 

Firstly I have to say that just like Clerks 2 wanted to take back the phrase "porch monkey", I want to take back my real name.

 

Dickon ... it's short for Richard, it means leader of men, it's quite an uncommon name and it is the one that I was born with and is recorded on my birth certificate.

 

2007 was a fairly duff year for most people, it started off not too good, had more downs than ups and ended up with more of a fizzle than a bang, so I am determined to make 2008 my year.

 

Secondly, I have a feeling that in my youth I created a few too many self fulfilling prophecies that are coming back to haunt me.

 

{ a S.F.P. - When someone makes a prediction of a future event and then through their words & actions / in-actions causes that very event to happen.

 

Example, someone says "I am scared that I will get run over while crossing a road" - and the person is so scared that they always run with their eyes closed when crossing roads until one day they run out and trip over something they didn't see and are then run over.

 

Arguably, yes they may have been run over one day anyway, but by worrying about it and then by acting irrationally they greatly increased the chances of the event happening! }

 

As a child I watched far too many movies / tv series and read too many books where the lead was a hero destined to have no lasting love interest and wander the earth righting wrongs.

 

Why did I do this ... if you knew my childhood you would realise that I was definitely lacking a good male model in the home, so I had to look elsewhere.

 

The Highwayman, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Midnight Caller, Die Hard, Kung Fu, Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, Dirk Pitt, Mike Callahan, The Stainless Steel Rat, Hope Hubris, etc, etc, and so on and so forth.

 

All great men, clever, with good friends, trusted, respected, honoured, well travelled, loved by many yet married to none.

 

I spent so much time watching them, acting like them, thinking like them, wanting to be them, that I failed to notice their flaws and the obvious drawbacks to a lonely life.

 

As I grew up, I promised myself that I would travel the world and do many of the amazing things that I read about, so much so that I feel that my life is constantly on hold until I have and then my real life can begin once more.

 

And now, I have to get this all out my system before I can leave my childhood behind me and move on to becoming a more mature and all rounded human being.

 

So I am selling all my worldly possessions, going to travel the world for a year ( or as long as it takes / as long as my money holds out ) to find the real me and then wherever I rest my head the most favourably I will settle down, free from the trappings of my past and able to find a job I like that makes me feel a man.