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When you tell people that you are going on a trip around the
world, they get a funny look on their face as if you are pulling their leg.
After they believe you, all of the questions come out. Sometimes it's
about the money, other times it's the time off, some people want to know where
you go to the bathroom. Hopefully this will answer some of the questions,
but feel free to ask more.
Here are our most frequently heard questions. We believe
there are no dumb questions, but we'll provide plenty of dumb answers, so here
goes.
- Why are you doing this?
- How did you get
the time off? What will you do when you come back?
- How can you afford
this? Did you win the lotto?
- Why did you choose
these countries?
- What kind of
luggage are you taking?
- What stuff
are you taking with you?
- What did you do
with all of your stuff at home, and apartment (and cats)?
- Where are you
going to stay?
- What types of
transportation are you taking?
- How did you plan
this, on your own or with a travel agent?
- How much does this really cost?
- How are you paying your bills at home?
- How are you bringing money with you?
- What if you get sick?
- How are you going to update the web site? Are
you taking a laptop with you?
- How many shots did you get, and did it hurt?
- How long did it take to plan this?
- What will you miss the most?
- Where do you go to the bathroom and what's the deal with those
squat toilets in Asia?
Email us with any question. Check out our links site, everything you
want to know and more could be there. Links
- Why are you doing this?
Bruce: It's a great adventure that has been on my list of to do
things for 10 years. After being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer
(and in intensive care) I've decided not to leave life doing or saying the
things I want or need to do. If I die one day and old man and have
told and showed people I love them, and try all of the things I dreamt of, I
would have no regrets. There are plenty of dumb things I've done that
I regret, but the worst is the regret of not doing it.
Julia: You ask, "Why travel around the world with a really
fun guy (that would be Bruce) meeting interesting people, learning more than
I ever did in any class, and not having to fight traffic going to work
everyday"? Well...I have always wanted to travel and had not yet
made it happen. I was always fascinated with the stories my parents
and brother shared about other cultures and the beauty in other countries.
For me the opportunity to have such an experience
was in the timing. All the things I needed in order to make this
happen just fell into place all at once, so I know it was meant to be.
The way it all unfolded with meeting Bruce, the sell of the house, having
friends willing to help me with loose ends etc. was so unbelievable that I
really think my parents and brother somehow had a hand in making this
incredible gift happen for me.
- How did you get the time off?
Bruce: I resigned from a business I co founded a few years
ago. I'll worry about a job when I come back, I've got an adventure to
think about now, and there are plenty of jobs waiting for me when I need
one.
Julia: I resigned from my position at HotJobs.com.
(They were very cool & very supportive, by the way).
- How can you afford this? Did you win the
lotto?
Bruce: I recouped money from the business I had invested in
and am selling my car as well. Hopefully I won't need to sell my soul
to the devil for enough money.
Julia: I sold my house, invested the money & am traveling
off the interest. My Momma didn't raise no fool!
- Why did you choose these countries?
Bruce: Good question, 1/2 of these came from suggestions from people who
have traveled pretty extensively (including 3 people I met who did a world
tour for over a year). Europe stuff is just for kicks, a few castles,
some good beaches. Africa (Morocco, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania) is to
see the wild things that movies have been made of. Exciting safaris,
cool mummies, and bizarre bizarres. Asia is to see all of the things
that are changing so fast that they will be gone in the near future.
It's also dirt cheap and beautiful. Australia region is for plain fun.
Julia: Europe because I studied art history in college and have
always wanted to see the "real thing". Morocco, Turkey, East
Africa, India because I wanted to experience cultures that are completely
different than America's. I knew I would appreciate my privileged life
in the USA much more after seeing these places and gain a new understanding
of people who are culturally and religiously different than myself. Asia and southeast
Asia because they are changing very rapidly, becoming more and more
westernized. I want to experience their culture before it is
gone. Who wouldn't want to go to Australia? Those people are a
hoot! (I miss you, Holly and Andrea! Get ready, we're headed
your way!!!)
- What kind of luggage are you taking?
We are taking big hiking backpacks, it's the easiest way to carry
stuff. This will be our home to live out of and move stuff, but most
days we will just carry a day pack with our camera, a few medical items,
guide books, and umbrella. We also carry a money belt that has all of
our essential documents and money.
Julia: I started our journey with a pretty serious
backpack (as big as me).
It was excellent for carrying, but a real pain to live out of
because it was only "top loading" and anytime I needed anything it
was like digging in the great black abyss. I found that I was living
out of that thing much more than carrying it so on my trip back to Chicago
in November, I bought a different pack. I love this one. It is
made by Eagle Creek and is a suitcase/backpack combo. I can carry it
like a backpack or roll it on it's Rollerblade wheels using the pop up
handle. Also, it unzips around the sides and has a separate base
compartment so it is much more accessible. Best of all, it's RED!
-
What stuff are you taking with you?
As little as possible. The key is to bring 1/2 as much stuff and twice
as much money. Weight is the key to an easier time.
Basically we are following the warm weather which helps keep the clothes
list shorter.
Clothes:
2 pairs of pants, 3 shorts, 1 swim suit, 3 t-shirts,
3 polo shirts, 1 long shirt, 1 fleece, 1 rain jacket, 1 pair of Tevas
(sandals), 1 pair of hiking shoes, 1 hat. (a few skirts and a dress
for Julia as well)
Other stuff: Toiletries (including a few rolls of TP), a
bunch of medicine and band aids, a deck of cards, a couple little games, a
little water color set, a journal, a digital camera, clothes line, packing
tape.
Sleep stuff: Julia's most important possession are her
"little pillows" of which she has slept with every night since she
was about 2 years old (these are not the originals, of course and she
actually made new ones for the trip that have kitties printed on the
fabric). Those who have known her forever will understand, roll your
eyes, and get a big laugh out of this one. Bruce has not mastered the art of
hiding them from her like her cousins and friend, Kathy George mastered over
the years. She is also taking a sleeping bag, Bruce is taking
a fleece blanket (very lightweight). Both are taking a sleep sack
(essentially a sheet sewn into bag you get into), and a therma rest
(inflatable little thing to lay on). Julia ditched her sleeping bag in
Amsterdam and has only needed it once. Both ditched the therma rest
(too heavy).
- What did you do with all of your stuff at home,
and apartment (and cats)?
Bruce
sublet his apartment with the furniture in it to a nice
couple and put the personal stuff in storage with his wonderful neighbor,
Nancy Blank, who we think sold all of it and is on an exotic vacation as she
is MIA. Julia's friends, Anne-Marie and Brian, who are getting married took her apartment and large
pieces of furniture. She put everything else in
storage. Anne-Marie and Brian kept her cats first. Later, our friend Barb took them in as they were terrorizing Anne Marie's
cats (boys will be boys). (Thanks for the huge try Brian &
Anne-Marie!). It all worked out well and the kitties are
very happy. Also, anything we ship home while traveling is going to
Julia's friend John or Bruce's brother.
- Where are you going to stay?
Is that an offer? A lot of youth hostels (which are
essentially dorm rooms for cheap traveling), in Europe it's usually $ 10 - $
15 a day. In India and Asia, it's so cheap there, that a nice hotel is
about $ 8 a day. We will also stay with a friend in Turkey. We
have also found pensions and guesthouses to be nice and affordable. We
will sleep on a few trains in the sleeping car overnight. We've also
found a cool site that is an exchange program for travelers that extend
there home to guests. There are over 5000 people in 60 countries who
will host you. http://www.globalfreeloaders.com/
- What
types of transportation are you taking?
We have flights to Amsterdam, to Portugal, then from Morocco to
Malta, from Venice to Athens, from Turkey to Cairo, Cairo to Kenya, Kenya to
India, India to Thailand. Everything is trains, ferries, busses,
subways, rickshaw, and a lot of walking. Probably a few camel and
elephant rides too!
- How did you plan this, on your own or with a
travel agent?
Bruce: I planned most of this by pulling out a world map and finding
places that seem cool, mostly from what we know of the world from movies and
TV. I then started interviewing as many of my world travel friends and
there friends to find the coolest places in the world to go to. Then I
mapped it out and spent about 5 weeks talking to travel agents who
specialize in around the world airfares (including a few late night talks at
3 am to Australia). Money is obviously a restraint so I found the best
way for us on this trip (there are cheaper around the world trips, but going
down in Africa was extra, and we are trying to stay with the warm weather
and out of typhoons). An extremely helpful book is "The
Practical Nomad, How to Travel around the World" .
- How much does this really cost?
That seems to be the big question. A lot, but much less than
you think. For 1 year, about $ 12 - 14,000 US dollars. About $
2,300 for flights (US thru Thailand) and maybe another $ 800 from Australia
to US or to S. America. About $ 1500 in overland travel.
About $ 4,000 for accommodations. About $ 2,000 for food.
The medical shots were close to $ 1,200. Health & Travel insurance another $
350. Our gear, including backpacks were $ 600. Misc
supplies along the way, and the rest in adventure (ie, $ 400 for safari),
fun, museums, tours. Julia added a "carpet and art from around
the world budget" on top of this.
- How are you paying your bills at home?
Julia : My friends, The Culvers in Texas, and John in Chicago have
all the power.
- How are you bringing money with you?
2 different debit cards from different banks with different
networks, 1 a visa debit, the other a mastercard debit. Travelers
checks, and some US dollars always on hand. We have found that having
2 debit cards from 2 different banks is a must. One or the other
usually doesn't work at any given time.
- What if you get sick?
Julia
got sick (really sick) in Spain for 6 days, so we took her to the hospital
for a check up and antibiotics. Bruce got an ear infection and
narcosis from SCUBA diving in Greece and went to the local doctor. In
Turkey, Bruce got bit by a dog and needed to go to the hospital 2 times for rabies
shots (that $ 600 for the shots before leaving paid off). Big
rule: Don't drink the water! We only drink bottled water, and
that includes brushing our teeth. Don't eat anything you can't peel.
Beware of dairy products. Not all countries pasteurize or have the
same standards for non-spoilage such as refrigeration.
- How are you going to update the web site? Are you taking a
laptop with you?
This
answer has now changed. Originally we were trying to update
it via internet cafes, but found the connection slow, the programs in
different languages, difficult to sneak on the software, and the cafes were
too smoky. We also found it very difficult to transfer our digital
photos from the little disc to a cd. In Europe we could pay $ 20 a cd
(about 500 photos), but the middle east it was virtually
impossible. So we thought it was originally ridiculous to bring
a laptop along (heavy, easy to get stolen), but we need to burn the photos
to a cd (we bought an internal cd writer) and can now spend time on the
website having fun and creating something we are proud of. We spent 2
weeks lounging around on the island of Zanzibar catching up with 6 months of
travel, so hopefully you will like it, we do. Hopefully, it won't be stolen.
- How many shots did you get, and did it hurt?
We got all of them. Really. The travel clinic had a
good time with us trying to coordinate 15 shots in 6 weeks. It mostly
made us a bit woozy for one day following our weekly injection of 3
shots. The Chicago heat also knocked us over when combined with the
shots.
- How long did it take to plan this?
A life time of watching PBS travel shows for the inspiration.
A few years of misc. book reading on extended travel, a lot of day
dreaming. The petal hit the metal on the planning in mid June
with calling people who've traveled extensively, going to the bookstore,
surfing the internet, and then pulling out a map. A total of 5
or 6 weeks of non stop air fare searches and routing and it was done, the
money was paid for the tickets and the needles were going into the
arm. Only 3 weeks to rent the apartment and get moving. Not the
best way of planning a year trip, but when you set a date, you just need to
make it happen. Julia had 6 weeks to close on the sale of her house in
Texas, get everything there into storage, store apartment contents in
Chicago, take care of legal matters (writing a Will and appointing someone
as Power of Attorney), plan an awesome going away party, find cat
sitters, do last years taxes (don't ask), shop for shoes and a backpack (a
major time consumer since she is 5 feet tall and wears size 2.5 shoes)
arrange for a year's worth of medication and the list could go on and
on.
- What will you miss the most?
Bruce: I really miss my bed, it is the best, and a good quiet
nice sleep. Many places are just hard and lumpy. In Muslim
countries, there is a "call to prayer" from the mosques at sunrise
that wake us up. ouch. I also miss my nieces, Emma and Camille.
Emma is now 3 and could talk and do the hokey pokey with me. Camille (1
year old now) didn't speak when I left, but can now. I miss playing
with them and seeing them grow up. I also miss being able
to work out. Running around the streets of Cairo, Egypt or Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania will probably have the police after you or kids throwing
rocks (the kids really do that).
Julia: My cats. I miss them so much I can hardly stand
it. I also feel terrible for leaving them. Knowing they are
happy and being cared for immensely is a huge comfort. In fact, they
are being soooo spoiled they probably won't like living with me again and
want to go back to Ms. Barb's. I also miss my friends, talking to them
and spending time together and having dinner parties. We'll have a lot
of catching up to do. Email has helped fill this vacancy. As far
as material items, I miss having a bathtub and a real washing machine and
dryer. In the food category, I miss oatmeal, cereal with milk, and grits
(stop laughing you yankee Chicago friends). Should
we mention that we miss our sanity due to the Malaria medication?
- Where do you go to the bathroom and what's the deal with those
squat toilets ?
Another good question: Check
out our toilets around the world section!
Bruce and Julia, World Travelers and
Adventure Seekers Extraordinaire.
Copyright © 2002 by [MyWorldTour.org]. All rights reserved.
Revised: 06 Jun 2008 10:17:12 -0500
.
Julia: I started our journey with a pretty serious
backpack (as big as me).
It was excellent for carrying, but a real pain to live out of
because it was only "top loading" and anytime I needed anything it
was like digging in the great black abyss. I found that I was living
out of that thing much more than carrying it so on my trip back to Chicago
in November, I bought a different pack. I love this one. It is
made by Eagle Creek and is a suitcase/backpack combo. I can carry it
like a backpack or roll it on it's Rollerblade wheels using the pop up
handle. Also, it unzips around the sides and has a separate base
compartment so it is much more accessible. Best of all, it's RED!
Bruce
sublet his apartment with the furniture in it to a nice
couple and put the personal stuff in storage with his wonderful neighbor,
Nancy Blank, who we think sold all of it and is on an exotic vacation as she
is MIA. Julia's friends, Anne-Marie and Brian, who are getting married took her apartment and large
pieces of furniture. She put everything else in
storage. Anne-Marie and Brian kept her cats first. Later, our friend Barb took them in as they were terrorizing Anne Marie's
cats (boys will be boys). (Thanks for the huge try Brian &
Anne-Marie!). It all worked out well and the kitties are
very happy. Also, anything we ship home while traveling is going to
Julia's friend John or Bruce's brother.
types of transportation are you taking?
Julia
got sick (really sick) in Spain for 6 days, so we took her to the hospital
for a check up and antibiotics. Bruce got an ear infection and
narcosis from SCUBA diving in Greece and went to the local doctor. In
Turkey, Bruce got bit by a dog and needed to go to the hospital 2 times for rabies
shots (that $ 600 for the shots before leaving paid off). Big
rule: Don't drink the water! We only drink bottled water, and
that includes brushing our teeth. Don't eat anything you can't peel.
Beware of dairy products. Not all countries pasteurize or have the
same standards for non-spoilage such as refrigeration.
This
answer has now changed. Originally we were trying to update
it via internet cafes, but found the connection slow, the programs in
different languages, difficult to sneak on the software, and the cafes were
too smoky. We also found it very difficult to transfer our digital
photos from the little disc to a cd. In Europe we could pay $ 20 a cd
(about 500 photos), but the middle east it was virtually
impossible. So we thought it was originally ridiculous to bring
a laptop along (heavy, easy to get stolen), but we need to burn the photos
to a cd (we bought an internal cd writer) and can now spend time on the
website having fun and creating something we are proud of. We spent 2
weeks lounging around on the island of Zanzibar catching up with 6 months of
travel, so hopefully you will like it, we do. Hopefully, it won't be stolen. 
Bruce: I really miss my bed, it is the best, and a good quiet
nice sleep. Many places are just hard and lumpy. In Muslim
countries, there is a "call to prayer" from the mosques at sunrise
that wake us up. ouch. I also miss my nieces, Emma and Camille.
Emma is now 3 and could talk and do the hokey pokey with me. Camille (1
year old now) didn't speak when I left, but can now. I miss playing
with them and seeing them grow up. I also miss being able
to work out. Running around the streets of Cairo, Egypt or Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania will probably have the police after you or kids throwing
rocks (the kids really do that). 