George "Butch" Zein

1. When do you leave?
   July 2004

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

3. How much have you saved?
   $7,000

4. How old are you?
   37

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Tokyo, Japan

7. Occupation
   Consultant

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?
    Going Westward from Tokyo, Japan to Southeast Asia, India, Africa, Europe and then off to South America before going back home to San Francisco, CA, USA.

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I have always wanted to do this since I was 21 yrs old. Never got around to it and got bogged down in LIFE. Now I realize that I wasn't living a LIFE and set out to go as I am currently single and debt free. ;)

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Actually...none I can think of except loneliness, perhaps.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Oh yes! They all even told me NOT to return home and to proceed from Japan when my contract is up by end of June 2004. I agreed with them wholly and it made me feel more confident about my decision.

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)?
    Whatever I can fit in my backpack that can cover just about all type of seasons. Small laptop and Sony T1 camera will be the most indispensable items as it will assist me in writing a book as I travel on.

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 truly believe it will help me get the focus back on myself and to think about what I really want out of LIFE. A good way to be introspective when I don't have anybody I knew around me to fall back on and get back to comfort level. I am going thru a spiritual transformation and want to push on to find new challenges and resist the reactions and becoming more proactive in how I respond to my daily life. So kabbalistic? ;)

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    It'll be the highlight of my life!

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?
    Well...I am in no position to judge others for not doing this. This is a personal choice and I just felt it is a right thing for me to do.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That you have to be a millionaire to be able to do this.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    Love meeting new people and exploring cultures. Makes me a better person!

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Just do it!