Sorry for your loss. I was around your age a couple decades ago when my dad also passed away. I spent 6 weeks shortly thereafter just eurailing around Europe, gathering my thoughts and grieving.

After I passed the bar exam, I spent nearly six months planning a round the world trip. Originally planned to be gone 8 months, ended up being gone 18 months and 1 day. You will be miserable trying to get all of this done in one month. And you'll regret it.

Look at it this way: you're young and these countries (well, hopefully...never thought Syria would end up the way it is) are going nowhere. Pick one region and spend your month there. You'll enjoy it and appreciate it more. The dollar is really strong right now and since it's your first trip, I'd also recommend you do Europe. You'll be able to relax and have fun. On my RTW trip, I spent 2 weeks just in New Zealand driving around (INCREDIBLE country) and a few weeks in Australia. And nearly a month in Thailand. I mean, it's Thailand!

You'll have vacations in your future, gaps between jobs, honeymoons, etc. Plenty of time to work on your dad's list. Take it slow and enjoy it more. Just my two cents.

To answer your questions, though: when I planned my RTW trip in 1999, the internet was still new. I literally found a company in the travel section of a newspaper that helped me plan my trip. At the time the agent said my trip was one of the most complicated he ever put together because, like you, I wanted to go everywhere.

I know two families recently that have done RTW trips with their kids and I think the internet has made life so much easier. I know they bought most of their tickets ahead of time, but it's not always necessary. Especially since plans change.

I would also suggest you go to your local library and check out some lonely planet guides. When I prepare to go to a new country, once I start reading the guidebooks I find things that interest me and get me excited. You'll find places you want to see, food you want to taste, and that will start giving you an idea of how long you'd like to spend in each place.

I would look for the cheapest airfare you can find right now to one of those european cities. This site is more experienced than me, but I have traveled cheaply for years. Not sure where you're located but Norwegian airlines is about to start direct flights to London and you can snatch those up cheap. From there it's a piece of cake to go to any of the cities you listed. And you can use a fraction of your $10K, put it in the stock market and watch it grow for your future trips.