Frequently Asked Questions

I recieve, rightfully so, lots of questions about my trek. I hope that I can answer some of my most frequently asked questions here. If you still have a question about anything, please reach out!

What do your parents think about all of this?

Universally, no matter where I am, this is my most frequently asked question by a mile. My parents are very supportive. It took a while for my dad to come around, but my mom was excited from the very beginning. They both obviously worry when I travel (my dad much more so), but are excited about everything and sometimes even join me on my travels.

How long do you spend in every country?

Usually 1-3 days, but sometimes I stay for longer and sometimes I just spend a few hours in a country.

Why didn't you spend more time in a certain country?

I would love to spend weeks everywhere that I go, but, unfortunately, there are constraints to my travel. There are actually four major reasons why I am unable to spend long amounts of time in most places:

1. Safety - if a country is not safe right now then I won't be staying longer than necessary. But I do hope to visit many of these countries again in the future once there is greater stability.

2. Flights - this is the most frustrating reason, in my opinion. In Central Asia or the South Pacific, for instance, there are very infrequent flights. Due to the nature of my trip I can't afford to wait around a week for the next flight and have to keep time constraints in mind, so I often find myself rushed onto an earlier flight than I would like to take.

3. Money - my travels are very much on a budget. Some places are simply too expensive for me to afford spending long amounts of time there at the moment.

4. I've Been Before / I'll Be Going Again Soon - I only stopped through the Ireland airport on this trip. Why? Because I spent a week there two years ago. I only stayed in Tokyo for two days. Why? Because I'll be going back for a month for the Olympics in 2020. In my opinion this is the easiest reason to deal with spending little time in a country.

Do you ever get lonely?

I actually don't. I enjoy solo travel and have done it extensively even before starting this trip. I definitely love when I have family or friends join me on a trip, but I'm perfectly fine on my own.

What about homesick?

This is a little more common, especially when I miss my dogs. But my trips are usually not very long (1-2 months) so this is not really an issue either. 

Have you ever felt unsafe?

Other than an incident where I mistook firecrackers for gunfire (and, subsequently, hid in a bathroom for an hour and called the US Embassy in Peru) I have had no incidents. People are very kind and helpful all around the world.