Adam Seper

Traveler, sports junkie, food junkie.

Age: 33
Current City: St. Louis
RTW Year: 2008
Favorite country: Colombia
Favorite city: Buenos Aires
Budget: $43,000
Traveled: couple
I'm looking for: Travel Inspiration
I can help you with: RTW advice

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Adam Seper's Post Trip Interview

In 100 words or less, why did you take a RTW trip?We love to travel, and something was missing from our lives. We couldn't pinpoint it, but once we first heard the letters RTW, we knew we just had to do it. Once we got serious about it, we knew we had to go or we'd regret it for the rest of our lives.
Where did you live before departing on your RTW?St. Louis, Missouri
Where do you live now?St. Louis, Missouri
How old are you?33
How old were you when you went on your RTW?30-31
What was your occupation before you left on your RTW?High school English teacher and soccer coach
What is your occupation now?Travel writer
How did your trip affect your career?It launched a completely new career for me, but also one that I always wanted to do. My undergrad degree is in journalism, and I always wanted to write about sports growing up. I decided to go in a different direction after graduation, but during the trip I started a blog and re-discovered my love of writing. After being unable to find a teaching job after returning, I decided to give writing a shot, and after a year and a half, I have a full time gig.
Did you buy a RTW plane ticket or point to point tickets? Are you happy with the decision you made? Why or why not?We bought point to point tickets, and yes, we were pleased with our decision. While it was a pain at times to research and decide while traveling, the freedom it gave us was great. Though we loved how we did it the first time, we will look more seriously into a RTW ticket next time.
Did you travel solo or with someone/a group? If so, who (friend, spouse, sibling, etc.)?I traveled with my wife, Megan
Excluding pre-trip costs like gear and vaccinations, but including airfare, how much did you spend total on your RTW trip?About US$40k, give or take a few
Including all pre-trip costs, how much did you spend?Probably about $42-43,000. We had a lot of gear, and we planned really far ahead, so we had lists of clothes and gear on Christmas and birthday lists the entire year before we left.
When did you go on your RTW trip?October 15, 2008 - October 8, 2009
In order, what countries did you visit?Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, New Zealand, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India
What was your favorite country?Colombia, with Vietnam a close second
What was your favorite city?Buenos Aires and Bangkok
What was your favorite activity?Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
What was your least favorite country?Laos
What was your least favorite city?Valparaiso, Chile
What was your least favorite activity?
What destination surprised you the most? Why?Colombia, with Vietnam a close secondVietnam. I was extremely nervous going into Vietnam because we had heard such polarizing views of it. People either loved or hated it, and it sounded extremely intense, which it was. But I felt in love with the country on day 1, and we strongly considered extending our visa another month. It's number 1a as far as favorite countries.
What was the biggest obstacle you overcame during your trip?Asking questions of complete strangers. When at home, I do all I can to figure things out myself and can get quite stubborn about not asking for help. On the trip, it was just necessary to do it at times, and I am now much more comfortable as a result.
Were you ever scared or in any danger at any point during your trip? If so, explain.Honestly, no. There was one time, the third day of our trip, when we walked to the bus station in Lima in broad daylight, but we found ourselves in a bit of a shady and abandoned area. We were nervous while walking through, and in hindsight we definitely should have taken a cab, and we did in similar situations the rest of the trip. Other than that, as long as you are always aware of your surroundings and don't stumble around drunk at 3am, you should be fine.
Did you work on the road at all? If so, what did you do and where did you do it?Not a single minute, and it was awesome.
Did you volunteer on the road at all? If so, what did you do and where did you do it?We did a few times. We volunteered with a great program in Luang Prabang, Laos called Big Brother Mouse. Every afternoon they invite any tourist and English speaker to show up to their offices where you help tutor high school and college students in English. The program itself is responsible for writing and translating books into the local language since so many kids grow up never seeing a book. The English teaching helps the local students who also work at Big Brother Mouse. Amazing program! We also volunteered at an orphanage in Cambodia called Pure! for Kids. We helped teach and take care of the kids for a few days, and the experience was extremely powerful. To hear what some of these kids have gone through, and then to see them and all the love they have for each other and the happiness they have despite having very little, it's humbling and really put things in perspective.
Did you plan enough or overplan?I think we did a perfect mix of both. I am a planner and organizer by nature, so by buying point to point tickets and planning on the go, I was really getting out of my comfort zone. Although I loved it, I was always looking ahead and into possible itineraries, but that's just me, and I love doing that type of stuff.
Did you pack enough or overpack?We probably overpacked, but not by much. We did pretty good from the get-go, and I'm happy with both the amount of clothes and electronics we brought. I think our first aid kit was way too big and unnecessary, and I'm excited to only carry on in the future. No more checking bags for me.
What did you pack that you could have done without?Our mammoth first aid kit. A few band aids and whatever medicine you take often is all you really need. Anything else you can get as needed.
What did you not pack that you wish you had?An e-reader would have been nice. We carried a lot of books around with us.
Did you bring a laptop? Was it the right decision?Yes, we did, and yes, definitely it was the right call. I blogged a lot, and being able to back up and go through all our photos on a regular basis was great, as was being able to skype with family and friends in the comfort of our own room.
Did you bring a cell phone? Was it the right decision?No, we didn't, and at the time I was extremely happy with our decision. However, I did not have a smart phone at the time, so now I would have a lot more trouble not bringing one. Google maps alone would be worth it.
If you went on a RTW trip again, what are 3 things you would do differently?I would move slower. Even though we only went to 11 countries in 12 months, which is nothing compared to other people's itineraries, we still moved too fast.
If you went on a RTW trip again, what are 3 things you would do the exact same?I would mix up our activities and destinations like we did. We went from big cities to mountains to beaches to small towns and back and forth between them all throughout the trip. It was great. I also loved how we had no problems joining up with others at times. We are both shy when initially meeting people, and I think we both really opened up during our trip because of meeting and traveling with other people. I would also love to get an apartment in Buenos Aires again. In fact, it's one of the few cities in the world where I could move to tomorrow.
Do you see yourself going on a RTW trip again at some point in your life?Absolutely. It will be totally different, and we will move much slower or perhaps live in a few different places over the course of a year, but I would be absolutely crushed if I was on my death bed and didn't take another long term trip again. We hope to do it multiple times, and with our kids when we have some.
In 50 words or less, summarize your first month back into real life.Exciting. Hard. Awesome. Difficult. Fun. Lots of emotions. The first month was actually great, it was the following months that were difficult. Not having amazing experiences on a near daily basis was tough.
What was the biggest reverse culture shock upon returning?Absolutely. The fact that no one had changed. We heard it was going to happen, we prepared for it, but it was still weird, and even though we've been home for two years now, we still find it weird. We both changed immensely in our year of traveling, but we got home to pretty much the exact same situations and lives amongst our family and friends.
What is the biggest myth that people have about RTW travel?That it costs a lot of money. I assure we would have spent much more than $40k if we lived at home for that year instead of traveled. The only difference is we had to save that money before we left since we wouldn't be working for the year. It took discipline, but it was no different than when people save for a down payment on a house or for a car, which people do all the time. It's a matter of priority, really. We preferred to travel for a year instead of buying a house.
In 50 words or less, what would you say to someone who is on the fence about taking a RTW trip?I don't need 50 words. Do it! It WILL be the best decision of your life. Guaranteed.

Adam Seper's Round the World Itinerary

Adam Seper's Post Trip Interview