Jennifer Lynn Carter is a 33-year-old general manager from Seattle, USA, who set off on a round-the-world trip in 2005.
The Snapshot
- Departure: 2005
- Age at departure: 33
- Nationality: USA
- Location: Seattle, USA
- Duration: 6-12 months
- Occupation: General manager
- Original budget: USD 30,000 (approximately USD 51,000 in 2026 dollars)
- Regions: Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America
The Route
In Their Words
Here's what Jennifer Lynn Carter 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?
Yes.
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
I have selected places that I have wanted to spend an extended period of time exploring versus seeing them during annual holiday. After two years of living abroad in Europe, I came back to the states to work and discovered that 2 weeks off a year to travel just isn’t going to cut it anymore…
What is your biggest fear about this trip?
That I will run out of money sooner than I anticipated.
Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
Extremely supportive! I have found out that my parents, friends and co-workers are my biggest encouragers and have only found one person who is negative (and that’s because they are jealous! 😉
How much planning and preparing have you done?
Just enough.
What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
Packing is a sore subject with me. It’s hard to decide what to take with various climates but layers, layers, layers do the trick. Also, a well-planed first aid kit.
How do you think your round-the-world trip will change your life? How do you think it will affect and change you as a person?
I don’t want to have any pre-conceived notions of how my life will change other than I will just “be”, hopefully living in the moment each day. I am moving to Argentina to study tango so I have hopes to improve my dancing and take it…
2026 Context
- Budget inflation: This traveler's original budget of USD 30,000 would equate to approximately USD 51,000 in 2026 purchasing power, reflecting roughly 70% inflation over the intervening years.