Around the World Itinerary On a Dime

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When we hear ‘Round the world’ (RTW) trip, we think right away of someone backpacking his or her way around the planet. Backpacking is the best way to travel if you want to discover new places and meet new people: you have everything that you own on your back, you are free to move and experience new things, and if you are traveling alone, you are even more available for meeting new people.

Backpacking is the free way to travel. Don’t plan too much ahead, you will feel the vibe when you’ll get there. Go with the flow, and you won’t be disappointed. Instead of staying 3 nights at one place when it’s boring, you get advice from people you meet along the way, and only make good choices.

You will find here a two month itinerary for world travelers on a budget. Since, we all have different interests, I didn’t plan a fixed itinerary. I listed the ultimate adventures, experiences and sights to see in each destination, so you just have to pick the ones you like!

I chose three countries that you can travel cheap. Greece can still be traveled on a dime, India is super cheap and Mexico won’t cost you too much either. If you choose other countries, South-East Asia is a safe bet, just like North Africa or Central America. To see which destinations can be travelled on a dime, try our Destination Finder.

Plane tickets will take almost half of your budget, if not more. That’s why you want to consider countries with the busiest airports, since plane tickets will usually be cheaper when there’s a lot of flights, and deals can be found more easily.

Shoulder seasons are the best if you have a small budget: spring and fall are usually cheaper, and weather is not too hot or too cold almost everywhere. For more detailed climate charts, check out our Travel Guides.

If you want to save on accommodation, hostels are often the cheapest option, or you can even try couch surfing. If you don’t want to share a room, you can get your own private hostel room, at a fraction of the price of a regular hotel room.

Bus and train rides are often cheaper than taxi and airfare, but it would be wise to consider these other options, since sometimes low-cost plane carriers can make your trip a lot faster if you are willing to pay a little bit more.

Saving on meals is easy. You can safely eat street food if you choose your vendor right: if there’s a lot of local people eating there, and the food is fully cooked, then it’s ok for you too. You can cook your own food, since hostels usually provide a cooking area. Eating breakfast at your accommodation and having the biggest meal of your day at lunch are other ways to save, since what is served for lunch is generally the same as dinner, but at a lower cost.

You may be wondering if leaving your friends and family will be worth it? I won’t tell you you won’t miss them. But today, with technology like Skype, it’s easy to stay connected with people we love.

The adventures you will experience, the people you will meet, the places you will discover… all of that, and much more, will be so rewarding. Moreover, you will grow so much, and get to know yourself so much better, you will change and become a better person, more understanding of human nature and other cultures. You will come back richer than you left, all because of the knowledge and experiences you will have lived.

WHEN
2 months during fall

WHERE
Greece
India
Mexico

HOW MUCH
US$6,000
(see the details below)

Climb the Holy Ghost rock tower, at Meteora in Northern Greece
Dive at one of the 30-odd sites in the sea-filled lagoon created by a supervolcano that destroyed the original island of Santorini
Run the first, the original, the granddaddy of all marathons – the route of this marathon runs from Marathonas to Athens (the race is held in November)
Rock climb on Kalymnos Island, where you can see from up high the turquoise clear water – there are 50 different climbing sites

Capture the tales of the Greek gods on Mount Olympus after a two-day ascent to reach the immortals’ peak
Party like crazy at Paradise Beach, on Mykonos Island, and finish the night with a skinny-dip into the crystal clear water
Island-hop swim your way through some of the 6000 islands scattered in Greek waters – the Cyclades is a good place to start, where you will pass coves only accessible to swimmers and spot dolphins and monk seals in the turquoise and peaceful water
Contemplate one the most awe-inspiring ancient site that’s the Acropolis, and its crown jewel, the Parthenon, in Athens
Stroll through the ancient sites around Athens and think about the Great men who kick-started our modern world, Pluto, Aristotle and Socrates, to name a few
Sail around the Cyclades, including Mykonos and Santorini, or the Ionians, including Corfu, Lefkada and Skorpios, and watch what 300 days of sunshine a year can do to land and people
Shop in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, and party like there is no tomorrow with its college students

Hiking through Samaria Gorge, on Crete, the longest in Europe
Monk’s monasteries at Meteora
Perissa black sand beach, on Santorini
Rhodes, with its Palace of the Grand Masters, the Ottoman mosques and hammam
Watch the sunset from Oia beach, Santorini
Ancient Olympia on Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula and its Stadium

Ski or snowboard in amazing powder at Gulmarg, Kashmir, which offers the heaviest snowfall in the range and the highest gondola in the world
Seek out an unforgettable tribal encounter with the Adi and Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh, in India’s far north-east
Winter trek on the Zanskar River and witness astonishing beauty of frozen waterfalls and thin skin blue ice over the river
Experience tiger tracking on an elephant in Corbett National Park
Go rappelling and rafting during monsoon in the Sahyadri Mountains
Road trip the highest motorable road in the world, the Leh-Manali Highway
Try camel trekking in Rajasthan and experience the Thar Desert by camel safari
Witness the world’s largest religious gathering where tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims for a ceremonial dip in the waters of the sacred Ganges, Shipra or Godavari Rivers
Trek Stok Kangri, the highest trekkable peak in India, near the Ladakhi city of Leh
Cycle your way through five Himalayan passes, from Manali to Leh

Find the meaning of your life at the yoga capital of the world: Rishikesh
Visit colourful Rajasthan, a nice introduction to the subcontinent
Trek one of the most remote and challenging walks in the world, the Himachal Pradesh
Have the road trip of your life from Delhi to Agra, and be rewarded by reaching the stunning Taj Mahal
Relax and enjoy the beach and the sun on the Kerala Coast
Admire the Taj Mahal’s marble changing color as the day goes by
Party like an animal at Goa’s Full Moon Party, and then relax at one of the world’s best bargains: rent your own beach hut
Visit one of the most unusual museums: Sulabh International Museum of Toilets, in New Delhi
Explore the fascinating backwaters of Kerala, a network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals with an eight-hour cruise

Spot Bengal tigers in the wild at Corbett National Park
Encounter the phenomenon of a magnetic hill at Ladakh, also know as gravity hill
Visit the Golden Temple at Amritsar: the main shrine is coated with 100kg of gold
See the sea disappear at Chandipur, where the low tide carries the water out for some 5km
Pilgrim to the source of the Ganges, Hinduism’s holiest river, at Gaumukh
Watch up to 4 hours of a spectacular firework display at Kerala’s festival hot spot (held in April or May)
Witness Varanasi’s chaotic lifestyle, and take a boat tour at sunset or sunrise for the most atmospheric times

Join the crowds of surfers who gather at Puerto Escondido to worship one of the best beach breaks on the planet
Or head to Isla Todos Santos, to try the notoriously big break called ‘Killers’
Jump into a cenote, a clean, azure-blue underground water world, in the Yucatan area
Swim with dolphins at the Riviera Maya
Run the Ultramarathon Caballo Blanco, set in the rugged canyonlands of the Mexican Pueblo of Urique
Cliff dive in La Quebrada, or instead watch the pros do it, in Acapulco
Plunge into the sacred well of Gran Cenote, just 4km north of Tulum and admire the amazing stalactites

Swing in a hammock on Isla Mujeres, and if you want Caribbean fun, head to Playa Norte
Try parasailing where it has been invented: in Acapulco
Save on accommodation and sleep on a long-distance bus, known as camiones, there’s an astonishing array of classes, companies and price categories
Get away from Mexico City’s urban jungle and visit the stunning complex of Teotihuacan and its two vast pyramids
Enjoy 7km of the finest powder sand beach and perfect blue water in Tulum

Visit El Rosario Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in winter and admire millions of beautiful monarch butterflies who migrated from as far as Canada
Learn history at Palenque lost city, an archaeologist’s treasure trove
Trek or ride a horse to the summit of Paricutin, one of the youngest mountains on earth, and an unusual volcano
Watch a soccer match at Estadio Chivas in Guadalajara, a brand-new stadium with a name worthy of the crown: the Volcano
Visit Real de Catorce, ‘the Eagle’s Nest’, an almost-ghost town sitting on the fringes of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Climb the 365 steps of El Castillo, ‘the Castle’, topped with a temple and nestled into Mexico’s jungle Yucatan

FLIGHTS

New York to Athens
Athens to New Delhi
New Delhi to Mexico City
Mexico City to New York

Total
$2500 per person
+ luggage fees

Prices may vary
Shop in advance to find the best deal
Read 8 Ways to get the cheapest plane tickets

ACCOMMODATION

Hostel or
Single room in a budget hotel

Greece
$30 per night (21 nights)

India
$10 per night (21 nights)

Mexico
$25 per night (21 nights)

Total
$1365 per person

MEALS

Greece
$35 per person, per day
e.g. Meal inexpensive restaurant: $16.22

India
$5 per person, per day
e.g. Meal inexpensive restaurant: $1.59

Mexico
$10 per person, per day
e.g. Meal inexpensive restaurant: $4.59

Total
$1050 per person

TRANSPORT

Average cost for bus
or train rides

Greece
Public bus from airport to city center: $5.62
Metro or bus ride in Athens: $1.35
Public bus ride on Santorini: $2.42
Ferry from Piraeus (Athens) to Mykonos, then
to Thira (Santorini), back to Piraeus (Athens): $150

India
Metro ride in Delhi: $0.50
Express train to Agra (return): $11

Mexico
Metro ride in Mexico City: $0.33
Bus ride in Cancun: $0.56
Bus from Cancun to Playa del Carmen: $2.10

Total
$450 per person

ACTIVITIES

Average cost

Greece
Acropolis of Athens: $13.20
Rhodes Aquarium: $5.56

India
Taj Mahal: $12
Beach bed in Goa: $1
Elephanta Island, Mumbai: $2.22

Mexico
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico: $4
Cancun jungle tour: $65

Total
$635 per person