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At some time or another most of us have thought about that once in a lifetime trip round the world (RTW), but few of us will ever get to live this particular dream. I am one of the fortunate few, and I'd like to pass on some things I would have liked to know before I started my own planning. Take hope, it need not be as complicated or expensive as you might think. Of course the piece below is very subjective and based on a backpacking trip, what I hope to do is get you thinking about a few things and point you in some useful directions.

It might sound overly obvious but your first headache is where you want to go, for how long, and what you want to achieve. The world is a big place and it is oh so tempting to try and fit in more than your time allows. On my last trip I visited thirteen countries in ten months and it was really too many. Of course it varies from country to country. If you are heading for Asia for example highlights of Cambodia can be reasonably done in a week, Laos in two, Vietnam in three and Thailand maybe a month with a stopover on the beach. Head for China and six weeks is barely enough, India will take months to do justice. For help in this most fundamental planning I cannot recommend highly enough that you sign-up with the Lonely Planet on-line travel forum, The Thorn Tree. It is free and you can find it at http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/reg.cfm. There are over fifty thousand registered users on this site and it will serve you well throughout the planning process and continue to be invaluable throughout your trip. Here you can research your target destinations without buying a guide book for each one and ask anything you like of a whole bunch of very helpful people who've done it before. Of particular interest for RTW trippers is 'The Long Haul' section.

Once you have a proposed itinerary, the next challenge will be to find tickets that will satisfy your air travel requirements. According to your route you might consider single, open-jaw or other tickets but if you are going all the way round it's hard to beat the value of a RTW ticket. Different airline alliances such as Star Alliance and One World each have better coverage in certain continents. Also keep your thinking cap on, the rules associated with RTW tickets - flying zones, number of miles, stopovers etc are of a complexity worthy of the Mensa puzzle page. For a starter for ten it's just as well to go to a ticket sales website where they have a good stab at explaining your options. Sites such as http://www.westernair.co.uk/roundtheworldfaq.html or http://www.thetravellerslounge.co.uk/round-the-world/AN.htm are as good as many others. Personally I found a visit to a Trailfinders Travel Centre a very good investment of time for this important task, it's the biggest single purchase you'll make for your trip. You may be surprised at how inexpensive RTW tickets can be. Last year I took a twenty nine thousand mile Star Alliance ticket with thirteen flights including stops in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico City, San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Myanmar, Calcutta, Delhi, Vienna and Paris for the princely sum of £1349!

Let's move on and assume you've booked your ticket, usually a few months before you leave, it's time for some serious personal preparation. This is a very broad subject and ranges from getting fit if you've set yourself some tough physical targets, through researching your destinations in more detail to include visa and health issues, to making sure your passport is up to date. You've probably already worked out what you are going to do with your house and car, don't forget to think about the status of tax returns, home insurance etc. Make sure there is someone at home who has copies of everything that might possibly be useful, should you need help while you are away (think outside the box here, it is not just travellers cheques and credit cards but the prescription for your glasses, a copy of your yellow fever immunisation certificate, a copy of all your emergency numbers, insurance, driving licence etc). A very useful list for the countdown period is in most books of this genre such as Backpackers' Sourcebook: A Book of Lists by Penny Hargrove et al. Make yourself a list of all the things you should be doing with three months, ten weeks etc to go - and do them!

Health is worth a separate paragraph. As well as checking and getting all your jabs pay special attention to the malaria situation, it is likely some medications will not be effective for all of your destinations. You might also consider that malaria pills such as doxycycline, though relatively expensive here in England, are as cheap as chips in places like Bangkok. This is true of your entire medical kit, you don't necessarily need to take a years supply of alka seltzer, birth control pills or Imodium. Look into the possibility of restocking as you go. Surf the Thorn Tree and the top notch American health website http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. Oh and see a dentist before you go, health services are not always as available or of the quality that you would wish them to be.

The related subject of insurance is another very important one. Travelbag, Trailfinders, STA and all the big backpacker travel shops offer an insurance package "to meet all your needs". Shop around, read the small print, watch out for excesses and don't feel obliged to purchase insurance where you buy your plane ticket. Last time around I didn't find one that met all my wishes, but opted for STA as the best fit. Oh, and write a will if you don't have one. It's not being morbid or tempting fate, just being sensible.

Now for the money. People will have vastly different budgets depending on their circumstances, maybe on whether they are planning to work as part of the trip etc. Whatever your circumstances try and work out a budget based on guidebooks and other travellers' advice. In South-East Asia you can live on ten pounds a day, in the US or Europe you need nearer forty, the budget needs working out by country. You need to do this, I've met so many people who had to cut short their trip or live on next to nothing because they had overspent in the early stages. Having arrived at a budget for your trip you need to consider a strategy for carrying it. This will usually be a mixture of traveller's cheques, credit card and cash. With ever increasing global availability it is also very cost effective is to use ATMs, enabling you to withdraw local currency from your current account at home, and make sure you are set up for Internet banking so you can keep an eye on things while you are travelling. A stock of small denomination US dollars is useful virtually everywhere. Finally, when you are on the trip keep track of your budget as often as you feel comfortable with doing so. If you don't do this regularly you will forget things and not have as much left as you think - it never works the other way around.

Joining the International Youth Hostel Association can save you money if you plan to stay in Youth Hostels, but don't worry too much about booking hotels in advance. This is useful at the very beginning of your trip or when you are arriving somewhere new for the first time, just so you know where you're heading. I won't say any more on this one because you'll soon work it out for yourself. An ISIC or other student card will also save you money at many tourist sites (if you don't have one you can have one forged in Bangkok for £6 if you are that way inclined). If you're a cunning linguist you might consider learning a few basics for each of your destinations; it will make everything so much easier, and often cheaper.

You're almost on your way now, but we need to consider what to take. First and foremost get yourself a good backpack, you'll be carrying it a long way. Shop for all the necessary items before you go. Note the use of the word necessary. Take with you all things that are a core part of your trip and need to be of top quality. I would include in this category essential medical items, walking shoes/sandals, thermals, sleeping bag, good torch, Swiss army knife, mossie net, travel towel, camera etc (as required). Things not to worry about are t-shirts, washing powder, peanut butter, beach ball etc (some might consider these essential but they can all be picked up along the way). Take a dozen spare passport photos with you for visas etc; they are comparatively very cheap from the photo booths on our High Streets. There's no need to buy all your guide books up front, it's too much weight and you'll be able to swap with other travellers going in the opposite direction or buy cheaply from second hand shops. There is a well-worn old adage that says when everything is completely prepared unpack your bag and leave half of it at home - too true. See http://www.travel-library.com for more on this and all of the other topics mentioned in this piece, with a wealth of information and dozens of useful links.

And that's it! Before you know it you'll be at the airport about to take off on your big trip. From here you will experience the gradual onset of travel savvy, which will carry you though any challenges that come your way (and they will). Internet access is largely globally available so make sure you have an email account set up. If you need to set one up you can't go wrong with the free MSN Hotmail service. Here you can leave a copy of all your names and numbers in the address book, also account numbers, passwords etc can be suitably encrypted in a document you can access from anywhere.

One final thought. It'll seem almost inconsequential when the excitement of departure draws upon you but it is good to have some sort of strategy for your return. At a practical level at least know where you are going to put your head down and that you are financially secure for a while. At an emotional level don't be surprised if everybody doesn't share the newfound love of the world that you will have developed. Only someone who has done a trip like this can dig you man, but you will find yourself with a bit more to say in the kitchen at parties. Keep in contact with your friends while you're out there, you'll need them when you get back.

Don't just think about it, do it. You'll visit amazing places, meet interesting people and experience a melting pot of cultures. You'll have the time of your life.

First published in VISA issue 51(summer 2003)