Getting this idea off the ground

I've done bits and pieces of traveling before, but nothing like this. It was a bit difficult to know where to start, so Google was my friend (as usual). I found a few travel blog websites that had some interesting ideas, and I got started.

I had a few long talks with a chap at STA Travel.  They do specialize in round the world trips, and a bit easier on the budget than Explore (they are aimed more at student travel I think). But then it was crunch time.  I couldn't actually plan/book anything until I had a going away date.  I hadn't got a firm buyer for the house, and I hadn't handed in my notice, so had to focus a bit more on that (See next blog for the house selling story).

Also, it seems that you need to know the route for your 'round the world' ticket right from the start. It's not as simple as buying a ticket and then going and waiting at the airport for inspiration, so back to the planning too!

I listed all the places I wanted to go.  I knew I wouldn't be able to do them all, but it was a starting place. I realised that the majority of the destinations were 'warm', so to make things easier I took the cold destinations off the list - I'll do them later!  Bye bye Antarctica, Greenland and 'seeing the Northern Lights'.  This should let me pack for, and acclimatize to warmth and sunnyness, before heading more permanently back to Scotland!

I've been away with Explore before - my safari trip to Tanzania with mum and dad (some photos here).  They have been away with them several times, and it's always been fantastic.  Unfortunately they seem to specialize in individual trips, rather than the entire round the world experience, but I used their site for a lot of inspiration.

So, by now I have the house on the market, and had unofficially told work about my plans, with the caveat of 'I don't know when I'm going, depends on when I manage to sell the house'.  I could have tried to keep it all a big secret from work, they have no 'right' to know anything before I actually hand in my notice, but I didn't feel right about doing that, and also I'm crap at keeping secrets.
My planned route by this time was as follows:

• Florida Keys/Everglades
• New Orleans
• Grand Canyon and surrounding parks
• Tour through Central America
• Peru - Machu Picchu, Titticaka, Nazca
• South Pacific Islands
• NZ
• Australia
• Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam tour
• China
• Possibly Japan
• India
• Home

But still waiting for the house to sell, so not much I can actually do.