Petra Smit and family - Round-the-World Travelers

1. When do you leave?
   October 2008

2. How long do you plan to be away?
   6-12 Months

3. How much have you saved?
   15000

4. How old are you?
   38

5. Nationality
   Netherlands

6. Where do you live now?
   Harskamp, Netherlands

7. Occupation
   Own business

8. Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
   It's my career

9. Have you traveled around the world before?
   Yes

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    We want to travel to South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    We want to spend more time together than just a regular holiday and we want to explore new cultures.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    That we do not have enough time.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Yes, most people are very positive. They wonder most about taking our children with us, then 9 and 12 years old.

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    Just Enough

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    Probably to much! We will have to take a laptop with us for the kids to do their schoolwork and for me to keep in touch with my company.

16. 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 am not sure if it will change our lives. We expect to learn a lot about how people live elsewhere in the world. Experience the nature and different kinds of food.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Exciting, tiring, lots to learn, adventurous and great to spend a lot of time together.

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?
    

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    

20. Why do you like to travel?
    

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?