Sima Cutting

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   May 2002-March 2003

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   23

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   £4500 (about!)

4. Nationality
   England

5. Where do you live now?
   Cambridge, England

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: administrator
   
   Now: administrator
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   Not at all. I quit first job and have started at this job on return (don't have a career tho!).

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   North India, Bangkok, north Thailand, Bangkok, south Thailand (Ko Phangan), Bangkok, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Bangkok, south Thailand (Ko Phangan and Ko Lanta). Bangkok (again!!!!!!) eastern (NE Thailand). Bangkok, Malaysia, Indonesia, and finally Singapore! phew!

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I have been exposed to travel all my life by my dad and I guess at school (I loved religious studies). I am also mixed race (half Israeli) and travelled to my mum's home many time in my childhood. At 18 I went to India and decided that after uni I would spend a year seeing the more of asia. Because I was going alone, I decided to go back to India - familiar land.

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

   • Best Moment
     God! Can't name one!

   • Worst Moment
     Being molested on an Indian train and every local avoiding my eye and making me feel dirty!

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     24 hr journey which encompassed 2 buses, several rickshaws (one of which we shared with a squealing hog!) and 7km walk with our 12 kilo rucksacks and not even knowing if this was going to get us to where we intended to be....

   • Biggest surprise?
     Being on a shitty bus with scowling locals', no seats and the knowledge that it'd be at least double what the ticket seller told us it'd be and finding the entire situation hilariously funny!!

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   There are many for different reasons; a Tibetan Australian I struggled not to fall in love with. A Brit with who I am still very good friends. An Israeli girl who questioned so many of my attitudes and made me think. Another Israeli who had left the army with such a wealth of knowledge and opinions and understanding that not many Israeli ex-soldiers gain! He made me think about who I am as a Jew, half Israeli and made me think about the complexities of the situation. Another with whom I nearly fell in love. 2 English girls I spent a month partying with on the Thai islands, and more!!!

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

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   Really didn't have any gear!!! When I say I winged it; I mean it!!! :0)

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Nothing, I don't think.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   I gained a lot of confidence in myself and questioned a lot of my attitudes. Made me realise that I have huge gaps in my knowledge and understanding that I want to fill!

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   Asia is a truely beautiful place that has got so many things right!

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   I want to go to China, Mongolia and Tibet with a friend who was in Laos with me. Also the Trans-Siberia and Myanmar (tho I haven't decided if I am politically against travel in dictatorship led countries... also have issues with China which I haven't yet resolved!)

   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 don't think they should take RTW trips. If they feel the need to go see a bunch of countries and feels right for them, then they should do it. If they wanna take a holiday then they should do that! Just details about other cultures. It's wonderful to see how other countries are structured, how differently we as a species behave according to our history and culture.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   That there is no need to hurry and feel aggression and frustration that the west seems to provoke in people. That we should be calmer and nicer (God! I sound a bit hippyish!).

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   That everyone has dreadlocks and doesn't wash. Many people were quite exec!

   Why do you like to travel?
   I love meeting people, the irregularity of things. I hate instability and I like not knowing what's happening next! I love other countries' foods and cultures and meeting locals and hearing their perspectives on their country, the west and the balance of things in the world (or inbalance?).

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Do what feels right for you. I disappointingly actually met people who were taking routes coz people had told them to, or had made decisions according to other people's experiences. Expect nothing and enjoy everything for what it is; good and bad. Learn to listen to yourself and and what you want! It's a very hedonistic thing to do, and it's not often we have the chance to do what WE want, so go for it!