Stacy Messer

1. When do you leave?
   February 2002

2. How long do you plan to be away?
   I Ain't Never Comin' Back

3. How much have you saved?
   Enough

4. How old are you?
   31

5. Nationality
   USA

6. Where do you live now?
   Los Angeles, California, USA

7. Occupation
   Self-employed

8. Is this job one that you actually like, or are you only doing it to pay for the trip?
   It's my career

9. Have you traveled around the world before?
   No

10. What is the route you plan to take/places you plan to visit?
    From LA: Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, India, Nepal, East Africa, Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, Greek Islands, Crete, Greece mainland. Up and around in Europe: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, St. Petersburg, and whatever I feel like...

11. Why did you decide to take this trip? What got you into this type of travel, and/or influenced you to go?
    Sick and tired of having no quality of life at my old job. Have always wanted to travel, volunteer internationally, start my own adventure company, etc... Love adventure.

12. What is your biggest fear about this trip?
    Losing my laptop. Getting sick. Running out of money. Going to morocco and Egypt.

13. Are your family, friends, co-workers, etc., supportive of you? What is their opinion of your going around the world?
    My friends think it's great and it's about time I started my own company.

    My family thinks I'm crazy and are non-supportive. I think they are worried about my safety as well as a little jealous of not having the courage to just go for it. However, my father is supportive; he travels only internationally for his job.

14. How much planning and preparing have you done?
    To the Nth Degree

15. What are you packing? What do you consider your most indispensable item(s)?
    Backpacking stuff, laptop, cell phone, travel journal, etc... My shoes and laptop are most indispensable.

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?
    I think this trip will change my life for the better, and realizing money doesn't make you happy but it sure does give you freedom. It will affect me in many ways. History, quality of life and what's really important to me, friendships, worldwide knowledge, intellectual, etc.

17. If you had to sum up your thoughts/feelings about your round-the-world trip in one sentence, what would it be?
    Get me out of here.

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?
    Because it will possibly give a better sense of what really goes on in the world outside what you read and hear on the news in the U.S. More compassion towards others, understanding different cultural aspects of the way people live and how they do business.

19. What is the biggest myth that people have about round-the-world traveling?
    You have to have tons of money.

20. What is your advice for people planning their own RTW trip?
    Research, research, research. See tourist type stuff but more off the beaten path.