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Author: Sean Keener

Leanne Currie-McGhee – Around-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
    December 2000-December 2001

  2. How old were you when you took this trip?
    29

  3. Nationality
    USA

  4. Where do you live now?
    Norfolk, VA, USA

  5. Occupation
    Before your trip: IT Consultant

    Now: Writer

  6. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
    I completely changed careers and am now giving my love of writing a full-time chance.

  7. What is the route you took/places you visited?
    Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, India, Australia, Tonga, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales

  8. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Ever since listening to my father’s travel tales from the Navy, I have wanted to see the world. I served in the Navy, but did not travel outside of the US. When my husband, also a travel lover, and I got married we made a list of things we wanted to do in life. An Around-the-World trip was on the list, so a few years after marriage we decided to make it happen.

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

    • Best Moment

      Hard to choose, but sitting next to Keith watching the sun set on Bang Tao Beach, Thailand, was one of the best moments.

    • Worst Moment

      Watching the 9/11 tragedy unfold while in a hotel in a small town in Turkey.

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Deciding whether or not to return early after 9/11. We were homesick in the weeks after, but decided to keep going. Now we are so happy we did, because we had great experiences in Eastern and Western Europe.

    • Biggest surprise?

      The cheap prices in Asia and Australia – we were able to live very nicely for not too much money.

  10. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    Paul, our Kenyan safari guide, stands out in my mind because he was so proud of his country and its people. We spent the evenings around the campfire listening to his stories about his tribe, safari adventures, family and Kenya life. He shared his great love for his homeland and I came away with a deep appreciation and love for Kenya.

  11. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    To the Nth Degree

  12. What was your favorite piece of gear? What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    I loved my backpack (except for carrying it miles on end). It is great to have all your possessions in one small place. I could have left behind my scuba mask, as I could have rented one wherever we dove.

  13. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    I met hard-working men and women who were worrying where their next meal would come from. I met children who would be ecstatic for the opportunity to attend school just for a little while. Things like this really gave me a new perspective of my own life and how lucky I have been. This trip made me vow to do more to help people around the world.

  14. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Amazing.

  15. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    We plan to keep traveling – our list continues to grow. Someday we would like to do another extended RTW, but that is some years off.

  16. 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?
    Being on an RTW allows you to become totally immersed in the travel. You don’t have a house, career, or a “to do” list to worry about. On an RTW, your life is about what you see and experience each day.

  17. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    I learned how much kindness there is in the world. Every country I visited I met many people who went out of their way to welcome me and assist me if I needed it.

  18. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    A lot of people thought we would get tired of constantly moving and living out of bags. We didn’t. It gets in the blood and becomes a way of life. We were excited every time we moved on because there would be new people, new places and new adventure.

  19. Why do you like to travel?
    I love to meet people with an entirely different outlook than my own. Talking to them makes me think.

  20. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    The most important thing we did before the trip was develop a reasonable budget and actually follow it on the trip. We made sure we had the budget as accurate as possible by researching each country’s costs beforehand. We met people who were not enjoying traveling because they never had enough money and had not realized what things would cost.