Could I ride around the world

[simonhill]

Have a good look at the climate. Depending on where you are heading, summer is coming in March and it can get very hot. Also in S or SE Asia this also means the wet season.

I like the idea of cycling a region (its what I do), the round the world thing is just a linear route which often misses much.

For cheapness and high interest value, you can't beat India. A return flight open for a year would cost about £500, visa about £30 for 6 months. After that head to Nepal for a couple of months and you can then: a, return home; b, go back to India for another 6 months; or c, fly to somewhere like Bangkok and start in SEA if money and desire still available.

As for leaving in March, unfortunately weather not good in much of India from April on, so you could delay till Sept. Instead you could fly to S Portugal in March - less than £100 with all gear. Free camping and self catering you could easily live for 6 months on your money. The advantage of Europe is that you stay in your comfort zone. Work should be available and if you try hard then you should be able to save a bit. 6 months is plenty of time for heading right across to eastern countries.

If after Europe you have some cash, still have the desire, then head back to UK, dump camping gear and head off to India for the winter and maybe more.

Don't underestimate hassle and expense of getting visas, particularly when on the road, if doing say a ride to China, flying in is definitely a budget option.

Go and enjoy.

[hufty]

For cheapness and high interest value, you can't beat India. A return flight open for a year would cost about £500, visa about £30 for 6 months.

Just a minor detail - Indian visas for UK passport holders are now an eye-watering £92 (including the all important £2 Consular surcharge). For most other nationalities it's £32. Still a great country to visit/cycle in.

[DaleFTW]

India, much like Australia, is one of those places that I've never really fancied. Dunno why.

[daddig]

An option would be join HelpX , locate hosts along your chosen route, ride to them stay/ work for them, join Warmshowers and utilise them. This allows a longer journey and spreads your costs. As has been said it rather depends on your safety/ comfort zone. £2k could take you a long way. Look for casual work eg grape picking, olive picking general labouring etc.
this boosts your income.

[daddig]

In a similar vein, I cycled through France, Spain and Italy using HelpX and Warmshowers/Couchsurf for five years. Boosting my income with grape/olive picking, though I had a works pension to fall back on. The journey cost about 4k in total.
I am seriously considering doing it all again from 2014!!

[Slowroad]

BTW, just cycling even in the UK, for a long period of time gives you access to a world that most people don't even know exists.

True!

[DaleFTW]

BTW, just cycling even in the UK, for a long period of time gives you access to a world that most people don't even know exists.

True!

Expensive(r) though!

[iviehoff]

Alastair Humphreys went round the world for four years on just £7000.
http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/advent ... rldbybike/

Alastair had some rather special skills that enabled him to achieve that. First, he is personable and entertaining company, and seemed regularly to be able to blag free food and accommodation by just smiling at people or something. Second, he had amazing self-control about spending money. When he had to feed himself, he'd stick to a budget of 50p a day or something, most of which went on plain rice he cooked himself: he had the amazing self-control not to buy sweeties, drinks, or other pleasures. And no money whatsoever on entertainments of any description.

So Alastair is only a demonstration of the fact that it can be done in the way that those books on the shelves in the bookshop demonstrate that you can get a book published: but we do not all of us have the wherewithal to achieve it. Not all of us actually want to do it under those conditions either.

I think if you started practising Alastairish eating and entertainment habits now - I'm talking about the very low budgets, basic self-cooked food with no luxuries, not the blagging free food off strangers bit, though why not that too - even if only to a limited degree, then you would discover your capacity for saving money increased quite substantially. What are you paying on food, drink and entertainment now. Cut that to 50p a day and maybe you'll quickly be saving £100 a week and have £5000 after just a year. After all, that's the style of life you'll have in future so start practising now.

[Slowroad]

BTW, just cycling even in the UK, for a long period of time gives you access to a world that most people don't even know exists.

True!

Expensive(r) though!

Depends on your definition of 'a long period of time'...?