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Author: Sean Keener

Karl Puls – Round-the-World Traveler

  1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
    February 2005-June 2005

  2. How old were you when you took this trip?
    54

  3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
    $10,000

  4. Nationality
    Canada

  5. Where do you live now?
    Canada

  6. Occupation
    Before your trip: Teacher

    Now: Teacher

  7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
    Gave me insights, experiences, and slides for use in the classroom.

  8. What is the route you took/places you visited?
    Vancouver, LA, Fiji, NZ, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey, Frankfurt, Vancouver

  9. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I typically take a 4-5-month sabbatical every 3-4 years.

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

    • Best Moment

      Snorkeling side-by-side with gigantic bumpheadwrasses in Bali.

    • Worst Moment

      Being stuk in transit in Sydney without a visa or an onward flight because Garuda Indonesia Airlines had changed their schedule without informing Air New Zealand or their on agents in New Zealand.Having a hell-day of being rerouted via Singapor and spending hours in airports, after which we found that our luggage was lost.

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?

      Learning the New Zealand language.

    • Biggest surprise?

      That we loved the Sinai Desert.

  11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    Father Heinrich Bohlen, who has been working in Flores, Indonesia, for the last 50 years, setting up agricultural, educational, and relief projects, and helping to make the local population’s subsistence agriculture sustainable and environmentally sound, not to mention developing cottage industries and an orphanage.

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

  13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    My new digital camera.

  14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could’ve left at home?
    Nothing. We’re used to long-haul budget travel, and we pack light and efficiently.

  15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    Would you like a novel?

  16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    An edifying mix of modern cultures, ancient monuments, natural wonders,historical perspectives, human interactions, and unexpected inspirations.

  17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Yes, we’ll go again in about 3 years, this time via Central and South America, but including Egypt and the Middle East up through Turkey again.

  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?
    Get serious.

  19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    The most interesting was seeing Roman Catholic religious people who were doing incredible work to improve the human condition in Flores reacting to the papal election. Their hopes for liberalization of the Church based on their interactions and work with people far from Rome contrasted mightily with the papal politics that determined the election.

  20. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    Hell if I know.

  21. Why do you like to travel?
    I teach history, physical and human geography, and literature, and have a minor in Asian philosophy. I need experiences to gain insights and perspective, and I need rejuvenaion to stay flexible and open.

  22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Check ou the internet for everything, especially flights and accommodation. You can often lux it on abudget. When reality contradicts your expectations, don’t blame reality.