World Trip

[bec197.]

Am going to do the round world backpacking type thing...where do I start?? best place for tickets etc?? thanks kindly xxx

[bobbobley]

sta travel are pretty good as all their sales-people are all/ have been packpackers themselves and are fairly knowledgeable about pretty much everywhere on the standard backpackers route.

we went in with a list of countries we wanted to get to and they worked out the best approach as to where to start, which direction to go etc.

Trailfinders are also handy, but we found that they were slightly less personable people and that they were slightly more expensive to.

Also remember to make an appointment with your practice nurse re vaccinations etc. required, and to check visa requirements for each country you are going to. If you have a British passport then its fairly straightforward for most countries, and you can get them on arrival but there are a few anomalies.

One last thing to bear in mind is travel insurance

best of luck with it, you'll have a top time. Wish I could do it all again.

[apricot]

One Europe in London arranged a trip for me to stay with a family in the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is definitely a conversation stopper! It was cheap too and great food. Costa Rica is also a great location for wildlife and off the usual tourist routes. I would agree with bobbly bob, make sure you have all your jabs and carry a comprehensive First Aid kit and mozzie net. Have fun!

[Janetex]

Good starting advice here, but don't forget the Lonely Planet interactive site too.

[Moog]

OMG - I did the transsiberian in '94 and stayed with a family on the shores of Lake Baikal - truly amazing [apart from nearly being shot on Irkutsk station!. I would recommend Bridge the World or Trailfinders and my biggest bit of advice would be to make sure any ticket you have booked has the maximum flexibility because I guarantee you'll want to change flight dates and even destinations once you start travelling.

[DuzyEverwork]

If you type in hospitalityclub into a search engine you will be able to sign in and access the details of hundreds of kind people all over the world who will give you a bed for the night and even show you round the place you are staying in if they have the time. Well worth a look even if you dont use any of the contacts.