Paul Harper is a 27-year-old Australian - a self-described "loafer" - who took a round-the-world trip from August 1999 to January 2001 and has since settled in Accra, Ghana.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 1999
- Age at departure: 27
- Nationality: Australia
- Location: Accra, Ghana
- Duration: About 1.5 years (August 1999 - January 2001)
- Occupation: "Loafer" (self-described)
- Original budget: USD 3,500 (approximately USD 6,500 in 2026 dollars)
- Regions: Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Paul Harper shared about their RTW journey:
How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
Haven’t made it back yet.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Publicity campaign and personal protest for the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt cancellation.
What was the best moment of your trip?
Cold beer at the end of a 150+km ride.
What was the worst moment?
No cold beer at the end of a 150+km ride.
What was your biggest hurdle, obstacle, or difficulty?
Being a travelling freakshow wherever I go.
What was your biggest surprise?
That I made it.
Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
Too many to list – maybe the Rwandan paralympic swim team.
How much planning and preparing did you do?
Control freak.
What was your favorite piece of gear?
Ortlieb folding bucket (laundry bucket, bearing service bucket, vomit bucket and novelty hat all in one).
What did you bring that, in hindsight, you could have left at home?
Deodorant.
How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
Learned about my own physical and mental limitations, and learned how to bulldoze those limitations and go one step further.
If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Headwinds.
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of USD 3,500 would equate to approximately USD 6,500 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 85% inflation over the intervening years.