Barbara Millstein - Round-the-World Traveler

1. When do you leave?
   July 2005

2. How long do you plan to be away?
   6-12 Months

3. How much have you saved?
   $40,000

4. How old are you?
   58

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Santa Fe New Mexico, USA

7. Occupation
   Social Worker

8. 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

9. Have you traveled around the world before?
   No

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    Albuquerque, Paris, Casablanca, Florence, Athens, Istanbul, Syria, Jordan, Eygpt, Nairobi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Dar Es Saleem, Sri Lanka, Kerala, Mumbai, Varanessi, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Laos, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Bali, Albuquerque

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    These are some of the places we've never been to, and some that we wanted to return to. We have a house in Bali, so we wanted to end up there to rest and relax before we returned to the USA.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Medical problems, running out of money, family problems, having to return sooner then planned.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Yes, everyone is very envious of us. But, they think we're crazy to give up our jobs and leave.

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    To the Nth Degree

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    4-5 days worth of clothing, cameras, rechargable batteries, books, reading lights. First aid kit, passports and visas.

16. 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?
    Travel has always affected us in a positive way. The stimulation of meeting different people and participating in more exotic cultures than our own is enervating.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Change, change, change and constant new challenges.

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?
    To gain a different perspective on the world. To recognize that there are people who live very differently than we do, and to appreciate how blessed we are that we are able to travel and have so many options in our lives.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That it can only be done by the young, and that the gap year is the year between college and career. Any year can be made into a gap year. You just have to be willing to take the risk.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    Music, art, culture and people.

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Do you research. Plan as much as you need to in order to feel comfortable.