Marta Cidraes vaz de Sousa

1. When did you go on your RTW trip?
   February 2002-July 2002

2. How old were you when you took this trip?
   28

3. Including your air ticket and other expenses (from accommodation to souvenir-buying), about how much did your trip cost?
   €7500

4. Nationality
   Portugal

5. Where do you live now?
   Lisbon, Portugal

6. Occupation
   
   Before your trip: cinema production
   
   Now: cinema production
   

   How did your travels affect your career when you got back?
   I had to quit my job in order to be away for half an year. When I got back it was not that easy to get a new job (not to want one...)

   What is the route you took/places you visited?
   By plane: Lisboa, London, Lima, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Melborne, Bangkok, London, Lisboa
   By land: 3 months between Lima and Buenos Aires, 3 weeks from Sydney to Cairns and back to Melbourne, 1 month all around Thailand.

   Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
   I was tired of Portugal, of my job, of feeling old. I got some unexpected money and was lucky enough to have a good friend to come along.

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

   • Best Moment
     Impossible to sum up!

   • Worst Moment
     After 3 weeks, in Chile, I felt really lonely and almost giving up.

   • Biggest Hurdle, Obstacle or Difficulty?
     Nothing was that difficult.

   • Biggest surprise?
     Myself.

   Who is the most memorable person you met on your trip and why?
   Señor Jaro in peru!

   How much planning and preparing did you do?
   Just Enough

   What was your favorite piece of gear?
   My toilet bag.

   What did you bring, that in hindsight you could've left at home?
   Almost everything at the beginning.

   How did your round-the-world trip change your life? How did it affect and change you as a person?
   It made more relaxed, not so anxious about what I can now call little things. On the other hand it got me addicted to changes.

   If you had to sum up your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
   I wanna do it again!

   Are you planning more trips and travels for the future? Are you planning another round-the-world trip?
   I have already been in Morocco after. I do want to travel again, I suppose in June.

   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?
   To really get away from everything.

   What is the most valuable thing you learned?
   To give proper value to what deserves it.

   What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
   That you get to see it all.

   Why do you like to travel?
   I just have to.

   What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
   Don´t rush from place to place. Stick to the countries really different from your own. Don´t carry too much weight. Choose your companion carefully.