April Lynn Evans

1. When do you leave?
   September 2003

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

3. How much have you saved?
   10 months = $10,000 or $33.00 a day

4. How old are you?
   27

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Orange County, CA, USA

7. Occupation
   Elementary school teacher

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 Chicago (4 days) to New York (2 days) to Ireland to England, Wales, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, ??? (1½ months) to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam (2 months) to Bali (4 days) to Australia (1 month) to New Zealand (3 weeks) to LA (4 days) to Brazil to Costa Rica (South and Central America for 4 months).

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Last summer I met a female RTW traveler in Westport, Ireland. She had been on the road for a year and had a few months to go. She was very inspirational for me and planted the seed for my trip. That same summer I met up with another RTW traveler in Italy who further inspired me. I moved back home with my parents, worked extra jobs, and saved my money to make it all possible.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Traveling alone as a female and not having enough money to play around with are my two biggest concerns.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Everyone is extremely supportive.

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)?
    An Eagle Creek Pack with the bare essentials is enough for me along with a nice camera and a mini CD player.

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?
    It will hopefully build my character and provide more experiences to shape myself into the person I strive to be.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    I hope it is everything I am anticipating and more!

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?
    One or two week vacations are great for escaping the daily ho hum of life, but longer trips provide enough time to explore, experience, and feel as though you belong in a particular country - if you allow yourself to immerse into a culture.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    Leaving the life that you have worked hard to establish full of family and friends. My thinking is that it will all be here when I get back.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    I love experiencing new cultures and languages. Meeting people from all over the world broadens my horizons and makes traveling so much fun!

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. Pick your own destinations and length of time in each place. Start saving money!