How much do you have to win in the lottery to be able to see the whole world?
All travel lovers dream of visiting as much of the globe as possible. Often when we ask such a person what their greatest dream is, we hear: a trip around the world. It is also my secret dream and I often wonder how much I would have to save or, better, win the lottery to be able to visit all corners of the globe? I think that in order to get the right amount you need to find answers to some important questions first.
Development of a Plan - What Do I Really Want to Visit?
How high should a lottery jackpot be to be able to see the whole world? The first question to ask is: what do we really mean by "the whole world"? Do we care about the most touristic places like New York, Paris, Tokyo and Sydney or maybe we want to visit less touristy and wilder places? If our goal are the most touristic points, we have to prepare for bigger expenses: a night in an average hotel in Paris will be incomparably more expensive than a night in a guesthouse located in a wild corner of Peru or on one of the small islands of Malaysia.
What is also associated with popular places are expenses related to all kinds of tickets. You don't go to Paris to admire the Eiffel Tower from a distance, without going all the way to the top. That is why every place that is on our dream list should be carefully described and analyzed not only in terms of basic costs, but also typical tourist costs, such as entrance tickets, souvenirs, etc.
How do we want to travel?
Transportation is often one of the biggest expenses when traveling around the world. It is obvious that all intercontinental distances will be covered by plane - but it is unclear how we will move within one country or continent. Some time ago, planes ceased to be a very expensive means of communication and thanks to many discounts and promotions of airlines, we can cover significant distances relatively cheaply. However, despite the discounts, the plane is still relatively expensive compared to, for example, a bus, train or free hitch travel.
When we plan a budget for our big trip, we have to decide what will be our main mode of transport. If we decide that, in order to save time, we want to travel every distance by plane, it will be obvious that the total cost of the trip will increase significantly. However, if we are able to travel by train or bus, or use free hitchhiking, the total amount we will need will be much lower.
How important are luxury and comfort to us?
The last of the very important aspects that should be decided before the trip is whether we are planning an exclusive trip or maybe our best friend during the trip will be a backpack and a tent. Accommodation costs can be very high and usually represent the largest part of our costs. We have to decide whether we want five-star hotels, expensive restaurants and other forms of luxury that will make our monthly expenses much higher than what we would have if we were backpacking and sleeping on campsites. Another option that also saves on accommodation is a campervan trip. By choosing this method of travel, we will not be dependent on other means of communication, we will have the opportunity to reach places that are not reached by public transport and, of course, we will save on accommodation regardless of where we are located.
In conclusion, how do others do it?
By surfing the Internet, you can find many blogs from people who have traveled around the world. As I mentioned before, the amount that should be spent on such a trip depends to a large extent on the places visited, the travel method, its duration and travel conditions. Jamie Davila , a 23-year-old from Huston who has traveled the world for two years, told his blog readers that he spent $ 27,696.21 over that time, which equates to only $ 38 a day! For this amount, he visited 30 countries on 4 continents. Another traveler describes his experiences from a year-long trip around the world and states that the whole event cost him about 15,000. USD.
On the Internet you can also find the story of travelers who, like Graham Hughes, traveled the world without flying a single plane! Graham traveled 200 countries and 60 islands on 6 continents without rising above the clouds. I think it will be good news for people who are terrified of heights and want to visit the most distant corners of the globe.
As you can see, a great journey that is dreamed of by more than one person may not be as distant as we think. If we win the lottery USD 15,000, or about PLN 45,000, we will be able to admire selected corners of our fascinating globe for a year.
Marta Dobrodziejczyk
We have created the CampRest portal for people who value freedom and travel on their own.
