How to travel around the world in 100 days!
This idea was hatched 3 years ago. And after a few elbow nudges about being a baller, to eye rolls that I'm young and irresponsible, I've decided to write a post to clarify. And just maybe I can help some people out that have the same dream as me.
For starters, we didn't pick the countries from a travel blog or one of those buzz feed article about how you should drop everything and travel the world. It was simply about choosing the major airline hubs with the cheapest flights and making sure there was also a Starwood hotel in town. Why Starwood? Well other than having the best hotels in the world, I'm also part of their loyalty program. You see, I've been traveling weekly for work for the last 5 years. Every week I accumulate points for staying in Starwood hotels and flying with Delta. It's a shit ton of points. It doesn't cover everything but imagine going to Walmart (lowest prices anywhere) and everything is half price off. So yeah, you wouldn't mind splurging either.
To find flight deals, I check Google flights daily. Yes, daily. I'm a little obsessed. Probably the most awesome feature of google flights is the world map vantage point. You put in your departure location and BAM! It shows you all the possible destinations you could visit and the price. One way tickets are much cheaper than you think. Another trick is we booked the majority of the trip 8 months in advance while things were still cheap. No, we didn't book the flight on a Tuesday or through a travel agent. I think those are myths. Another tip is getting the "'round the world" awards that airlines provide. Read up it on thepointsguy.com.
Now onto hotels. We can't just sleep in the streets after all. I believe that one's purview of a country is swayed heavily on where you stay. You have to decide which aspect of the country you'd like to see. We went in this order: beach, metropolitan, historic city, metropolitan, metropolitan, etc. Once you decide on the order, consider spending more on the hotels vs flights. Good stories always start with "we were at..." and not "we got on this flight..." :) Two tips on this:
1. Find credit cards that have transferable points or have good travel redemption options. I use 2 main cc for this. Chase ultimate rewards and Amex. Wait for good sign up deals and do it every year. Don't worry, it's not going to affect your credit score (unless you get rejected).
2. The other tip is to use Airbnb. Don't be scared. We have stayed at least 7 different ones and all have been great experiences! It's cheap and if you are clueless about the country you're visiting, this is probably the best option. If you're single and ready to mingle, you should consider hostels.
Last but not least, eat what the locals eat. It's cheaper and you'll usually get to enjoy the local culture alongside it. When in doubt, bring a pack of Imodium and dive head first. You'd be surprised that you enjoy food that you never thought you would if you branch out of your comfort zone. I remember eating sting ray for the first time. Hellll nopeeeewowyessss! It was a delicious roller coaster ride.
Hope you enjoy the post!
P.S.: If you are ever thinking about doing something like this, remember that money can always be made but memories and experiences last forever.
