Saira Raza is a 24-year-old junior mechanical engineer from London, England, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2003.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2003
- Age at departure: 24
- Nationality: England
- Location: London, England
- Duration: 6-12 months
- Occupation: Junior mechanical engineer
- Original budget: £4,000 (approximately $10,200 in 2026 dollars)
- Regions: Oceania, Southeast Asia, South Asia
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Saira Raza shared about their RTW journey:
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.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Want to find out if people around the world have as much in common as I suspect they have; feel how the world physically changes (want to experience ocean, island, mountain, desert, jungle); understand how colonialism affects how cultures evolve; find somewhere peaceful and warm; run away from my family! This (wandering) type of travel seemed right when I realised that there’s so much I don’t know that I can’t decide where to start.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
Many fears. People not wanting me there wherever I go. People resenting the fact that I can choose to bum around. U.S. politics. Racism, sexism.
Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Friends yes. Family no. Family think it’s a selfish waste of money. Friends think I’ll go mad if I don’t!
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 started but I imagine: cotton clothes (4 trousers, 1 skirt, 5 tops, two jumpers, 1 jacket), many tampons, many painkillers, many antihistamines, guidebook, camera, sketchbook, passport, ticket, wallet, and dental floss (apparently a very useful thing). Contact lens stuff? Is that ridiculous?
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of £4,000 would equate to approximately $10,200 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 75% inflation over the intervening years.