Round-the-World Traveler
- When do you leave?
- How long do you plan to be away?
- How much have you saved?
- How old are you?
- Nationality
- Where do you live now?
- Occupation
- Is this job one that you actually like, or
are you only doing it to pay for the trip? - Have you traveled around the world
before? - What is the route you plan to take/places
you plan to visit? - Why did you decide to take this trip? What
got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go? - What is your biggest fear about this
trip? - Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc.,
supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the
world? - How much planning and preparing have you
done? - What are you packing? What do you consider
your most indispensable item(s)? - 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? - If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings
about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it
be? - 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 is the biggest myth that people have
about round-the-world traveling? - Why do you like to travel?
- What is your advice for people planning
their own RTW trip?
February 2004
I Ain’t Never Comin’ Back
$26,000 US
27
USA
Solomons, Maryland, USA
US Air Force
One more paycheck and I’m gone
No
It’s a rough hack, with no true planning (and no contacts outside of
Australia). It goes like this: Australia, Indo-Pacific region (NZ,
Indonesia or Polynesia), SE Asia (Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam),
Mongolia (I really want to go?), Trans-Siberian, Eastern Europe,
Scandanavia (Family roots), Scotland (family roots), Mediterranean,
Canada, South Amrerica, Mars
Wanderlust. Those crazy Germans couldn’t have come up with a better name
for it. It is what fills my blood. I have an innate desire to see as
much of the world as I can – and that involves moving around it. Several
books have influenced the timing, but the decision was always from the
heart.
Well, there are a thousand million little fears and worries… but the
biggest fear is that I won’t take it – that some obstacle will prevent
this trip from happening…
Yes yes yes – everyone who matters to me is behind me 109%.
Planning is for tourists
Some fancy shmancy “travel clothes”. A few locks. Medical kit. 4 books
(Multilingual language/phrase book, First Aid book, Globetrotter Dogma,
and Vagabonding, pens/pencils/paper, toilet paper, disposable cameras,
Teva sandals, Montrail boots, and other stuff I probably can’t remember
right now.
Only time will tell. For one, I’ll be in better shape. Two, my social
skills will be vastly improved. Three, my writing skills will flourish.
Ultimately, my three goals can be met: Opening a bar (or three) in prime
locales, Being a published writer, and having a harem. I’ll have to work
a bit on the last one….
I simply cannot wait – these next two years are mine alone.
Vacations are great! Well, when you visit somewhere new and immerse
yourself in the culture…. but tourism is a booming industry – even
vagabonding is becoming almost an en vogue…. bah – give me beatnik
glory days and I’ll party with J.K.
It’s expensive….
I say this because I see people piddle away thousands throughout the year
on new SUVs and gas for them, Plasma TVs, screaming kids, home
improvements… and it all ads up to about the same amount that I’ll be
spending on my trip…. you ask me, I’d say I’m getting a much better
value than they are.
The sights. The sounds. The freedom. The movement. The show. The waits.
The experience. The people. The solitude. The essence. I was born to
travel. I will die traveling.
Use your gut, listen to your heart, then employ your brain to make it happen.
