How do you travel abroad frequently?

How much money will I need to travel abroad for a year?

• I'm looking to figure out about how much money I'll need to travel abroad for a year. I'm currently deployed in Iraq and am trying to plan for something in the June 2010 time-frame. I've already looked into air-trek for a world ticket. Itinerary would be something like this: New york, iceland, paris, amsterdam, madrid, venice, rome, prague,phuket,chiang mai, hong kong,shanghai, tokyo, san jose, lima, new york. I will probably try to spend less time in First world countries and more time in places like Czech, Thailand, Peru. I'm more than happy to stay in hostels. I'm not a shopper and don't need much more than a room. But would definitely like to stretch this out for a year. Has anyone done anything similar to give a basis for comparison? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

• Answer:

  this is a hard one to answer. you have done the right thing with the ticket which is i guess the equivalent of what i call an around the world ticket, much cheaper with many stop offs. i tried organising my trip myself but found it easier to find a really good travel agent, fortunately i found a friend so that really helped and you get advice and tips etc. travel agents don't usually cost you anything as they get a commission from the places they use. one of my trips was 5+ months and i had a wonderful time. i stayed in youth hostels all the time and you meet someone people and get some good tips on what to see, do and cheap places to eat etc. i found i would seek out a shop or supermarket and purchase a bit of food (not too much just enough to get you through a few days) [spaghetti, rice etc with a sauce are good fillers] but don't forget to get some fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. most hostels have kitchen type areas complete with saucepans, crockery, cutlery, fridges, stoves etc where you can do your own cooking and quite a number i went to had cafes or places that provided food for a cost. see if you can find a hostel that provides a free breakfast so you can make up some sandwiches for lunch etc. first stop is to the information counter which can be found at most airports where you pick up all the info you need including lots of freebies. check the countries on the net well before you go and sort out what you want to see and what the costs may be and youth hostels. some hostel groups such as youth hostels if you join when you stay in some of theirs you get the room/bed cheaper so is often worth it. it is hard to actually work out a cost but save as much as you can and i took a visa card and mastercard because some places don't take one or the other. have them tied into your savings account so that you draw cash from that rather than from the credit card which usually costs more. check the medical requirements such as malaria preventative medication and what vaccinations may be required for entry into a country or on return home. you also need to check visa requirements. sorry this is so long and not all that helpful. i am totally jealous and could wish you luck but i know you will have a great time.