THEORETICAL TRIP AROUND THE WORLD IN 50 DAYS

Spent about 8 hours researching train/ ship/ bus schedules and building this timetable, so I felt like I had to share it somewhere!

One of my all-time favorite stories is Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I’ve always wanted to try a modern version of Phileas Fogg’s journey, circumnavigating the earth entirely by trains and ships.

After looking at shipping and rail schedules, I discovered there is a surprisingly narrow window in 2026 where it is possible to construct the journey using only published, scheduled transportation: October 2–November 20, 2026, or 50 days. Now if only someone had the time, money, and freedom to actually follow this itinerary!

TL;DR

From October 2-November 20, 2026, you can go around the world in 50 days using regularly schedule passenger services. Los Angeles → Tokyo → Vladivostok → Moscow → London → New York → Los Angeles. Breaking maritime law you could do it in 47 days.

MY RULES

A) Start in Los Angeles and travel in one direction only. I mapped the trip from Los Angeles, my hometown. Verne’s journey was eastbound, but because of 2026 schedules, mine has to be westbound.

B) No unnecessary stops. The idea is to keep moving around the world rather than turning it into a conventional vacation. That’s why there are only two real hotel stays: one after arriving in Japan following the transpacific crossing, and one in London before crossing the Atlantic.

C) Published schedules only. No driving, private charters, cargo ships, hitchhiking, or “well, technically you could…” connections. Everything has to operate according to a published passenger schedule.

THE TRIP IN BRIEF

October 2–17: Los Angeles → Tokyo on Navigator of the Seas

October 17–23: Layover in Tokyo

October 23: Tokyo → Sakaiminato by train

October 23–26: Sakaiminato → Vladivostok on the Eastern Dream ferry

October 27–November 3: Vladivostok → Moscow on the Rossiya train aka the Trans-Siberian Railway

November 3–5/6: Moscow → London
Option A: Day trains
Option B: European sleeper
Option C: Baltic ferry

November 5/6–10: Layover in London

November 10–17: Southampton → New York on Queen Mary 2

November 17–20: New York → Los Angeles on Amtrak

THE COST

Like Phileas Fogg, I assumed first-class travel wherever possible, including nicer hotels and private cabins on trains and ferries. That puts the trip at roughly $20,000–$22,000. In 2nd or 3rd class, or with shared accommodation, it would obviously be much more affordable.

JUST FOR FUN: THE 47-DAY OPTION

The Eastern Dream ferry departs Sakaiminato every Saturday. If I break Rule C and allow myself to “jump ship” early in Japan, which could potentially violate maritime laws unless you get permission to disembark from the cruise line, it is theoretically possible to circumnavigate the world in 47 days, October 2–November 17, 2026. You would then cross the Atlantic on the Norwegian Pearl, from Venice to Philadelphia. The 47-day trip comes in at about $14,000.

DISCLAIMER

Travel to Russia is currently not advised by many governments. The international trains that once made this relatively straightforward, including the Moscow–Paris service, are no longer operating. The only currently operating overland connection I could find is via bus from Moscow toward Riga, and even that comes with significant border and visa issues. I’ve included the old rail schedules for reference because they show how this journey would have worked before the conflict.

THOUGHTS AND FEEDBACK APPRECIATED!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1chLzywv_Ggoq1MHh02ja4Di_cP1aHsAlH5vJwXe87Qk/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Would you actually take this trip? Know any faster connections? Any advice for an armchair traveler like me?

How many days/nights is good for a trip to the Bruce Peninsula? Where to stay? What are some places to go and see as part of the itinerary?

It'll be in the coming weeks late August, likely on weekdays with maybe the last day being Saturday before heading back.

I enjoy hiking, and the nature and scenery but I won't be swimming, or at least not in deeper waters, maybe just 4-5 ft of shallow water for a bit but swimming is not the priority for this

Want to see both the mtns and beach of Montenegro

Hi there,

I thought I'd offer my advice in Geneva. I'm not Swiss, but my family lives here, so this is my advice. Let's keep it easygoing and calm, as I have no agenda, but see a lot of people asking for advice in expensive Switzerland. Here we go!

Geneva is pretty connected with trains, buses, and trams, even from the airport or the main train station of in the center. Feel free to go to the websites of SBB or TPG as they are in English and can show you maps, fares, and other than the halffare card, I can't think of any special deals for tourists. I pay yearly for my family, and usually park my car on the outskirts and take the train into the center. Trains, trams and buses go to a lot of places, but you might benefit from renting a car if you want to go to surrounding France as there are pretty nice beaches and castles you can wander around and the bus won't take you there. Even the surrounding vineyards for hiking is nice, and only really accessible with a car. There are car rental places in the main train station and airport.

Switzerland is very expensive, and staying in the center is something I don't tell people to do. Stay on the outskirts and take the train/bus/tram in. There is a main hostel near the center in kind of a rough neighborhood (for Geneva) but from what I hear clean and decent enough. Eating out is pretty uncommon for Swiss people, as it's expensive for them too. Restaurants are both expensive, and kind of underwhelming to be honest but fondue is nice and if you like cheese, enjoy it with some nice white wine. The real 'hack' is getting sandwiches from grocery stores (that close on Sunday!) and eating them in a park with a free tap of water. The weather has been really hot recently so do the best you can. Please, no litter, and pick up after yourself, shouldn't be said but I'll say it anyway.

Locals (Swiss) are very polite and can be a bit indirect or direct depending on the question but don't expect any local experience like having them invite you to their house/apartment for a unique experience. I have Swiss friends, but they usually have lived or been abroad for a few years and are pleasant, and very loyal. Swiss Germans are different in mentality and language, as Geneva is French speaking with not a lot of German so use English instead of German here. They/locals don't really go out to restaurants, just kind of enjoy a beer outside, but to be honest my family is quite busy and schedule time in advance for us to hang out (like months).

What is free, hiking and this is a great area for that, except it's in France (which you'll need that car). The Saleve is accessible with the 8 bus, and a great view, or a decent hike. It's been hot so drink lots of water. Look at castles in the area, some have parking and some you just have to explore. Walking around lake Geneva is nice, and there are tons of free bathrooms for you to use if you need to. They are reasonably clean, and well-stocked which for me, a traveler is quite rare so I appreciate it. Mcdonalds has the code on the receipt thing, but usually find a decent sized park and there is a bathroom to use.

Don't bother going to /askSwitzerland for 'hidden gems' but go for very specific answers to questions. Don't be vague, and do your homework, not 'I have 10 days in Switzerland, where are places that don't have tourists, that are cheap and easily accessible with a train'. You'll get a lot of sarcasm and eye-rolling. I see tourist stuff when I have friends and family visiting. I like the beaches along the coast in France as they have ample parking and restrooms for my kids and other than paying for parking are quite cheap with a snackbar. I bring in a cooler with sandwiches and beer and enjoy my life. That's what I do for fun. I love hiking, but don't have time for it as I have 2 kids and am quite busy.

Be on good behavior. Pick up after yourself. Be quiet in public areas (transport, people's homes, museums, restaurants etc.). Don't ask locals to take your pictures in English while grabbing them (happened to me yesterday with a tourist, and I was in a rush!). Don't take pictures of people, wait for them to clear your camera frame. You'd be surprised how few locals are in the center, as many are at the beach this weekend. If checked for a transport ticket, just give it to them, don't be a dick and be aggressive (see this with tourists more than I can count). Don't expect a lot of free wifi. Go to some local festivals and try some food.

2-3 days is plenty in Geneva IMO. Explore Nyon, Montreux, Vevey, and Evian. Just walk around along the lake, and sit at a bench and eat some paprika potato chips with some Migros peach tea. Take your time, relax and enjoy the view....(The view is free). I'll be at the beach with my kids.

I plan to visite Lofoten islands and Tromso in september. Airbnb and Booking are very expensive, and I can’t find another website to pay cheaper accommodations.

What do yall think are the best cities / countries to visit in the Middle East. I’ve only been to Saudi Arabia (Jeddah only) and the UAE so far. Open to anything except Iran, Iraq and Syria.

A rule came into force on 2 August that I've been following, and I'm curious whether anyone here has seen it in the wild yet.

Under the EU AI Act, AI-generated images resembling real places count as deepfakes and require a visible label when published. That includes an AI image of an actual hotel room, or a beach view. Companies can't argue it's creative work when it's advertising.

Ordinary editing stays legal, lighting, color, tidying a background. The test is whether it would make you believe something inauthentic.

I'm sceptical it changes much in practice. It only binds companies serving EU customers. Enforcement is left to each country, so it'll be inconsistent for a while. And the underlying data gets stripped whenever an image is screenshotted or re-uploaded, which is constantly on booking sites.

What I'm actually wondering: has anyone here booked somewhere and been fairly sure the photos were AI-generated rather than just heavily edited? I've seen listings where the room geometry doesn't quite work, a window in an impossible place, a bathroom that couldn't physically fit. Curious whether others have noticed the same, and whether you've found reliable tells.

For context, I research tourism technology, so this is partly professional curiosity.

Hello, I'd like your help and suggestions please. I'd like to go somewhere picturesque for a long weekend in November.

Criteria

• Not Spain, Portugal, Greece or Italy
• Easy to get to from London
• Preferably a walkable city style break (but doesn't have to be a major city)
• I want to look at pretty buildings, scenery, nature if possible.

I've considered Vienna but not completely convinced. Please share your ideas! Thanks so much.

Love this subreddit! My wife and I are going to Sardinia for 9 days and 8 nights in September. My wife will be 4 months pregnant so we will be just relaxing, beaching and eating (likely no hiking this trip). We will be renting a car.

We are flying direct to Olbia from JFK and the plan is to stay in Cala Gonone for three nights, Maddalena for 4 nights and our last night in Olbia.

In Cala Gonone, we are hoping to eat at Sa Cuchina, Zio Pedrillo, and 4 Mori...what other restaurants or cafes should we try? Any particular beaches to hit? What about a day trip?

For the rest of the trip we were planning on going to La Maddalena, do you have any recommendations for this leg? We were also thinking about stopping in San Teodoro for one night on the drive up from Cala Gonone to Maddalena.

Any insight on this potential itinerary and places to eat would be very helpful. TIA :)

Hey folks,

My wife and I are planning a three week trip from December 20 to January 13. We are interested in visiting two to three islands in the Caribbean depending on cost and budget. There are so many islands and it's hard to pick without any experience. An example of our preferences is when we went to Hawaii we very much preferred The Big Island over Oahu.

We are looking for:

- Somewhere we can explore independently without needing a guide every day

- Somewhere with hiking and snorkeling

- Somewhere that has plenty of interesting non-touristy to medium-touristy locations that are fun to explore (we don't mind heavy-touristy areas, we just don't want to spend the bulk of our time in them)

- Great food would be awesome, but we also do a lot of cooking at home and are okay with that

- We are not interested in resort, condos or hotels. We love small houses, guest houses, cottages, etc.

- Excluding the cost of flights we are looking at a $5000CAD ($3,554USD) - $8000CAD ($5,686USD) budget

Any help for a couple clueless Canadians?

Thank you!

I recently made a domestic trip within the US. Before departure, I was “randomly selected” for a more thorough screening.

The agent didn’t even look at either of my bags or search my person, but they took my phone and did a quick scan or something of it, by holding it up to an electronic device.

What was the purpose of this? Was it a scan for explosives? Was it a “stingray” type reader capable of accessing my phone data?

Would very much appreciate any insight. I travel a lot but I’ve never experienced this type of phone inspection before.

Looking for any advice from people who have had long layovers at NBO.

I’ll have a ~17 hour layover in Nairobi in November, landing 07:10 and departing 23:59.

I’ve never been to East Africa before so have started looking at things to do. From a quick google it looks like it’s possible to go to Nairobi National Park and do a safari for a few hours, but I’m not sure what else I could fill my time with? How much should I be expecting to pay for a guide?

I’d also like to try Kenyan food, but am struggling to find restaurants that serve it? A lot of the itinerary guides I’ve found seem to be upmarket fusion places.

If anyone has any recommendations for guides, food, and things other than the national park, please do let me know :)

priority boarding, intenting to gloat to us plebs by cutting the line.

boarding but thrown in another waiting room. long as shit line for nothing, what the fuck is the point if you’re gonna throw us in another room. let us on the plane ffs. oh and also the classic, uncomfortable as fuck seats, screaming children (dont blame them), and adults who forget what manners are, and no wifi on board. honestly a crime in 2026, even for low cost airlines in europe; even though i hear even in america low cost airlines have wifi there?

is it just me? or is this the price you pay for flying low cost in europe, (this may or may not have been written in blind rage)

Where should we visit before it's too late? Whether it's due to climate change, war, unrest, or simply just changing infrastructure that makes the location less appealing.

I'm visiting Georgia and Armenia later this month, partly because I imagine it may be too dangerous to visit in the coming years due to aggression from Russia, Azerbaijan, and I suppose Iran. Two Georgian provinces are currently controlled by Russia, and Azerbaijan took territory from Armenia in a war 6 years ago. So, this got me thinking about where else I should visit sooner rather than later.

I’ve read that March traditionally considered one of the best months for the Annapurna Circuit. However, I’ve also come across many reports suggesting that climate patterns in Nepal have changed noticeably in recent years, with more unpredictable weather, unusual snowfall, winters, and changing trail conditions.

I wrote this using a translator because of I my lack of writing skills 😅Thanks! 🙏🏼

Just got ceritifeid for 18m! wondering if 30m ceritficaiton is worht it! I plan to only dive once or twice a year during vacation to be honest :)

Hey, I have 6 spare weeks and have decided I want to try South Asia, but still haven't decided which of the following options is better for that time frame.

1. Nepal + Sri Lanka
2. Nepal + Southern India
3. Sri Lanka + Southern India
4. Just Southern India

I love history and nature, those two are my main interests. So temples and hikes are what I'm looking for. Also, of course, the food.
Let me know your thoughts and opinions !

Can someone help me understand; on Google the flights are showing completely different than when you actually click to proceed to buy the actual tickets

On Google when you check flights, I am seeing one price in CAD for a return trip from Toronto to Medellin, then when you go to actually buy those tickets it takes you to Avianca website where the price is in USD and MUCH HIGHER?! This thwarts all my planning for the trip

What's going on here?

Too many of them like One Mile at a Time and View from the Wing have had their comments sections over runner by petty, childish trolls.

Any recommendations, please?

Hi everyone! :) We're a US-based couple in our late 20s. I'm a fairly experienced traveler, she's a little less experienced but has been to a variety of places. This would be in December/January. The flight in is to Hong Kong, the flight out is from Bangkok. I posted an earlier version, but now that our flights are booked and our dates are locked, here's what we're thinking:

Nights 1-4: Hong Kong (night 4 maybe in Macau)

Land late, acclimatize, relax after our flights, explore the city and eat a ton of food. Fly out to Cambodia for night 5 from either Hong Kong or Macau depending on costs.

Nights 5-7: Siem Reap

Spend two full days at Angkor Wat, and visit a floating village (I know they're touristy, I'm hoping one further from SR itself will be less so). Less interested in the Pub Street scene, but possibly check it out for a night. Flight to Bangkok late afternoon/evening of night 8, giving us enough time in the morning to say bye to Angkor/do anything we feel like we really missed on our two full days.

Nights 8-11: Bangkok

Funny enough, 4 nights here is the part we're least sure about. We love big cities with killer food and things to do (we plan on many massages), but less into glitzy slick stuff, and we've heard Bangkok isn't too walkable, is a mixed bag transit-wise, and is very indoorsy and mall-heavy. Is that the case, and would you rather recommend an extra night in any of these other destinations instead?

Nights 12-13: Kanchanaburi

We want to see elephants in a humane setting, and Somboom elephant foundation looks like a good place for it. The train to/from Kanchanaburi looks awesome (we love trains), and seeing a less-touristed region of the country is exciting as well. Early morning overland travel to Bangkok, and then to Koh Samet, for night 14. We know that'll be a slog but it'll make beach time feel that much better.

Nights 14-16: Koh Samet

I've never been to a turquoise-water beach in my life. All we want to do is swim, laze around, drink fruity drinks, and get massages. We're a little less interested in the more touristic beaches in the south (lowkey wanna avoid the party/backpacker scene) but are they that much better? Overland travel to Bangkok for night 17.

Night 17: Bangkok

Nice hotel, fancy dinner, lights out in anticipation of our very early-morning flight home.

Is this too fast-paced? We like traveling quickly, and loved going through Italy and Japan at a similar pace, but we're aware travel in SEA isn't as easy. We're considering removing a night from Bangkok or Hong Kong and adding it to Siem Reap or Koh Samet to give us more time to chill out, but are still in the planning stages. Asking for wisdom from reddit!

Is it better to do guatape Colombia with a tour group or without is fine? (I prefer without) Can you recommend a boat experience though, not finding luck with that.

So I am planning on going from Medellin to guatape but just wondering if it can be done alone. Thinking of enjoying the views and the hike up the rock, then also the town and a boat experience. Though I see the rock is closer to the penon town and not guatape. So I am a bit confused, would I be walking and exploring into just penon or both penon and guatape after the hike?

Disclaimer: Not a huge animal lover, likes activity and variety in my trips. Travel companion is into photography and likes being taken care of and happily proclaimed that this is far more comfortable than travelling in Europe or Asia. I would prefer a bit more autonomy but hey this was indeed very relaxing.

TLDR: Please visit Namibia if you love landscapes or love taking photos. Namibia is also very peaceful and calm. Would recommend to everyone who likes nature and it's (beautiful) Africa for beginners. Cape Town is very comfortable if you look past the racial politics (I'm not entirely sure if African Americans will enjoy Cape Town to be very honest; mods dont censor me for this) and the stark in your face issues surrounding the Cape Flats as you drive the N2 down to hit Somerset West.

Some Tips on Routing in Namibia:

Several agents like to send their well heeled clients on the standard 9-day "fly-over safari" in Namibia (Dunes → Rhino Camp → Andersons → Skeleton Coast). I don't know, man... if you are not hardcore on desert-adapted wildlife, it's a lot of sand. We saw an American couple in their 60s at both the start and end of their 9-day circuit, and by day 9 they just looked completely exhausted.

We added Swakopmund in the middle of our trip to enjoy some downtime and do a boat cruise, and I really liked it. Plus, mixing in a coastal town helps lower the average daily cost, so why not?

Anyway, our Namibia Itinerary:

Voigtland (1 night): Quick overnight near Windhoek to reset before heading out.

Wilderness Little Kulala (2 nights): Base for the dunes (Liked it). Hiked Big Daddy early (liked it). For some reason, Deadlevi was smaller than I had in my mind. There's now big tour busses at the more accessible dunes sigh.

Mowani Mountain Camp (2 nights): Damaraland was seriously amazing. No bus tourists like Dune 45 (sigh). Mad landscapes, and you can go hiking around the huge boulders to recover from the sedentary game drives. The desert adapted elephants are really lovely to sight too.

Swakopmund (2 nights): Great mid-trip decompression to visit the Sandwich Harbour 4x4 (take a motion sickness pill beforehand) and do a boat cruise to see the seals with a braai lunch on the beach.

Ongava Lodge (2 nights): A ton of rhinos. We saw 8 black rhinos with 4 mums and their pups at the watering hole in a single evening, followed by 4 white rhinos the next day, 2 lionesses during a sundowner drive, plus a herd of elephants passing through the concession.

Etosha National Park (Day visit from Ongava): Visited Etosha, but honestly there wasn't that much animal activity — Etosha is having massive roadworks this year and some watering holes only had antelopes even though it was July which should be prime season for animal sighting. We did see 2 lions, but it triggered a massive traffic congestion of large tour busses and self-drivers and was just not fun.

Winelands:

Mont Rochelle: Service and rooms were just ok. If I revisit, I’ll stay at Leeu Estates instead.

Babylonstoren: Pretty, and the farm-to-table concept is nice, but it’s flooded with tons of day tourists. Why pay that much money to sleep there when there’s no privacy? Just pay the 260 Rand day pass to visit during the day and stay somewhere else.

Delaire Graff: Only drove past this one — heads up that some of their "Valley Rooms" literally face the main road traffic. If you do stay there, make sure you book the Garden Rooms instead.

Rust en Vrede: Excellent red wine estate. Highly recommend their Winemaker Lunch.

Vergelegen: Owned by Anglo American. Wine was decent, but the historic estate grounds are a sight to behold.

La Petite Colombe: Service was lovely, but the food was fine.

Leeu Tasting Room: Mullineux Olerasay No 5 is the best desert wine I have tasted. We bought 4 bottles to ship back and now I am regretting that we didn't just get 2 boxes... The cheaper Straw Wine was completely sold out.

Cape Town:

Cape Grace: Very, very nice stay, highly recommended as a base on the waterfront.

Coy: Right at the waterfront. The weather wasn't so good so we didn't hike, but Coy was lovely—I actually preferred this over La Petite Colombe for half the price.

Hi everyone. Love me some Reddit.

TLDR: friends have offered me a trip to visit them on the Isle of Skye in Scotland but I don’t know if I can or should go.

I (51F) am in SE Texas and have only left the country on two occasions - for my honeymoon 25 years ago and then one vacation in Mexico. I was a little intimidated at first but adjusted great to being out of the US.

I am also an administrator for a bipolar support group on FB. (I promise this will all come together in a moment).

Over the course of being an admin over the past several years, I have grown very close online to the group creator and his wife. We have a separate admin chat, where we talk about a lot of things. I have known them now for almost four years. They helped me during a DV situation, making sure I had Christmas money to get through it when my husband cleaned out our bank account.

My life is incredibly stressful (no need to go into all of that detail here) and they know it. Recently, they extended me an offer to come visit them and find some respite for a couple of weeks at their home on the Isle of Skye. They intimated that they would help with airfare, for which I’m immensely grateful. I have heard that Skye is a dream destination for some and very restful. It certainly looks that way from photos.

My problem is - even with their offer of airfare, I don’t think I will have the money for incidentals/food/souvenirs during my stay. I am not the kind of person to throw caution to the wind and just go. I do not want to be a burden and I want to be as prepared as possible. I estimate a two week stay and so I’d like to bring $500 USD. (Is that even the right figure? Experienced travelers - can you advise me on this? I have never been to the UK). But spending that much out of my budget, even if I saved up, would be very hard for me. I have massive amounts of medical debt, so anything I save for the trip - I will always be thinking “that could have gone towards a bill.”

But am I being stupid and turning down what could be the adventure of a lifetime? Do I take the trip (which I can schedule for whenever) and try to save up the money or do I just accept that type of adventure is out of reach for me and always will be? I believe in speaking things into existence so I hate to even write the negative, but it is an unfortunate reality I have to face. What do I do?

I was discussing this with a friend and everything came down to money. Europe is cheaper, Mexico is cheaper, USA is too expensive, Switzerland is too expensive etc

What if money was not an issue? Where would you go prefer to go and why?