gone living

If you're planning on making your own around-the-world trip, I recommend that you book the large flights at least 3-4 months out through either a travel agency that specializes in cheap one-way international tickets like Airtreks or buy an around-the-world plane ticket. Then for shorter internal flights, buy those through a local travel agent or website. The reason I recommend this is that it leaves you a lot more open to do some parts of your trip overland, it lets you get local travel deals that the big travel agents don't find, and that it leaves you as flexible as possible. How many times do you get to do something like this, anyways?

When making reservations, when possible you should try and choose the best seat on the plane! SeatGuru is an amazing site for finding the best possible seat on any airline or airplane, even if you're (like me) riding in economy class all the way. If you can't reserve in advance, bring a list of the best seats for your flight and try to get that seat assigned to you when you check in for your flight.

Here are the websites that I've used to find low-cost internal flights in various parts of the world:

the south pacific
• Febuary 24, 2006: United States (Los Angeles) -> Fiji (Nadi)

new zealand and australia

• March 17: Fiji (Nadi) -> New Zealand (Auckland)
• April 2: New Zealand (Christchurch) -> Australia (Sydney)
• April 5: Australia (Sydney) -> Australia (Adelaide)
  note: booked low-cost internal flight locally via JetStar
  note: will overland for 3 weeks from Adelaide to Darwin in Land Cruiser to be picked up in Adelaide.

southeast asia

• April 28: Australia (Darwin) -> Brunei (Bandar Seri Segwan)
• May 1: Brunei (Bandar Seri Seagwan) -> Indonesia (Bali)
• May 9: Indonesia (Bali) -> Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
• May 15: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) -> Singapore
  note: overnight sleeper train
• May 17: Singapore -> Thailand (Bangkok)
• May 18: Thailand (Bangkok) -> Thailand (Ko Samui) -> Thailand (Ko Tao)
• May 22: Thailand (Ko Tao) -> Thailand (Ko Samui)
• May 27: Thailand (Ko Samui) -> Thailand (Bangkok)
• May 29: Thailand (Bangkok) -> Myanmar (Yangon/Rangoon)
• June 11 Myanmar (Yangon/Rangoon) -> Thailand (Bangkok)
• June 15: Thailand (Bangkok) -> Vietnam (Hanoi)
• June 22: Vietnam (Hanoi) -> Vietnam (Da Nang)

china

• June 30: Vietnam (Saigon) -> Hong Kong
  note: expensive flight!
• July 3: Hong Kong -> China (Shanghai)
  note: night train.
• July TBD: China (Shanghai) -> China (Beijing)
  note: overland train.

the trans-mongolian train

• July 11: China (Beijing) -> Mongolia (Ulan Bataar)
  note: transmongolian train 23, beijing -> UB 7:40am day 1 out, 13:15 day 2 in, arrival july 12 // 2nd class (hard sleeper)
• July 23: Mongolia (Ulan Bataar) -> Russia (Irktusk)
  note: transmongolian trail 263, UB -> IKT 8:10pm day 1 out, 3:27am day 3 in, arrival july 23 // 3rd class (platskarny)
• July 28: Russia (Irktusk) -> Russia (Moscow)
  note: transmongolian train 349, IKT -> moscow 4 day journey! // 3rd class (platskarny)
• August 3: Russia (Moscow) -> Russia (St. Peterburg)
  note: intercity train.

europe

• August 7: Russia (St. Petersburg) -> Czech Republic (Prague)
  note: train via poland and belarus.
• August 11: Czech Republic (Prague) -> Hungary (Budapest)
  note: train booked locally.
• August 15: Hungary (Budapest) -> Holland (Amsterdam)
  note: booked online discount flight (wizz airlines).
• August 18: Holland (Amsterdam) -> Holland (Lowlands Festival)
  note: lowlands festival is august 18 - 20.
  note: will book locally.
• August 23: Holland (Amsterdam) -> England (London) -> England (Cambridge)
  note: will book locally.
• August 26: England (Cambridge) -> England (London)
  note: will book locally.
• August 28: England (London) -> France (Paris)
  note: will book locally. taking eurostar.
• September 2: France (Paris) -> England (London)
  note: will book locally.
• September 7: England (London) -> Germany (Berlin)
  note: will book locally.
• September 11: Germany (Berlin) -> Turkey (Antalya)
  note: will book locally.
• September 14: Turkey (Antalya) -> Turkey (Istanbul)
  note: will book locally.

japan, india and nepal (aka. the big backtrack)

• September 18-19: Turkey (Istanbul) -> Japan (Tokyo)
  note: planning to spend 5d in japan.
• September 28: Japan (Tokyo) -> India (Bombay/Mumbai)
  note: 7d in india
• October 6: India (Bombay/Mumbai) -> Nepal (Kathmandu)
  note: 24d in nepal (20d annapurna circuit trek, plus 2d+2d acclimitization/prep)

the middle east

• October 31: Nepal (Kathmandu) -> India (Delhi) -> UAE (Dubai)
• November 7: UAE (Dubai) -> Oman (Muscat)
  note: booked ticket locally.
• November 10: Oman (Muscat) -> Jordan (Amman)
  note: booked ticket locally.
• November 14: Jordan (Amman) -> TBD
• November 19: TBD -> Egypt (Cairo)
  note: side trip to luxor, felucca down nile, while in egypt.
• November 27: Egypt (Cairo) -> Egypt (Dahab)
  note: overland.
• December 1: Egypt (Dahab) -> Egypt (Cairo)
  note: overland.

africa

• December 2: Egypt (Cairo) -> UAE (Dubai) -> Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam)
• December 8: Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam) -> Tanzania (Zanzibar)
  note: will book locally.
• December 12: Tanzania (Zanzibar) -> Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam)
  note: will book locally.
• December 13: Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam) -> South Africa (Johannesburg) -> South Africa (Cape Town)

a short visit home for the holidays

• December 22: South Africa (Cape Town) -> South Africa (Johannesburg) -> UK (London) -> USA (Los Angeles)

central america, south america, and the antarctic

• January 11: USA (Los Angeles) -> USA (Atlanta) -> Peru (Lima) -> Peru (Cuzco)
  2d to acclimate, then walk the Inca Trail and see Machu Picchu.
• February 11: Chile (Iquique) -> Chile (Santiago)
  24-hour "Salon Cama" bus ride on Tur Bus.
• February 13: Chile (Santiago) -> Brazil (Rio De Janiero)
• Febuary 24: Brazil (Rio De Janiero) -> Argentina (Ushaia)
• March 2: Argentina (Ushaia) -> Antarctica
  Will buy last-minute antarctic icebreaker berth in Ushuaia.
• March 12: Antarctica -> Argentina (Ushaia) -> Buenos Aires
• March 19: Argentina (Buenos Aires) -> Guatemala (Guatemala City)

home at last

• March 21: Guatemala (Guatemala City) -> USA (Los Angeles)