Calcutta (Kolkata) : Similar to Mumbai, October to March is the ideal time to visit, though bear in

Around the World in 80 Days | BootsnAll Travel Articles Home Articles Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in 80 Days Indie Flight Hacking By Jo Fitzsimons | August 20th, 2012 | Comments (0) Do you Like BootsnAll? Sign-up for the Monthly Round the World Ticket Newsletter: Like this article? Please share!
Part of what we love about indie travel is doing the abnormal.  Getting outside the box of the typical one and two week vacation.  In today s Indie Flight Hacking article, we replicate the route of fictional Phileas map los angeles Fogg, the character map los angeles created by Jules Verne in 1873 in his classic adventure map los angeles Around the World in 80 Days:  London Suez Bombay (Mumbai) Calcutta (Kolkata) Hong Kong Yokohama (Japan) San Francisco New York London. Of course, you can dedicate whatever time you have available to do this trip, but in it's classic map los angeles form this trip takes 80 days.
It is a wager of £20,000 (over $1.5m today) that sends Phileas Fogg off on his round the world trip. Betting that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, he leaves map los angeles London with his trusty assistant, Passepartout, a small carpetbag, and a large stash of money. Like most round the world trips, Fogg experiences many challenges on the way. He rescues a woman about to be sacrificed, fights off Sioux Indians,and has to adapt his travel plans when things go awry, which involve him buying an elephant and chartering a boat, all the while being pursued by a detective who is convinced he is a thief.  Although Fogg is not the most inquisitive map los angeles type of traveler, sending map los angeles Passepartout off to do most of his sightseeing, his route takes him to some of the world's most iconic cities, a fact that keeps this classic route as fresh and exciting as it was when it was first conceived over 100 years ago. Why you should take this trip
Pros The challenge of charting the route of a fictional travel legend. Cover some of the world's biggest travel hubs. Visit locations not on the usual RTW route – Suez/Yokohama. 8 stops in 80 days gives a fair length to explore each location. Kudos and a great conversation breaker along the way.
Cons Need to check travel advice before visiting Suez due to regular demonstrations and unrest. Doing his trip exactly misses some not to be missed spots like Tokyo, Cairo, and Agra (Taj Mahal). 80 days is an unusual map los angeles trip length. Hitting big cities is expensive and dorms off the backpacker trail can be hard to find e.g. Suez. BootsnAll is your source for the best indie travel tips and inspiration. Are you indie? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and you won't miss a thing! Follow @BootsnAll Unique to this route: Travel with an inspirational sense of time gone by. Escape the classic backpacker route. Cheat by taking more than 80 days to turn this into a bigger Europe, North Africa, India, map los angeles Asia, and USA adventure. Opportunities to include overland travel, especially in India and the USA, to align your trip closer to Phileas Fogg's journey and cut costs at the same time. Appealing to: Anyone with a sense of adventure. Couples – Fogg travels with Passepartout. Solos – as Fogg discovers, Passepartout can be a liability at times. Families – big city facilities for much of the route make this more family friendly than most trips, map los angeles assuming you can hack 80 days moving with kids. Wanna take a RTW trip similar to this? Let us help! RTW context
Airborne travel was still over 100 years away when Fogg went around the globe, and so he relied entirely on land and sea to complete his trip. This resulted in an arduous journey where his 80 days were almost entirely consumed by travel, hopping from train to boat to train. Taking advantage of the availability of flights, it is possible to dramatically reduce journey times, leaving more days for exploration at each destination. To add a greater flavor of Fogg's travel style, try adding some overland routes into the mix. For example, consider using India's rail network to get from Bombay (Mumbai) to Calcutta (Kolkata), a route that can be done in as little as 27 hours non-stop. Otherwise taking the 3,000km journey from San Francisco to New York can be done in three nights, map los angeles non-stop. Practical information
Mr Fogg undertook his trip around the world starting on October 2 and ending on December 21, but this meant cold winter travel in most of the destinations. Although this route takes in a broad number map los angeles of countries and continents, making it difficult to arrive at the optimum time in each place, particularly map los angeles when working to an 80-day timetable, it is overall better to begin this trip late Winter/early Spring.
Starting your adventure in February or March will take you to most locations close to the best season to travel or within the shoulder seasons, assuming 10 days is spent in each location. If you're looking to plan an extended trip, here is more detail on when to go and the weather map los angeles in each city on this itinerary.
London: The best time to visit London is from March to September. However, the supposed peak summer season from June to August has been a wash out in London for several map los angeles years running with some flash flooding, so you may want to avoid these months, and if you do visit during that time, be sure to take a raincoat. Winter, particularly December to February, is best avoided when snow and bad conditions can grind the country and its transport to a halt.
Suez:  Egypt is generally hot and dry year round, map los angeles but for less sticky travel, map los angeles the best time to visit is during winter from December to February. June to August should be avoided when temperatures soar to 105F degrees (40C) and will leave you wanting to split your time between cold showers and an air-conditioned room.
Bombay (Mumbai):  October map los angeles to April is the best time to visit Mumbai when the temperatures are most bearable and the skies the driest.  Be aware that the Ganesha Festival takes place in August/September, creating a peak travel period. If possible, avoid June to September, which is the hot and wet monsoon season.
Calcutta (Kolkata) :  Similar to Mumbai, October to March is the ideal time to visit, though bear in mind that the Durga Puja festival takes place in October. Peak summer heat hits between April and May, while the monsoon pours down from June to September.
Hong Kong :  October to December is one of the best times to visit Hong Kong. March to May has higher temperatures but humidity also increases and fog can cloud the sights. June to August should be avoided when the city gets uncomfortably hot and rainy.  You may also try to miss September when it is typhoon season.
Yokohama :  Japan experiences a short rainy season from mid-May to June, and although map los angeles winter (December to February) drops to only a few degrees map los angeles above freezing, is not prohibitively cold. Summer, on the other hand, can be oppressively humid while August to October is typhoon season, leaving March to early May as the best time to visit. Try to time your visit to coincide with the cherry blossom flowering, but avoid Golden Week, a peak local travel week towards the end of April/beginning of May.
San Francisco :  April and October map los angeles are the best months to visit, with relatively clear skies and moderate temperatures. Otherwise, Spring and Autumn are generally good seasons to see San Francisco. Try to avoid November to February when there is a lot of rain and cold temperatures, while Summer also isn't ideal as it can be foggy.
New York :  The best months to visit New York are May, September, and October. June to August is fine to travel if you can cope with the heat and humidity. Winter can be magical if you can hack the cold, snow, and crowds – just think of the numbers who flock to the city for Thanksgiving, Christmas map los angeles and New Year.
Flight times (direct) London to Suez (Cairo Airport): 4hrs. Suez (Cairo Airport) to Bombay (Mumbai): 11 hrs including map los angeles 1 stop in the Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Bahrain). Bombay (Mumbai) to Calcutta (Kolkata): 2hrs 45. Calcutta (Kolkata) to Hong Kong: 12hrs 30 including 1 stop in India (Delhi or Bombay). Hong Kong to Yokohama (Japan) (Tokyo Airport): 4hrs 30. Yokohama (Japan) (Tokyo Airport) to San Francisco: 9hrs 30. San Francisco to New York: 5hrs 30. New York to London: 7hrs.
To do this trip in true Phileas Fogg style, you should travel from west to east from London to Suez. However, first time travelers might find the route easier attempting the USA before diving into the more exotic cultures of Egypt and India.
Leaving from London this trip is good for slowly acclimatizing to the changing time zones, with each stop adding a few extra hours. The biggest jump in time difference comes when travelling from Japan to San Francisco, which has a difference of 17 hours. Prepare for jet-lag!
You should visit your health-care provider 4-6 weeks before travel and take a detailed itinerary of your travel plans with you. Assuming all of your routine vaccinations are up to date the following additional vaccinations are recommended:
Tetanus booster (if required), Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Poliomyelitis. Other vaccinations might be recommended depending on your activities or if you add in rural areas, so consult the CDC website and speak with your health advisor for more details.
Phileas Fogg was a light packer, " We'll have no trunks. Only a carpet map los angeles bag, with two shirts and three pairs of stockings map los angeles for me, and the same for you. We'll buy our clothes on the way. Bring down my mackintosh and travelling cloak, and some stout shoes… " Fogg also carried his trusty travel guide – not the Lonely Planet, but a bound copy of Bradshaw's Continental Railway Steam Transit and General Guide with timetables of the steamers map los angeles and railways.
Assuming you will hit most locations in spring, lightweight clothing is recommended. Try to pack items that are quick to dry as India and Hong Kong can get pretty humid, and you may want to consider buying your lightweight clothing in India where the prices are much lower and the material suited to the country. Extra layers including some long sleeves and trous