- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-2 Years - How much have you saved?
$40000 - How old are you?
29 - Nationality
New Zealand - Where do you live now?
Toronto, Canada - Occupation
Business Analyst - 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 - Have you traveled around the world before?
No - What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
Canada > New Zealand > Australia > Japan > Thailand > India > Nepal > Kenya > Tanzania > Egypt > Jordan > Syria > Turkey > Greece > Italy > Austria > Slovakia > France > Spain > Morocco > France > England > Canada - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
My wife (Jane) and I both love travelling and it was always our dream to travel for a year once Jane got her Canadian citizenship. - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Coming back. - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Workmates don’t know. Friends are supportive, if perhaps a little tired of hearing all about it. - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Control Freak - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
As little as possible. We are going to try and get all of our stuff (2 people’s worth) into 1 backpack. One pair of shoes each. Only indispensable thing is our camera and journals. - 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?
Just to become more ‘worldly’. Nothing esoteric like ‘discovering myself’ or ‘appreciating other cultures’. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Can’t wait to go. - 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 easy to put off individual trips. There will always be reasons not to go away. A year off from all responsibilities is very liberating. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it will screw up your career. - Why do you like to travel?
It’s a holiday where you have something to do, in a place you’ve never been. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Take as little as physically possible. Save as much as possible – every $50 you spend on a new shirt (or whatever) is an extra day or two of travelling.
October 2006