AROUND THE WORLD IN 16 DAYS
NEW SEEKER JOURNEYS OF A LIFETIME SERIES
How to get the most out of a 2 week break.
As Phileas Fogg is trending with the new series of Around the world in 80 days starring David Tennant, We are looking at flying around the world in two weeks while stopping at 5 places in different counties. You even get to live one day twice!
In 1924, a group of American aviators completed the first-ever aeroplane circuit of the world, which took 175 days, 76 stops, and a stockpile of 15 Liberty engines, 14 spare pontoons, four aeroplanes, and two sets of new wings. This success ushered in an era of international air travel, and tourists are still planning their own round-the-world trips nearly a century later.
With the itinerary we have created for you, you’ll spend 2 or 3 days in each place, we advise that you take night time flights to save time and avoid bookings on hotels.
Here’s how to make the most of your 2 weeks using one of many, many itineraries.
London - Singapore - Bali - Cairns - OAHU - San Francisco - London
FIRST STOP ……SINGAPORE - HERE’S THE HIGHLIGHTS
Gardens by the Bay
Photo by Coleen Rivas
Gardens by the Bay is a national garden and a premier horticultural attraction for local and international visitors. It is a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry that entertains while educating visitors with plants rarely seen in this part of the world, ranging from species in cool, temperate climates to tropical forests and habitats.
Bay South
In 2012, the largest of the three gardens opened. Bay South has placed Singapore firmly on the international map and is a source of national pride, thanks to its award-winning cooled conservatories and renowned Supertrees. The ever-changing flower displays within Flower Dome, which include popular favourites like Tulipmania, Orchid Extravaganza, and Blossom Beats, bring the elegance and variety of the plant kingdom alive for everybody to enjoy.
Bay East
The city's second largest garden provides a peaceful haven with a spectacular perspective of Singapore's skyline. This public green space has tremendous potential for future expansion as a waterfront garden in the next century.
Bay Central
When completed, the garden will act as a link between Bay South and Bay East, with a 3km coastal promenade offering excellent views of the city.
2. National Gallery Singapore
Photo by Matt Briney
The National Gallery Singapore houses Southeast Asia's largest public collection of modern art (over 9,000 pieces). It is stretched out over two lovely national monuments: City Hall and the former Supreme Court, both of which have been lovingly renovated and turned into this thrilling 64,000-square-metre arena. The Gallery aspires to be a progressive museum that fosters and inspires a creative and inclusive society by creating conversations between the art of Singapore, Southeast Asia, and the world, reflecting Singapore's particular heritage and geographic location.
What’s on
OUTBOUND is a new programme at the Gallery that reimagines transitional areas and major entrances through a series of one-of-a-kind artwork commissions created in cooperation with top artists from across the world.
Nam June Paik: The Future is Now
This large-scale institutional exhibition showcasing Nam June Paik's pioneering work in the use of television and video in art spans five decades. Paik is credited with coining the phrase "electronic superhighway," which predicted changes in how people communicated in the connected age of the internet.
The Tailors and the Mannequins: Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin
Chen Cheng Mei and You Khin's works are featured in this exhibition. Both artists developed distinct styles, lived strange lifestyles, and are considered outliers in most art histories.
3. HSBC rain vortex at Jewel Changi Airport
Photo by Samuel Toh
The magnificent 40-metre engineering marvel is the world's tallest indoor waterfall and one of Jewel Changi Airport's main attractions.
With its unusual architecture and calming impact, the Rain Vortex seems like something out of a movie. This stunning vista, surrounded by flora, may be seen from a variety of vantage points throughout the site. You might even be able to get a seat at the restaurant with a view of it if you're lucky.
The Vortex stands tall the main point of the Jewel Changi complex during the light display, with a kaleidoscope of colours complementing it. It will surely provide your journey to Singapore an amazing start, accompanied by calming music that reverberates throughout the airport.
2ND STOP……BALI
Aloha Ubud Bali Swing
Photo by Darren Lawrence
Aloha Ubud is a local Balinese company, engaged in the field of tourism - personal or group tours, that can give you exciting experiences and amazing views, which more introduce you to the beauty of the island of Bali.
With so many "Bali Swings" on the market, locating the official and original one that sparked the fad can be more difficult than you think. If you want to see the one that everyone is talking about, go to Bali Swing Ubud.
The official Bali Swing is actually a collection of swings of various heights, with more being constructed. It's a stunning location, and it's easy to see why it's so popular. You'll be hooked with just one glimpse at the location.
2. Tanah Lot Temple
Photo by Eyestetix Studio
A temple that encompasses all of Bali's cultural, natural, and historical features in one location. Because the Hindu temple is submerged within a magnificent rock face near the sea, it has long been a pilgrimage spot.
This cultural symbol is one of the seven sea temples on Bali's shore, and it has long been a part of Balinese mythology.
The Tanah Lo Temple is still standing strong today, despite the fact that it has seen its fair share of age. In the 1980s, the temple began to disintegrate, and roughly a third of the rocks at the temple's base had to be replaced with artificial rocks.
This is a very popular tourist location, and the entire region is frequently very crowded, particularly in the late afternoons, just before sunset.
3. Gili Island
Photo by Mathis J
A three-island cluster that provides the ideal tropical getaway from the already gorgeous mainland.
Each of the three Gili Islands, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air, offers crystal blue waters, diving, cooking classes, cultural experiences, and more. Trawangan is mostly a backpacker resort (think of it as a party destination), whereas Gili Meno Air is better suitable for couples and families.
Despite the fact that the three Gilis are small islands, there is a wide range of housing options. There are lots of lodgings for various budgets along the beaches and in the heart of the island in the Sasak village, particularly on Gili Trawangan.
At Sama-Sama, good live music is played every evening, but jam sessions are held from time to time during the day, and everyone is welcome to join in. You may also jam in the Sasak Island Cafe on Gili Meno with the boys every night while drinking a cool Bintang. Classic reggae music is played. It's going to be a blast! The beach bar can be viewed from Gili Trawangan and is located in the west of the island.
3ND STOP……CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA
Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
Photo by Francesco Ungar
Snorkeling is an excellent hobby for individuals who want to go beneath the surface. It's not quite as intense as scuba diving, but it still allows you to get up close and personal with some of the brightly coloured species that make this region of the planet home — gigantic turtles, reef sharks, and a variety of stunning fish, to name a few. The bulk of snorkelling reef trips begin in Airlie Beach, Townsville, or Cairns, where you can board a boat and begin your journey.
The Great Barrier Reef's immense size means there's a lot to see and learn about on a snorkelling tour. Anyone can participate as long as they can swim and maintain a reasonable level of fitness, although it can be extremely difficult.
2. Explore Cairns Aquarium by Twilight
Photo by Tim B
If you’d rather not go snorkelling, why not explore Cairns Aquarium. As the sun sets over the mountain ranges of Tropical North Queensland, steamy jungles and shallow coral lagoons come to life. When the sun sets, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and nocturnal fish emerge from their daily hiding places. As predatory night sharks, rays, and grouper dawn, brightly coloured reef fish seek refuge in coral caves.
'Aquarium by Twilight' takes you on a unique guided tour of the aquarium as the day fades into the sunset. Finish your evening at Dundee's Restaurant with a perfectly paired dining experience set against a breathtaking sea life backdrop.
3. Take a tour Daintree National Park
Daintree National Park, a Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, is the world's oldest remaining rainforest. That should be enough motivation to go, but it also has one of the largest concentrations of threatened and endangered species in the world.
Mossman Gorge, with its crystal-clear waterways and lush trees, and Cape Tribulation, where tropical rainforest edges the coral-strewn coasts of the Coral Sea, are the two main areas of the park, which are both located in Far North Queensland.
A guided safari is the best way to see this area. Many firms provide tours that involve rainforest walks and tropical fruit tastings and are conducted in amphibious vehicles. You can, however, take a self-drive tour.
4TH STOP……OHUA, HAWAII
Snorkel with sea turtles
Ride the wind in this fantastic tropical adventure sail boat — literally, because the boat's name is the Makani Catamaran, and Makani in Hawaiian means "wind"!
In this voyage, you'll begin by riding the swells with nothing but your thoughts and the salty sea aromas of the wind. While the catamaran splits the waves, you'll part the rays.
Because of the abundance of green sea turtles, Oahu's Turtle Canyon is one of the best places to snorkel. You can take a catamaran out into the water from Waikiki and swim with these incredible creatures while taking in the sights of the surrounding marine life.
2. Zipline through Jurassic World
Okay, so you won't be ziplining through a Jurassic World teeming with dinosaurs. You can, however, zipline across Kualoa Ranch, which features some fantastic moments from the blockbuster films. There's nothing like being hundreds of feet in the air and imaging a pterodactyl crashing into me at any time to get the adrenaline racing.
Buckle up for a bumpy rainforest trek to see Jurassic World sets like the Indominus Rex paddock with its 60-foot walls, bunkers, and real dinosaur cages from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Visit Jurassic Park's most renowned field... where dinosaurs rampage through the prairie.
3. Swim with sharks
Photo by Deepblu
On this fascinating 2-hour cage-diving expedition, experience the excitement of meeting sharks up close and personal in the pristine seas of Oahu. See the majestic hunters of Hawaii, the Galapagos and Sandbar sharks, in their native habitat, surrounded by the deep blue of the popular North Shore of the Big Island. From the safety of a floating cage, observe. Stay on the surface, then stare through giant polyglass windows with a mask and snorkel to see the sharks smoothly glide by. It is not necessary to have any prior scuba diving expertise.
5TH STOP……SAN FRANCISCO
Alcatraz Island Tour
Photo by Rodrigo Soares
Take a trip back in time and visit the fabled island that has served as a civil war fort, a military prison, and one of the most notorious federal prisons in US history.
Also included are the following: Enjoy Alcatraz's historic gardens, views of San Francisco Bay, and the exhibit Red Power on Alcatraz: Perspectives 50 Years Later, which is on display in the New Industries Building.
Try a night tour for a more terrifying experience. Bring a jacket to protect you from the year-round fog and the tormented souls of the island's former people.
2. Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco
Photo by Jared Lisack
Golden Gate Park is home to the United States' oldest public Japanese garden. The Japanese Tea Garden, located in the heart of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, allows people from all over the world to enjoy the natural beauty, peace, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden.
The location originally encompassed about one acre and featured a Japanese style garden. It was built as a "Japanese Village" display for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. When the show ended, Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara and superintendent John McLaren came to an agreement, allowing Mr. Hagiwara to develop and maintain a permanent Japanese style garden as a gift to posterity.
The Japanese Tea Garden is still one of San Francisco's most famous attractions, with classic features like an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone walks, native Japanese plants, tranquil koi ponds, and a zen garden. In March and April, cherry blossom trees bloom across the garden.
3. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Photo by Georg Eiermann
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a thriving cultural centre for the Bay Area and one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States. Their world-class collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified structure created by Snøhetta and Mario Botta, two of the world's most renowned architects. SFMOMA offers 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space, in addition to its seven gallery floors.
SFMOMA thinks that contemporary art is important and shares it with enthusiasm and commitment, and that art and the creative process may help people think differently and build a better society. As a result, they amass unrivalled collections, curate thrilling exhibitions, and produce engaging public activities that engage the community.
And then back to London. You’ve done it, 5 countries in 2 weeks and flown all the way around the world, experiencing the best it has to offer.