Mike Gattanella - Round-the-World Traveler

1. When do you leave?
   May 2006

2. How long do you plan to be away?
   1-6 Months

3. How much have you saved?
   $8000

4. How old are you?
   29

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   New York City, USA

7. Occupation
   Writer/Producer for TV

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?
   No

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    Hong Kong...Bangkok...Koh Tau...????

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I got laid off when the show i worked on got cancelled. had the money saved up and i'd been talking about doing something like this for years...no girlfriend, no job, a little tired of new york...now or never.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    that i will not enjoy traveling alone and that my homesickness will ruin my time...

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    most friends are supportive, understand my situation and are cheering me on. parents are wary, scared and a little confused as to why i would go alone.

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    Planning is for tourists

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    2 shorts, 2 pants, 2 nice shirts, sandals, shoes, toiletries, ipod, power converter, camera...and ziploc bags. everything else i'll buy there

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?
    sometimes i fantasize that i will have this great epiphany while on this walkabout, but i believe in reality it will just be a really memorable experience...a good time. hopefully. perhaps it will force me to confront the things about myself i'd like to change. perhaps not. we shall see!

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    ask me when i get back, cause now...it depends on the mood you catch me in.

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?
    not everyone should. but those who do get to take away so much more. very few people get to immerse themselves in a foreign culture for an extended period of time...it's not about seeing certain sites or global postage stamp collecting...it's about changing your perspective and exploring the endless possibilities of life. or something like that.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    i'll have to answer this when i get back, cause up until now the longest i've left the ole usa is 2 1/2 weeks.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    it's always enlightening...and because the world is a book and those who don't travel only read one page.

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    if you've been toying with the idea for a long time and can't pull the trigger, just do it. even if you find you don't like it you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you tried...