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Author: Sean Keener

Dan Leonard – Around-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
    August 8-December 12, 2000

  2. How old were you when you took this trip?
    25

  3. Nationality
    England

  4. Where do you live now?
    S.Yorks, England

  5. Occupation
    Before your trip: Benefits Clerk

    Now: Mortgage Administrator

  6. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
    I got back with no money!!! So needed a job and took the first one I got offered. The RTW trip has always been a good ice-breaker, and the stuff I did when travelling is good and interesting to use in interviews.

  7. What is the route you took/places you visited?
    New York, Overland to Canada (Toronto to Vancouver), Seattle, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore (stop-off), Nepal, India (stop, off), HOME!

  8. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Always wanted to travel ever since I saw my great-aunt’s collection of postcards/stamps from the around the globe. Always like to be moving so RTW is ideal… “where do I sleep/eat/drink tonight??” I also enjoy the solitary/meditational aspect of travelling, and seeing new things and meeting new peoples.

  9. Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:

    • Best Moment

      Hmmmmm… where do I start… too many.
      EVERYTHING! (even below!!)

    • Worst Moment

      “If you come out your hotel I fucking kill you”
      – threat from a disgruntled Vietnamese cab driver!

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Getting food poisoning few hours before a flight.

    • Biggest surprise?

      Laos (ssssshhh – keep this to yourself but it is the nicest place on the planet and the people are superb.

  10. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    The Laos waiter who asked if he could sit at my table and chat so he could practice his English and who then showed me the city of Vientiane the next day and asked for nothing in return.

  11. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    Just Enough

  12. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    Good boots, portable clothes line, Aloe Vera.

  13. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    Water purification stuff, too many clothes, Lariam tablets!

  14. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    Hmmmm… RTW made me realise a lot of stuff about myself, and what I wanted. Now I’m back I keep forgetting that. Realise what I was capable of.

  15. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Tokyo subway with a rickshaw on my back, the mountains in the distance and the skyscrapers above, the coffee tastes too good and the rice needs soya sauce, no whales today MCDONALDS! More trips to far-flung exotic places. When I get married we will honeymoon in Thailand and Laos.

  16. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    More trips to far-flung exotic places. When I get married we will honeymoon in Thailand and Laos.

  17. 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?
    Take the traveller and the tourist: the essential difference is, that the traveller don’t know where he’s going and the tourist don’t know where he is!!

  18. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    Kids are kids. Go any where in the world and kids are kids, they smile, they play and they pester grown-ups.

  19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    A lot of people travelling the world live in the “RTW” bubble. They follow the same routes, go the same places and do the same things as last year’s mob. Then make out they are somehow unique. No matter where you go, it’s VERY hard to be anything more than “johnny tourist” with a big bag.

  20. Why do you like to travel?
    To see stuff.

  21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    • Be suspicious but be open.
    • Don’t give the kids sweets or money.
    • Never leave your bag in the boot of a taxi.
    • Remember: home is only a 12-hour flight away.
    • It’s the little things that can make your day.
    • You are an ambassador for ALL travellers, so act with honour.