- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
- How much have you saved?
- How old are you?
- Nationality
- Where do you live now?
- Occupation
- Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
- Have you traveled around the world before?
- What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
- Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
- What is your biggest fear about this trip?
- Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
- How much planning and preparing have you done?
- What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
- 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?
- If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
- 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?
- What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
- Why do you like to travel?
- What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
December 2006
6-12 Months
US $20,000
24
USA
San Francisco, USA
Manager
One more paycheck and I’m gone
No
USA to Fiji
Fiji to NZ
NZ to OZ
OZ to Thailand and SE Asia
Thailand to UK and the rest of Europe
It’s something that I’ve aspired to do for a very long time and the time was just right to finally pull the trigger. I felt like the longer I waited the more likely it’d be that I’d end up in some other pressing commitment that would prevent a trip such as this from ever taking place. Whether it be a girl, a career, or more school holding me at home I knew that something was creeping towards me day by day; something that would prevent me from having an experience that so few ever really experience.
Dying. (hahaha) Honestly, not too much. I really don’t know what to expect. I try not to think about aspects of the trip that “scare” me. Obviously it’s very important to be mindful of the potential risks associated with a trip of this magnitude, but mostly, I try not to dwell on them.
Yes. Everyone has been wonderful with the exception of a few of my superiors at work who seem dissappointed to see me go. Still, even they seem excited for me and have been supportive of my decision.
Winged it a lot
Backpack. Jeans, light jacket, t-shirts, shorts, hat, 1st aid kit, water bottle, camera(s), soccer ball(deflated) w/pump, sandals, shoes, rock climbing shoes, power adapter, journal, passport/ID, plane tickets, book(s), sunglasses, a small(packable) daypack, a few other small items.
I’d say my camera, passport, plane tickets, and soccer ball are the most indespensible.
Honestly, I don’t know. My expectations are simultaneously huge and non-existent. The experience itself is the most important part for me.
A quote from my grandfather years ago. “Never plan ahead, you never know when it will rain.”
It is at the moments in our lives when we are the most lost that we find true direction.
It’s corny but true.
Dunno, I’ll get back to you in a year.
Haven’t really done it too much before this, but I guess it’s mostly because I want to see and do as much as I possibly can while my ticker is still tickin’.
Go big or go home.