Bob Pedersen – Around-the-World Traveler

When did you go on your RTW trip?
May-October 2001
How old were you when you took this trip?
55
Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
US$14,000
Nationality
USA
Where do you live now?
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Occupation
Before your trip: Restaurant Manager

Now: Starving Writer
How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
I have never really had a “career” to speak of, so my trip did not really cause any interruption. I’ll just have to go out and find another job.
What is the route you took/places you visited?
I traveled around the world without ever getting on an airplane. A dream since childhood, I went from Oregon to Los Angeles by train, and across the Pacific by freighter to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, I traveled by train through China and Mongolia to Russia, across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway to St. Petersburg, and finally to Helsinki. I then traveled by train south through Eastern Europe to Istanbul. From Istanbul to selected Greek Islands by ferry, and ferry from the Greek mainland to Italy. On the train again for the northerly trip through Western Europe to Liverpool, England. I then boarded another freighter bound for Philadelphia, and trained from Philly to Eugene, Oregon.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I have wanted to travel around the globe since childhood. After 30 years of travel to over 50 countries, I came up with the idea of doing the trip without ever boarding an airplane. From where does this wanderlust come? Probably too many evenings as a child with nothing but National Geographic for entertainment.
Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
- Best Moment
  
  Meeting new friends
- Worst Moment
  
  Getting struck by a car in Milan, Italy
- Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
  
  Inter-island ferry travel in Greece
- Biggest surprise?
  
  How much I enjoyed Russia
Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
There were so many that it is difficult to select just one. But, Feyyaz Abrak of Istanbul stands out. A friend of a friend of a friend, we corresponded only a couple of times by e-mail. When I was in Budapest, I e-mailed him with the date and time of my intended arrival. I asked that he find a small hotel for me. His reply was that a hotel was not necessary, that I would be he and his father’s guest for seven days in Istanbul. Wonderful, wonderful hospitality. I hope that I can return it someday.
How much planning and preparing did you do?
Planning is for tourists
What was your favorite piece of gear?
Swiss Army Knife
What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
A heavy jacket, and about 20% less clothes.
How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
The trip had an enormous effect on me. Writing for the local newspaper, the Eugene Register Guard, I found out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Additionally, I’ll never want for anything material again. I have been so blessed.
If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Traveling is not what I like to do, but rather who I am.
Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
Yes. I plan to go around the globe again, but this time entirely by freighter.
Why do you think people should go on round-the-world trips? Why not just take a regular old one- or two-week vacation instead?
Follow your dreams. If your dream is a two-week vacation – so be it.
What is the most valuable thing you learned?
That 99.9% of all the people in the world are wonderful, peaceful, and trusting people.
What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
The cost.
Why do you like to travel?
I travel to meet new people. Americans are not the most trusting people in the world. We create many barriers and fences. To travel solo for extended periods brings those barriers down. Travel makes me a better person.
What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Don’t plan everything out. Leave yourself time for things to just happen. I assure you that those impromptu moments will be the most remembered and cherished moments of your trip.

After Bob came back to Eugene, BootsnAll’s Christina Hur caught up with him for some chat and an interview. Read more about Bob and his trip here.

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