Round the world itinerary
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Here is the itinerary we booked a few days ago:
o8-Dec-09
London Heathrow - New Delhi, India
Virgin Atlantic
(make our own way to Sri Langka)
01-Feb-10
Colombo, Sri Lanka - Bangkok, Thailand
Sing Air
(make our own way to Hong Kong)
01 Apr 2010
Hong Kong - Denpasar, Bali
Sing Air
16 April 2010
Denpasar, Bali - Sydney, Australia
Sing Air
04 May 2010
Sydney, Australia - Auckland, New Zealand
Air New Zealand
07 May 2010
Auckland, New Zealand - Rarotonga, Cook Island
Air New Zealand
15 May 2010
Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Los Angeles
Air New Zealand
(apply for UK entry visas for boys)
03 Aug 2010
Los Angeles - London
Air New Zealand
This ticket is called the Great Escapade and is formed by a coalition of Virgin/Sing Air/Air New Zealand. As long as we stay under 29,000 miles, it's fairly inexpensive and we can collect miles.
The website is: http://www.thegreatescapade.com/ but we bought it from Global Village in Islington.
We had all sorts of ambitions before we booked this trip, but reality defeated us on several counts:
IDEA 1) Purchase a second-hand car in Spain and drive around parts of Europe.
There are a lot of hurdles to jump in order to buy a car in Spain. By the time we completed the purchase it would be time to sell it. This article in particular put me off the idea: Buying and Selling a car in Spain
IDEA 2) Take the Trans-Siberian express between Moscow and Beijing.
This was never going to be an option if we bought a round the world ticket.
IDEA 3) See the pyramids in Egypt.
Unfortunately not an option with the Great Escapade as the affiliated airlines don't stop there.
We may try to do this separately.
IDEA 4) Visit Morocco, particularly Marrakesh, and perhaps take a trip to the Atlas Mountains in the South, spending the night in the desert. Yesterday I found flights between Barcelona and Marakesh for 5 Euros per person on RyanAir, so this one looks possible!
This is still a possibility in Oct/Nov.
IDEA 5) Dubai, Seychelles, Sri Langka
Dubai and Seychelles is not a stop with these airlines, but we are flying out of Colombo on 1st Feb.
IDEA 6) Stay for several months in Thailand and make side trips to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and perhaps Burma.
Still on the cards.
IDEA 7) Travel for several months in China, perhaps seeking opportunities to teach English (for me) and put the boys in a public school so they can learn Mandarin.
We will probably just go on a duck tour from Hong Kong. Carmen and I have finished reading J Maarten Troosts "Lost on Planet China", which I highly recommend. (I also read his other books just before we left, and also recommend those -- currently my favourite travel writer). In the book, he
leaves California to go on an exploratory mission to find a place to live in China, then bring his wife and kids. Essentially he concludes it may not be a good idea, although he touts a lot of positive aspects about China too. His section on the Tiger Leaping Gorge was very inspiring, but I don't know if the kids will be able to do it.
IDEA 8) Stay a couple of months in Bali or Gili islands.
Two weeks in Bali. Maybe we can go to Gili still.
IDEA 9) Visit the Cook Islands and French Polynesia.
We will spend a week in the Cook Islands and hopefully visit Tahiti at a later date.