Rex

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   July 2003-January 2004

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   22

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   AUS$15,000

4. Nationality
   Australia

5. Where do you live now?
   Sydney, Australia

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: Student
   
   Now: Accountant
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   It didn't affect it at all, as I was a graduate who was starting in January.

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   From the Phillipines, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada, US, Peru, Chile and Brazil.

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I decided to travel because I thought that I should get out there before starting a new job with new responsibilities. I originally planned to do some volunteer work in Costa Rica, but my friend was finishing the same time as me and we both decided to travel together.

   Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
   

   • Best Moment
     After a month of travelling and a bout of homesickness, sitting at a Berlin cafe writing in my diary and getting that tingling feeling in my stomach that travelling was what I should be doing. The sense of wholeness and fullfillment at that moment will never leave me.

   • Worst Moment
     Just before landing the plane back home in Sydney

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Homesickness that hit me a month into my trip which lasted for a few days.

   • Biggest surprise?
     The way you notice yourself change all throughout the trip

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   It's too hard cause there has been so many.

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Winged it a lot

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   My hiking boots that were the most comfortable and sturdest shoe that I have ever had.

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Definitely the extra clothes and that damn sleeping bag that I only used once throughout the whole trip.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   The trip has dramatically changed my perspective on my life. It has really questioned what I want in life. Before the trip I thought that taking this trip would get it out of my system, but unfortunately it has only increased the need for me to go again. It has been really difficult settling back into normal life and is has made me really think hard at the career that I want to have.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   It gets you hook, line and sinker!

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   At the moment I have work commitments but hopefully I can leave in two years, right after I pay off this holiday.

   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?
   Two weeks would not be enough to get you out of your comfort zone, and it would be hard for you to reconnect with yourself. Two weeks is hard becuase you have a short amount of time and you will probably try an do as much things as you can in two weeks. Whereas RTW you have the time to just relax and chill out.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   I learnt that I don't need too many material things to keep me happy. However since I have been back, normal life has a tendancy to bring you back to the state of thinking you had before you left. Also that there are so many wonderful people out there who are so much happier with their lives even though they have so little. It really makes you appreciate your own life more.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   I think the biggest myth is that the accommodation is horrific and it would be hard to live without the luxuries of your normal life. It was surprising easy.

   Why do you like to travel?
   I travel to find how other people live. It gets easy to lose yourself in your own little world and think that this is the only way to live.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Once you made up your mind to do it, stick to it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it, cause while you're there, you'll understand what other travellers are talking about