The Rough Guide to First-Time Around the World

by Doug Lansky

Planning a trip around the world? Let First-Time Around the World get you started. Loaded with the very latest travel information, including all you need to know about round-the-world tickets, this pre-departure guide will help get your ultimate journey under way. The guide begins with a 16-page, full-colour ‘Things Not to Miss’ photo section with suggested itineraries, details on what to bring, when to go, how much it will cost and which vaccinations will keep you healthy. The individual country profiles highlight the best places to visit with country-specific websites and necessary budget information. There are plenty of useful tips to help save you money, keep you safe and maximise your time on the road. The guide comes complete with concise regional information, with overland maps and details on weather, major attractions and unmissable festivals.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Guidebook

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

DOUG LANSKY is an American travel writer and keynote speaker based in Sweden. He spent about 10 years traveling the world nonstop, visiting over 100 countries, and has since lived outside the US for an additional 13 years. Doug has contributed to Esquire, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic Adventure, Reader’s Digest, COLORS Magazine, PublicRadio, and many others. He has written books for Rough Guides and Lonely Planet (advice and photo books, not guides) and has had a nationally syndicated travel column in 40 newspapers around the United States. He has always been mindful of the effects of travel writing and the impact of tourism, and currently writes about this in a regular column for Skift and speaks about it at tourism conferences around the world.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive basic information, covering much that you will have read elsewhere: what to pack, how to communicate with people at home, how to deal with money. Rough Guide always does a good job, but I found it curious that this book (in this edition anyway, there is a newer one) acts like the only folks doing round the world travel are young, broke, backpackers with tattoos and piercings (seriously tats are mentioned several times.) Is it impossible to believe someone with modest means and at middle age would want to do this?
While I applaud them for covering all the topics they do it seems like th biggest thing about going round the world is how to trip plan/choose your itiinerary and I think they should have spent more time on that. Perhaps in the new edition??

[Violeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my First step on planning my ultimate journey around the world. It is a great guide, full of lots of very necessary information. This is where the dream starts turning into reality.

[Wayward Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

Information, information, information. This guide is teeming with it. It’s also very reliable (in my experience, at least), thorough, unassuming, realistic and charmingly written. Some of the info may be slightly outdated, but the skeleton is still there, offering common sense solutions to manifold issues and dilemmas plaguing travellers worldwide, alternative approaches to them, covering situations we’d rather not think about, but are likely to stumble upon somewhere “out there” and providing the ABCs of travelling on your own.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great introductory guide to planning a round-the-world (RTW) trip for the first time. Lansky is a bit judgmental (lots of talk about traveler vs. tourist) - most of why I gave this three-out-of-five rather than four - but this is definitely one of those books that make Rough Guides one of my favorite travel book brands. Another good book in the RTW-planning genre is The Practical Nomad by Edward Hasbrouck.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-4 stars. Has some useful tips, and is worth te read. However, I found this book to be very male-centric (for example: the packing list is ridiculous) and focused mainly on independent travellers using an around the world airline ticket. It's a good book for general tips, ideas and has especially good chapters on safety and communication but didn't have enough on overland travel, travelling as a couple or women's travel issues.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not written for me. I’m a 45 year old mom who has travelled lots and enjoys a four seasons. This was still a fun read.

Just please take showers. That bothered me more than anything. No one wants to smell you

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information that I intend to make good use of..

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the thought that comes into your mind when you read the book's title?  Maybe you think that this book is a somewhat generic guide to world travel and that's something you want to read more of before tackling guides to more specific locales.  To be sure, as someone who has visited almost a sixth of the countries and dependencies of the world, this book would not necessarily be of interest as someone who is far from a first-time world traveler.  That said, this book has something else in mind that I find very interesting, and that is a coherent approach to traveling around the entire globe, conducting one's own circumnavigation of the globe through land, air, and sea routes, all on a budget that is not excessive.  Yes, this sounds of personal interest to me, even if I am not sure that it is something I will personally take advantage of any time soon.  It's the sort of idea that is worth pondering over, letting it marinate as one engages in the course of one's travels until one's means and one's ambitions meet to fulfill such an undertaking.

The book, which is about 300 pages, begins with some ideas from the author to enrich one's journey around the world.  After that there are nineteen chapters that are covered in the author's efforts to encourage the reader to enjoy a big adventure around the world.  This includes some frequently asked questions (1), initial planning (2), logistics of travel (3), choosing whether to travel alone or with friends (4), costs and savings (5), ways to volunteer, work, and study abroad (6), documents and insurance (7), preparing one's home for departure (8), packing light (9), carrying valuables (10), guidebooks and other reading (11), what to do when one arrives abroad (12), culture shock (13), staying in touch (14), security (15), health (16), special considerations (17), documenting one's trip (18), and returning home (19).  After that the author looks at various sights and issues in traveling throughout the world, covering Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe and Russia, the Middle East, and North and South America.  Sadly, the author does not spend any time talking about the logistics of traveling to Antarctica so that one can see glorious penguins and add the most rare and difficult of continents to one's list.  After that there is a directory and some small print and index information that close the book.

There are at least a few general principles to discuss when it comes to traveling around the world.  For one, the task of traveling around the world on a shoestring budget can be done, and the author recommends some options to improve one's hipster points.  Also, hilariously, the author also talks about the areas that people might want to visit that are unsafe to visit (most of Somalia), and manages to come up with some options to get flight discounts, deal with visa issues, as well as even work under the table.  When an author feels free talking about violating the labor laws of nations as a way of earning money and taking advantage of corruption, there is clearly something intriguing going on here, something that is worthy of reflecting on at least.  I was greatly interested in the author's suggestion about traveling on freight ships and taking advantage of rail and bus transportation for the long haul.  That said, different people will find a great deal of interest here based on how they most want to travel and where exactly they want to go, and how many countries they want to see along the way.  All of this allows for a great degree of personalizing one's global travels.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readability 6. Rating 6. "A trip planner for the ultimate journey" - overall, very well done, detailed, thoughtful, with a practical and balanced tone. Lansky doesn't stray into over-romanticizing travel, nor does he become so hyperpractical that it convinces one to stay home. And there is a lot of information in the book - very dense, but well organized. Two problems: first, my copy is quite dated. It is arguable that a book like this (even the updated version appears to be from 2010) just doesn't work anymore - too many things change too quickly, and yet, if it doesn't provide deep detail, it isn't even helpful for its short shelf life. Second, I am not a broke 20-something, yet except for about 2 pages late in the book, it is geared to the young and poor. I did a trip around the world at that point in my life and want to do it again, but not in the same way. As a result, a great deal of the book starts from premises that simply don't apply to me.

[Kathleen Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic but informative travel guide, written with English-speaking males in mind. There is barely any information for women looking to travel alone. Very repetitive and somewhat judgemental in parts.
Clumped Australia and New Zealand together in one part and referred to their "outbacks". Hopefully corrected in later editions...

[Meghan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Although my pandemic strategy of reading travel books while we can’t travel seems to be backfiring. I want to explore more than ever! This had book suggestions for each area, so I’ve got a lot more on my to-read list, now!

[Ralph N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even with how prolific information about around the travel is on the internet, I found lots of useful information condensed in this book

[Sandro Helmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dicas úteis para quem planeja conhecer o mundo.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title drew me in; it seemed this would be useful for this thing I'm doing soon. I figured I'd pick up a couple tips -- I didn't expect to read the whole thing as I did. The author's one of the more engaging guide writers I've found and I'll be making a point to check out other titles of his.

I'd recommend this to anyone in the midst of planning an RTW itinerary. This book is so much easier than cobbling together random (possibly suspect) blog posts and scraps of advice from across multiple regional guidebooks. It is well-organized, covers all of the bases of planning an epic journey, and where it leaves off, it directs you to useful and credible resources elsewhere to learn more.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this at the wrong time, unfortunately. I only noticed this title after we had taken our year off and circled the globe. It turns out that this book really mirrored a lot of our experiences and much of the advice it gives is spot on. I wish we had the resources listed about bundled air deals, as that probably would have saved us a fair bit of cash. I can't agree with everything here - leave your MP3 player at home? - but if you're at all planning an excursion like this, reading this book is recommended.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. As a traveler, it make me want to pack up and just take off! I would recommend it to anyone who has entertained the idea of organizing an around the world trip. The book is in it's second edition, so a new copy will provide good current info on organizing flights, sample routes, and other good tips. The author also does a travel blog on the travelchannel.com webpage. Good stuff.

[Katryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although you can get a lot of this information online, it is useful to have in one place, particularly if you're just starting to think about a round-the-world trip. Nice combination of objective information and author's opinions and personal experiences.

Not sure how much I would actually use this in planning a trip, but it is a good introduction to all the things one would need to think about before going.

[Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty average book. Most of this is your typical common sense and someone who has traveled a lot will be already aware of many of the recommendations in this book. Found it helpful for a few hidden gems (cargo boat crossings, etc), but mostly for someone who is brand new to this. Admittedly, that's the book's market, so it didn't do much for me but I think it'll be good for those just starting to travel.

[MarkoPDX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book, I think it helped clarify for me that I think I would be more comfortable just bumming around Europe for a long period than making my way around the whole globe. There are other areas of the world I would like to visit as well, but I would rather see them as a tourist than as a traveler.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I don't usually read guide books cover to cover I did with this one. I enjoyed reading about the possible routes, precations and the side bars with real experiences I found very interesting. While I'm not at a place where I can take off for a year or more to explore the world I love to dream about it and hope that one day that chance will come.

[Tyrean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information! I didn't read it all in order, but I enjoyed the massive amount of content in concise form offered up in this little guidebook. I'm actually way out from planning an around-the-world adventure, but this helped me get into more of a mindset for what I'll need in the future. I checked it out of the library, and I hope I remember this one for later . . .

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've traveled a good amount already, this book doesn't offer much new information. In the regional sections, the author suggestions literature to enhance your trips - that part, I liked. Could definitely benefit from a female coauthor... Mr. Lansky comes across clueless (and at times, mildly offensive) to the female backpacker.

[Gage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a great book to have before I left the country on a big traveling adventure. Though, I did still get a lot of use out of it while starting our travels and plan to use it as a reference book for a while. Good information if you choose to travel for a long time.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I bought it 6 months before I left on my 8-month journey through Asia, Australia, and Africa, and it greatly helped my planning process. I will doubtless re-read it before my next grand journey, whenever that may be. Highly recommended.

[Rui Valente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it at about the same time as similars "The Gap Year book" from Lonely Planet and "The Backpackers Bible". Found it to be the best of the lot, for not only is packed with very useful information but the author also has a very funny style, making the book a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!!

[Tiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read this book I've realized that I have traveled a lot. There was not much new information here. However, I think the book condensates many travel experiences, hints, and warnings valuable for new travelers. Also, it's a fun read.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guidebook for preparing to travel around the world. The information is useful and there is quite a bit of unique information that I haven't found elsewhere. Worth the investment.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a great resource for our upcoming trip!

[br4ndy · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good travel book for people who want to literally go round-the-world on a budget.

[Melissa]

[2012.10] Good material to skim before a trip as a reminder of 'travel smarts' lost during the lull between trips.