Amelia Brown

1. When do you leave?
   August 2003

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

3. How much have you saved?
   About A$10,000 so far

4. How old are you?
   22

5. Nationality
   Australia

6. Where do you live now?
   Sydney, Australia

7. Occupation
   Retail Slave

8. Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
   One more paycheck and I'm gone

9. Have you traveled around the world before?
   No

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    We'll start in the UK, move across to the continent, train it through Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany and see what happens from there!

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Desperate to take off overseas! Have been planning on this trip for nearly a year while finishing university - probably should have been studying instead of checking out the internet for ideas...! I decided to take this kind of trip because it is what I have been dreaming about for so long and now is the perfect time for me to escape!

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Not having enough time or money to stay long enough.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Very supportive - my parents seem almost too keen to help me prepare for the trip (trying to get me out of the house perhaps!!) Most people are envious that I'm going away.

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)?
    Well, to be honest I haven't given too much thought to packing - think I will just end up throwing a heap of stuff into the trusty Macpac and jump on the plane. Most indispensable item? Probably my pack.

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 think it will make me more aware of what's going on around the world and hopefully broaden my horizons. I don't know that it will 'change me as a person' but I assume I will pick up some invaluable tips and learn a few things along the way.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    An amazing experience that everyone should be able to have.

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?
    I think this one is obvious. But mostly I believe its a state of mind that changes the way you approach life and travel - it's a certain type of person that chooses to go on a RTW trip.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That its scary and difficult, that you need to plan every step.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    It's fun, exciting, and lets you experience lots of things that will make all your friends at home very, very envious!

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Do a bit of research so that you have a vague idea about the place you a visiting and don't have to spend time with your head stuck in an LP guide when you could be climbing up the Eiffel Tower or sampling the local brew at the pub down the road.