Mariana Helguera Lupi de Almeida Carneiro is a 28-year-old computer analyst and programmer from Lisbon, Portugal, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2002 with a friend.
I always wanted to do a trip of more than a couple of weeks. I managed to arrange the money this year to go; I was very bored at work and a good friend is coming with me.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2002
- Age at departure: 28
- Nationality: Portugal
- Location: Lisbon, Portugal
- Duration: 6-12 months
- Occupation: Computer analyst and programmer
- Original budget: Not specified
- Regions: South America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, South Asia
The Route
Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Australia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Nepal.
In Their Words
Here's what Mariana Helguera Lupi de Almeida Carneiro shared about their RTW journey:
What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Basic clothes for cold and hot weather, sleeping bag, head phones, Lonely Planet books and other literature, camera, ash-tray, diary, documents and money.
What is the biggest myth people have about round-the-world travel?
In Portugal is that almost anyone has done it so people don’t speak about it at all.
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler did not report a trip budget, so no 2026 equivalent can be calculated; comparable early-2000s round-the-world budgets carry roughly 80% cumulative inflation to 2026 purchasing power.