Joseph King is a 28-year-old telecoms analyst from England who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2002 with his fiancée, Sara.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2002
- Age at departure: 28
- Nationality: England
- Duration: 6-12 months
- Occupation: Telecoms analyst
- Budget: approximately USD 26,400 in 2026 dollars
- Regions: North America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Asia
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Joseph King 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?
My fiancé Sara and I get married Aug ’03 and we thought, in reality this is the best if not only opportunity to do this. I don’t want to wake up 45 years old, regretting not doing it.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Just the unknown. I keep telling myself the whole world is made of 99% nice “normal” people, and if it does all goes wrong it’s only £500 and 24 hours to get home.
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 will just be nice to get away with Sara and just be ourselves, whoever that may be.
If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
I will only only begin to find out once I’m on the plane.
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. I think we are very fortunate to have the savings and lack of commitments to just swan off for 10 months.
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: In today's money this traveler's round-the-world budget equates to approximately USD 26,400, reflecting roughly 84% cumulative inflation since the 2002 departure.