Joshua Lee Goldstein

1. When do you leave?
   February 2003

2. How long do you plan to be away?
   6-12 Months

3. How much have you saved?
   USD$20,000

4. How old are you?
   27

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Curacao, Netherlands Antilles

7. Occupation
   Consultant

8. Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
   I'll come back if they'll have me

9. Have you traveled around the world before?
   No

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    East Coast USA – LA – Hawaii – New Zealand – Australia – SE Asia – Egypt – Eastern Europe – Spain – UK

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    I love travelling and seeing new places. I work in a foreign country and take as much time off as I can to travel.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Getting to a place and find out I am not spending enough time there.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    Very supportive... very jealous although lots wouldn't actually do it if given the opportunity.

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    Just Enough

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    "Trying" to pack light. Minimal clothing, sleeping bag, flashlight, multi-tool, playing cards, book and a few other things.

16. 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?
    Hoping to find the answer to this along the way.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Hoping to learn and find something that I've been without/lost (inside).

18. 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?
    1-2 weeks doesn't give you the time to really relax and get away from the everyday stresses one encounters in normal life. Secondary to that, while visiting a foreign land, 1-2 weeks is insufficient time to learn about and explore certain places.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    That you need to be rich to take this kind of trip! Can't tell you how many times people tell me I must be loaded to go around the world.

20. Why do you like to travel?
    I'm guessing it is because of the way I was raised. My parents were divorced while I was a young child and my brother and I being the youngest were constantly being thrown on planes by ourselves to visit our father or grandparents, and in turn they would take us on long road-trips to many different outdoorsy locations.

21. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Take the advice of others, but always remember – this is your trip, your experience – live it like it is!