Extension of the flight programme to Thailand for 2025

I’d long been dreaming of a “fast” trip around the world — and finally, the stars aligned: I flew east out of Sheremetyevo and returned from the west just 24 days later. I crossed the equator and passed through antipodal points. Planet Earth suddenly felt very small.

Choosing the Route

How do you circumnavigate the globe without a U.S. or Schengen visa?

Many travelers claim to have gone “around the world” by following a common route: Russia — Southeast Asia — USA — Europe — back to Russia. But plot it on a globe and you'll see — it’s more of a loop around the North Pole than a true circumnavigation. So, what defines an actual round-the-world journey?

• A continuous route spanning at least 38,000 km
• Crossing the equator
• Passing through antipodal points — locations on exact opposite sides of the globe

Some would also include visiting all continents — though that’s more of a badge for extreme travelers than a requirement.

Now, combine all these geographic checkpoints with a budget that’s not made of rubber, and a desire to skip the tricky visas for the U.S. and Australia — and you're left with just a few realistic options:

1. Russia — South Korea — Mexico (long stopover) — South America
2. Russia — Southeast Asia — New Zealand — South America (Santiago or Buenos Aires)

By the way, major airline alliances sell official “round-the-world” tickets — but the price is steep. Sure, you get a single ticket with official stopovers and backup if a flight fails. But that kind of money could fund a second budget world trip!

My Final Route

I chose route #2. At the time, a single New Zealand visa was enough — and before July 1, 2019, it was free for Russian citizens (now it includes an eco tax). The application process is simple, and compared to Australia, the Kiwi officials are pretty chill about approvals.

After some deliberation, I was tempted by a cheaper, direct Shenzhen–Auckland flight — so I got a Chinese visa too.

Route Overview

I planned the stopovers so I could explore each city and its surroundings. Of course, I couldn’t dive deep into every country — but I gathered enough material for six months of blog posts. Here’s the breakdown:

Pro tip: here are some budget options to fly from South America to Europe:

• Chile to Spain with Iberia/Level
• Brazil to France or the Netherlands
• Brazil to Finland via Norwegian (use UK visa-free transit if needed)

Eastward or Westward?

I chose to fly eastward the entire way — and it turned out to be the smarter choice for two key reasons:

1. You avoid sensory overload. Flying east means “losing time,” stretching out your days and easing the pace. Flying west, you chase the sun and events start to feel crammed together — it can fry your brain.
2. You get to “travel back in time” across the International Date Line. I left New Zealand at 6 PM and landed in Chile the same day — at noon! That felt much cooler than just losing a day the other way around.

Language and Communication

In Hong Kong, English was manageable — a legacy of the British era. No issues at all in New Zealand, except for the occasional laugh at the local accent. Things got tougher in South America though: locals have zero interest in speaking anything but Spanish.

Useful Gadget

Make sure to pack a universal plug adapter — socket types vary wildly. I came across UK plugs in Hong Kong, and Aussie-style ones in New Zealand and parts of Argentina. Some hotels will lend you one, but I ended up buying a compact universal adapter for about 500 rubles (~$6). Bonus: it also works in the U.S.