HS

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   June 2000-June 2001

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   24

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   £3500, roughly(!) worked a fair bit as funds were drying up

4. Nationality
   Northern Ireland

5. Where do you live now?
   Southampton, England

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: Riding instructor
   Now: Journalism student

7. How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   During my travels I decided it was time to do what I'd always wanted to do in the back of my mind – go back and be a student! So, long-term hopefully it will have enhanced my career prospects.

8. What is the route you took/places you visited?
   Belfast, London, Brazil, overland through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, New Zealand, Australia (was also meant to go to Bali, Thailand and India, never made it though – next time!)

9. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I felt in a rut and wanted to escape and see more of life. I also talked a big game of learning Spanish. Still working on that one...

10. Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
    
    • Best Moment
      One of two. Firstly after a night partying in Brazil I was alone at sunrise on the most beautiful beach, and it hit me I was starting an amazing journey. Two: when our beloved Subaru, Synthia, was rescued by every friendly fisherman on a 90-mile beach in New Zealand in pitch black.

    • Worst Moment
      Cairns, Australia, where I felt old and not in the public school year cliques.

    • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
      Moving on from countries, found leaving amazing places very hard, as well as ever-changing cultures.

    • Biggest surprise?
      How my travel buddy and I never seemed to run out of things to talk about and never having a cross word.

11. Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
    Ucuba and Anthony, two exiles from Ethiopia who found their way to Brazil. They made me realise that being happy is the most important thing in life, and we must always look out for our fellow man. What car you drive, and the colour of your credit card are minor details in the grand scheme of things.

12. How much planning and preparing did you do?
    Planning is for tourists

13. What was your favorite piece of gear?
    My beloved sarong. I nearly lost it a few times, but it always seemed to find its way back to me.

14. What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
    Needles, along with my highly advanced first aid kit.

15. How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
    It changed my life because I realised life is for living and too short not to go for what you really want to do. I think it has changed the way I look at things; now a lot of things seem trivial.

16. If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    It was the making of me.

17. Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
    Yes, and I can't wait! Am heading back to South America this summer – to finally crack the Spanish!

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?
    An RTW broadens horizons. Having the time to absorb new cultures and places teaches you a lot more about yourself and people compared to lying beside a pool sunbathing for two weeks.

19. What is the most valuable thing you learned?
    That strangers nine times out of 10 are friends you haven't met yet. How we are materialistic to the point of vulgarity at times.

20. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That guide books are to be your bible. We renamed ours 'The Lying Planet'. Sometimes you are better to follow your own gut instincts and seek things out for yourself.

21. Why do you like to travel?
    I love meeting new people from all over. Absorbing different cultures, and of course being looked upon as a goddess in certain countries due to my white skin and bottle-blonde hair!

22. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Don't fret about the money side of it. Book your ticket and then worry about it; as long as you have enough to get started and a credit card don't put it off. Remember: home will always be there, and you can always head back if it's not working out. Prepare yourself for the extreme highs – and sometimes, the lows – it's worth every minute.