Traveler's Aid: How To Plan A Trip 'Round The Globe (6/28/02)

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Host Diana Nyad talks with Savvy Traveler contributor Doug Lansky, who is writing a book called "The Rough Guide To Traveling Around The World," about the nuts and bolts of planning for a trip 'round the globe on the cheap. Diana and Doug will converse more on this same topic in the coming months. Doug's book will be done next spring.

Doug says the first questions to consider are: "When in your lifetime, and when during the year, should you go on such a trip" "And, how do you go about starting such a trip?"

While most people do this massive journey at a relatively young age -- like fresh from college, because it can be a rough road due to sagging beds and kidney-jarring buses -- this trip isn't just for the young alone...any age can do it with proper planning.

Because it is such a daunting undertaking to even get started, there's a definite need to simplify your trip. Doug says to figure out what you want to do -- not what you want to see -- and pick 5 activities that you just can't miss, such as going on a safari or trekking in Nepal. Then, check these events against the weather for the regions you'll be traveling to -- are they possible? Think less of the great seasons to do your trip and more about when you shouldn't be going there, he says.

Like any trip, you'll most likely encounter inclement weather. But if you know local weather or topography, you can escape the rainy seasons and monsoons by going 100 or 200 miles in the other direction. Keep in mind that "rainy season or monsoon season" to a travel guidebook might mean just 1 hour of rain per day. And bad weather isn't always a hindrance -- being in Europe in the winter allows you to take advantage of many low costs, such as discounts to museums, that you wouldn't get during the regular tourist season.