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Author: Sean Keener

Phil Donachie – Around-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
    September 2001-April 2002

  2. How old were you when you took this trip?
    18

  3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
    £4000?

  4. Nationality
    England

  5. Where do you live now?
    London, England

  6. Occupation
    Before your trip: Student

    Now: Student

  7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
    They didn’t. I was on a gap year (deferred my university place).

  8. What is the route you took/places you visited?
    Star Alliance:
    London – Tokyo – Bangkok – Singapore – Brisbane – Sydney – Christchurch – Wellington – Auckland – Honolulu – LA – Chicago – New York – London. Also train from Singapore to Malaysia (Langkawi) and back.

  9. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I wanted to work in America for my gap year, but couldn’t get the visas, so decided on Australia. STA Travel in London told me about RTW tickets, so I decided to go to some cool places. I wanted to see Electric City, Tokyo, was planning on working in OZ, and have family in New Zealand, and the rest of the trip fell into place. I got to see the places I had always dreamed about, Bondi Beach, Hawaii, New York, and the prospect of going to ‘unknown’ Asia seemed interesting as well.

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

    • Best Moment

      Ridding on an elephant on a jungle trek from Chiang Mai – Thailand

    • Worst Moment

      Walking around an empty, borring Chicago all alone on a very cold Easter Sunday

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Concentrating on A Levels rather than dreaming about my future trip

    • Biggest surprise?

      The friendly Hawaiin locals who let us camp in thier garden, and fed us

  11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    A New Yorker, couple of years older than me, who I met in my hostel in Singapore. His travel anntedotes were so funny, even when talking about the immigration officials stamping his passport – wish I still had his E-mail address.

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

  13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    My camera – not very high tec, but rewarded me with loads of cool pictures – and great memories.

  14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    Too many clothes. Next time I’d like to take the very minimum, and buy some cool T-shirts etc as I went along. Also a big pair of steel cap boats, a nightmare to pack, and if I wore them they set off metal detectors at the airports.

  15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    I’d like to say I’m more mature, but I don’t think many would agree with that!!! I think I have learnt alot, and appreciate alot more things. It was a *brilliant* experience, and as a result, I have well and truely caught the ‘travel bug’.

  16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    The best thing I have done in my whole life – amazing!

  17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Yes definately! This summer I will hopefuly be going off to Greece with some mates from school. I would also like to go to Munich for Oktoberfest, and maybe (money depending), Norway in December to see the northern lights.

    My next round the world trip will hopefully be in Sep/Oct 2005 after I’ve finshed uni. Overland London – Russia – China via transsiberian, fly Thailand, (check this Pai place out), Singapore, then fly on to Darwin, Alice Springs, Cairns, Auckland, Nadi, Hawaii, (island with the lava flows), Auckland again, Sydney to Perth by train (72 hours). Then Perth to Cape Town (via Jo’burg), do a safari, then back to sunny England!

  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?
    Round the world trips are amazing! You can pick and choose your own destinations, almost anywhere on the globe. See places, sites and people you never thought you would see.

  19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    Do not plan too far in advance, you may well meet some friends and want to travel with them to a different place, or simply stay longer at the ‘paradise beach’.

  20. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    “It’s far too expensive to go jetting off round the world”.

    It’s cheaper than you think. A thatched bungalow with marble floor, double bed, with air conditioning and en-suite bathroom, for £4 on the edge of one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen! You also meet so many new friends, and basically have the time of your life!

  21. Why do you like to travel?
    A sense of freedom I guess. I can choose when where and how long for. Seeing amazing places and making loads of new friends. Oh and the weather is ‘slightly’ better than London too! 🙂

  22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Pack light, you can always buy pretty much anything en route.

    Don’t plan too much detail. You will find your ideas may well change once you get there.

    Don’t put it off until after university etc, (be like me and have a gap year before AND after!)

    Follow your dreams. If there’s somewhere you really want to go and see, or something you really want to do, do it! Whether it be sky diving over the Australian rainforest, elephant riding in Northern Thailand, shopping in New York, or sleeping on a beach in Hawaii!