Christine Rowe - Round-the-World Traveler

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   
   August 2002-October 2003
   

   
   

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   
   29
   

   
   

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   
   $20,000
   

   
   

4. Nationality
   
   USA
   

   
   

5. Where do you live now?
   
   Panajachel, Guatemala
   

   
   

6. Occupation
   
   
   Before your trip: Reporter/Teacher
   
   
   Now: Bar Owner
   
   

   
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   
   I am not sure. I didn't end up going back to the newspaper business and tried my hand at teaching again. I realized I could not live in the Corporate world. I was only surviving, not living. I was always thinking about traveling.
   

   
   

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   
   Dallas - Fiji - New Zealand (South Island) - Australia - Indonesia - Malaysia - Thailand/Cambodia - China - Russia - Eastern Europe - Greece - Turkey - Israel - England - Dallas
   

   
   

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   
   Becaue two weeks of vacation a year are not enough to really get to see what you want to see. Wanted to have the independence to go where we wanted, when we wanted.
   

   
   

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

   
   
   • Best Moment
     
     Bicycling with the locals through Angkor Wat/Trans-Siberian Trip
     

     
     

   • Worst Moment
     
     Getting robbed on bus ride from Bali to Jogyakarta
     

     
     

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     
     Language in China
     

     
     

   • Biggest surprise?
     
     Cambodia, especially the friendliness of the people
     

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   Brian and Melissa from Canada. Met them in Rhodes. Coincidentally ran into them in Selcuk, Turkey at a grocery store and then intentionally met up with them in Istanbul. They were a lot of fun with many experiences.

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

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   Sleeping bag.

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Many, many clothes.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   It made me realize that no matter where you go int he world the majority of people want the same things: peace, a better life for their children and happiness. Not to mention everyone appreciates a good joke.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   I survived, had fun and want to do it again.

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   Not in the immediate future. But the idea is always on my mind.

   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 enough time to see and do everthing that you want to see and do. Plus you don't get the relax time.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   Patience goes a long way, especially with language. Learn a couple of words everywhere you go.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   That it is undoable and you need to be rich to do it.

   Why do you like to travel?
   I love seeing new places and experiencing new things. It's a thrill.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Put everything you plan on bringing in a pile and then only take a quarter of it. You can buy clothes along the way. In fact you can pretty much get everything you need albeit maybe for a price along the way.