Extended World Travel

Three days after their wedding, Derek and Shanna set of on their one year long honeymoon. During that year, they visited 40 different countries in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe.

They also started their blog, www.oneyearonearth.com which is really packed with inspiring information and answers to the question why travel, so check it out. Be prepared though, you might want to take out your suitcases and start packing! They’re back in the USA now since some time, and we asked Derek a couple of questions.

Q: So would you like to tell us a bit about yourself and your travel history?

Derek: I’m a 37-year old lawyer originally from Nashville, Tennessee, but now live in Washington, DC. My family traveled frequently when I was younger, but only within the US. I took my first overseas trip when I was 21, and I was hooked. When I was 24, I did a 7 month RTW trip. I returned a little over a year ago from a one-year RTW trip with my wife. In between those 2 RTW trips, I’ve taken 2 or 3 mini-trips a year (1 to 2 weeks each). To date, I’ve visited 71 countries.

Q: You’re now back from your long journey, why did you want to go in the first place?

Derek: I’ve had a passion for travel for many years now. Once you’ve had a taste of it, you’re smitten for life. Ever since I returned from my first RTW trip, I had been trying to figure out a way to do it again. Luckily, I met my wife who agreed to quit her job with me and hit the road for our honeymoon.

Q: What do you think are the biggest advantages with having traveled? Has traveling influenced your life in any major way?

Derek: Perspective and enrichment. For those who haven’t seen the diversity in the world (whether race, culture, religion, food, political beliefs or income levels), it’s virtually impossible to understand your place in the world. Only travel provides this.

Q: When we travel around as a family, the absolute most common question we get from people is about money and how we can afford to travel and live the life we do. So if we ask you the same question, what would be your answer?

Derek: For most Americans, a trip around the world is quite possible if you make it a priority in your life. Thousands of people of all budgets, occupations and means are currently backpacking somewhere on the globe at this very minute. Those people made major adjustments in their daily expenses, often spending months, years and even decades saving the necessary amount to hit the road. A trip around the world can be amazingly affordable if you’re willing to travel cheaply. Just think–instead of buying a $20,000 car, you could take off for a year and finance a life-changing journey around this beautiful planet.

One tip to help with the financing: if you’re getting married, why not register for parts of your trip instead of for, say, dishes? We used a site www.travelersjoy.com that allowed us to enter various activities (say, scuba diving in Thailand) and the dollar amounts that went with them. Our family and friends could then select those activities as gifts for us. We think they really liked having the opportunity to contribute to our trip instead of to our kitchen cupboards, and the money they contributed on the site allowed us to splurge when we otherwise may not have been able to.

Q: We like to talk about the “But’s” – obstacles that show up when people are considering to travel extensively. What we mean by But’s is the little voice inside your head that starts telling you that you don’t have enough money or time, you can’t leave your job, the kids have to stay at home and go to school, that it could be dangerous or something else. Is this something you are familiar with for your own part and if so, how did you overcome your own But’s?

Derek: I’ve been an anti-“but’s” person for many years. I’m not sure how that came about or if it was innate. I’m the one convincing others that they can do it (whether travel or something else).

And here is a film from their fantastic honeymoon:

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17 Responses to “Why travel? Meet Derek, who traveled the world with his wife on their honeymoon – which lasted a whole year!”