Lisa Cramm

1. When do you leave?
   March 2004

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

3. How much have you saved?
   15,000 (CAD)

4. How old are you?
   22

5. Nationality
   Canada

6. Where do you live now?
   Vancouver, Canada

7. Occupation
   Professional paper shuffler

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?
    Flying Vancouver to Frankfurt then travelling through Denmark, Germany, S. France, Spain and Portugal to London. Then flying London to Bangkok to spend some time in SE Asia then over to Australia to hopefully work and continue travelling...

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I recently graduated from university so I wanted to reward myself with a trip. And since I have no idea what I want to do with my life, and have nothing tying me down right now it was the perfect time to go!

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Missing family and friends, getting sick overseas.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Yep. Most of my friends are out travelling right now in all corners of the world, so its about time I get my butt out there to join them! My family is a bit more hesitant but they realize they have no choice in the matter!

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)?
    Hopefully just the bare essentials...my luxury items are my mini-disc player and digital camera...

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 hope that when I get home that I appreciate what I have even more than I do now, and that when I return I feel enriched and become a better "global citizen."

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Can't wait to get out and see new places and meet new faces!

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 the advantage of a RTW or extended trip is that it gives a person a greater opportunity to immerse themselves in another culture and forces them to leave the safety of their homes and adapt to new and exciting places and circumstances.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That you just can't uproot your life and leave, it's terribly expensive, it's too much work....and the list goes on. I think that all people (including myself) make excuses not to do something (not just travel) because they don't want to admit they're too lazy or scared to do what it is they want to do.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    Learn about the world through my own eyes rather than the eyes of someone else, such as the media.

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Just go for it...what are you waiting for?!?