Debbie Ashby – Around-the-World Traveler

Debbie Ashby is a 23-year-old senior UNIX operator from Melbourne, Australia, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2002 - her second RTW.

The Snapshot

• Departure: 2002
• Age at departure: 23
• Nationality: Australia
• Location: Melbourne, Australia
• Duration: 6-12 months
• Occupation: Senior UNIX Operator
• Original budget: AUD 40,000 (about USD 26,000; approximately USD 47,700 in 2026 dollars)
• Regions: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Europe, North America, Central America, South America

The Route

Flying from Melbourne to Bangkok, then the Thai islands (Koh Chang, Phi Phi, Samet), overland into Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville) and up the east coast of Vietnam, into Laos (Luang Prabang, Vientiane) and back into Thailand, then Malaysia (Perhentian Islands, Kuala Lumpur) and out from Singapore to Bombay - three months across India, a month in Nepal (Kathmandu, Everest Base Camp trek), then the UK and Madrid before Mexico, overland through Central America and the west coast of South America, ending in Buenos Aires to fly back to Melbourne.

In Their Words

Here's what Debbie Ashby shared about their RTW journey:

Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?

I had done an RTW trip previously and I enjoyed it so much that I always knew I wanted to do another. Two and a half years and a lot of hard work and saving later, we are ready and raring to go!!

What is your biggest fear about this trip?

Flying! I know, it’s irrational and unavoidable, but I have always had a fear of flying and the events of Sept. 11 have done nothing to help.

What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?

Research your destinations well. Make sure you keep up to date on current situations in countries you will be visiting. Try and make a list of the main things you want to accomplish while you are away and stick to it. Budget well for each country you are in.

What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?

People think you must be really rich, but more often than not that is not the case. All it takes is some saving, planning and an open, adventurous mind.

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?

It makes you appreciate how lucky you are to have grown up in the Western world when you see how hard it is for some people just to live day to day. I try and absorb as much as I can of their culture without forgetting where I am from. It will definitely change me for the better.

What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?

Trying not to pack as much as last time as I had to dump most of it on the way ’round. Swiss Army knife is definitely indispensable, and probably my journal so I can keep writing.

2026 Context

• Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of AUD 40,000 (about USD 26,000) would equate to approximately USD 47,700 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 83% inflation over the intervening years.