Travel Goals

1. Climb to Everest Base Camp.
2. Climb Mt Kilimanjaro.
3. Learn to Scuba Dive.
4. Visit every continent.
5. See the Galapagos Islands.
6. Sail down the Amazon River.
7. Climb Ayer's Rock.
8. Ride the Trans-Siberian.
9. Go into space.
10. Go wild at La Tomintina.
11. See the sunrise from Mt. Fuji.
12. Gaze at Borobudor.
13. Visit the Pyramids
14. Safari in East Africa.
15. Go to the World Cup!
16. See Machu Picchu.
17. Join the Century Club.
18. Visit Antarctica.
19. Do development work.
20. See Petra Jordan.
21. Backpack the Eastern Block.
22. See the Northern Lights.
23. Vegas Baby! Vegas!
24. Greek Island hop.
25. Cycle Tuscany.
26. Visit India.
27. Lounge in the Seychelles.
28. See Morocco.
29. Oktoberfest!
30. Caravan across the Sahara.
31. Visit Tibet.
32. Fly first class.
33. Go to Israel.
34. Carnival!!!!
35. Mardi Gras!
36. Cannes Film Festival.
37. Sundance Film Festival.
38. Eat a sushi meal at NOBU
39. Pacific Island hop.
40. Spend a night in the Ice Hotel.
41. See Glacier National Park.

Book Your Travel Here!!

Now that you have finished your pre-trip planning, booked your cheap flight, and have landed in a foreign country, what do you do?  Well, the truth is that time on the road is pretty much whatever you want it to be. Suggestions on where to go, stay, and eat will come at you from every direction. People will tell you good or bad places but in the end, it is you who decides your path (which is how it should be!).  However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t practical things that apply to everyone.

Part two- On the Road

Booking Hostels- Use Hostelworld to book hostels ahead of time, especially if you are traveling during peak season. It is often possible to just turn up and find a place but, with the proliferation of internet cafes, most people book a head. This means most of the better places are taken before you even arrive. If you know you are going somewhere on a certain, book your hostel before hand to be on the safe side. You’ll know where you have to go and you don’t have to walk around with your pack.  In Asia, South America, or Africa, most guesthouses/hostels don’t use internet booking sites. While some do and you can certainly book online, there are so many in such a small area that turning up is sometimes the only way to go. You’ll never have trouble finding a room on Khao San Road!! Moreover, Hostelworld lets you see reviews of hostels so you don’t end up in one with bed bugs!

Staying in Touch- The growth of the internet has given travelers a plethora of options when trying to figure how to stay in touch with friends and family while traveling. The best way to stay in touch on the road is via Skype. Skype is a free internet service that allows you to make free calls to other Skype members. For a small fee, you can even use Skype to call mobile or landline phones. All internet cafes have Skype, a webcam, and a headset. Just convince your friends, or at least your parents, to get the service and you will be video chatting in no time.

Getting Around- There are many ways to get around the world and where you are in the world depends on which transport is best to use. Cheap flights in Asia and Europe can help you country hop cheaply. Europe also has an extensive rail system that is very effective and affordable. Buses work best in eastern Australia while planes work best in the West. New Zealand works best by bus or car- as does the United States. South America works best by bus. Ask other travelers for the latest deals and information about transportation where you are. You can also check the internet for the latest updates.

Guidebooks- Guidebooks are not an essential part of travel. There’s no need to buy a guidebook for each country you visit. You will find that while on the road you rarely open them. Once you get going, travelers will be giving you leads. You’ll team up with people and head off to unplanned cities more often than you think. Pretty soon, the guidebook starts to collect dust and only comes out for a quick glance.  While guidebooks like Lonely Planet are not essential, they are still important and worth buying. They provide a good reference- maps, phone numbers, and train times. Just don’t treat them like a bible.

Food- Often people under budget for food. Grand nations of cooking every meal and eating on the cheap way give way to tasting the local restaurants and a desire to eat something different. Moreover, you didn’t come all this way to eat pasta every night but to experience the local cuisine.  Save more money for food so that you can splurge every few days and enjoy the cuisine of the culture. Because you didn’t travel to Paris to sit in your hostel kitchen, you came to experience French cuisine!

Travel Itinerary- Setting your itinerary is up to you. We all have different places we want to see and no ones list is better or worse than anyone elses. I will give this advice on planning though: Often people try to rush to see it all. Constantly on the move, a few days here and a few days there, will burn you out. You can do it for a few months but eventually the cities melt into each other and just when you are getting comfortable, you are packing up again. With travel, less is more. You’ve come this far, don’t rush your way through it. Go city by city and leave when you feel ready. So what if you miss a few places here and there- that month you spent living on Bali will be something you won’t regret!! Take your time- you are in no rush!

Visas and Immigration- Know the visa and immigrations rules of a country before you go. Visa rules and costs are different for everyone. You can find information on visas at the country’s website or in a guidebook.

Photos- Everyone takes a lot of photos on the road. What do you do with them all? Constantly buying more memory cards is not practical. Internet cafes around the world will burn you a copy of your photos. Moreover, you can upload them to sites like Flickr if you don’t feel like carrying CDs around.

Life on the road is different for everyone. We all walk away with a different experience but, on the road, there are a few logistics that all travelers face. Make sure you face them wisely. You won’t to be enjoying where you go not how you are going to get there.

12 Responses to “How to Travel the World, Part 2: On the Road”

1. Erica on October 13th, 2008 3:39 pm

   Great post Matt.

   “While guidebooks like Lonely Planet are not essential, they are still important and worth buying. They provide a good reference- maps, phone numbers, and train times. Just don’t treat them like a bible.” Well said. How boring it would be if one only relied on guidebooks. Some of my best moments have taken place when I did things I hadn’t planned from the beginning.

   Also, re travel itineraries, less is without doubt more. I learnt this after traveling by train in Switzerland. Rather than staying a day or two in one city, we sometimes visited 3 or more cities in a day. Way too much. As you wrote, after a while, the cities melt into each other.

   I did the same thing during my first weekend in Paris. Wanted to see as much as possible in as short time possible and rushed through all the major sights in about 12 hours. Nothing I’d ever do again… in any city. More is less.

2. Stevo on October 14th, 2008 1:42 am

   You’ll never have trouble finding a room on Khao San Road!!

   Ya, but why would you want to?

3. Christy on October 14th, 2008 4:00 am

   I know right?

4. Tanya on October 14th, 2008 7:38 am

   “Because you didn’t travel to Paris to sit in your hostel kitchen, you came to experience French cuisine!”

   Yes! Thanks for pointing out the importance of food, Matt. I’ve seen too many travelers try to save big on one of the most joyful parts of travel: eating good local fare. They miss out on so much! In Paris, find a nice bistro frequented by locals not tourists and you’ll find a inexpensive prix fixe menu which will allow you to taste all kinds of yummy things. I recommend a steak frites with bearnaise sauce. Yum!

5. NomadicMatt on October 14th, 2008 5:20 pm

   @steve/christy: There’s nothing wrong with Khao San rd if you take it for what it is- a backpacker ghetto. it’s a good place to meet other travelers!

6. Elizabeth on October 15th, 2008 1:33 am

   I agree that hostelworld is great. I don’t know what I would do without the peer reviews. (So definitely leave one after you’ve stayed somewhere– it helps everyone out).

7. Christy on October 15th, 2008 5:13 am

   Oh my bad. My comment was directed towards me not posting often. Oops.

8. nicoleantoinette on October 15th, 2008 6:25 am

   All I want to do is travel. I inhale your posts like gourmet truffles.

9. NewWrldYankee on October 15th, 2008 8:22 pm

   I do use Skype at times, but now I prefer Free call if I have my computer and if not, JahJah, so I can use it from any computer or internet cafe. I love finding new sites to find cheap flights at home - Any recommendations I can add to my flight finder series.

10. Aswathy on October 20th, 2008 9:24 am

    Its true on your part about Guidebooks, they are just waste of money and checking about locations with help of them are invain in most of the cases.

11. Terrytraveler on October 29th, 2008 9:19 pm

    Matt - Great advice. Did around the world eight years ago before Skype probably around. Gearing up to do it again and will probably use Voxofon.com this time. Skype is solid but I’m addicted to all the different ways you can use Voxofon…even on an iPhone although will probably sell before I leave. I think it’s cheaper too and since I save by staying in hostels…want to save in every way possible.

12. How to Travel the World, pt. 3: Coming Home | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site on November 15th, 2008 12:57 pm

    [...] you’ve done it. Congratulations. You planned your trip, went out on the road, traveled the world, and now are home. Pretty awesome huh? You’ll have memories you will keep [...]

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