Sven Schoof is a 31-year-old advertising-agency project manager, originally from South Africa and based in Cologne, Germany, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2005 with his wife.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2005
- Age at departure: 31
- Nationality: South Africa
- Location: Cologne, Germany
- Duration: 6-12 months
- Occupation: Project Manager (advertising agency)
- Original budget: EUR 27,000 (approximately USD 50,000 in 2026 dollars)
- Regions: Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Sven Schoof 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.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Many years ago, even though the actual route was never a set thing. Now that I have a fantastic wife that shares the same travel stoke as myself, we have been planning and saving up for about 3 years now. Moving from South Africa to Germany and living in Australia for half a year (plus loads of travelling all round) has always given me a broad horizon…I don’t really have a country anymore that I can really call home. My parents are the same (they are about to embark on a 5-year RTW trip), so it’s in my genes, I guess.
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
No fear…I leave those to my mother-in-law…;o)
Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Generally yes, they have great respect for what we are about to do, as most of them would never have the courage to do so themselves. Some think of us being pretty irrational (5.2 million unemployed people in Germany etc.), but life is short, right? In my mind it is all a matter of self-confidence…
How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just enough.
What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
This one is fun (my list, not my wife’s): laptop, 2 pairs of long pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 T-shirts…
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of EUR 27,000 would equate to approximately USD 50,000 in 2026 purchasing power.