Chasing Cars: The World Tour

[UKCraig]

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.

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

[Mark Sedenquist]

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

[UKCraig]

I think you're right, in fact I know you are, but it's quite a scary proposition, isn't it? The fact that my two best friends will be gone by then (and you really don't want me to bore you with what happened with this girl I was really liking) means that there's no reason for me to stay any longer in a country I don't like. Of all the people that I've asked there has only been one who could come up with anything negative to say about the idea - and that was me. I need to pull my finger out, don't I.

It's horrifically expensive though :s But that's just an excuse so it's a case of it costs what it costs. So long as it's not so much it bankrupts me, of course. Have got initial costs of flights back and they're pretty scary. I have asked for a new price which will see me skip Macau (I expected to do this anyway) and also drive from Sarasota to San Fran via Indy. I know that this will increase the car rental by a whole lot, with the one way fees, but it does mean that I get to stop at Darlington Raceway on May 10th :)

I know it's probably a ludicruous idea but has anyone any idea if it's possible to rent a car in Florida and drive it across country, nipping in and out of Canada, before finally dropping it in Alaska? I know it's a stupid question but you never know, someone may have found a way?

[UKCraig]

Right, I have been forced into making some changes to my plans, losing a couple of races in the proceedings. However, everything happens for a reason, and I think the new plan is going to be better and more balanced :) I will look to put together a final itinerary in the next few days and post it up here for any comments you may have.

[UKCraig]

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!!

[Mark Sedenquist]

- 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

[Midwest Michael]

Dubai is on my list of "someday" places as well. Those man made islands off the coast alone puts it on my list of things that I'd really like to check out.

[UKCraig]

I only found out myself recently - the wonders of Facebook! I just gotta hope that she is in town as she works inflight for Emirates. Guess there's something in our genes that stops us from sitting in one place for too long!

[RoadTripper Brad]

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

[UKCraig]

I desperately wanted to try and work some more 'southern' destinations but I just couldn't get it to work out. I only get 90 days in the country and between a date in Sonoma and a date at Yellowstone I only have 1 week. And I want to travel the Loneliest Road. So that's decided for me really. Shame. But I am sure I will be back in a couple of years - I've already got ideas for a big trip through the south west and out into Texas!