Comments on: What I Talk About When I Talk About Travel*

By: Bruce

Bruce — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:46:09 +0000

“Because I like airports, and I like flying. I try to appreciate the process of travel itself as much as the destination.”
….

Yes, finally somebody who gets it! I enjoy the process of travel a lot too, lingering for an hour in a train station, seeing the activity and all the rest of it.

By: Jared

Jared — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:50:41 +0000

Thanks Chris for taking the time to share all of that. Now I know where to go to get some great information on HOW to travel affordably.

As I’ve said before, it’s ALWAYS great to know someone else is living outside the box we’re sometimes put in.

-Jared

By: Priyank

Priyank — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:14:33 +0000

Thanks Chris, it was wonderful reading this. The links especially were very useful to follow what you said

By: Robert L. Gisel

Robert L. Gisel — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:30:51 +0000

Hi Chris,

I understand about travelling your own. I have one personal rule to try to not go to 30,000 feet more than twice in one day, three max. Beyond that my head doesn’t go back to normal. Flying home to Juneau from south California though is always a minimum of 3 and can be 4 or 5 with extra stops in San Francisco, Ketchican and Petersburg, even Sitka, all besides the usual stop in Seattle. Ouch!

By: The Global Traveller

The Global Traveller — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:43:52 +0000

Catherine - there are a lot of savvy travellers on Flyer Talk who use RTW tickets and other special fares to maximise the travel while minimising the cost. In particular the airline alliance forums have price comparisons for all countries and all 3 major alliances, and the mileage run forum also has useful information on cheap fares.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:51:49 +0000

Hey guys. I’m in HKG getting ready to fly home… details on my trip to Egypt coming in a few hours.

@Robert,

I would certainly not expect anyone to travel the way I do. I learned to enjoy travel the most when I started doing it my own way, and I encourage everyone to do the same for themselves.

@Bo,

Carbon offsets: Considered, yes. Followed-through, no. I think that business / operation still has a long way to go, since right now a blend of companies and non-profits are offering a lot of wildly different options and there is no consensus on whether it really helps.

@Catherine,

Sure – currently Japan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Mauritius are good bets. The last three are better than Japan, but obviously it takes a bit more work to get there.

@Nomadic Matt,

Yep, to each his own. RTW is great for me but not for everyone. Although I should say that I do find it a great value, and the tickets are quite flexible if you optimize the itinerary well.

@Hannah,

Thanks! That’s great. I’ll add Belgium to my list of host-ready cities.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:50:38 +0000

You lived in the Philippines as a child?! Me too! I was there between 1989-1991, when I was between 5 and 7. We lived in Batac, near Laouag, way up North on the Luzon Island. I haven’t been back since, although my brother & dad went on a trip last year, and I am back in touch with an old friend. I would love to set up some kind of NGO to help students get their degree (the country is so poor and the people are so wonderful).

Also, you would have an address to stay over in Belgium as well! I live in Leuven, a university town 25 min. from Brussels.

Best wishes

By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:37:28 +0000

Excellent article. Airline travel can be costly so it is good to know these things. However, i don’t really like RTW tickets. I find that unless you go on the typical route, then can actually be more expensive. Plus it doesn’t take into account the discount carriers you need to fly and if you fly a lot, reward miles can get you places for free!

BTW – I did enjoy the ebook too.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:24:07 +0000

Hi Chris,
You mentioned that RTW tickets from certain countries are cheaper than from US, Canada or Europe. Will you be able to mention these countries (with cheaper RTW tickets if you start from there)? I’ve been trying to look up information on this as I’m planning to do a RTW soon and it’s a bit hard to find. Thanks!

ps. great blog btw!

By: Bo

Bo — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:14:33 +0000

Have you considered purchasing carbon offsets for your air travel?