- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-2 Years - How much have you saved?
€8000 - How old are you?
24 - Nationality
Ireland - Where do you live now?
Galway, Ireland - Occupation
Engineer - Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
It’s my career - Have you traveled around the world before?
No - What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
London, Hong Kong, overland, Singapore, Brisbane, overland, Sydney, Wellington, overland, Auckland, Santiago, overland, Rio de Janeiro - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Because I feel I really need to do something like this while I’m still young and have always planned on doing it. I’ve got a burning ambition to see the world, meet new people and experience different cultures. And I’m getting very pissed off with this working 9-6 😉 - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Getting sick somewhere and having to be brought home. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Yes, quite a few people in work have taken a year or two out traveling and are full of encouragement. My family are fully behind me too. - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just Enough - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Light clothes, medical kit, mosquito spray, torch. - How do you think your round-the-world trip will change your life? How do you think it will affect and change you as a person?
Yes, I’m hoping it will open my eyes to the world around me and maybe give me an idea on where I would like to live for a couple of years. I think it will be a humbling experience. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Bring it on!! - 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?
You have to live in a place to really learn anything about the culture. In a 2-3 week holiday you are given a glossy touristy view of a place; you might see the sights, but you won’t learn anything from the people living there or get a taste for how they live their lives. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
Hmmmm… I don’t really know. Ask me next year. - Why do you like to travel?
Beause it opens my eyes and my mind. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
That’s like asking what advice would I give myself. I suppose, relax, get a rough plan together but don’t be too pedantic, try to travel with people you know pretty well, have lived with before (my personal opinion anyway). Besides that, just enjoy and go into it with an open mind.
December 2002