Travelling Overland
Discover the vastness of the world, retrace the steps of Marco Polo, visit places that people wouldn't normally see. There are many advantages to the overland journey, but you will need time. Travelling overland is much slower.Budget
If budget is your biggest consideration, then make it cheap! Cheap ways to travel - hitchhiking, budget flights, buses, second class trains. Hitchhiking isn't necessarily dangerous - in some locations you won't even have to put out your thumb. There will be instances where, when hitchhiking, your chief source of transport will be other backpackers who have gained their own transport - be cheeky and ask if there is a chance of a lift to your next location. New Zealand is the ultimate example of this. However, in many parts of the world hitchhiking is absolutely not recommended under any circumstance.Buses
From local services to modern coaches, the bus is one of the most cost-effective and enjoyable ways to travel on the ground. Compared to international buses, local ones are much cheaper. If you are prone to travel sickness, however, a bus can be almost as bad as a car.
Train
Advantages: you can walk around, fewer restrictions, go to the toilet when you need, overnight sleeping carriages. Disadvantages: can be slower, and in many parts of the world is really expensive eg. British Rail. Solution : Inter-Rail. The main disadvantage of Inter-Rail is that you can't buy a ticket anywhere except in your home country. There are also restrictions on age, and time limits on tickets, so Inter-Rail is not always suitable for the more elderly traveller or for those who like to take their time.
Cruises
Why go to the world when the world can come to you ? Or at least it can seem that way when cruising. A community floating from your home shores to exotic places of the world, with luxuries, entertainments, your every need catered for, your body pampered. You get to relax in your own floating hotel with the scenery changing everyday. Disadvantages - very expensive, and you only get to see the destinations where there is a port, on someone else's timetable.Ferries
Covering everything from crossing rivers to the high seas, the ferry is an often overlooked form of transport for the independent traveller. If you are taking a car or a camper van you will not have much other choice for some parts of your journey. Be aware that if you get travel sick on buses, a ferry will often be a very rough experience for you. Ferries can be slightly expensive in places such as Europe. Budget airlines will often be cheaper. You will need to book in advance for ferries and they often only have a fixed number of berths. The advantages of a ferry are numerous, especially in areas with lots of islands, where the views can be amazing. On a ferry it is possible to walk around, get a cabin and even get a good nights sleep, travel sickness permitting.Air travel
The single most popular form of travel for the independent traveler. Fast, economically the cheapest, with a high safety record, the jet plane has revolutionized the travel industry. Had Jules Verne been alive today we would have been reading "Around the world in 80 hours", which gives some idea of the revolution that the jet has brought about. Unfortunately, despite its many advantages, there is one large negative to jet travel, which has been largely ignored until today. This is the huge amount of CO2 released during each flight. It is possible that as the world grows in knowledge and concern about the damage that this release causes, the cost of jet travel will rise. Combined with jet travel's dependency on oil, the age of cheap flights that we currently see might be limited.
Now back to the good news. Flights are at the moment cheap, plentiful, and go to just about everywhere; it seems in this day and age that there is nowhere in the world that is more than 48 hours from anywhere else.
Single tickets
Buying single tickets from place to place in the course of your travels is the most flexible way to travel. It is also more expensive than a return flight, or a Round the World Ticket. However - it is possible to pick up cheaper local options from local travel agents than you may find on the Internet, or from travel agents back home.
Driving
Hire a car or buy a car ? Buying a car in New Zealand is really popular. For some the road trip is the ultimate form of travel. Independence, complete and total, and you can go places that no bus or train could get you to. Two major options - buy a car, only applicable in some countries, and you have to consider insurance requirements, and other legal requirements. Also if you own a car and it goes wrong you bear the cost of putting it right. Renting a car is a simpler option - but can be more costly. However, it has the ultimate flexibility of not having to be responsible for any repairs, or selling the vehicle at the end of your travels. Do be aware accidents and claims against the insurance of the vehicle might apply to your insurance when back home.
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