- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
I Ain’t Never Comin’ Back - How much have you saved?
25,000 - How old are you?
26 - Nationality
USA - Where do you live now?
Colorado, USA - Occupation
Construction Project Manager - Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
It’s my career - Have you traveled around the world before?
No - What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
Mexico, Central/South America, NZ, AUS, SEA, China, Japan, Hawaii, (possibly home to Colorado for a short break), Japan, Nepal, India, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa up to Kenya, Turkey, Europe. - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I went to Europe for a month after college and loved it. A few months into my career some of my friends went to NZ and were telling me all about it. I then started thinking about all the places in the world that I wanted to visit and decided to start saving so I could go. - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Home sickness. I am very close to my family and friends, so I already know I will miss them dearly. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Everyone is very supportive. My family is very excited and my co-workers can’t wait to follow me on my adventures. So far only my big brother has shown any sort of emotion other than excitement. He just doesn’t see it as a life changing experience… he just thinks of it as a trip. - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just Enough - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
2-t-shirts, a tank top, long sleeve shirt, light sweater, Jeans, capris, shorts, convertible pants, light Jacket, bathroom/first-aid stuff, journal, small digital camera, I.pod, and other little things. I’m not sure that my most indispensable item will be… I haven’t left yet. - 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?
I don’t know. I know I will have experiences that are beyond my imagination and right now I’m not sure how they will effect me. It is hard to say. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
I’m both excited and afraid of the challenges and surprises that await me. - 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?
Everyone is different. But I believe everyone should travel a bit, just to see what a big world it is. Travel isn’t for every one, so I would never push something as big as a RTW on someone. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it is really dangerous. Being from the United States, the media portrays the world as a big scary place where everyone else is out to get you, when the truth is that most people want to help and are happy to see new faces. Sure I am aware of the dangers and will take the precautions to avoid getting into trouble, but for every bad person out there, there are hundreds of good people. - Why do you like to travel?
I like to see new places and have new experiences. But my favorite part of travel is the people you meet. Like all the other travelers out there and if your real lucky the local people who can give you a better understanding about the town/area you are in. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Even if you don’t want to plan anything and you want to ‘fly by the seat of your pants’… make goals for places you want to go and things you want to see. Otherwise the time will just fly by and the money will be gone and you might feel like you didn’t accomplish anything.
January 2006