Jason Rogers is a 26-year-old teacher from Canada who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2003 with his girlfriend.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2003
- Age at departure: 26
- Nationality: Canada
- Duration: 1-2 years
- Occupation: Teacher
- Original budget: Not specified
- Regions: Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Oceania
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Jason Rogers shared about their RTW journey:
Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
It’s my career.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
We decided to take this trip at about the same moment we had an impulse to buy our first house. It all happened in a blur that was surrounded by books and maps. My girlfriend and I both were reading travel books (One Year Off and In a Sunburned Country) when we decided to put our home savings into an adventure like this.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Running short on money or becoming sick.
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 am looking forward to a lot of growth. Spiritually and mentally, I’m looking forward to the change that this trip offers.
If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)
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 people should take the trips that they dream of. If their dream is to take a two-week all-inclusive, all the more power to them.
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler did not specify a budget; early-2000s round-the-world costs are substantially higher in 2026 (roughly 75-85% cumulative inflation).