1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   October 2000-January 2002

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   30

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   $38,000 for 2 people

4. Nationality
   USA

5. Where do you live now?
   Portland, Oregon, USA

6. Occupation
   Before your trip: sales/ marketing
   Now: freelance photograplher

7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   Finally got the guts to pursue my passion – made the switch from corporate life to beginning my own business as a freelance photographer.

8. What is the route you took/places you visited?
   French Polynesia, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Palau, Philippines, Sabah, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal.

9. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I’ve always loved to travel and see the world through a fresh perspective by immersing myself in new cultures. My travels beforehand had been limited to 3 month trips, but I’d met others(mostly Canadians and Australians) who managed to travel extensively on limited budgets.

10. Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
    • Best Moment
      
      my best memories are highlighted in my photographs – impossible to choose just one
    • Worst Moment
      
      Thinking we ran out of $ and had to come home
    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
      
      Illnesses
    • Biggest surprise?
      
      kindness of strangers

11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    Suchard – a Thai who we met and worked with guiding rock climbing and building/photographing his website – by helping him he taught us more lessons than we contributed, mostly about following our dreams in our everyday lives.

12. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    Just Enough

13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    Digital camera

14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    Most of my clothes

15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    Realization that I have control to live my life differently. I became more humble and patient while at the same time learned to embrace freedom and adventure.

16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Can’t wait to do it again!

17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Definitely, travel is a part of my life and will become a part of my career as I establish my photography business.

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?
    It takes time away from your regular routine to make lasting changes in your life and to fully experience other cultures with open, unjudgemental eyes. A RTW trip allows you to set your own pace depending on your moods vs a strict itinerary or package tour.

19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    To live life simply.

20. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That it’s just a big vacation.

21. Why do you like to travel?
    To rejuvinate myself, live life to it’s fullest, see the world through fresh eyes.

22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Just decide to do it now, there’s never an ideal time. Often ‘roughing it’ or letting serendipity guide your trip can be the best way to go.