Renee Berling - Around-the-World Traveler

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

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   19

3. Nationality
   USA

4. Where do you live now?
   Wisconsin, USA

5. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: Student
   
   Now: Student
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   It was hard to go back to college and deal with everything, but I settled in pretty quickly.

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   I visited many places in Europe including Paris, Amsterdam, and London, went to Brazil for awhile, Jamaica, Mexico...

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I wanted something different in my life, I was sick of sitting in classrooms hearing about all these great adventures, and decided it was time to build my own.

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

   • Best Moment
     Surfing at Barra

   • Worst Moment
     Being chased by the police

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Learning Portuguese

   • Biggest surprise?
     Everything was a surprise

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   His name was Mufassa and he was a waiter at my favorite restaurant in Brazil. We talked a lot and became good friends.

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Planning is for tourists

   What was your favorite piece of gear? What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   It is a tie between my wetsuit and my boots.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   I feel that it put me into perspective to see how big the world really is. I had many educational experiences that I will never forget. It is one thing to learn about another culture, but to understand the logic of a culture is amazing.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   Time of my life.

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   Hope to get back to Europe in the summer.

   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?
   RTWs should be taken because you really can't experience anything in a couple of weeks.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   I can't reveal that!

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   It does not cost that much!

   Why do you like to travel?
   I love to travel because I like to meet new people and try new things.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Don't plan it, just go!