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Author: Sean Keener

Jordan Bailey – Round-the-World Traveler

  1. When do you leave?
    December 2006

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

  3. How much have you saved?
    US $20,000

  4. How old are you?
    24

  5. Nationality
    USA

  6. Where do you live now?
    San Francisco, USA

  7. Occupation
    Manager

  8. Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
    One more paycheck and I’m gone

  9. Have you traveled around the world before?
    No

  10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    USA to Fiji
    Fiji to NZ
    NZ to OZ
    OZ to Thailand and SE Asia
    Thailand to UK and the rest of Europe

  11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    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.

  12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    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.

  13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    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.

  14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    Winged it a lot

  15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    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.

  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?
    Honestly, I don’t know. My expectations are simultaneously huge and non-existent. The experience itself is the most important part for me.

  17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    A quote from my grandfather years ago. “Never plan ahead, you never know when it will rain.”

  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?
    It is at the moments in our lives when we are the most lost that we find true direction.
    It’s corny but true.

  19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    Dunno, I’ll get back to you in a year.

  20. Why do you like to travel?
    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’.

  21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Go big or go home.