Day 34: Just do it -- how we made this trip, PHOTOS!
Samar Halarnkar -
Saturday, May 17, 2008 9:18 PM
Some of you have been asking us how we made this trip happen. How did we find the time? How did we find the money? Where exactly are we headed?
(Photo: The Pajero we hired on our road-trip in New Zealand earlier this month)
The short answer: We just did it.
And really, the long answer is an expanded version of what might sound like free advertising for Nike. Once you decide you are going to do this, it's up to you to make it happen. Many people say to us: "How lucky!" Luck has nothing to do with it. Let me explain:
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Finding the Time
It helps to have supportive bosses and companies. Both our bosses immediately said yes. I always understand if anyone on my team ever wants to make a journey that goes beyond the normal week-long or 15-day holiday. As a wanderer all my life, I can scarcely deny anyone their wanderlust. But we were prepared to quit our jobs, if needed, to make this journey.
To ensure you get leave, it obviously helps to have worked hard, with committment and results. Do that, and unless you have a really bad employer, I don't see how any modern company will refuse a sabbatical. That's what this is: A time to take a step back, get refreshed and reinvigorated. There are many ways of taking a sabbatical -- fellowships, further education, voluntary work -- but we chose a round-the-world trip with no particular aim.
Travel is always an education, always. It is a great widener of horizons and a strong tool to fashion -- or reinforce -- your character and soul. Travel is often a journey of discovery that ends up becoming an odyssey in self discovery. I'm presently reading The Motorcycle Diaries (it's an excellent film of the same name, you can get it on DVD), the account of a 4,500-km journey made on a sputtering motorcycle by Ernesto Che Guevara, the iconic Latin American revolutionary in 1952. Time magazine had said of Che's odyessey: "For every comic escapade of the carefree roustabout there is an equally eye-opening moment in the development of the future revolutionary leader. By the end of the journey, a politicized Guevara has emerged to predict his own legendary future ..."
Now we have no claims on being any kind of revolutionaries, and travel by Boeing 777s, 747s and Airbuses sure beats the beat-up Norton that Che used, but you get the picture.
Will we be changed people? Will our lives change? I think all of this will happen: lots of things have become clear, things that are indistinct during the hazy frenzy of daily life. We have also realised there are worlds out there waiting to be discovered and experienced. If we don't seek them out during this life, we never will.
If all this sounds too heavy, hey, just enjoy the wind in your hair, the sun warm upon your face and follow the road rising gently ahead of you.
2. Finding the money
We will do a final costing of this trip, and share the figures with you. We've budgeted around Rs 15 lakh. But let me just say that you can make a journey on any budget. You just have to be determined to do it.
What I can tell you right now is that the round-the-world ticket on the Star Alliance cost us roughly Rs 1.89 lakh each -- that's for 40,000 miles, five continents, 90 days. There are a couple of destinations -- primarily in Latin America -- that didn't seem to be on the Star Alliance map, so we had to buy some independent tickets, which cost an additional lakh. Our travel agent in Bombay insisted no Star Alliance airline went there. As it turned out, we could have made those destinations -- Costa Rica and Peru -- on the alliance. Air Canada flies to both destinations, and I found this out simply by browsing the Air Canada inflight magazine. We should have done stronger research of our own, not left everything to our travel agent, who had never booked this kind of a trip (her words). So, do your research, and you will save money.
But you will spend money, and you must be prepared to do that. It's up to you really if you want to backpack or if you want to stay in slightly more comfortable accomodation. We were clear that our backpacking days are done (though two backpacks and a strolley are all we are carrying), so have stayed in cosy motels, bed-and-breakfasts that average $100 (U.S).
We've also stayed with old friends/family in many places and that has been a wonderful opportunity to renew relationships (Photo: the wife with her niece Sufiya in Vancouver). It doesn't really save you much money because then you tend to spend on side trips, adventures and extravagant meals.
When friends realise you are really going to make this trip they will say they want to join you on part of your journey. Please say yes! Many friends wanted to tag on, but finally Gitu and Bong (my sis and her husband, also an old friend) were the only ones who made it. They flew in to be part of our New Zealand leg; we abandoned our plans of a camper van and decided to hire an SUV instead. Aside from the fact that we had a fabulous time together (read the blogs), it brought our costs down. Read the NZ posts if you want to know more.
Early in this blog, on April 3, we posted an entry (http://blogs.livemint.com/blogs/travel/archive/2008/04/03/why-it-helps-not-to-have-a-home.aspx) on how it was easier for us because we didn't have a home of our own. But we've since done the math and realised that we could have made the trip even if we did. It does mean though that you have to cut down on something, and for us that has meant not having luxuries of the kind booming, urban India has come to revere: flat-screen tv, music system, latest car, foreign trips, furniture ...
3. Finding the destination
This is really up to you. We literally sat down with a map, made a few stabs with our fingers and co-related those with places either of us really wanted to visit. Some (like Canada) we added on because we had lots of miles to spare on the round-the-world ticket and discovered we could fly there at no added expense. Some we had to fly to because we needed to use certain cities as hubs to make connections. For instance, we had to fly from Australia to North America to find a valid connection to South America. Some routes are convoluted, but we have no choice. For instance, there are many direct flights from Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica, but none on Star Alliance. So in a little over a week, we take three consecutive flights, Los Angeles to Denver to Miami to Costa Rica -- devil of a journey, leaving 6 am in the morning and reaching at 10 pm.
If you're interested, here's our entire schedule (We are in Vancouver right now, leaving Monday for Los Angeles):
SERVICE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE
-------------- ------------------- --------------------- -------- -------
SINGAPORE AIRLINES - SQ 423
SUN 13APR MUMBAI IN SINGAPORE SG 0025 0820
CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI CHANGI
NON STOP TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL 2 DURATION 5:25
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: MEAL
EQUIPMENT:BOEING 777-300
SINGAPORE AIRLINES - SQ 227
WED 16APR SINGAPORE SG MELBOURNE VI 2100 0610
CHANGI TULLAMARINE 17APR
NON STOP TERMINAL 3 TERMINAL 2 DURATION 7:10
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: MEAL
EQUIPMENT:BOEING 747-400
AIR NEW ZEALAND - NZ 792
MON 21APR MELBOURNE VI CHRISTCHURCH NZ 0900 1420
TULLAMARINE
NON STOP TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL M DURATION 3:20
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: BREAKFAST
FLIGHT OPERATED BY ZEAL320 LTD/ FULL AIRN
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200
AIR NEW ZEALAND - NZ 105
TUE 06MAY AUCKLAND NZ SYDNEY NS 1600 1730
AUCKLAND KINGSFORD SMITH
NON STOP TERMINAL INTL TERMINAL 1 DURATION 3:30
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: MEAL
EQUIPMENT:BOEING 767-300/300ER
AIR CANADA - AC 34
MON 12MAY SYDNEY NS VANCOUVER BC 1000 0700
KINGSFORD SMITH INTL
NON STOP TERMINAL 1 TERMINAL M DURATION 14:00
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- H ECONOMY
ON BOARD: BREAKFAST/MEAL
EQUIPMENT:BOEING 777-200LR
AIR CANADA - AC 554
MON 19MAY VANCOUVER BC LOS ANGELES CA 1350 1647
INTL INTL
NON STOP TERMINAL M TERMINAL 2 DURATION 2:57
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- H ECONOMY
ON BOARD: FOOD FOR PURCHASE
EQUIPMENT:EMBRAER 190
UNITED AIRLINES - UA 1192
SUN 25MAY LOS ANGELES CA DENVER CO 0625 0943
INTL DENVER INTL
NON STOP TERMINAL 7 DURATION 2:18
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
EQUIPMENT:BOEING 767-300/300ER
UNITED AIRLINES - UA 1546
SUN 25MAY DENVER CO MIAMI FL 1035 1621
DENVER INTL MIAMI INTL
NON STOP DURATION 3:46
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: FOOD AND BEVERAGES FOR PURCHASE
FLIGHT OPERATED BY UNITED FOR TED
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A318/A319/A32
AMERICAN AIRLINES - AA 2141
SUN 25MAY MIAMI FL SAN JOSE CR 2020 2105
MIAMI INTL JUAN SANTAMARIA
NON STOP DURATION 2:45
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- Q ECONOMY
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A300-600/600C
LACSA, LR 0611
TUE 10JUNE SAN JOSE CR LIMA, PERU (LIM) 1055 3:35 PM
JUAN SANTAMARIA JULIACA
DURATION 3:40
ON BOARD: LUNCH
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
TACA, TA 0131
TRANS AMERICAN AIRLINES, TACA PERU
MON 23JUNE LIMA, PERU (LIM) SAO PAULO 1015 5:00 PM
JULIACA GUARULHOS (GRU)
DURATION 4:45
ON BOARD: REFRESHMENT, FOOD FOR PURCHASE
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS - SA 223
WED 25JUN SAO PAULO SP JOHANNESBURG ZA 1800 0740
GUARULHOS INTL O.R. TAMBO INT 26JUN
NON STOP TERMINAL 2 TERMINAL A DURATION 8:40
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: DINNER/BREAKFAST
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-200
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS - SA 284
THU 10JUL JOHANNESBURG ZA MUMBAI IN 1130 0020
O.R. TAMBO INT CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI 11JUL
NON STOP TERMINAL A TERMINAL 2 DURATION 9:20
NON SMOKING
RESERVATION CONFIRMED- M ECONOMY
ON BOARD: LUNCH/DINNER
EQUIPMENT:AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A340-200
Happy Trails!