- When did you go on your RTW trip?
January 2000-February 2001
- How old were you when you took this trip?
19
- Nationality
USA
- Where do you live now?
Wisconsin, USA
- Occupation
Before your trip: Student
Now: Student
- How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
It was hard to go back to college and deal with everything, but I settled in pretty quickly.
- What is the route you took/places you visited?
I visited many places in Europe including Paris, Amsterdam, and London, went to Brazil for awhile, Jamaica, Mexico...
- Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I wanted something different in my life, I was sick of sitting in classrooms hearing about all these great adventures, and decided it was time to build my own.
- Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
- Best Moment
Surfing at Barra
- Worst Moment
Being chased by the police
- Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
Learning Portuguese
- Biggest surprise?
Everything was a surprise
- Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
His name was Mufassa and he was a waiter at my favorite restaurant in Brazil. We talked a lot and became good friends.
- How much planning and preparing did you do?
Planning is for tourists
- What was your favorite piece of gear? What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
It is a tie between my wetsuit and my boots.
- How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
I feel that it put me into perspective to see how big the world really is. I had many educational experiences that I will never forget. It is one thing to learn about another culture, but to understand the logic of a culture is amazing.
- If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Time of my life.
- Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
Hope to get back to Europe in the summer.
- 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?
RTWs should be taken because you really can't experience anything in a couple of weeks.
- What is the most valuable thing you learned?
I can't reveal that!
- What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
It does not cost that much!
- Why do you like to travel?
I love to travel because I like to meet new people and try new things.
- What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Don't plan it, just go!