Overland Transport

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Once you get your airfare straightened out and decide whether or not you are going to buy a RTW plane ticket or buy as as you go, it’s time to turn your thoughts to other modes of transport. Unless you are extremely well off, you are simply not going to be able to fly everywhere you want to go. And unless you plan on moving really, really slowly, you are going to have to utilize overland travel during your trip.

Overland Travel Differs Wildly By Region

Where you live and what your travel experience is will determine how much you have used public, overland transport in your travels. Many people who have decided to take a RTW trip have some travel experience, but it may not have involved international travel. For those who have traveled internationally, there’s a good chance it has been to westernized nations with really good, fast, and expensive travel options. Traveling overland throughout Europe with a Eurail pass is much, much different than taking a 30 hour bus ride in South America (more on that here).

You Will Travel Overland All The Time

If you haven’t traveled by bus, train, or boat often (or at all) in the past, have no fear. It may be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but like anything, once you do it a few times, it’s pretty easy. Just be aware and accept that you will be utilizing overland travel often during your trip. It’s the preferred way to travel, it’s super cheap, it can be a lot of fun, and it’s great to see the countryside where you’re traveling. In some cases, you’ll be traveling with nothing but other tourists. Sometimes you’ll be the only non-local on the bus (always a blast!).

While traveling overland can be a fantastic and memorable experience, it can also be horrible. Don’t be scared as it’s just part of long term travel, but you will have a few terrible bus or train rides over the course of a RTW trip. When traveling long-term, it’s just a matter of statistics. You can’t possibly get lucky enough to have a great experience every single time. With the state of air travel these days, you’ll probably be relieved when hopping on the first bus of your trip.

Overnight Travel

Depending on where you go on your trip, chances are you will have to, at some point, take an overnight journey by bus or train. The first time a traveler does this, he or she is nervous, doesn’t know how it’s going to be, and most likely expects the worst. It might be best to expect the worst, but more times than not, your experience will exceed your expectations.

Like all aspects of travel, overnight travel differs quite a bit depending on the country and region you’re traveling in. Argentina is known for their posh buses with seats that lay down flat and attendants who serve wine. Bolivia is known for their hellacious bus rides through rigorous terrain and poorly maintained roads . It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that an overnight bus journey is going to be much more pleasant in Argentina than Bolivia.

It is certainly possible to avoid overnight travel at all costs, but chances are once you do it the first time, you’ll be fine with doing it again and again. The advantages of overnight travel are many. It helps with both the budget and time constraints. While time is on your side when taking a long-term, RTW trip, it’s still nice to waste as few days as possible. When taking an overnight bus or train, it saves on accommodations for the night, which adds up over the course of several months or a year. And if you are a heavy sleeper, you will probably sleep just fine on most buses.

Price Of Overland Travel

The notion of seeing the countryside, spending long bus rides chatting with locals, and just enjoying the slow way of traveling overland is certainly romantic. But after months of doing it, it does get old. But we long term travelers keep forging on. Why? Because it’s cheap. Money and budget determines a lot on a RTW trip, and overland travel is simply the cheapest and most effective way of traveling around most regions.

Costs obviously vary quite a bit, and in some places it’s cheaper to find a budget airline deal than to take the train or bus (Europe and Asia both have quite a few budget airlines where this is possible). But by and large, traveling overland is going to cut down on costs tremendously, and the expense will fit right into your daily budget.

Booking Before You Leave Home

The only reason to book any kind of overland travel before you leave is if you are going to get a pass of sorts. A Eurail pass can only bought outside Europe by non-Europeans. If you’re starting your trip in a place like New Zealand or Australia, where bus tours are popular ways for travelers (particularly younger travelers) to get around the country, it might be a good idea to at least look into your options. It could be cheaper to book before you leave. Similar to the Eurail pass , the United States offers a rail pass to those outside of the US.

Other Modes Of Transport Besides Buses and Trains

Buses and trains are the best mode of transport in most areas of the world. In some areas of the world, boat travel on rivers is still a great way to get around, Southeast Asia being one of them. But as modern times catch up and more and more roads get paved, river travel is going by the wayside. Air couriers and cargo ships used to be a viable option for traveling, but these days it’s more and more difficult, and it is virtually non-existent these days.

Now that you know why you should take overland transport and an idea of what it will be like, it’s probably a good idea to start researching how overland travel differs in different regions of the world .