Your time trip planner depends on two factors: how much time you have and how much money you have. Not everyone has the luxury of jacking in their jobs and planning a few months away so maybe you only have two weeks off work and know that you will be earning again when you get back. If you’re away for longer then your budget may be less as you don’t have the luxury of a guaranteed income when you return.

Depending on how much time you have also determines where you can go. There’s no point flying twenty hours to Australia when you’ve only got one week to explore the country (unless you really want to of course) when flying somewhere for up to 4 hours, known as short haul, would give you much more time to explore.

This also depends where you are in the world. If you’re in America, you may need to take a long-haul flight to visit another country, whereas Europeans can just hop across from country to country in a couple of hours.

How To Maximise Your Trip

Getting an open-jaw ticket (flying into one destination and out of another) will give you more flexibility and you can make your way across a country without having to spend time or money backtracking to your original point of entry.

You could travel fast and plan to visit a few countries instead of just staying in one. If you’re really eager to see 10 countries in as many days, you can find companies that offer whistle stop tours through Europe for example but make sure you’re prepared for the amount of travelling that comes with it.

If you’ve got a burning desire to visit one of the larger countries: China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, to name just a few, pinpoint the exact places that you want to go and research the ways of getting around each one as it may take longer than you think.

So if you know how much time you have, where exactly can you go?

One Week

Fly somewhere short haul and just pick one country to travel around. A week is only enough to get a taster of a country so consider destinations which are approx 4 hours away.

Short haul flights from the UK – Anywhere in Europe.

Short haul flights from America – Other American States, Canada, Mexico.

Short haul flights from Australasia – New Zealand, other places in Australia.

Two Weeks

Fly short haul for 10 days and you can see two smaller countries instead of one or island hop your way around. Choose to travel on a medium-haul flight (up to 6 hours) and take your time to explore a country further afield.

From the UK – Dubai, Europe.

From America – Caribbean, Canada, Mexico.

From Australasia – The Pacific Islands, Bali, Papua New Guinea. 

Three Weeks

Countries which are medium-haul are perfect for three weeks (anywhere within 6 hours). You can really get to see and experience a country when you stay longer and visit places off the beaten track.

Medium haul flights from the UK – The Middle East, Turkey, Egypt.

Medium haul flights from America – Central America, South America.

Medium haul flights from Australasia – Indonesia, Asia.

One Month or Longer

You’ve got the time so explore the part of the world that’s furthest away by flying long-haul (over 6 hours). This opens up practically everywhere so consider destinations such as:

Asia, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, South America, Central America, Caribbean.

TIP – If you have longer than a month look at travelling overland for a cheaper way of getting around. Some distances can be very vast so look at internal flights for maximising your time in a continent. Travelling longer-term gives you the luxury of spending 24 hours on a train but if you’ve only got a week to spare, find the quickest mode of transport.