1. When do you leave?
   September 2006

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

3. How much have you saved?
   $8,000

4. How old are you?
   22

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Los Angeles, USA

7. Occupation
   Research Scientist

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?
    LA to Bangkok; overland through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia; Bangkok to Kathmandu or Kolkata; overland to Delhi; Delhi to Athens or Istanbul; overland through Eastern Europe; overland(?) to the south of France; overland northward through France (maybe on foot?); Paris to Dublin; overland through Ireland; Dublin to London; London to LA (all subject to change of course – what’s the fun of having everything planned out?)

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Last fall I took a 2.5 month trip to Europe and absolutely fell in love with traveling. After hearing other travelers’ stories about their rtw trips, I decided that that Europe wasn’t enough for me – I wanted to go on a rtw trip too. Why be jealous of other peoples’ trips when I can take my own?

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    That I will run out of money and have to come home early.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    My friends are super supportive (and jealous!). My parents, not so much. They think that I have spent enough money “gallivanting” overseas already and that I shouldn’t be putting off graduate school “just for a vacation.”

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    Just Enough

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    2-3 sets of clothes, 1 pair shoes, 1 pair sandals, first aid kit, soap, journal

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?
    I’m not really sure how this trip will affect my life. I hope that I am able to gain a better understanding of different cultures and the problems other people face.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    I can’t believe I am actually doing this.

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?
    What can you do on a 1-2 week vacation? Spend time on the beach working on your tan? Read a few good books? Visit all of the “must-see” attractions in one city? While those are all fine things to do when you are on vacation, they don’t compare to the type of experiences you can have on a rtw trip. RTW-ers have a chance to immerse themselves in the local culture. They have the chance to spend more then a few hours at the “important” places. They have the chance see the “miss-able” (or wholly unknown) places. They are not consumed by the need to escape their life back home and are better able to experience life wherever they are because of it.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    It’s too expensive and out of their reach.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    I like meeting people and learning new things. I like exploring new cities and photographing interesting architecture. I like speaking foreign languages (or trying to!). I like people saying “I wish I could do that” when I tell my travel stories. Really, there aren’t many things I don’t like about travel.

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Start saving now. Even if it’s just a little bit. That little bit could go a long way to getting you food and a bed in an inexpensive country.