Hey all-
My girlfriend and I are planning on taking some time off from work beginning in 2018 (I know it's quite far away but we want to start planning now if possible). Current plan is for 6-9 months around the world but we're open to traveling for longer... just going to see how we feel as we go along the way.
From a pure financial standpoint, we'll have enough saved up from credit card points and savings to complete the trip (budgeting $3-5K per month in expenses including housing and all flights paid for with points).
However, I'm hoping to get the community's advice on things I should do prior to the trip to 1. maximize our experience while on the road and 2. not completely screw ourselves over upon returning back to workforce. Anyone else have experience doing this sort of yearlong trip? Any key takeaways that you want to share?
Here are some preliminary thoughts / questions that I are in my mind, hoping to start a discussion that could one day be useful to others on this thread:
-Housing: any thoughts on the most economical way to travel longterm? Are there any sites that specialize in home stays or for providing accommodations for 2+ weeks at a time?
-Flights: Seems like a round-the-world ticket may be the most economical, ranging from 200k-400k points depending on the airlines and type of ticket (economy, business, first). Anyone with experience using this? If so, which airlines?
-Credit cards: based on my experience churning, it makes sense for us to apply for a few cards before we take off in this year (while we have income to report) so we can use those points to book additional flights / housing if needed. Any other things we should consider / take advantage of this year?
-Any other general tips? e.g. "plan on flying out on Thursdays mornings since flights are cheapest" and "if you need to stay at hotels, book them for a mon / tues stay as rates are generally cheaper" -- made both of those up but hope they convey the type of tips I'm looking for.
Thanks in advance!
Submitted January 15, 2017 at 12:21AM by ospreyintokyo http://ift.tt/2jcQOYm
