Quiz: Are You Ready for a Round the World Trip?
FIND OUT IF YOU’VE GOT THE FUNDS, GEAR, AND MOTIVATION YOU NEED TO LAUNCH THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME!
Are you ready to depart on a worldwide, multi-month expedition? An RTW (round the world) trip can take a fairly extensive amount of planning and preparation—not to mention something of a lifestyle and attitude adjustment! If you find yourself daydreaming of hitting the open road or exploring hidden corners of the planet, take this quiz: it will reveal whether you’re approved for takeoff (or if you need a bit more time to formulate your escape plan!). Circle one in each section and evaluate your scare at the end.
1. Just how healthy is the balance in your savings account?
A) It’s well into the five figures thanks to the second job I picked up and the spending diet I started last year to help me minimize expenses. I track my spending and earnings religiously and love watching that number grow!
B) I’m in the black, and making small changes to increase my bottom line. However, I’m still struggling to give up indulgences that really add up, like daily lattes and my Netflix subscription.
C) What savings account?
2. Once you’ve showered, how long does it take you to get ready?
A) Five minutes—all I need is some moisturizer with sunscreen and a swipe of lip balm and I’m out the door.
B) I usually take my time to look decent for a date or for the office, but in a pinch I can be ready in fifteen minutes flat.
C) No less than an hour—you just can’t rush the process of looking good! Once I’ve styled my hair (which requires a hairdryer and plenty of specialty products), I need to search my closet to pull together a fully coordinated look.
3. What’s on your bookshelf?
A) Not much! I actually donated most of my book collection last summer and picked up a more portable Kindle.
B) A mix of Lonely Planet guides, National Geographic magazines, and a copy of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road.
C) The Confessions of a Shopaholic series, Eat, Pray, Love, and a bunch of celebrity magazines.
4. How would you describe your physical fitness level?
A) Fairly fit and athletic
B) I’m healthy but definitely could be more active.
C) I get my exercise bar hopping! And like lounging around on the weekends.
5. If you had to leave the country next week, how prepared would you be?
A) I’ve got all of my important documents in my passport holder, my travel vaccines are up to date, and my travel pack is neatly stored underneath my bed!
B) I’m not sure if my passport is expiring soon; I have a rolling suitcase, which I use for most of my travels.
C) I’m not quite sure of where I last saw my passport, and I only own a carry-on bag for quick trips.
6. How easy is it for you to meet new people?
A) I could strike up a friendship with a brick wall.
B) Sometimes I prefer my own company but I’m able to initiate a conversation when I’m craving some human interaction.
C) It takes me a long time to warm up to new people.
7. Let’s say you arrive at a hostel you booked in advance and find the doors slammed shut and the lights firmly off. What do you do?
A) Take a moment to sit down and review other nearby options in the guidebook. Pick one and move on.
B) Knock on the door for half an hour, panic for a bit, and then grab my backpack and wander back into town center to look for alternatives.
C) Burst into tears. Say to myself “this is what I get for staying at a hostel!”
Mostly As: Ready to Roll
If you answered mostly As, you’re well on your way to acing your RTW trip! You’ve got a healthy travel budget thanks to your skills at budgeting and prioritizing. And you’re already used to living with less, so the transition to living out of a travel backpack won’t be too rough for you. If you’re fit enough to haul a bag around a new city looking for a hostel, you can handle endlessly long bus rides and airplane delays. You’ll do well at meeting new people on the road…just be sure to send us a postcard!
Mostly Bs: Almost There
If you answered mostly Bs, it sounds like you know that you’d eventually like to travel—but you may need to make a few changes to your lifestyle (and adjust your mindset) before you’re totally ready for takeoff. Get prepared by reeling in your spending now and building up your travel account, while also working on downsizing your material possessions (they won’t fit in your backpack and it’s an expensive pain to store everything!). If you’re a little shy or worried about flying solo, just remember – making new friends on the road is a major skill you’ll develop during your travels.
Mostly Cs: Room for Improvement
If you answered mostly Cs, you have some roadblocks still in the way between you and RTW travel. Perhaps you’re in debt, or tied down to creature comforts, or not quite accustomed to the rules of the road. But fear not – where there’s a will, there’s a way. Pick up some library books or browse some blogs on long-term travel to get an idea of what it entails and if it’s right for you. If it is, great! Just deciding that you want to explore the world is the first step to making it happen!
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