- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-2 Years - How old are you?
23 - Nationality
USA - Where do you live now?
Los Angeles, USA - Occupation
Banker - 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?
Los Angeles, New York, overland Paris to Cairo, Bombay, overland through Nepal, Tibet, the rest of China, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, back to the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
For the adventure and the challenge! - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Traveling alone as a woman… loneliness perhaps. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
For the most part. My parents are worried, my friends are baffled (the idea of a “gap” year is foreign to most Americans), and my coworkers do not know yet. =) - 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)?
Besides my clothes? Universal sink plug and washing line! Some Mary J. Blige of course. Flashlight, sunscreen, and I’ve been told that I will be grateful for my earplugs. - 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?
This is of course going to be a very common answer… I have traveled a lot but never alone. I’m hoping that I will become more self-sufficient and resourceful. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Bring it!! - 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 think that always being on the move can sometimes be tiring. I think everyone secretly wishes that they had more time or more money to travel for a longer period of time. If you find someplace you really like on a RTW trip then you can just stay and soak it up. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it’s hard or that you have to do a lot of planning. First of all, for the most part, when you visit a country people go to the same spots. How easy is that? You can figure out the main destinations just by talking to people. Secondly, the adventure is in the journey. I’m all for planning certain things if that’s your style, but believe me, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s not as hard as people think to find accommodation and get around on the spot. - Why do you like to travel?
I’m really into hiking and outdoor activities (not hardcore, I just like nature). There are some incredible natural and manmade wonders out there to see. I think the main reason I love to travel though is that I love to learn. What better way to expand your mind than to travel? - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
I haven’t officially started yet, but my advice is not to sweat it. I got all worried about around the world tickets and what-not… but once I made up my mind to let the wind take me wherever it will I stopped stressing. Cheers!
April 2002