EK – Round-the-World Traveler

EK is a 20-year-old customer-service rep and student from Florida, USA, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2006.

The Snapshot

• Departure: 2006
• Age at departure: 20
• Nationality: USA
• Location: Florida, USA
• Duration: Indefinite
• Occupation: Customer service rep / student
• Original budget: USD 20,000 (approximately USD 34,000 in 2026 dollars)
• Regions: North America, Oceania, Southeast Asia, Asia, South Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, Caribbean

The Route

Florida, San Francisco, Tahiti, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, India, China, Vladivostok — then the Trans-Siberian Railway through Moscow to St. Petersburg — Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Western Sahara, Brazil, Peru, Anguilla, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas.

In Their Words

Here's what EK shared about their RTW journey:

How long do you plan to be away?

I Ain’t Never Comin’ Back

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?

Why not take this kind of trip? You only live once. I don’t want to die tomorrow not having seen all of the places I want to see or not having done all of things that I want to do.

What is your biggest fear about this trip?

As of now, none.

Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?

I have not yet met one person who is supportive. Everyone I have talked to says that it is a waste of time and in the end I will not have gained anything, only wasted money. I couldn’t disagree more.

How much planning and preparing have you done?

Just Enough

What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?

Considering the amount of travel advice online screaming “I took to much, I could’ve left it all at home!”, I will be taking a few T-shirts, a pair of pants, pair of shorts, two pairs of socks, pair of running shoes, pair of sandals. thats all folks…

2026 Context

• Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of USD 20,000 would equate to approximately USD 34,000 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 70% inflation over the intervening years.