The desire to experience other cultures, languages and environments is a basic human instinct, and travel provides the means of tapping into it. Whether you are zip-lining over the jungle canopy in Peru, navigating a maze-like streets in Tokyo, bartering for the best price at traditional markets in Marrakech or simply hopping into a Land Rover to watch wildlife grazing in Tanzania, there’s something deeply satisfying about being able to successfully navigate an unfamiliar culture.
Getting to where you want to go in the world requires planning and preparation, which can be challenging, but also extremely rewarding. Creating a bucket list of dream destinations and then envisioning the incredible experiences that await you can help fuel your passion and motivation for making world travel a reality.
There are a number of ways to traverse the globe, with the most common being air travel. For a true around-the-world trip, consider an airline alliance such as Star Alliance or OneWorld that offers a global ticket option, allowing you to pay for all your airfare in a single transaction. Or, book a tour company that offers extended guided trips (like National Geographic Expeditions’ 23-night Around the World by Private Jet trip, which starts from $77,100 per person).
Overland travel is also an option, with many companies offering multi-stop, continent-hopping journeys, like Oasis Overland’s 293-day trek from the UK to Cairo, which takes in a whole lot of Eastern Africa along the way. Finally, a repositioning cruise is an out-of-the-box way to see the world while enjoying the comforts of a ship-based vacation.
As with any endeavor, world travel requires significant investments of both time and money. Depending on the number of destinations, type of accommodations and duration of the trip, it’s not unusual for costs to reach the tens of thousands of dollars, particularly for luxury travelers.
A well-thought out plan and proper research can help reduce costs, ensuring that you have the funds to get where you want to be and do what you want to do. It can also prevent you from wasting your time on extended tours of places you’re not interested in and budgeting more time for the areas that hold a deep interest in you.
While the benefits of world travel are endless, it’s important to remember that if you overdevelop in the name of short-term gain, you risk losing the very things you came to experience. This is a phenomenon that can be seen all over the globe, from the beaches of Thailand to Las Vegas’ casinos. By being aware of this phenomenon and working to avoid it, we can help make sure that the magic of world travel is available for years to come.