GoRoundTheWorld.com -Types of RTW travel

RTW Travel Planning—Thematic Travel

RTW trips may be somewhat ad hoc or they may be planned around a central theme, otherwise known as “thematic travel”. Thematic travel can be quite rewarding. Not only is it interesting to travel to some far-flung places for no other reason than they are in keeping with a theme (such trips can be real “eye openers”), but one’s level of knowledge and interest in the subject matter concerned can be exponentially increased.

Examples of themes that may be used for planning a trip include:

Academic Themes - If someone is interested in space travel, why not visit the locations where each manned or unmanned flight into space has been launched from?

Art and Cultural Themes - If someone is interested in a particular neo-classical painter, he or she could make it a goal to visit every museum which has public displays of that painter’s work. And while at it, why not contact some of the curators concerned to inquire about viewing some works which are not on public display?

Heritage Themes - If one’s family tree goes back to a variety of cities and countries, why not plan to visit as many as are known?

Historical / Political Themes - Follow the footprints of an historical figure through their life, or retrace the roots of an historical political development.

Natures Wonders - Visit the Seven Natural Wonders of The World. retrace the historical significance of Cherry Blossoms, or plan to visit the ten most active volcanoes on earth.

NGO Employment - N.G.O. stands for Non-Governmental Organization. The staff of such organizations work to build strong communities in parts of the world which have suffered from tyranny, disaster (both natural and manmade), or disease. One can travel extensively and work at the same time under the auspices of such organizations.

Photo / Video Themes - A shutterbug who is a traveler at heart may like to film sunrises. Why not film sunrises from each continent to form a collection?

Religious - Retrace the roots of Christianity, Buddhism, or Aetheism around the world.

Sport - Plan a stop in each city where the Olympics have been held.

World Heritage Sites - World Heritage Sites are those with “outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.” Such sites are designated and protected by UNESCO and have been ratified by 185 state parties. There are so many World Heritage Sites that I doubt one could plan on visiting all of them during a single RTW trip. Then again, who ever said that a traveler would be limited to one RTW trip?

Plain Old Wanderlust - This is what inspired me to take my first RTW trip. One day I went to the Cathay Pacific office on 5th Avenue in Manhattan to inquire about Round-The-World airfares. After I found out how incredibly affordable such tickets are, the agent gave me a oneworld Alliance fold-out map of the world. I took it home and circled all of the places I had ever wanted to see, the places I simply had to go to before I die. I then connected the dots going from West to East, and the rest is history…

Themes can add an immense level of pleasure and satisfaction to one’s RTW travel experience, and they are limited only by one’s imagination. I would highly recommend them as a means to facilitate planning and execution of an RTW trip.