I recently was arrested for a dwi in october. I haven't gone to trial yet. I was planning on taking an around the world trip...

Your concerns all require the assistance of a local DWI attorney. Can you leave while on probation? Every county is different. In Kaufman/Dallas county "around the world trips" are not usually allowed for probationers. I'm not sure what the practice is in Travis county. Can a lawyer speed up the trial process? A better question is "should you speed up the trial process"? Ask your defense lawyer. In some cases delay can benefit your defense, sometimes you may want a speedy trial. Instead of asking for free avvo opinions find a local attorney who can assist. This is not the time for pro se amateur lawyering. Find the right attorney post haste.

I share Mr. Guest's concerns. If you are on probation, this kind of trip is out of the question. If you have a court date during this one year period, a warrant would issue if you failed to appear, and most courts are not going to give you a one year continuance. Your other options are to go to trial and be found not guilty before this date (which you can't completely control since courts have obligations to try jail cases before people out on bond) or plead to a short jail sentence which could be served before you leave in August (or you could ask the jury for jail time at trial, but a judge could still give you probation anyways if he or she thought it was merited). Obviously, this is a conversation that you should have with your attorney before you make any decision. Disclaimer: This answer is provided as a public service and as a general response to a general question, it is not meant, and should not be relied upon as specific legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.