Andrea Johnson

Andrea (the blonde in black) with her husband Dale and their adopted family in Jona's Paradise, Fiji.

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   October 2000-January 2002

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   30

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   US$38,900 for 2 (total cost of our trip including advance purchases of gear, vaccines, travel insurance, photography film and equipment – not including souvenirs)

4. Nationality
   USA

5. Where do you live now?
   Portland, OR, USA

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: sales
   
   Now: ???
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   Don't have a career now, nor any great desire to rush back to work (other than I'm broke).

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   French Polynesia, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Palau, Philippines, Sabah, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   To experience a different way of life, and to escape the rat race. I had met others during previous travel that had done something similar – mostly Aussies – nobody I personally knew from the USA.

   Out of all your experiences traveling around the world, what was the:
   

   • Best Moment
     Impossible to choose only one.

   • Worst Moment
     Thinking we ran out of $$ and had to return home.

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Illnesses.

   • Biggest surprise?
     Kindness of strangers.

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   Jay Byrde: fellow traveller and surfer. He has been travelling around the world for 8 years and made travel a way of life.

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Just Enough

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   Digital camera

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Most of my clothes

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   Realization I have control over way to live my life differently – more feelings of freedom, adventure, humility, patience.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   Can't wait to do it again.

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   Hope so, or maybe just a few months at a time when I have $$ again.

   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?
   It takes at least a month away from your regular routine at home to really enjoy experiencing a different way of life; after 3 months is when I really noticed changes. There's no other way to really meet local people and see different cultures – package tours just don't cut it!

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   Live life simply.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   That it's just a big vacation.

   Why do you like to travel?
   Adventure, freedom, peace, reflection, time for hobbies, photography and writing.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Just decide to do it now – there's never an ideal time. Don't wait till you're too old to rough it.