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Author: Sean Keener

SP – Around-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
    December 1996-January

  2. How old were you when you took this
    trip?
    31

  3. Including your air ticket and other expenses
    (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip
    cost?
    $3300

  4. Nationality
    USA

  5. Occupation
    * Before your trip: Teacher for “at risk youth”
    * Now: English Teacher

  6. How did your travels affect your career when
    you got back?
    Difficult to come back….stayed in US for 9 months in 2000-2001

  7. What is the route you took/places you
    visited?
    PR – Argentina (mostly Patagonia) Uruguay, Paraguay, Brasil, Australia, Nepal, Thailand, Europe (work in Germany and UK) return to
    Nepal, India, Back to Europe, Nepal/Tibet, Germany, Thailand, Germany

  8. Why did you decide to take this trip? What
    got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I just knew I had to and it was “now or never” feeling 🙂

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

    • Best Moment

      Soo Many – Base of Fritz Roy, Annapurna….visiting the nuns in Tibet… Swimming with the children in Nepal… Connecting with people

    • Worst Moment

      A lot of tough moments – that seem to disappear when you get a new start

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Dealing with beggars in India

    • Biggest surprise?

      How easy it was to do!!

  10. Who is the most memorable person you met on
    your trip and why?
    Difficult….also too many…but just now I think of an old Indian friend
    we just kind connected….there was a deep friendship between us.

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

  12. What was your favorite piece of
    gear?
    Swiss Army Knife, Camera

  13. How did your round-the-world trip change
    your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    Opened my eyes a bit and reconfirmed my feelings that we are all the
    same…makes it difficult to live a normal day to day life at times – often
    homesick for the road.

  14. If you had to sum up your round-the-world
    trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    It was something I had to do and I am so glad that I did it…it has
    changed my life immensely

  15. Are you planning more trips and travels for
    the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Would love to

  16. 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?
    Not sure I think everyone should (I met some people on the road that were
    a bit embarrassing out there – still tied to old habits back home – complaining about waiting in lines and the conditions of rooms..etc)

  17. What is the most valuable thing you
    learned?
    To trust in life and myself.

  18. What is the biggest myth that people have
    about round-the-world traveling?
    In the US (near my home, NJ) people think you are crazy to do it..that it’s too difficult..etc. Others think it is only a party.

  19. Why do you like to travel?
    Freedom…People…Nature
    The ability to value every moment of the day – seems we get lost living life to pay bills etc back home we waste too much precious time.

  20. What is your advice for people planning
    their own RTW trip?
    Bring a light pack with things that you wouldn’t care if you lost… trust your instincts on the road… Keep an open mind…. and when you think you can’t do it anymore… give it a week (normally things change within the next hour).