RTW (Round the World) AKA a Call to the Brave

Ever since joining the Peace Corps here in Morocco I've had the intention to travel the world after my service is done. It will be the perfect time-- before life catches up with me and I have too many roots in the ground holding me back from taking on such an extended trip. (Plus I get a nice 'readjustment' check from Uncle Sam to help me get my feet back on the ground once I go home, but why not use that to travel?) Since I will be completing my service at the end of November 2009 I thought I better start the planning the trip now since it is a year away. First off I had to ask myself where I wanted to go and what I wanted to see? If I never get this chance again what are some places that I must go? Here is the basic itinerary so far:

1. Morocco-->Cairo, Egypt
-Can anybody say pyramids? History?

2. Egypt-->Istanbul, Turkey

-Ever since coming to Morocco I've been fascinated by the vast differences between the Western world and the Arab/Islam world and there's no better place on Earth for the mixture of both cultures than Turkey. It is where East meets West and coexists in a booming nation.

3. Turkey-->India
-I'm still undecided as to what city or region I want to go but India has always held a certain allure to me. It has always seemed like a country overflowing with culture (and people). I want to visit the Hindu temples and experience their unique way of life.

4. India-->Kathmandu, Nepal

-Ever since reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer I have been mesmerized by Everest. Although I know I will most likely never make it to the summit of Everest, I have made it a personal goal to make it to Base Camp. I have been researching this expedition extensively in the past few days and have found multiple climbing companies offering full service treks to base camp at a decent fee for 20 day tours. One in particular seems to offer the best package that I've seen with many tour openings for the time I would be around. Even though this would be a costly trip, I don't see myself being around this part of the world again anytime soon and it has been a dream of mine for the past 4 years. Read Into Thin Air and you'll understand :)

5. Nepal-->Thailand

-Some of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen come from Thailand. The images conjure up a sence of beauty and tranquility not seen anywhere else in the world. From the Budhist monks and temples to the amazing beaches it is a place unrivaled in zen. This will be a great place to relax after the trekking in Nepal!

6. Thailand--> Either Hong Kong or Tokyo
-I will need to go to a major city in order to find international flights over the Pacific to come home and these cities both equally enchant me. Anybody have any say on which is better?

7. Hong Kong or Tokyo-->Home
-Maybe a stop in LA first? I've always wanted to see Hollywood and if I'm coming that way I might as well stop, right?


I'm still undecided as to how long I will be spending in each destination and where exactly I'll go or see, but this is the basic road map I have come up wit so far. Still much more planning needs to go into this of course, but I wanted to show you all out there what I am planning and to see if any of you are interested in tagging along or meeting up with me in one of the cities. So consider this an open invitation, a call to the brave, to get out of your cubicles and to join me on a trip around the world. Not sure if you want to go to any of the places I listed? Shoot me a message and we'll see if there isn't another place we can meet up that you've always wanted to go! The one thing I've learned about this experience in Morocco is that traveling alone isn't fun. It's ALWAYS better to share experiences with others!

Logistics: So far I've found a decent looking company that offers RTW (round the world) airfare with none of the strings that major carriers attach to their RTW tickets. (Most carriers require that you end your trip in the same country that you started which would not work for me). I'm still looking at other options for airfare like flying cheap carriers from spot to spot, but it is almost a nightmare to work through 5 different airlines that don't necessarily go directly to the spot you want. It is much more easier to work through a one stop site or travel agency from some of the reviews and blogs I've read. I'll keep you all updated but let me know if you're at all interested in coming along and I'll include you in in the decision making processes!

-K