- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-2 Years - How much have you saved?
$15,000 - How old are you?
26 - Nationality
USA - Where do you live now?
South Carolina, USA - Occupation
chemical engineer - Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
It’s my career - Have you traveled around the world before?
No - What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
South Pacific, India, Nepal, China, South East Asia - Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I have always liked to see new places and have been interested to see what lies at the end of a new street. I will be graduating from graduate school after over 2 yrs of working full time and going to school full time and need a break to decide my future. - What is your biggest fear about this trip?
fear of the unknown. Worrying about my family worrying about be the whole time - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
They are scared that something will happen to me, but they want me to be happy. - How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just Enough - What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
water purifier, camera, travel notebook for those times when the Internet is not available - 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 don’t know that is one thing I want to find out. - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
The world is my oyster and I am going to eat it up. - 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?
One to two weeks is not enough time to leave the pressures of home behind. - What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
I don’t know I will let you know when I get back. - Why do you like to travel?
I hate getting stuck in ruts. Travel is like putting boards under your tires so that you can get unstuck from the mud. - What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
The Internet is full of advice and tips on how to prepare for such a trip.
February 2007