Meghan Thomson is a 24-year-old press officer, originally from Zimbabwe and based in London, England, who is planning a round-the-world trip departing in 2003.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2003
- Age at departure: 24
- Nationality: Zimbabwe
- Location: London, England
- Duration: 1-6 months
- Occupation: Press officer
- Original budget: GBP 12,000 (approximately USD 30,600 in 2026 dollars)
- Regions: Southeast Asia, Oceania, North America
The Route
London – Thailand – Australia – New Zealand – Florida – Fort Lauderdale – Mexico – back to London.
In Their Words
Here's what Meghan Thomson shared about their RTW journey:
Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
I’ll come back if they’ll have me.
Have you traveled around the world before?
No.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I’ve never traveled RTW before and my friends and I decided to seize the opportunity while we’re still young.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Being able to save enough money before we leave and obtaining visas for all the different places.
Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
The friends I’m travelling with are supportive, the others – not so much, as they tend to make me feel bad if I don’t go out with them all the time. As for my family, they still believe I won’t go because I’ve been saying ‘I’m going travelling this year’ for the last 3 years and still haven’t!
How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just enough.
What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Bikini, flip-flops, sarong, music and a few other bits and bobs. Most indispensable item – camera (and of course, my passport).
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 give me more of an appreciation of different cultures and ways of life. As I have had to leave my country due to political unrest, I would hope that my travelling would give me some indication of the place/country I may want to live in one day.
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of GBP 12,000 would equate to approximately USD 30,600 in 2026 purchasing power.