Keiron Burchell is a South Africa before your trip: assistant project manager embarking on a round-the-world journey.
The Snapshot
- **Departure:** 1999
- **Duration:** Unknown duration
- **Age:** 30
- **Budget:** Custom budget (2026 equivalent)
- **Nationality:** South Africa
- **Occupation:** Before your trip: Assistant Project Manager
The Route
Technically I haven’t yet completed my RTW trip. The plan is to travel around the world over land and sea. So far, and apart from the 1000km between Papua New Guinea and Queensland, I have travelled from London to Sydney overland, traversing 21 different countries en route.
Regions: Europe, Oceania
2026 Note: Travel conditions, visa requirements, and costs have evolved significantly since this profile was originally recorded.
In Their Words
When did you go on your RTW trip? June 1999-January 2000
How old were you when you took this trip? 30
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go? Decided to do the trip after catching the bug while travelling around Europe in a VW Combi van in 1994. My route was influenced by my reading at the time (Tony Wheeler, Michael Palin and Paul Danziger) and by the routes that were available to me.
Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why? Bernard, a Belgian guy who hitch-hiked from Chengdu to Lhasa across Eastern Tibet, disguised as a local.
How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person? My RTW hasn’t changed my life in any major way. I still hate getting up on Monday mornings. I still meet my mates for a drink down the pub on Friday evenings and I still hope that someday Penelope Cruz will realise I am the only man for her. But my life has changed in small ways. I stress less about work and the cost of living. I feel more secure about my choice of work, country and home. I am more able to see the humour when someone shoves in front of me in the grocery store, or when the plumber over-charges me.
If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be? There will always be another time to buy a house.
2026 Context
- This traveler completed their journey around 2001 to 2002.
- Travel conditions and costs have evolved significantly since their return.