Kinga & Chopin - Around-the-World Traveler

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   October 1998-September 2003

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   25-30

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   US$5 a day (excluding the ticket)

4. Nationality
   Poland

5. Where do you live now?
   Gdansk, Poland

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: English teacher (Kinga), electrician (Chopin)
   
   Now: English teacher, writer) Kinga, computer specialist (Chopin)
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   We're not really thinking in terms of making a career - although, yes it did influence something - I (Kinga) have written a book about our journey which is just being published now. How this will influence any future career - we'll see. Or maybe there will be no career any time soon, as I'm heading to Africa in the nearest future...

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   North America, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and then... Asia, and overland all the way back home - to Europe - you can see the detailed maps on our website.

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   We just wanted to see the world.

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

   • Best Moment
     There wasn't just one - there were many highlights - hitching a ride with an airplane in Alaska, with a hang glider in Rio de Janeiro or a yacht to Vanuatu - these are just a few.

   • Worst Moment
     When we got a ride with a Russian cargo ship from Japan to the island of Sahalin, and when they turned us back for not having a "voucher".

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Dealing with beauracracy - just like in the example above.

   • Biggest surprise?
     To find out how small, and at the same time how big our world is.

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   It's hard to choose just one of many, many people we met every day during these five years. But our captain with whom we sailed to Vanuatu was an interesting person - at the age of 75 he said he still doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up...

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Planning is for tourists.

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   My SLR Canon.

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Can't think of such a thing.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   We're all changing - travelling the world or not... But I can't think of a way the trip changed me. Maybe it just made me realize that I can do it. That I can do ANYTHING that I really, strongly desire to do.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   Life is a journey - enjoy it.

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   Not RTW. But a trip to Africa - the continent we unintentionally skipped this time.

   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 think people should go on RTW trips. I think people should do whatever they feel like doing.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   That, no matter what - it is always worth to follow your dreams.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   That you need a lot of money to do it. Maybe some people do - but not if they would want to do it our way - that is hitch-hiking, camping out, etc.

   Why do you like to travel?
   Because life is a journey - and I'm alive - so it's better to just enjoy it. Enjoy the journey - not just the destination.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Just do it!