backpacking around the world

[gingerbreadman]

i plan on leaving for a backpacking trip around the world. for me i will probally end up flying, boating, busing, hitin trains. and because of my complete lack of money (i have none) lots of hitching and walking. any advice helps but im particuallry intrested in finding a way over the oceans. please help.

 

[Cardboard]

stick to the south across the atlantic, and do a little research, theres a few month window for getting the best currents across (october-december), so this is when most boats are leaving.
or, spange up some money and take a flight with iceland air, you can get trans atlantic flights for less than 200$ (tax included). Take your extended layover and enjoy iceland for a bit while you are there.
try to make some PR, and get some support from businesses (think sponsorship). I guess if you get a big enough name for yourself, you might be able to get into Russia, which assuming you are american, is near impossible otherwise. this (into the straights of alaska) will be your easiest bet for crossing the pacific, though its still no easy task.
Good luck kid, I have only met 2 people doing this with no money, and they had been travelling for quite a lot of years. I have plans of doing this as well, but its something like a 10 year plan.

 

[gingerbreadman]

thanks for the info

 

[cranberrydavid]

For crossing the Pacific, the best bet is really the cheap flight to SE Asia. If you watch online and travel off-season you can get across for $250 give or take. Plus it's a really good place for travelers. From there, there are really only 3 major route across Asia to Europe, and they've all got problems.

The oldest and best route used to be the old silk road across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. Lots of hippies in VW's and motorcycles traveled this route in the 60's and 70's and I'm told the hitching was pretty easy. Unfortunately all the wars have fucked it all up pretty thoroughly. Now you can pretty much plan on being imprisoned as a spy or shot as a combatant.

The northern route is up to China and across Mongolia and Siberia to Moscow. The country is a lot like Montana and North Dakota on steroids. Summers are too hot and buggy and winters way too cold for good traveling. I think local hitching would be possible if you spoke Russian, but long distance travel is mostly done by train, which is pretty cheap but still real money (about $300 from Beijing to Moscow.) The big problem is visas. Both the Russian and Chinese visas are about $130 each for US citizens plus any "extra" fees they ask for, if you can get one. If they don't think you can support your self you're not getting in. (If you've got dual passports you can sometimes get through for cheap or free if you are careful about entry and exit stamps.) If you're trying this route, do your research first and then try the Hong Kong embassies. They're about the easiest on travelers.

The low route I don't know too much about. I've heard it used to be possible to get boats from India across the Indian Ocean to the middle East and Africa. I don't know if the wars and the pirates have fucked this one up yet. I'm guessing they have. At any rate I know you're probably not getting across Saudi Arabia (they're about as tight as any place in the world on foreigners), but if you can make it by water to Egypt or Jordan you're back in easy traveling country. If anybody knows more I'd be interested....

 

[gingerbreadman]

i have a passport... and i thought i would only need a visa if i was planing on stying for a certian period of time. i would just be passing through. do i still need one to visit as a turist?

 

[cranberrydavid]

i have a passport... and i thought i would only need a visa if i was planing on stying for a certian period of time. i would just be passing through. do i still need one to visit as a turist?

Yup. Here's a link to the State Department's website. It shows entry and exit requirements by country. It's probably the best single site, but remember the rules are always changing depending on international politics and deal making.
Country Specific Information

Also, even for the same country, different embassies and boarder checkpoints enforce differently. It's easy to get screwed up if you're not careful, with your visa expiring in one country and not being able to get into the next. There are a couple threads here about that....

 

[wizehop]

Man I have been traveling for over a decade and I have yet to actually ever get a flight anywhere that cheap. I got one deal once in the past 11 years for a one way flight from Ottawa Canada to LA for $200, but only that one time. Getting to Asia for $200-$250..hook me up with that airline PLEASE.

 

[Cardboard]

I dunno trans pacific, but I have posted a few times on here about iceland air. pretty much the best offers I have found. 1 way, trans atlantic, with a connecting flight in Iceland (where you can extend your layover as long as you want, basically making this 2 plane tickets, with travel time in iceland), for 189$.
Doesnt get much better than that. That ticket was Copenhagen to NYC, but I imagine if you kept and eye out you could find any of their tickets that cheap. they also fly to seatle for you west coaster.

 

[cranberrydavid]

Man I have been traveling for over a decade and I have yet to actually ever get a flight anywhere that cheap. I got one deal once in the past 11 years for a one way flight from Ottawa Canada to LA for $200, but only that one time. Getting to Asia for $200-$250..hook me up with that airline PLEASE.

It's not any one airline or destination. When any of the Asian airlines need to fill seats they start dumping tickets on the internet at about $250-300 US from Seattle.

They often disappear pretty fast, so I figure there are a lot of folks watching and I don't want to blow it up, but in general I use one of the search sites like kayak.com and trying to think about times when a lot of people will be moving one direction and not the other (Olympic games, Chinese New Year, political problems etc.)

If they're selling out at full price in one direction there are usually some fantastic deals on one-way tickets headed the other way just to fill some seats. Sometimes these show up just a few days before the flight so you've got to be ready to roll.

I check several destinations, like Hong Kong, Macao, Seoul, Manilla, Bangkok, it doesn't really matter. Once you're over there you can take a commuter airline like Tai, ( or train or bus or jeepney or rickshaw) to wherever you really wanted to go.

For example in 2009 I flew from Seattle to Seoul for about $300 including tax on Asiana and another $70 on to Manilla when a regular ticket to Manilla would have been $700 or more.

 

[cranberrydavid]

Just to mention, a one-way ticket will sometimes give you problems with customs, and also with TSA, so be sure you've got your story ready.

 

[cranberrydavid]

I got one deal once in the past 11 years for a one way flight from Ottawa Canada to LA for $200, but only that one time.

If you can get down to Albany NY you can get to LA for $159 + tax on Southwest Airlines online discount. Almost any date you want. Last month I think the same flights would have been about $110. Always changing.

 

[iamwhatiam]

hmmm.......so where are you plannin on goin first? do you have any skills/trades to earn money on the way? as far as hoppin rides across the waters i would learn to sail, etc. you can find free rides with sailing crews sometimes

 

[EastCoast315]

Thread is relevant to my interests. I have every intention of doing a very similar gig.
OP, not to get personal, but what gear/how much money are you taking? I'm unsure as to what would be ideal.

 

[cranberrydavid]

For gear, less is best. A small pack with a toothbrush, a change of clothes, and a blanket or small sleeping bag is standard for this kind of travel. Add a heavy coat and sweater, hat and gloves if your north and winter's coming. Lighten you pack regularly by giving things to travelers and beggars, and travelers will give stuff to you as they lighten their own packs.

Money is a different question. It's all about the risks you feel comfortable with. Expect to be robbed at least once, so carrying money is a risk, but getting stuck in a country without enough money to get out is a serious risk too. Make your own call.

Here's some numbers to think about. Visas from nonfavored nations can be $150 a piece. Some countries like to see $300-500 in cash and an exit ticket before they let you in. You can get across Asia and Europe on buses and trains for under $1000 if you've got the visas.

That said, I've met people who've done amazing tips on almost nothing.

 

[EastCoast315]

yeah David, that seems like the most daunting aspect of it, the visas. That and being able to keep some money in your pocket for visas as well. Like, I guess agricultural work is everywhere? I'm not really sure how I'd do that.

 

[wizehop]

Most places you can get visas at the boarder if you even need one at all. Latin America was pretty much either get one at the boarder or you don't need one at all, however keep in mind some countries charge exit taxes. In Asia you can usually go get your visa a day or two before you leave one country to go to the next, really easy to have it done for you.
The only place I really had to apply for ahead of time was India, I had to get special photos taken and fill out an app...it took about two weeks to finally get. That being said India is a whole other world and if you want an adventure its here!

 

[ceege]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens

gotta do some digging beyond this, but it's a good tool to get an idea of where we're fucked and where we aint. Sorry that this post is already a year old. Meh.

 

[skyedreamer]

I need a passport lol