I want to go around the world in 80 days without using planes and only $1,000. What do you think?

Ask Rolf: Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel

05.25.05 | 2:51 PM ET

Rolf Potts

Dear Rolf,

I want to go around the world in eighty days without the use of planes and only $1,000 with my friend. We would have to work from city to city to pay for train fare and ship fare, but I honestly think it can happen. What do you think?

—Jamie S., Mill Valley, California

Dear Jamie,

I like the idea of going around the world without the use of planes. Have you read Jeff Greenwald’s “The Size of the World?” It’s based on a similar concept. The only thing that makes me leery about your plan is that you are going to try to do it in 80 days. I’m sure it’s possible to do this, but in the process of trying to rush around the world you are going to miss the best details and distractions. So, instead of using 80 days as a “gimmick,” you should just keep the land-travel concept, drop the 80-day concept, and travel for as long as it takes to make it around the world, enjoying the many diversions along the way.

Another stumbling block could be the $1,000 budget. This amount can actually go a long way in the less expensive countries of the world, but freighter passage alone will take a big bite out of that sum (planes are actually cheaper than freighters) - not to mention you’ll have other significant expenses just to eat, sleep and get around in places like Australia. And, while it is possible to get work in various places around the world, this kind of short-term work pays next to nothing - so you’d actually be better off working in California and saving up your money in advance of the trip. Don’t get me wrong: Working overseas is a great way to learn what it’s like to live in other cultures, but when it comes to a short-term method of making travel money, it’s hard to beat a job in the U.S.

So my advice would be to save up much more money in advance - say, $3,000-$5,000 - and not set any time limits, so that you can enjoy your overland/oversea round-the-world sojourn to the fullest!

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Tags: Round-the-World Trip


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