Mark Yiin - Round-the-World Traveler

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   February 2005-January 2006

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   25

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   20000

4. Nationality
   USA

5. Where do you live now?
   New York, USA

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: Software Engineer
   
   
   Now: Business Analyst
   
   

7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   

8. What is the route you took/places you visited?
   New Zealand/Australia to Southeast Asia to China to Russia to the Baltic countries to Eastern Europe to Turkey to Egypt

9. 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 I always wanted to do. One morning, I woke up and decided it was time. I quit my job, bought plane tickets two weeks later, and soon found myself on my RTW adventure!

10. Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
    
    • Best Moment
      Getting involved in a relationship with someone overseas

    • Worst Moment
      An encounter with corrupt Russian police (at night, no less)

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
      Finding the hostels from the train stations

    • Biggest surprise?
      How nice people can be.

11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    I met a Thai woman who I got to know very well, and ended up staying at her home in a rural part of the country for several weeks.

12. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    Winged it a lot

13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    My boots

14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
    Compass and flashlight. Honestly, I didn't use either my whole trip.

15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    I've become more patient, and I appreciate many of the things I used to take for granted.

16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Unforgettable.

17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    No plans, though I won't rule out doing it again.

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?
    I think both are fine. Everyone has their own preferences, who am I to say one way is better than another?

19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    Patience.

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

21. Why do you like to travel?
    The world is a beautiful place.

22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Don't do too much planning, don't ask for too much advice. If you follow other people's footsteps, you're just reliving their adventure, not forging your own!