- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
6-12 Months - How much have you saved?
£14000 - How old are you?
24 - Nationality
England - Where do you live now?
UK, England - Occupation
Engineering Sales Manager - 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 – South Africa (Cape Town, Garden Route, Pretoria, Jo’Burg) –
Australia (Pick up a camper van in Perth and then drive all around the
North right round to Sydney) – New Zealand (Christchurch – Camper Van all
the way to Auckland) – Fiji – Malaysia – Thailand – Vietnam – Nepal – UK. - Why did you decide to take this trip? What
got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Me and my partner went travelling round Thailand for 2 weeks back in 2002
and loved it that much that we decided to sell our house and give up work
and just do it for a year! We work very long hours and have decided that
we have earned it and that life is too short to waste stuck in offices. - What is your biggest fear about this
trip?
The loss of a home base and a regular income and the fact that when we
get home we will have no home and no jobs. But hey, life moves on and a
new job will come along. We will both also miss our friends and familly,
but they will be here when we get back. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc.,
supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the
world?
Parents are supportive but obviously worried that we are going to get
hi-jacked, kidnapped etc… but in general everyone is supportive and
also very jealous. I think a lot of older friends especially who now have
kids etc realise that maybe their chance to do this has now passed and
they regret missing the chance. - 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)?
Very basic and buy what else we need when we are away. Underwear,
T-shirts, shorts, 1 pair of trousers, sandals and walking boots, basic
toiletries, medical kit, 1 towel each and the trusty MP3 player jukebox !
This is in-despensable for those long drives or train journeys. - 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 that it will open our eyes to what is out there for a young
couple and that the UK is not the whole world. I want to see how people
live and what conditions they live in so that maybe we may decide to live
in one of those places ourselves one day. I am not hoping for any life
changing moments, but if they come then I shall weigh them up as they
come and learn what I can from them to make me a wiser and more worldly
person. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings
about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it
be?
A huge adventure with countless possibilities and learning opportunities
that will be with you for the rest of your life. - 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?
To fully appreciate another country and culture, you need more than 2
weeks in Ibiza! You need to meet the locals and interact with them to see
how they live and what the country is really like. This to me is the most
exciting part of the journey that we are about to embark upon. You need
this long period of time to become part of your travels and not just
another tourist on the nations statistics. You want to be able to learn
and maybe to teach something also that may be beneficial to another
person. Sharing knowlege is the key. - What is the biggest myth that people have
about round-the-world traveling?
That everywhere is dangerous that does not speak native English and that
they are all out to rob you at any opportunity. This could not be any
further from the truth in Thailand which really did earn its’ reutation
as “The land of smiles” as evryone was so friendly and helpfull. Stay
aware but not always defensive as a smile can get you everywhere. - Why do you like to travel?
To learn and exchange view and knowlege with other nationalities. To see
what we have that others do not and visa-versa. To learn and appreciate
the short time that we have here and to make the most out of it. I think
that some people simply let the world pass them by without ever stopping
and looking at how amazing it really is. - What is your advice for people planning
their own RTW trip?
Get a basic plan in mind and then just go for it. Winging it is far more
fun and practical than planning everything down to the final detail as
your plans will change and then your whole neat schedule will go to pot.
Most of all, pack light, and enjoy it as much as you can and listen and
learn always and never be afraid to share your own views with others as
life is one big learning experience. Material goods come and go but
memories remain forever.
September 2003