- When do you leave?
July 2004
- How long do you plan to be away?
1-2 Years
- How much have you saved?
About £6000
- How old are you?
29
- Nationality
England
- Where do you live now?
Amersham, England
- Occupation
Jaded IT Support Geek
- Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
One more paycheck and I'm gone.
- Have you traveled around the world before?
No
- What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
London to Thailand on a one-way ticket. Ending up in Australia for a year on a one-year "Working Holiday Visa". Flexible half-baked plans to take in countries in-between, such as Vietnam, Laos and China.
- Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
A feeling that life is passing me by, Which it largely is.
- What is your biggest fear about this trip?
I'm the kind of guy who can completely erase from my memory where I put important things like keys, wallets and so on - in literally milliseconds. So....losing important stuff. And also having to come back before I want to.
- Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Absolutely. Everyone is right behind me. In fact so much so that perhaps it's a big conspiracy to get rid of me! Hmmm....
- How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just Enough
- What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Haven't thought about packing, will leave that to the last week before I go. But undoubtedly too much stuff.
- 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?
I am hoping to have more direction when I return; a feeling of knowing where I want my life to head. As a person I'd like to gain more confidence, lose inhibitions and cure myself from the disease of worrying about unimportant stuff.
- If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Please God, let me enjoy it.
- Why do you think people should go on round-the-world trips? Why not just take a regular old one- or two-week vacation instead?
It's dependent on what you're looking for. If it's beaches and a little culture then great, but to really soak up the life, language and the values of a country (and its people) you probably need to spend a little more than two weeks there.
- What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That you can drop everything and go. Very wrong!
- Why do you like to travel?
I've yet to discover if I like long-term travel yet.
- What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Not to spend too long convincing yourself to do it, like I have.