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Author: Sean Keener

Mari Kingshott – Around-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?

    October 1999-September 2000

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

    24

  3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?

    CDN$10,000

  4. Nationality

    Canada

  5. Where do you live now?

    Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

  6. Occupation
    Before your trip: Student

    Now: Teacher

  7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?

    The trip affected me in a number of ways. First of all I really didn’t have a specific career in mind before I left, and when I returned home I felt really lost. The trip was so exciting, so challenging and so rewarding, that when I returned I felt kind of empty. I really felt like I had to involve myself in a career path and get going on something, so I went to teachers college. And that is where I am right now.

  8. What is the route you took/places you visited?

    The route that I took on my wonderful journey of the globe was:

    1. Flew from Toronto, Canada, to Auckland, New Zealand, via London and Singapore.
    2. Travelled around New Zealand, and left from Christchurch and flew to Sydney, Australia, where we did a circle tour of the great red island.
    3. We flew from Sydney to Singapore. We visited Singapore and travelled up through Peninsular Malaysia, into Thailand, east into Cambodia, farther east into Vietnam. We travelled north through Vietnam into the south of China and then south again into Laos. From here we were running short of time before our plane left from Singapore so we made a quick trip back through Thailand and flew back to Singapore.
    4. We flew from Singapore to Kathmandu, Nepal, and travelled overland through Nepal and India and left India through Mumbai (Bombay).
    5. We Flew onto Istanbul, Turkey, and travelled around, leaving by plane and travelling to London, England.
    6. We rented a car and travelled through England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
    7. We then flew to Norway and spent a very expensive few weeks eating fish in a tube?!!
    8. Then we flew home to Toronto, Canada!

  9. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?

    My husband Tim and I got married, and we wanted a really cool honeymoon!!

    Also, we both wanted to see Asia, and it was a great time in our lives to travel. (Who’s kidding who! It’s always a great time to travel.)

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

    • Best Moment

      The best moment was standing on top of the Throng La pass in Nepal on the Annapurna Pass at 5416 m on the brightest, most beautiful day in the world.

    • Worst Moment

      Sitting (or shitting!) for days on end in a hellish toilet in Darjeeling, India, because we were both too sick to leave the toilet.

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Finding a place to sleep on the first night in a new country, and trying not to get too ripped off in the process.

    • Biggest surprise?

      How many consecutive days I can eat rice and still find it good. (Always helps if you have beer to wash it down with.)

  11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    The most memorable person that I met on my trip was my husband. I know that this might sound silly to anyone reading this, but knowing someone, and living, eating, breathing and travelling with them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year is completely different. I met and fell in love with my travelling partner over and over again. Every time we met a challenge I learned new and wonderful things about him. We faced lots and lots of bad and good things together on a year-long trip together. I would recommend this to any couple: if you can get through travelling together you can take on any other problem and hurdle life throws your way!

  12. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    Winged it a lot

  13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    My headlamp/Swiss Army knife. I’m sorry I cannot pick between these two things. If I was dropped into a country anywhere in the world, I could definitely get by if I had these two things.

  14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    Hmmm, let’s see. The list of dumb things that we brought: Lonely Planet guides (buy these on the way), scuba fins (don’t ask me why), sSunscreen clothing (my mom thought it would be a good idea), three extra flashlights (heavy, very heavy).

  15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    The trip changed everything about me, the way I look at things, my perspective on life, but most of all, all I want to do is travel again. I want to see more of the world, I want to share, talk, eat and live with as many of the world’s people as I can.

  16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    We are home already?! But we just left!

  17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Right now, we are working on getting teaching degrees so that we can taking our career on the road.

    I would like to get a motorbike and bike through China/Mongolia and southern Russia. That is the next trip… hmmmm, I love thinking about it.

  18. 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?
    In order to fully experience the feeling of being a traveller, and being away you need to extend the trip for at least six months. A trip that is longer than two weeks allows you to really experience a culture, and it also allows you to understand yourself better as you change and grow while travelling.

  19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    How to trust myself in strange, challenging and sometimes dangerous situations. I also learned that bribery does in fact open doors…

  20. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    The largest myth that I think people have is that travelling is a HOLIDAY. Travelling is a lifestyle, it is a choice made by the very few who are strong and capable enough to accomplish it. It is not ALWAYS fun, and romantic, But it is ALWAYS rewarding.

  21. Why do you like to travel?
    I like to travel because I want to be informed and I am insatiably curious about the world around us. I am an avid follower of world politics and the geography that creates and dominates our world.

  22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    If you are planning to travel around the world and need one piece of advice, I would definitely say, be prepared, but don’t over-plan your trip. Be flexible and let the trip evolve into what you need at the time. Your needs and wants will change as you travel. You will learn about yourself and you will become a new person. Allow your schedule to be as flexible as possible. This will help you cope with the stress of travel.