Chasing Cars: The World Tour
Right, just sent the following message to a company who specialises in round the world flights. I dread to think how much they will cost - not to mention the other aspects of the trip - I will start a spreadsheet to total things up shortly.
Quote:
Hi there
Currently in early stages of planning and have been looking over your site. I wonder if you could offer some suggestions for costs for the following route. I am afraid that I complicated things slightly by wanting to stop off at the following events which kinda dictates a little bit of zig zagging around the Singapore date in particular:
1) 25th May - Indy 500 (Indianapolis IN, USA)
2) 22nd June - Nascar Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma CA, USA)
3) 28th September - Singapore GP
4) 5th October - Phillip Island Moto GP (Melbourne, Australia)
5) 12th October - Bathurst 1000 (Mount Panorama, Australia)
6) 26th October - Gold Coast Indy (Surfers Paradise, Australia)
7) 16th November - Macau GP
The route, very roughly. breaks down to:
London - Tampa
Tampa - Indianpolis (1) *
Indianpolis - San Francisco (2) *
Seattle - Alaska *
Alaska - Hawaii
Hawaii - Singapore (3)
Singapore - Perth (then by rail and road to (4, 5 & 6))
Brisbane - Macau (7)
Macau - New Zealand
New Zealand - Dubai
Dubai - London
* May yet drive this route
I wish to set off from London around the middle of May and return to London just prior to Christmas. I
I appreciate that this is all very vague at the moment but I am sure that you are used to this sort of thing. If you could put together some rough costs and get back to me then we can work from there.
I may yet decide to drive the Tampa - Indy - San Fran - Seattle section so please offer two prices 1/ to include flights as above and 2/ presume that I am driving this route
I also appreciate your suggestions for exploring Western Canada. I would dearly love to drive from Vancouver to Alaska but appreciate this could be impractical. Please advise.
The Macau thing may or may not happen depending upon the exact costs so will appreciate an indication of how that will affect flight costs.
Many thanks and look forward to your response!
Craig.
I was looking to do the trip next year but things just keep pointing me to do it this year. My two best friends have announced they are relocating to Canada (gutted isn't the word), my friend in Florida is expecting a new arrival about that time, I desperately need an excuse to quit my job and the flights for my June trip are astronomical. It all works.
Apart from the finance side of things, that is. They are a mess. I swore I'd not do the trip until I had the money to do it properly but, well, maybe I should just bite the bullet? What do you guys think? Am I mad? :s
What is the point of "waiting for the money?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
UKCraig
I swore I'd not do the trip until I had the money to do it properly but, well, maybe I should just bite the bullet? What do you guys think? Am I mad? :s
If had waited until we had sufficient financial resources to do it properly, RoadTrip America would never have been started. What is the worse that would happen if you did it now? Run out of money? You have created $$ before -- I bet you can do it again. I can't see waiting for $$ as a good reason not to embark on this adventure!
Mark
Back on track (so to speak)
Okay, despite the US goverment doing their best to kill the trip before it had even started I think I've come up with an itinerary which, whilst it has a few less races, is probably better than the original. Everything happens for a reason as they say!
So this is what I'm looking at:
- Fly London - Toronto (9th May) and pick up rental car. Buy mountain bike for the North American leg of the trip.
- Circular roadtrip out of Toronto to include Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Nova Scotia.
- Take 'The Canadian' from Toronto to Vancouver and pick up rental car.
- Circular roadtrip out of Vancouver.
- Cross into the US on foot or by ferry?? (advice?)
- Pick up rental car in Bellingham/Seattle and then head off on rejigged version of previously planned roadtrip.
- Return rental car and hop on ferry to make my way up to Alaska.
- Week in Alaska under my own steam then join up with the Trek America Alaska-Yukon Explorer tour.
- Fly Anchorage - Hawaii and explore islands for 7-10 days
- Fly Hawaii - Darwin Australia
- Join up with the OzXposure Western Wonder tour from Darwin to Perth.
- Fly Perth - Kuala Lumpur
- Fly Kuala Lumpur - Singapore
- Singapore GP
- Fly Singapore - Perth
- Take the Indian Pacific from Perth to Adelaide.
- Explore Adelaide then pick up camper van.
- Phillip Island Moto GP (bike race)
- Head on to Sydney by road and meet up with friend.
- Drive to Bathurst 1000 race then back to Sydney for a few days exploring the city.
- Drive the Great Ocean Road from Sydney to Brisbane and stop off at the Gold Coast Indy race at Surfers Paradise.
- Make way back to Melbourne via an interior route and drop camper van.
- Fly Melbourne to Tasmania and explore for a week or so. Aussie V8 Supercar race near Launceston.
- Fly to New Zealand and explore under own steam.
- Fly to Dubai for a few days 'chill out' and stay with family.
- Home a couple of days before Christmas.
Bloody lucky I quite enjoy planning innit!
Very interested to hear the views of anyone who has visited any of these places as I am a long way from the definitive itinerary yet!!
You have family in Dubai???
Quote:
Originally Posted by
UKCraig
- Fly to Dubai for a few days 'chill out' and stay with family.
This is good to know, I want to "swing by" one of these days!
Mark
Can't wait to see the documentation!
Craig,
Sounds like one heck of a trip!
Too bad you're not coming through Arizona, I'd show you around down here.
So... are you also thinking of bailing from "Airstrip One" for new horizons?
-Brad
Well it *is* once in a lifetime...
Well I think that should be a good introduction to solo travelling...
I've only ever done two solo roadtrips to the US before totalling approximately 25 days. I guess going round the world for 233 days i the next natural progression.
Ah well, even if it turns into a disaster, it'll give me a few stories to bore people with :D
Well it *is* once in a lifetime...
Craig,
You really do need someone to carry the bags etc etc. and having lived in Singapore I could be a great!! guide to there and Malaysia (you must try to get to the Cameron Highlands while in KL.)
Looks a great trip hope it goes as planned
Mike
Singapore public transport
The public transport in Singapore (buses, MRT and taxis) are efficient, clean and cheap so barring road closures due to the race, you should have no trouble getting around. If you are going to be doing lots of bus and MRT travel, you may want to get an ez-link card
Sorry I didn't get back to you with hotel tips. I don't actually have any as my guests have all stayed with me (other than one set who booked their own accommodation).
Happy trails!
Well, I moved to Hawaii not knowing a soul there
Stayed there for about 18 months. Made new friends. Had a great time. But that's not the same as being on the move the whole time.
The cool thing today is that you can stay in touch with people via the web. I mean, really, how cool is that?!!? My dad traveled a LOT for his job. I remember a couple trips where he was gone for about 6 months and we only got to speak to him once or twice the whole time and the rest was just quick postcards. It was way too expensive to talk more than that. I would have loved to have been able to do emails, forwarding photos, post videos to share, talk via Skype, etc. during those times he was gone. What a difference that would have made!
So, really, I think the idea of it sounds lonelier than the reality will be.
And you'll be seeing some of your friends in June, right? In real life, even!
