Mario Umpiérrez Olivera - Round-the-World Travele

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   June 2000-November 2000

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?
   USD 8000

4. Nationality
   Uruguay

5. Where do you live now?
   Montevideo, Uruguay

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: IT Manager
   
   Now: NGO Country Manager
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   It was the perfect switch between careers.

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   Mexico City and around, San Francisco, Japan, Northern China, Thailand, Laos, CAmbodia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Nepal, classic Northern India route, Istanbul, Egypt, Athens and the Greek islands, New York and back home

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I was getting in to backpacking after a trip to Australia and New Zealand in 1999 so I sort of wanted to get out there alone and see how could I deal with the world and it was the best decission I have ever made.

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

   • Best Moment
     Entering Angkor Wat in Cambodia

   • Worst Moment
     Not finding accomodation in San Francisco's lower downtown area being followed by a gang over the there

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Being sick in Isantbul and tricked by a cab-driver

   • Biggest surprise?
     All the friends I meet on the road

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   My OZ friends Phil and Mark, met at Egypt and Laos correspondingly. With each one of them I developed one of truest friendships ever.

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Just Enough

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   My sneakers and my Nikon cameras

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

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   I learned a lot about myself and the things I care for in this life and in a sense I think I'm much much wiser now than before and valorate things and people for what they truly are.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   The best decission I ever took.

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   Yes... I have more plans and have travelled every year since then. And I'm planning a RTW after I finish my career and MBA.

   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's a whole different experience that is, in my own, non-transferible. It's not a vacation, it's a glimpse of the world and being able to live a different life for a certain amount of time, that in most cases changes your life forever.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   Frienship and self-consiousnes of your "real limits" not those imposed by the society we live on everyday, and deep knowledge of the real world out there.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   Think that putting a backpack in your back akes you a backpacker...

   Why do you like to travel?
   The world is just there waiting for you. I want to see and experience as much as I can of it. RTW or travelling the way I do and see it, it's in your system, it's like malaria... once you get it there's no way back.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Pack light, bring a good camera and do not hold on to schedules, use your finger and check which way the wind is blowing.