Preparations – Wonders of Traveling

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I had to make sure my backpack was big enough

When choosing a backpack, there are a lot of requirements to take into account. First of all, I wanted to have enough space to fit everything we’re bringing and still have a bit of space left. We had decided to bring enough clothes to go a week without needing to do laundry. Anything less would mean we’d have to find a launderette too often. However, when doing my trial pack I couldn’t even bring all of the clothes I wanted! My backpack was already so full and I hadn’t even brought other things like electronics and our first aid kit. Luckily I still had more than a month to do some more backpack research. First step: go for at least 45-50L instead of 34L. This of course, depends on whether or not you want to fly carry on. And whether or not you’re able to bring almost no clothes with you (which clearly, I can’t).

I opted to go for a backpack which can be opened from the front

Simen had already bought his backpack, Bergans Helium 55, and was very happy about the fact that he could open his backpack from the front and not just the top. My relatively old Deuter 34L didn’t have that option. During my trial pack I already noticed the downsides of only being able to open the backpack from the top. I could see the logic behind opening the backpack from the front as well, so I decided to narrow my search down to backpacks that offered this.

I had to come to terms with spending at least €100

This of course meant that the price went up quite a lot. Since I didn’t take the cost of a backpack into account in my budget, I didn’t want to spend too much. I was mainly looking in the price range of €50-70.

However, I only found backpacks of very unknown brands with dodgy names. I started to realize it was better to fork out a bit more. I didn’t want to be stuck somewhere in South America with a broken backpack because I wanted to save some money… So once I started looking for more known and trustworthy brand such as Deuter, Bergans, Millet, The North Face, etc., I started to find backpacks which suited my purposes a lot more.

The verdict: Vaude Asymmetric 52+8L

I was pretty lucky since I managed to find a very interesting backpack on amazon.it (I decided to look on amazon.it because a lot of the retailers on amazon.com unfortunately don’t ship to Malta). The backpack opens from the front, has a capacity of 52L + an extra 8L more, plus it was on sale! So now I’m the proud owner of a Vaude Asymmetric 52+8L! With shipping costs and VAT included, I only paid €100 which I think is a bargain. Normally you pay at least €160 for this backpack.

So what have we learnt from all this?

I’m really bad at estimating
It’s very handy to be able to open your backpack from the front
Decent backpacks set you back at least €100, most likely €150
Don’t do your trial pack a couple of days before departure. Do it at least 1 month in advance so you can buy a new backpack if needed

Did you ever do a RTW trip? Which backpack did you bring? Let me know in the comments!

]]> https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/06/25/backpack-rtw-trip/feed/ 1 How to save up for a big trip https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/08/save-up-for-a-big-trip/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/08/save-up-for-a-big-trip/#comments Tue, 08 May 2018 08:08:26 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=1114 Ever since we’ve announced we’re going on a trip around the world, a lot of people have been wondering how we managed to save up for it. It is quite daunting to quit your job and go traveling for a year without any means of income. It’s probably the main reason why people don’t go traveling long term. So, in case you’re wondering how to save up for a big trip, we’re more than glad to share our tips and tricks.

Since going on a RTW trip had been part of my “life plan”, I have been saving up for it since I started working 3.5 years ago. This, of course, gave me quite a big head start on Simen who only started saving about a year ago. Even though we both have different approaches when it comes to saving, we would like to share a couple of our tips with you on how to save up for a big trip:

How to save up for a big trip

Order groceries online

We’ve been ordering food online for about a year now, and it has really helped us save up a bit extra. When you go to the supermarket, you can easily get distracted and buy things you don’t really need.

I just make a list of everything I want to buy, I schedule all the meals we’re going to eat throughout the week and buy all the ingredients online. This makes it easier to keep an overview and to not give into temptations. When doing your grocery shopping online you can’t be tempted by chocolate, crisps or other things that can rack up the bill.

Moreover, the supermarket delivers the food right at our doorstep so we don’t lose any time either. It’s a win-win!

Save up for a big trip

Do freelance work

This one has been a real life saver for Simen. Once he realized he was a bit off track with his savings, he decided to do some freelance on the side. This has given him the opportunity to make more money which meant he will now be reaching his savings target after all!

It’s quite easy to find work online, especially if you’re a Norwegian with a knack for writing (like Simen). However, even if you’re not Norwegian, you can still find quite a lot of sites where you can apply for all kinds of copywriting and translations jobs such as fiverr, textbroker, Absolute Translations, All-In Translations and many, many more.

Another interesting site for freelance work is Airtasker. This is a community where people or companies can outsource tasks. These tasks vary from simple to complicated, such as handyman jobs, photography or graphic design. This way you could make some extra cash which comes in handy to save up for your big trip!

Save up for a big trip

Eat out less or get a discount card

Saving up for a big trip requires some sacrifices. Everyone loves to go out for dinner from time to time. However, if you want to meet that savings target, you might have to cut down on the dinners. Making home cooked meals saves you a lot of money which can go straight to your savings account.

If you’re struggling giving up eating out, getting a discount card is always very handy. My best friends in Malta gave me one for my birthday. This card doesn’t only give you discounts on sightseeing and activities, but also on restaurants. Sometimes these discounts go up to 50% of the whole bill! So it’s definitely worth looking into if you’re a big fan of going out for dinner.

Save up for a big trip

Have more date nights at home

Of course it’s nice to go for dinner and a movie with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Who doesn’t love a nice date night from time to time? However, these kind of nights can really rack up the expenses and jeopardize your savings. Since we decided to go on a trip around the world together, we’ve been having more date nights at home. A nice movie, a homemade meal and some popcorn, what more do you need?

Same goes for hanging out with your friends. Instead of spending tons of money in your favorite bar, you can buy cheaper beers in the supermarket and all hang out together at your flat. You’ll still have a good time and you’ll be spending less money than you normally would!

Save up for a big trip

Be realistic

All these tips don’t mean you have to lock yourself up for months on end and become a hermit. Not going out at all isn’t really sustainable. Even though we’ve both been saving a lot for the trip, we still do go for dinner from time to time or meet up with our friends at the pub. Moderation is key here.

Also, set realistic goals for yourself. Give yourself enough time to actually save up for the trip you really want to do. It’s not nice to have to give up on things you really want to do just because you didn’t take enough time to actually save up for the trip. I know it’s easy to get ahead of yourself (I’m very good at that, ask Simen). But it’s very important to be realistic in this case. Plan enough time to reach your goals!

]]> https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/05/08/save-up-for-a-big-trip/feed/ 1316 Is it worth buying a round the world ticket? https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/23/buy-round-the-world-ticket-not/ https://www.wondersoftraveling.com/2018/04/23/buy-round-the-world-ticket-not/#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2018 14:36:30 +0000 http://www.wondersoftraveling.com/?p=992 After weighing the pros and cons you’ve finally decided you are really going on a RTW trip, now the fun starts: planning your trip. One of the first things you’ll want to decide (after making a shortlist of your favorite destinations), is whether or not you will be investing in a round the world ticket. After a lot of pondering and going back and forth we eventually decided to not go for a RTW ticket. Why? I will explain everything to you in this blog post.

What is a round the world ticket?

Many airlines, such as Star Alliance, KLM and OneWorld offer RTW tickets which basically enable you to travel the world for a relatively cheap price. The price of the tickets depends on your destinations, the amount of continents you want to visit, economy or business class and your city of departure. If you opt for one of the RTW tickets offered by airlines, you can only take flights offered by these alliances. However, alliances like Star Alliance work with tons of airlines so you have a bit more choice when it comes to booking tickets.

You can also choose to buy a RTW ticket through an agency (such as Airtreks, Kilroy and Indie). When you opt to do this, you don’t have to fly with the same airline/alliance for all your flights.

The airlines and agencies organize the flights for you, meaning you don’t have to be worried about making sure you get the cheapest flight tickets. Most round the world tickets are valid for a maximum of 12 months.

Pros of a round the world ticket

Less of a hassle organizing the trip
The agencies or airlines will help you plan your entire trip from A to Z. You just send them the dates of your trip and your destinations and they come up with a plan for you. They also book the tickets for you. Basically most of the “boring” work is done for you. Also, you don’t have to worry about when to book your next flight when you’re already traveling, since this will already be done for you.
You know exactly when you leave and come back
If you like having everything planned from start to finish, a RTW ticket is definitely something for you. You know exactly when you will be leaving and when you’re coming back. This also helps you to budget your trip better. It’s easier to be prepared for being on the road for exactly one year compared to not knowing when you’re coming back.
It could potentially be cheaper
If you book your ticket well in advance with an airline, they immediately have access to the cheapest flights. This way, it’s possible you’ll pay less for flight tickets compared to if you choose to book everything yourself. However, like I said before, it depends on your destinations, mileage, if you want to travel economy or business class and your departure city. It’s hard to give an average estimate of how much a RTW ticket will cost (numbers vary from €2000 – 10.000). Some of the agencies offer quite cheap RTW tickets if you only go to 3 continents (this is already possible for only €1500).
You can collect airmiles
If you opt to buy a RTW ticket with Star Alliance you will collect airmiles with them. This could get you an upgrade or other kind of rewards.

Cons of a round the world ticket

No room for spontaneity
When booking a RTW ticket, you cannot be very spontaneous. All the legs of your trip have been booked way in advance. Imagine you’re enjoying a certain country a lot more than expected and you would like to stay a bit longer. However, your next flight is already booked and you need to catch it to get to your next destination. This means you can’t stay as long as you would like.
Also, since you need to use the ticket within 12 months, you cannot opt to travel longer than you had planned.
Not easy to change
RTW tickets are basically fixed before you leave. You can however change the dates of your ticket, but this will cost you money. Moreover, sometimes those other flights are fully booked. This is something you definitely need to take into account.
A lot of rules come with a round the world ticket
If you buy a RTW ticket there will be quite a lot of rules you have to stick to: only travel in 1 direction (East or West), you have to cross the Atlantic and Pacific, you need to use the ticket in 12 months, your end destination needs to be the same as your start destination, you can’t change destinations, etc. There is a lot you need to take into account. This can give you a bit of a headache and might want to make you reconsider buying a RTW ticket.
Low budget airlines are not included
One of the cons of the RTW ticket is that low budget airlines are not included in the ticket. This means that you might pay more for the same route compared to someone who’s flying low budget.

round the world ticket

Why we didn’t buy a RTW ticket

For a very long time we were planning to buy a round the world ticket. I quite liked the fact that someone else was organizing and planning the trip for us. This way I would be certain everything would be taken care of. However, after some thinking we decided against a RTW ticket. Why?

Well, first of all we didn’t like the fact that we couldn’t be flexible with this ticket. Also, we’re planning on traveling overland quite a lot (especially in South America) and these miles would be included in our ticket. Even if we weren’t flying!

Second of all, if we booked a round the world ticket with an American agency or airline, it wasn’t possible to fly to Cuba. The fact a RTW ticket doesn’t allow you to backtrack was also something we didn’t like that much. We would like to fly from Santiago to Easter Island and back and then fly from Santiago to Auckland later on. With a RTW ticket we wouldn’t be able to do this.

Lastly, when we started looking up flights we realized that we may actually be better off without the ticket. Of course it’s hard to predict how much our ticket back to Europe will cost, but according to our estimates it might actually be cheaper to buy all the tickets separately.

To buy or not to buy?

So after a lot of consideration, we thought it would be better for us to organize the whole trip by ourselves. Does that mean we recommend not getting a RTW ticket?

No, it all depends on your travel style. If you prefer certainty then this ticket is exactly what you’re looking for. If you value spontaneity and would like to have more freedom, then I would advise you to not buy a RTW ticket. It’s all a matter of personal preference!

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