Timo Luege completed an around-the-world journey starting in 2004. Their experiences across multiple continents reshaped how they see the world and travel.
Snapshot
- Departure: 2004
- Age: 30
- Budget: EUR 18,000 (USD 20,700, or USD 36,200 in 2026 dollars)
- Location: Munich, Germany
- Occupation: Before your trip:Journalist
The Route
Bangkok – Myanmar – Chian Mai – Laos – Cambodia – Ko Pha Ngan – Singapore – Australia (from Perth by car via Darwin and Cairns to Melbourne and back to Sydney) – New Zealand – USA (San Francisco – Yosemite – Madison, WI – Washington DC, New Orleans) – Guatemala.
Read all about it on https://www.355days.net
In Their Words
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
A couple of reasons. For one thing I was thorougly sick of my job. And since I didn’t have a girlfriend, mortgage or debt, just turned thirty and had enough money I decided to go. Besides, 30 is the last chance to get a working holiday visa for Australia!
What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
1, Buy all the gear you need for your trip at the tiem of the year when the climate in your homecountry is closest to the one in your destination-country. And wear your gear for at least two days (even if it’s ridiculous). You don’t want to have any surprises once you are gone.
2, Get your first Hepatitis A/B-shot six months before departure!
What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it’s expensive.
How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
I think that I will take a lot of things less seriously now. Most things we get upset about are really not worth it.
If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
It’s MY life
2026 Context
- Southeast Asia backpacker infrastructure has grown significantly, with better accommodation standards and higher prices than in the early 2000s.
- Digital nomad visas have transformed countries like Thailand and Vietnam, increasing costs but improving connectivity.
- Visa situations have shifted: India now requires advance visa applications, and overland routes are more restricted.