How do you take the plunge?

Since you have a computer, I cannot fathom why you would need a guided tour, but it would be very nice to have a smartphone with world-wide coverage before starting out. Is there such a thing?

I always wanted to travel around the world but then there was the question when I would afford to do that fantastic trip. In 1990 I traveled around Europe by train and on that trip met many people including my Australian friend. I got made redundant and not being able to get another job made me book my trip around the world. I got a working holiday visa for Australia. I left in February 1993 on my trip and stayed on it for more than one year. Being able to work in Australia topped up my travel funds. A guided tour isn't necessary and it makes a trip expensive. It is far better to travel independently. The way I do it is save up, then when I have enough money I book my airline ticket. Then I have a few more months to continue saving for my day to day travel expenses. I buy a travel guide book that is budget minded. I am mainly interested in a accommodation listings. Then I can work out how much money I am going to require. Remember it is fine to enjoy a short time in a pricey country and a lengthy time in a cheaper country. My route was London-Los Angeles-Hawaii-Fiji-Sydney-Adelaide overland to Cairns then Darwin-Singapore-London. From Singapore I had the chance to see some of Malaysia and Indonesia. When saving up I had a limited budget for food and drink. I didn't go out for drinks at the pub. I bought low cost clothing. I only had the central heating on during November to January. Then on my trips I stayed in youth hostels and backpacker hostels. If you are a student it is worth taking an International Student Identity Card. If aged young enough it is valuable to get a working holiday visa. A few times I let out my home to provide me with a monthly income. Good luck planning your trip.