One Year World Travel Itinerary

[ed_tobin]

I have always got great advise here so I thought I may seek input

about a trip that I am begining to plan.

 

I would like to take a 12 month trip to photograph and visit some

countries that I have not seen yet. My list is long right now and I

may need to shorten it but here goes:

 

Russia, Poland, Spain Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, India,

Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore

 

 

I love to do landscapes, cityscapes and would also like to get

photographs of local people.

 

Does anyone have any experiences that you can share about an extend

multi country trip that may assist as I prepare and research my trip.

 

I have traveled a lot in Europe and been to Tokyo and korea serveral

times and will be in China for a few weeks early next year. So I do

consider myself an experianced business traveler but this will be my

first 12 month holiday

 

 

Thanks--Ed

[fk319]

My brother-in-law was laid off from his job, recieved a nice severence package and sold his his house quickly. As such, he decided to take his family on a 48 state trip. Needless to say after 3 months in the car with the family, the were ready to kill each other. In the beginning it was a lot of fun, but in the end, it was more routine and they wished they had a small area to cover and see things more in depth.

 

So my question to you is, 12 months is a long time. Do you really want to see the world? or would just one country be enough, so that you can really get the backroad stuff.

 

Have a great trip.

[cfimages]

I've done a few long trips like that - one of 12 months, one of 8 months and one of 6 months. All in Asia. I've done these mostly solo - no wife/kids etc, so if you have a wife/kids some of the following may not apply.

 

I've found it's best to only loosely plan things. Don't set out to say, spend 3 days in town A, 2 days in town B etc. Just go to town A, have a look around, and move on to town B when you feel you are ready. There's nothing worse than arriving in a great place and having to leave before you feel you've covered everything that you want. The same applies to arriving in a place that's not so good, and getting stuck there for a few days.

 

IMHO - it's best too make a rough list of the places you want to see in a country, and be prepared not to see them all.

 

Also, make it a point of talking to other travelers - they often know little out of the way places that guidebooks only skim over. I've often found some great places that barely get a mention in a guidebook by talking to others. Some of the older "hippie" looking travellers (ie 40s+, as opposed to the 18yr old gap year kids), have often been travelling for years and are great sources of info.

 

As for visas, at least for Asia, it's probably best to get the visas as you go. India for example, the usual visa is a 6 month visa, but it starts from the day it's granted, not when you enter the country. So if you get an Indian visa, but don't arrive in India for another 5 1/2 months, you'll only have 2 weeks in India.

 

I see you have Thailand and Vietnam on your list. You really should make the time for a side trip to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. I mean - you must make the time. It's more than amazing.

 

If you have any questions or want specific country info about India or SE Asia, send me an email.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Craig

[ian green]

Ed, what regions of Russia do you plan to visit?<br>

beware of huge territory<br>

most of it is not very suitable for <i>fun</i> travel

[nevilleb]

A one year world travel to photograph and visit countries? Is there something wrong with my vision, or do I see myself turning GREEN? :)<br><br>

 

Ok, regarding India. Probably one of the most beautiful photographic places in the world.. diverse geography, culture, wildlfe... the works!<br><br>

 

Geographically, you've got deserts, beautiful beaches, tropical forests, glacial mountains - and yes, high altitude deserts too!<br><br>

 

Culturally, it's a wonderful place too - what with they many cultures that have contributed to making modern day India what it is - whether it be the Aryans, the Mughals, the French, British and Portugese who "came-a-visiting" over the thousands of years of this country's history.<br><br>

 

Regarding photographing India, it really depends on what your interests are - architecture, landscapes, culture, people, bazaars (market places).. the works.<br><br>

 

 

Being a geographically varied country, which areas you can visit, depends on what time of the year you drop in. If for example, you plan to be shooting up in the Himalyan region - whether it be the highlands of Ladakh or some of the more remote areas in Himachal Pradesh - you have only a window of a few months during which time you can visit those areas as the mountain passes are blocked by heavy snow at other times. Similarly some other areas are impractical to visit during the summer owing to the extreme heat.<br><br>

 

 

If you have a fair idea of where your photographic interests lie, I could guide you better. <br><br>

 

 

Regards,<br>

Neville Bulsara<br>

----------------<br>

<a href="http://www.nevillebulsara.com" >http://www.nevillebulsara.com</a> <br>

Travel and documentary photography

[angus_wong2]

Living, working, and traveling in Asia (mostly) I would say you'd blow all your film in Thailand, and have nothing left for the other places ;-)

 

Skip Singapore and go to China. Nothing to shoot in Singapore. It is a nice country and I lived there for a couple of years but not much for a photog.

 

Buy stuff and develop film in Hong Kong.

 

So, add China and maybe Cambodia (Angkor Wat) to your trip.

 

Be careful what you shoot (and HOW you shoot) in some places (e.g., Laos) as they can say you're a spy (hassle, if nothing else).

 

Be concerned you may not find A/C power for several days.

 

Travel alone unless your companions are photogs (and even that, perhaps).