- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-6 Months - How much have you saved?
Me, $6,000 - How old are you?
23 - Nationality
USA - Where do you live now?
Yonkers, NY, USA - Occupation
Temp - Is this job one that you actually like, or
are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
One more paycheck and I’m gone - Have you traveled around the world
before?
No - What is the route you plan to take/places
you plan to visit?
We are flying into London then starting our trip from there.
London – Singapore – Bangkok – Singapore – Sydney – Queenstown – Auckland – Rarotonga – Tahiti – LA – London. - Why did you decide to take this trip? What
got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
My boyfriend is a hard core traveler, and I have done traveling but nothing as extentive as this. We are sick of living in this crappy town in this little apartment. He is dying to go and although am a worrywart, I know in the end that I will love it. - What is your biggest fear about this
trip?
I am totally scared because I’ve never gone places without a real plan. I don’t know HOW to just go somewhere, make friends, hang out for a few weeks, go wherever you feel like, etc etc. I fear getting sick or being in bad situations. I worry too much. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc.,
supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the
world?
Most friends are totally supportive and think it is great. My parents worry about me and think I don’t have enough money to do it. - 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 bought some zip-off pants. Also got bug repellant, sunblock, and soap to wash clothes with. Also a pak-towel thingy and some protein bars, an inflatible airplane pillow and some locks. - 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 think it will change me completely. I worry that when I get home, how will I ever be able to just work at a boring job again?? - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings
about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it
be?
Nervous - 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?
RTW trips make you really LIVE in a place, not just walk by and look at stuff then leave, which is what I always did in prior travels. - What is the biggest myth that people have
about round-the-world traveling?
That it is outrageously expensive… we got our tickets for $1600 + $330 to London, so that is $1930 just for tickets! Not bad, I think! And the cost of living in many of the places we are going is low. - Why do you like to travel?
I LOVE to learn and experience things I never new existed. - What is your advice for people planning
their own RTW trip?
Well, I can’t really give advice until I’ve taken mine already… then we’ll see if I did a good job in planning!
February 2004
Follow Kelly’s trip via her BootsnAll Travel Blog: Kelly’s Travels