Here is the chronological order of the places that Odysseus visited on his journey home. 1.

Odysseus and his fleet leave Troy. 2. Odysseus and his crew land on Ismarus/Ismara on the coast of Thrace, where they sack the city. They engage in battle with the Ciconians. Many men are lost (six men from each ship). 3. They arrive on the island of the Lotus-Eaters. 4. Their next stop: the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus meets the cyclops, Polyphemus, who ate two of Odysseus' men each day, until they were able to escape. 5. Odysseus and his crew land on the Aeolian island of Aeolus, the "Keeper of the Winds". Before leaving the island, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag that had trapped all the winds (save the wind to lead Odysseus home) and warned Odysseus not to open the bag. The bag was opened, releasing all the winds, just as Odysseus and his crew had sailed within sight of Ithaca. They were swept back to Aeolia by the violent winds. 6. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeolia a second time, but are not welcomed with the hospitality that Aeolus had previously shown them. 7. They resume their voyage to Ithaca from Aeolia, eventually coming to the city of Telepylus/Telepylos, home of the Laestrygonians. Odysseus loses all of his fleet and men, except his own ship and those men on his ship. 8. Odysseus and his surviving crew arrive on the island of Aeaea, home of Circe. Odysseus stays with Circe for a year. He leaves Aeaea, with Circe advising Odysseus it is essential that he visit Hades to talk to the prophet Tiresias before resuming his trip home. 9. Odysseus and his men journey to the Underworld, coming to the River Acheron. Odysseus speaks with Tiresias, and Tiresias cautions Odysseus on Helios' cattle and warns him about Scylla and Charybdis. 10. Odysseus and his crew return to Aeaea, to bury one of his shipmates (who had died in Aeaea). Circe warns him of the dangers of the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis. 11. Odysseus and his crew manage to sail safely pass the Sirens without any losses. 12. They sail into the Strait of Messina where Scylla and Charybdis reside. Odysseus chooses to sail close to Scylla rather than the whirlpool of Charybdis, and loses six men (one for each of Scylla's six heads). 13. Odysseus and his crew land on Thrinacia, home of Helios' sacred cattle. Though Odysseus had warned his crew not to eat Helios' cattle, they ended up eating some of the cattle while he was away. Helios was angered and asked Zeus to punish those who had eaten his cattle. Zeus brought about a great storm, completely destroying Odysseus' ship and killing all his men. 14. Odysseus, clinging to a piece of his destroyed vessel, was washed away at sea. He is swept past Scylla and Charybdis, again, and again manages to pass by safely.

15. Odysseus washes ashore on the island Ogygia, home to Calypso. Odysseus stays with her for seven years. 16. After staying with Calypso for seven years, Odysseus built a boat and set sail once more. Poseidon, seeing Odysseus at sea, brings a violent storm down on Odysseus and his ship is destroyed. Odysseus washes up on the shore of Scheria, kingdom of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians. King Alcinous, Queen Arete and their daughter Nausicaa are extremely hospitable to Odysseus; providing him with clothing, food and entertainment. King Alcinous offers Odysseus one of his ships so that Odysseus can finally return to his homeland and family. 17. After twenty long and hard years, Odysseus returns at last to Ithaca. * Many people forget that Odysseus visited Aeolia twice, stopped twice at Aeaea (before and after visiting the Underworld) and traveled by Scylla and Charybdis twice (before and after landing Thrinacia).