When I first made the decision to backpack around the world I did not tell that many people. I had done my research knew it was possible but the thought of telling someone else who wouldn’t understand scared me. I only told my family and a few friends most of them did not like the idea at all but they all had the same questions. Now I have actually begun telling more people what I am planning to do and they all look at me crazy as well but ask the same questions too. So I thought okay let me answer these questions once and for all. Here are the 7 most FAQs I get about my RTW trip.
1) Are you going by yourself?
Yes I am going by myself. The reason I am going by myself is because I know how I am with things and I don’t think anyone would be able to put up with me for an entire year or more. Also because I don’t think anyone else would be willing to go through all the sacrifices I am going through to make this happen.
2) You‘re just gonna pack up and leave?
If I had a nice trust fund or $18,000 lying around then hell yeah I would just pack up and leave. Since I don’t I can’t do that. Planning a round-the-world trip is not an easy feat. It requires a lot of research, planning, saving and sacrifices. The reason I’m not leaving until the end of July or beginning of August 2011 is because it allows me to save the money that I need for this trip. Oh and the most important reason I’m not leaving until then is because my best friend’s wedding is on July 2nd and I cannot miss that for the world.
3) Where are you gonna be staying?
I will be staying at Hostels majority of the time maybe do some CouchSurfing every once in a while! Most of them don’t know what either is so I explain what they are.
4) What about your job?
I will keep this professional until I actually leave. When I leave my job I will not be heartbroken and when I return I will worry about getting a new job then.
5) What are you gonna do when you get back?
If I end up selling my car and have $15,000 in my savings account when I get back I can either go live in Australia with a working VISA for a year (a life dream of mine) or continue backpacking this time through Mexico, Central & South America or who knows what I’ll do.
6) What are you gonna do with all your belongings?
I have already started working on this. I have explained earlier how planning for this round the world trip has made me a minimalist. I have thrown, sold and given things away. I mentioned previously that my sister is letting me keep my room as it is so that she can use it as a guest bedroom while I am gone. That will help me out with my furniture. As for my car I was undecided earlier with what I will do with Tyler but I am 95% sure I will sell him before leaving.
7) What are you going for?
It seems like everyone wants me to answer this by saying “oh I am going so that I can find myself, find the man of my dreams and fall in love”. Well nope that’s not what I am going for, however if I find the man of my dreams along the way I wouldn’t be disappointed. I’m actually going because I just want to see the world and experience different cultures. I have obsessed with traveling all my life and now I am going to make it happen.
So here you have it the answers to my most frequently asked questions! I get asked so many more but these are the main ones it seems everyone has.
If you are family or friends reading this what other questions do you have. I will be more than happy to answer them. If you are a backpacker what questions where you asked a million times before leaving?
Even though I haven’t 100% made my plans public, I’ve heard a lot of the same questions from the people that do know. On my blog and all over the the internet I don’t hide it, most people I know don’t even know what a blog is.
One concern that my mother had was, when I return, will I outgrow them. Which I think is valid, I will change, I will be different. The people that get me will be happy for me, the ones that don’t… well, they weren’t true friends anyway.
By the way, I’m totally stealing your post idea. When I get burned out on answering the same questions, I’ll point them to my post.
Nick Laborde recently posted..Too Much Crap And The Liberation
Your mom has a very valid point, even I have thought of that. I agree with you though the people that get you will be happy for you and those that don’t well they weren’t your true friends to begin with.
This is part of my daily conversationand not by choice. Ihave astoryto share coming soon. It ‘s hard to notgive an explanation and just give short replies. You may appear tone rude or evasive or down right secretive for not answering:
A. Are you rich? NO
B. You must have a Sugar Daddy. Definitely NO
C. Do you work on the road? No
D. Retired? You only look 22 yrs. old. I wish.
And many more. Why can’t we just be accepted for making decisions and for some or most, doing the necessary things to put our afford in order to live our life on our individual terms.
As long as you plan, prepare andleave the important information behind to someone… As my 18 yr. old son told me after dropping him off to college, LIVE, Duh!! Priceless. So I am and it feels wonderful. Happy travels.
EXACTLY it is so hard to answer these very shortly and not sound like that. I bet with both wish we had B lmao…jk okay no I am not…lol!!!
Happy Travels too~
OMG. I HATE when people think I’m a trust fund baby or something.
I made unconventional choices to do what I’m doing… and if you wanted to do it too then you can make those same decisions that I did.
Jenny recently posted..The Beginning of the End
AMEN~ Its all about what you decide to do with your life!
I appreciate all the sentiments in here. I had a lot of the same questions asked of me with some different emphasis — basically I got a lot of “mid-life crisis, heh?” Which was probably accurate at some level.
Don’t get frustrated, which I think I might hear a “bit” in your voice here. You are fairly certain to have a great time. You are also fairly certain to not be friends with many of these people when you get back — and unfortunate, but true, sidelight of being gone as long as you will be and doing what you are going to do. Enjoy the preparations. Enjoy the trip. Who gives a shit what anyone else thinks about it — if you want to do it.
Congrats!
Thanks for the great comment!!! I am going to do just that~ Preparing this baby is half the fun!!!
I wish you a trip of a lifetime. Definitely CS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I really wanna try CouchSurfing I have never tried it!!! I have heard some great stories about it!!!
I think this is a great post.
If anything, you shouldn’t feel like you HAVE to have a reason to do anything. You want to… and that’s all you need to know! I am excited for you even though this trip is a year away… it’s going to change your life forever, and only in positive ways!
Its not so much that I have to give a reason its just that I have to answer the question and sometimes I just really don’t know how to sum it up in one or two sentences!!! Oh & um its less than a year away….EEEEeeeee!!!
I always find it amusing when people post posts like these as it seems so universal. I have gotten all the same questions and have given pretty much all the same answers. I haven’t found that they’ve been asked in a negative light though. Mostly it has been out of concern and/or general lack of knowledge about this type of travel.
Though, I have gotten one very interesting, albeit extremely passive aggressive response: “With all that money you have enough for a down payment on a house!” Yeah, I am trying to avoid being tied down right now! lol.
I am very excited to read about your conitued planning and to see you as you take off on this trip. It is true, planning the trip is half the fun!
Corey W. recently posted..Auditor General’s Report – Sept 2010
Yeah I think its for general lack of knowledge but then when I answer and they look at me crazy thats when it kinda tiks me off…lol!!! Oh & yes about the down payment my dad actually mentioned that one…lol!!!
Thanks for the comment!!!
I am a girl so I end up with the above plus “Is it safe?” “aren’t you scared?” and “what do your parents think?” Oh and “what are you going to do after?” which I still haven’t come up with a good answer for except, “that’s far away.” I think one of the things I’m most happy about now that I’m leaving is I wont’ have to answer any more of those stupid questions!
Oh wow yes I bet girls have a bit worse than guys do. I never thought of that. The what are you going to do after question is one of the hardest cus HELLO how the hell are you to know. Its so far away from now how can one know!!!
Thanks for the comment and GOOD LUCK on your RTW trip you leave Wednesday for good!!!
I’m so excited you are going on this RTW trip. I always have questions and you have answers for them and I will keep asking because I love you. I have fears of you going but I know that’s my issue. 🙂 I do hope you meet a great person out on the road… ok sorry that’s my fantasy!!!! LOL I wish I could come w/you but I have a house, kids, man, and bills to attend to! One day I will join you on your journey. You can count on that Pinky.
I’m loving your blog. Keep it going.
Much Love
xoxo
QueenB
I am counting on ya joining me somewhere on my journey take 2 weeks vacation and come out and join me!!!
Thanks for loving my blog & always commenting!!
I love ya Brain~
So once you get on the road the questions are going to change to…
Where are you from?
Where have you been?
Where are you going?
How long are you traveling for?
Jenny recently posted..The Beginning of the End
LMFAO i heard about those questions on MAP FOR SATURDAY!!! I am so sure that will get annoying on the road, but oh well comes with the package kinda like there questions…lol!!!
You know what sucks about doing RTW trips? when it ends and you have to come back to the cubicle farm. I hope you can get a nomadic job.
Cheers and buena suerte 🙂
hildergarn recently posted..Imágenes- Cabeza de Diamante- Honolulu- Hawaii
Yeah that does suck but hey maybe we don’t have to come back! Why couldn’t we get random jobs around the world to live here and there a year at a time???
Seems everybody goes through this, you should make a load of print outs and distribute them to everybody when you tell them.
We also got – Will you ever come back? A lot of people have said they don’t expect us to which makes me kinda happy 🙂
OMG that is a smart idea…LMFAO just walk around with hand outs in my back pocket for when needed.
It would be awesome if y’all didn’t I am loving y’alls blog!!!
Good for you Jaime! This is so exciting, and it seems like you have it all planned out and, well although you will make some sacrifices, it will be all worth it. Although the main reason for this trip is not “to find yourself”, this will be a great experience for YOU and only you! Can’t wait to read about your adventures 🙂 all the best.
Thank you so much for the positive encouragement!!! You are right this will be a great experience for me!!
Good luck and lots of fun on your trip, bro.
if i were in your position, would probably do the same. wait a while to save some dough then you can start wandering around wherever you want to go. that’s my greatest dream, to travel the world for a year. but i wish you the best of luck in your journey. hope to meet you on the road some time. Godspeed!
Thanks its going to be hard but it will all be worth it in the end. If it is your dream to travel the world you should save and go for it. It will be nice to meet ya on the road.
haha wait until you do it for the 5th or 6th time – pretty much a lot of people just decide you are weird and leave it at that!
hey mate,
good work and thanks for sharing! don’t worry too much about cash, i left home in 2006 with $1000, and 4 years on and 50 countries in i’m still on the road! good luck mate =)
johnny recently posted..5 Reasons why Traveling by Boat is Awesome
Dont listen to others and just go for it! Its ur life so ur dreams r important and not what others say;)
Fantastic! i had a laugh reading this, since im in the same process with my friends and family at the moment! 6 months to go and all these questions repeated over and over.
The main one is “Why are you leaving? what are u leaving for” (with that crazy, inquisitive look)…most og them just dont get it…
Thanks for sharing this!
globetrotter girl recently posted..Sardinia beaches
I know right… these questions are just non-stop and even now that I am 18 months into my trip they sometimes still ask me Why? What? How? I just find it funny because I know most of them would love to do something like this but always seem to make an excuse to not do it. Glad you got a laugh out of this post.