- When did you go on your RTW trip?
June 2003-August 2003
- How old were you when you took this trip?
51
- Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
7,000
- Nationality
USA
- Where do you live now?
Ferndale, MI, USA
- Occupation
Before your trip: music therapist
Now: music therapist
- How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
My boss was very angry with me because I took some extra time off from work but she got over it.
- What is the route you took/places you visited?
Detroit,Thailand, Malasia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Argentena, Chili, Peru, Detroit
- 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 do something with my girls (ages 11 and 13) that would give them a broad scope of the world. Something to focus on outside of themselves and our own little lives.
- Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
- Best Moment
staying with the Karen people in Thailand
- Worst Moment
my daughter caughing around the world
- Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
my other daughter being bit by a dog
- Biggest surprise?
Getting home relatively safe and sound
- Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
a nice young may at the corner grocery store who arranged for a cake for my 11 year old who was turning 12. He was so sweet and thoughtful and expected nothing in return.
- How much planning and preparing did you do?
Planning is for tourists
- What was your favorite piece of gear?
Our backpacks on wheels or maybe my vest I made with zippered pockets that I wore under my clothes.
- What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
We should have taken smaller sleeping bags
- How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
We gained a lot of respect in our little community. At first people thought we were crazy but when we returned safely they were in awe.
- If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
I wish I could do it again!
- Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
Last summer, the summer after the RTW trip we spent the summer in Southeast Asia. It was just too depressing to think of staying home.
- 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?
You don't begin to really know a country in a week or two. In a month you can get a little better idea of a country. I love getting out of my own environment and experiencing world music, food, art and customs.
- What is the most valuable thing you learned?
It was not nearly as scary and dangerous as I feared. The dangers were our health and not from other people.
- What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it is dangerous and that you can't stay in clean and comfortable hotels for less than $100 a day
- Why do you like to travel?
To experience other cultures and all that the culture entails.
- What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Just do it. Don't do too much planning. Take a guide book such as "Lonely Planet".