- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
6-12 Months - How much have you saved?
$10,000 - How old are you?
25 - Nationality
USA - Where do you live now?
Chicago, USA - Occupation
Finance/Sales - 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?
SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), India, Nepal, Jordan, Egypt, E Africa (Kenya, Tanzania), Denmark, Netherlands. - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Some life changing events and general unhappiness inspired me to take this step. I want to take myself out of my comfort zone and challenge myself and my ways of thinking. - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Lonliness and home sickness, being taken advantage of because I am too trusting. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Half and half. Friends think I am crazy, but most are supportive. (I still don’t think half of them actually believe I’ll do it!) My mom refuses to talk about it, but my dad and brother are excited for me… all mixed reactions. - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just Enough - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Still trying to cut my list down to the essentials… Most important to me will be e-mail addresses of friends and family so I can keep in touch. - 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?
I know the life-changing thing can be a little cheesy, but that is precisely what I expect will happen. I have been a typical Type-A, everything according to plan, staying within my comfort zone (boring!). I am ready to challenge myself and that way of thinking. There is no doubt I will come out of this trip with more confidence, more peace, more patience, a better appreciation for other people and other cultures, more perspective, etc….. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
I am so scared, yet so excited!! - 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?
I don’t know- it’s different for everyone. But it never hurts to have more knowledge of other people and cultures in the world… - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
For me, it was how easy things are once you actually make the decision to go. The point when I said “OK, I’m really doing this…”, everything just started falling into place. - Why do you like to travel?
Tough question- there’s so much. I think the most important thing for me is the learning experience- the knowledge I gain about other cultures and viewpoints, as well as the knowledge I gain about myself. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Coming from the person who just a year ago would have been voted “least likely to ever go on a RTW trip”- Just go! It’s the most liberating and exciting feeling in the world.
January 2005