This Insane 18-Day Trip Will Take You Around the World for Just $1,300

People often toss out the line "I want to travel the world!" as shorthand for their wanderlust. But what if you could literally travel around the entire world, in under three weeks, for a relative pittance? Well, hold onto your carry-ons: If you can skip town for 18 days this November, you'll be able to head east from the US through Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and back home via Hawaii all during a single trip, and all for a little more than $1,300.

The trip, which was curated by the flight deal gurus at Airfare Spot, covers an impressive 24,597 miles between November 14 and December 1, with six stops along the way. That gives you two to three days in each city/country between departures, and some next-level (but probably worthwhile) jet lag. Specifically, here's how it all breaks down.

November 14: Depart New York's JFK for Paris
November 18: Depart Paris for Abu Dhabi
November 22: Depart Dubai for Singapore
November 24: Depart Singapore for Sydney
November 27: Depart Sydney for Honolulu
November 30: Depart Honolulu for New York

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At the time of this writing, the cheapest available flights for this specific itinerary amounted to an airfare total of $1,321. However, it's possible that by the time you give it a go, flight prices may have fluctuated a bit (if you're lucky, they'll be even lower). It's also worth noting that in order to get such a great deal, you're not going to be flying first class or business. In many cases, the cheapest flights between destinations are on low-budget carriers, some of which are known to charge extra for baggage (even carry-ons). But if you can manage to restrict yourself to a carry-on (you can do it!), you should be able to keep fees to a minimum. 

Of course, taking on this once-in-a-lifetime journey does come with its sacrifices, in that you'll need to be cool foregoing a stateside Thanksgiving this year. Then again, wouldn't you rather BASE jump off a skyscraper in Dubai than settle in for some stuffing?

h/tTravel & Leisure

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Joe McGauley is a senior writer for Thrillist. Follow him @jwmcgauley.