Keiron Burchell is a 30-year-old assistant project manager from South Africa who took a round-the-world trip in 1999.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 1999
- Age at departure: 30
- Nationality: South Africa
- Location: South Africa
- Duration: About 8 months (June 1999 – January 2000)
- Occupation: Assistant project manager
- Original budget: Not specified
- Regions: Europe, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Keiron Burchell 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?
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
- Budget inflation: This traveler did not specify a budget; a late-1990s round-the-world trip would cost substantially more in 2026, reflecting roughly 95% cumulative inflation since 1999.