- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
6-12 Months - How much have you saved?
£9,000 - How old are you?
28 - Nationality
England - Where do you live now?
Oxford, England - Occupation
Telecoms analyst - 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?
UK – Boston – Toronto – Whereever then LA – Fiji – New Zealand – Australia – Bangkok – Hong Kong – Singapore – Bali – UK - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
My fiancé Sara and I get married Aug ’03 and we thought, in reality this is the best if not only opportunity to do this. I don’t want to wake up 45 years old, regretting not doing it. - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Just the unknown. I keep telling myself the whole world is made of 99% nice “normal” people, and if it does all goes wrong it’s only £500 and 24 hours to get home. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Everyone is supportive, most say they wish they had done it and that they can’t do it now (Not sure why). - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Winged it a lot - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
I have no idea. Taking a first aid kit, tent, clothes and I think that’s it. - 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?
It will just be nice to get away with Sara and just be ourselves, whoever that may be. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
I will only only begin to find out once I’m on the plane. - 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. I think we are very fortunate to have the savings and lack of commitments to just swan off for 10 months. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That planning it is a military operation. We only know what we’re doing for the first week and then the flight times. - Why do you like to travel?
I don’t like travelling, I get travel-sick! I do like being in different places though. I hope this will bring me closer to strangers and know that it is up to us to make the best of it. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Don’t take advice from me. If you really are thinking about it, do something really positive towards it, i.e. hand in your notice/book the tickets and set the date. Then just deal with it
July 2002