Steena & James Anderson completed an around-the-world journey starting in 2005. Their experiences across multiple continents reshaped how they see the world and travel.
Snapshot
- Departure: 2005
- Age: 35
- Location: Seattle, USA
- Occupation: Before your trip:Program analyst/network engineerNow:still looking
The Route
cross-country USA trip (Washington DC to Seattle) Mexico-Europe (Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Czech, Hungary, Germany, Denmark) Fiji-New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Nepal, Thailand-Seattle
In Their Words
Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
Finished school in DC and decided to take a “small trip” before relocating back to Seattle. Deciding where to go turned from “small trip” to RTW.
What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
Too much planning will kill the trip. Plan enough to be safe and let the rest happen. Take nearly nothing with you, you won’t need it and you just have to worry about losing it.
What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
That it can’t be done because your life is too complicated. If you REALLY want to, you will be willing to give up some of your securities (house, job, stuff, etc.) to do it.
How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
I definitely see the world with new eyes now and I worry much less. There are so many things to concern yourself with while traveling you just have to let most of it go or you will go insane.
If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
Going on a RTW was the best decision we ever made.
2026 Context
- European travel has become significantly more expensive, with accommodation and transport costs rising across the continent.
- Open borders within the Schengen area remain consistent, but Brexit has added complexity for UK travelers.
- Southeast Asia backpacker infrastructure has grown significantly, with better accommodation standards and higher prices than in the early 2000s.