Susan Elisabeth Davis – Around-the-World Traveler

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Susan Elisabeth Davis is a filmmaker from Australia who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2002 with her family.

The Snapshot

  • Departure: 2002
  • Age at departure: Not specified
  • Nationality: Australia
  • Location: Australia
  • Duration: 6-12 months
  • Original budget: $20,000 (approximately $36,700 in 2026 dollars)
  • Regions: Oceania, Asia, Europe

The Route

Driving from southern New South Wales up to Cairns in north Queensland, then flying to Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama, back to Kyoto, and a paper-making village called Kuratani — before winging it onward toward a house in Peveragno in northwest Italy.

In Their Words

Here's what Susan Elisabeth Davis shared about their RTW journey:

Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?

Decided to take this trip because our children are the right age to do it (8 and 11) and we are in a rut and drinking too much booze. We are into this type of travel because we have Romany heritage and just love to be on the road without too much of a schedule going on.

What is your biggest fear about this trip?

That there will come a day when we have to head back home / one of us will get sick / we run into a war.

What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?

Don’t plan, put the word out that you are going… pretty soon someone will tell you about your first destination. Pack a bag, walk out the door.

If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?

Get me out of here.

What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?

That it is expensive.

Why do you like to travel?

Hate being in one place for too long.

2026 Context

  • Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of $20,000 would equate to approximately $36,700 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 84% inflation over the intervening years.