How much money for 1 year 20k?

You are correct. It is vague but simple math says that you are not even close !!! That is only $54/day. Even doubling your number is not enough unless all your transportation costs are outside of that budget.

Andy,, we need more info,, does that budget cover just living,, food and accomadation, or are you counting flights , trains etc... Staying with family will help,,but even then you can't really totally sponge off of them( not saying your were planning that) you need to bring home some groceries and treat them to a dinner out or two. The south pacific is vague,, where exactly?? Some islands you may be able to live cheap,, but some are very very expensive.

There is so much information out there regarding RTW (round the world) trips that you should be able to find help with your planning. Many people (singles, families, couples) have already done it and have websites, blogs, etc and give out advice to others that are looking to do something similar. Check out alittleadrift.com - she travelled for a year for under $18,000. I think she spent more time in cheaper parts of the world, like Southeast Asia, but you may find her budget spreadsheets helpful. Also, there are alot of links to other websites - lots of reading material!

you are right to enquire and plan carefully bef you decide for sure to go. 20K is low for a yr overseas. I suggest you narrow down your travels a bit and skip expensive areas like scotland &south pacific. What you are hoping to do takes very careful planning. You might ck with the Let's Go travel books that are good for backpackers for your start and guidelines.

You must also pay attention to the various Schengen countries in Europe so you don't over-stay your visit. :)

I think $54 a day is doable. It may be difficult but it's not way off in my opinion. I have a cheap standard of living and need only the basics. But who knows. I may cut the trip down then in order to see more. My dilemma is that I would like to see as much as I can but keep it around 20k so I can live with myself for not spending (what I view in my world) as too much money. As well as take as much time off from work before I return to the trenches and be a slave to this false reality once again. I am aware of the schengen treaty. I don't really wanna go through the process of getting visas for my travels so thats why i wasn't planning on staying in 1 place to long. Thanks for the advice

It cost me about $30K to travel for 1 year (2007) & I did a similar circuit to what you are proposing. I also stayed w/ family & friends overseas for a number of weeks. My $30K did not include airfare & I did not rent an RV or car (I took trains, ferries, buses & budget airline flights to cover longer distances). Gas is much more expensive than in the U.S. & if you are moving around a lot, gas & car rental will take a big bite out of your daily budget - especially if you will be picking up rental in 1 country and trying to drop it off in another. There were plenty of days I got by on $50, but those were days I stayed in a hostel dorm, found free/cheap attractions, used public transit sparingly, did not drink alcohol & sometimes skipped a meal. Sure I had fun on lean budget days, but unless you live a monk's life at home, you don't want to have such a tight budget you can't afford to have even an occasional modest splurge for an entire year, or $$ for an emergency. (continued)

(continued from above) Being on the road a whole year takes a lot out of you mentally & physically so there will be times you need to give yourself a treat. You are traveling to experience new things. How about planning ahead for that ticket to a play in Dublin (30 Euro) or concert at the Sydney Opera House ($50AUD), an upgrade to a private hostel room for 1 night when you have a bad cold & are burnt out getting woken up by the 11 other travelers snoring or coming in and out at all hours in your Edinburgh dorm room, a $160NZD guided Franz Josef Glacier hike (because you will fall into a crevass without a guide!). How about buying wine to share w/ the Italian girl you met at the market in Rome? I saw plenty of travelers who could not stray $1 from their tight budget. They often only saw the inside of the hostel and experienced very little other than cooking their ramen noodles in a new city. Not fun. As someone else mentioned, some countries you want to visit are quite expensive. Limit your time in those countries & look at alternatives like SE Asia, parts of Eastern Europe, etc.