Comments--Since the Beginning

(More recent comments toward the top)

I like your journal very much. It tells me what should I be prepare for if I will go to visit some of countries you have visited. I also welcome information about cheap hotels and general expense information. The references on other information are also very good.

Thank you.

Pavel Stulik

Kia Ora.(Hi) A very short rave...I'm about to shoot off to deliver a lecture.

Great read. Thanks. Felt very much like my own experiences of travel: The 'work' to do each day. The difficult decisions - where to go what to visit, where to stay, what to eat...when to go home!

I'm planning to head off next year: re-do parts of Asia, some new spots and really get into Europe. Thought we'd do a winter tour of Europe to be far from the maddening crowds. Us Kiwis have a crowd aversion! Ka Kite Ano (see ya)

Jennifer Dobson

Firstly, congratulations on managing to sort out the HTML version of your diary. I keep meaning to do something similar for a trip I took to Indonesia last year, but just typing it out seems such a massive job. Well done.

To be frank, I was expecting something a bit 'wilder' in terms of the travelling side of things. This may well be because the European and some of the Asian bits were familiar territory to me. I think that (watch out- sweeping generalisation coming) Europeans travel to foreign countries a lot more than citizens of the U.S, and that maybe we have different expectations.

I suppose everyone says this, but I am thinking of doing a similar trip myself sometime- the trouble is, I am scared of finding a job in the UK when I come back. I am 26 and have only in the last year have I actually worked on anything I could call a career. I was impressed that your company gave you your job back.

Half of me says 'What the heck, just go!' and the other half says 'Whoah! Get a life sorted out first'. I've said to myself that I'll definitely do it within the next four years, so it's just a case of saving up enough money now.

I am, however, convinced that I will be a 'better person' when I come back (whatever that means). How does it feel now that you've been back a bit longer? Are you still itching to get away somewhere else (and maybe fill in the blanks from your last trip)? On a personal level, I can hardly imagine a harder test of your marriage, but if you managed travelling together for that long, 'normal' life should present no difficulties.

Best of luck to the both of you.

Mike Garrish

I was disapointed to read that you missed out on coming to PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Perth is the best place in AUSTRALIA to visit. It has better beaches then the Gold Cost

Kings Park "ain't nothing better than this"

Sitting on Scarborough Baech watching the Sunsets you gain an understanding as to "why"

gideon

Glad your enjoying our little country! I love it here. Anyone in the United States who have not visited us should really get down here. The Japanese have got the message, and they love to come here, so why don't you make a trip here? By the way, I live in Adelaide, a place that is not visited much, but have we got a great Grand Prix! Too bad Melbourne (Mel-Bun) will be having it from 1996. Anyway, see ya later.

I just loved your "first half of May" report. It is my dream to do as you are doing and visit Europe, taking time to see lots of things, and not having to cram in sights because of time and money cost overrun. Your experiences will no doubt help many people become aware of dangers and mishaps. Delighted to now be acquainted with you, your humour, your tips and your travels. Thanks!!

(name withheld by request)

I enjoyed reading your comments on India as many of your experiences mirrored ours. My husband and I spent about 6 weeks in India from December 1993 to February 1994, with a 2-week hiatus in Nepal. I admire your honesty in describing your experiences.

At the time we felt the same frustration. India is an extremely intense travel experience. We were not fully prepared for it, even after spending almost four months in Southeast Asia. In retrospect, though, it is one of the most fascinating places we have visited.

Sarah Cotton

One of my greatest dreams is to someday go around the world. This has inspired me a great deal.

Thank you very much for a very interesting "page" I'm using it for my home page so that more people will have a chance to see it.

(name withheld by request)

Really nice trip and hopefully you have still time to work this story because this is still for most of us the only faw travel around the world ... And I assume that with a "little" effort you are able to write first really interactive travel book. This media gives a lot more options than a normal book.

Of course this story tells a lot of those places where you visited, but for me it tell also a lot of USA ( or should I say Dallas ). But in this story the role of those two couples from Sweden is so big that it would be quite interesting to see also their wiew of the trip. So it would be nice to see some notes from their notebooks about exactly same situations. I would assume that they are quite alike but are they ? I'm sure that they like as much as you to have hot shower, clean toilet , 24 h power supply ... and so on. But when you are really long time on the road you may start to see some other thing a different way just because the (small?) cultural and language difference. I assume that you were able to get 100 times more news from home ( and now I don't mean personal mails) through the mass media then them, you don't mind if you are all the time asked which part of the america you are going and so on ... do you get my point ?

(name withheld by request)

?Por que no fuiste a Espana?. Te perdiste un buen pams de turismo, and sorry for the accents signs. Great job.

Emilio Mora

O.k. well let me start by saying I'm a 16 year old, male. In the last 7 months of my life I've grown a strong interest in travelling, especially to tropical enviroments. I did a search on "travel" at my high school computer lab one day and discovered you r journal. The ideal thing to quench my curiosity about so many places around the world. I can only look at so many maps and tourism books fitted the criteria of what I neaded to know perfectly. The pictures conjured an image of you and Kathey walking up

Now that you've been back for about 4 yrs how is everything? Do you still reflect on the trip, I'm sure you do. I've been very inspired by your journal, it took great self-control to write a journal so I could experience the trip w/ you. I really felt like I was there. Are you still living in Dallas. I have a hard time believing your satisfied living in Dallas after seeing how many other better places their are out there, or are they really better they may be prettier, greener or may have better weather.

-Write back, if you'd like. Thank you for the trip, and it was free too!

Roan Edwards

Finally finished your story...phew! I loved it. I'm envious, a trip around the world would be a dream. Your story gave me insight as to what to expect when traveling abroad. This page(s) has been a great place to be on www.

Happy Trails in Africa

Andre in Thousand Oaks California

Have just spent 3 weeks in Malaysia muself, and am thinking about going back next yr to parts (and have a look at Thailand too), so really enjoyed that section of your journal. Unfortunately, I don't know that I'll ever be able to pack up and disappear for a few months to look the world over (Girlfriend spent several months around Europe and Canada; she raves about travel!), so just a bit at a time I guess will have to do. Life is short...sounds like you've certainly got your money's worth so far!

Craig Morling

Well I read it all and I enjoyed it. I've done SE Asia with my wife so I could relate to your storys there. The pictures you showed were the same ones I have in my foto album.

Regards, write more.

Darren Campbell

Me and my wife are consdering such a trip, I told her I would check the net and see what type of resourses are available. Your journal is a tremendously valuable source of information not to mention insprirational and extremely entertaining. I will comment more after I finish reading it. I try to only read a month at a time to make it last like a good book. Just wanted to drop a line now to say

Thanks!!!!!!

Kevin Connors

Hi Russell, I unexpectedly found your journal while surfing the net. And I really enjoyed reading parts of it (I didn't have time yet to read all of it). It's especially interesting for me to read what you experienced in Germany :-)) I am a German physics postdoc working at Berkeley since last June, so I am experiencing America sort of from the perspective you experienced Europe - only I'm working here.

I think it's great that you put this journal together and on the net, I'll come back and read more of it.

Beautiful job! Keep up the good work on your travels. Looking forward to your next journal including the Archipelago.

Ken Gilbert

What a wonderful journal!!

My husband, Gregg, and I found it by accident on www (I guess that's how many people found it!)

We were so interested in it because Gregg's brother and his wife are leaving in a few weeks for their trip around the world. They are also starting in the South Pacific. Then to Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and finally, Israel.

It was so cool for us to read about these places and imagine them there. It was also good to read about how you felt being away for so long. We are alittle concerned that they will go crazy being away. It sounded like you met great people along the way. Anyway, I am going to give them this web site and I'm sure you'll hear from them soon.

Megan

Russell,

Great web page! Your combination of pics, hotlinks, graphics, and text are outstanding. It's a real motivation for me - I'm working on my own Web page now.

We have a group of 16 that will be sailing the Greek Isles in mid-June. Your Greece info is interesting and helpful. Also, your photography is excellent. Keep up the good work.

(name withheld by request)

Hello, we're first time users of the net and are really grooving on your photo album. I am hoping to make the same journey as you at some point in my life. Thanks for the new found inspiration. Seeing someone else do it makes me truly beleive i can too. Maybe someday youll be reading my journal and remenissing as i am now looking forward. Thanks for the fun.

louise and mike

I thought the journal was great. I hope you can get enough money together to take more long trips. You could compete against Fodors! I lived with my wife in Paris for a year and it was an experience that I will always cherish. In fact, a long stay in one place might be an interesting idea for you since you get an entirely different perspective of a place and its people that way than if you are just passing through. Also, you can arrange to work a little there, thus easing the constant money crunch.

good luck with your next adventure

bill perlman

I always wanted to travel around the world - so when I saw your page I was really excited. I am a little dissapointed that you did not visit Japan. I would begin my travel from Japan (leave the US from West Coast), and work my way towards Europe. The trade-off in a venture like this is the number of countries you visit vs time. Maybe you need to break the globe into "chunks" and travel more than once during your lifetime. That way you don't rush through places, as well as see more than the usual touristy stuff.

Jay Chaudhury

As someone who has penpals around the world, I find this Web page useful and educational. Now I have a one stop place where I can learn about the countries where my friends live. I definitely will be a regular user. Keep up the excellent work!

Donald Sutherland

Wow! I someday hope to do what you guys have done.

Del Ifafore

Well, I read it....and liked it.

Especially your documentation on money exchange, post offices, hostels, etc.

I hope you can find time to do a sequel...perhaps expand on some of the information. Not so much the sights and sounds, you did great on that, but more on the technical side....for instance what was your "packing list"...how many clothes, did you carry a first aide kit, medications, problems with border crossings, how you knew about visa requirements, did you work at all (for money or meals) on your trip...

You can see, I get a lot of my traveling from folks like you, sort of a "Walter Mitty" life, but I do have plans....hope to at least do England "your way", next summer.

Again, thanks for the effort and for letting me travel with you!

Wayne S.

Your trip sounded wonderful!! I enjoyed reading every word of your journal. When you go to Africa and Egypt and the other places you mention you should post another journal.

How's your knee?

I went to Europe in 1993 after being layed off from work... It was only 15 days though. I enjoyed reading about the common countries that we visited and reliving those experiences.

Great Job!!!

Sincerily

Michael J. Fox

I have several times in the past contributed to the Travel Forum on Compuserve similar 'journals' of travels. However, I really prefer your's much more as I can read pieces of it at a time and skip to areas of interest when I wish.

Good Traveling,

Rusty Jackson, Aspen, Colorado, USA

I am gearing up for a trip to Europe and searched the internet for travel info. Your journal is perhaps one of the greatest resources I've encountered! Certainly, one needs to read the guide books, etc, but your first-hand account of cities I will visit is sure to enhance my trip. I would have loved to know a bit more about the hostels in which you stayed, but this is just my personal anxiety. Besides learning information about the cities I will visit, it was also fun to reminisce during your trip to Australia. I lived in Australia (Canberra) for two years and was so excited that you made an effort to visit! Most tourists don't think too highly of the city as a destination spot. And yes, I, too, know what it feels like to hit the wipers when you are meaning to signal! I'll be in Australia at the end of this year and cannot wait to experience it all again!! Again, thank you for the tremendous effort you put forth to get this information on the net. There are thousands of us out there who sincerely appreciate it.

emily diaz

Great Work and a Great Trip, also! I suppose that a "Round the World" trip is the experience that every traveller would like to do sometimes. Thanks for your tips. Perhaps in the future my wife and I will pack and leave for the adventure. The world is so big...

(name withheld by request)

Hi!

I just finished reading your travel journal...All of it! It was very interesting, and, it had some usefull informations. Altough, I tought you didn't say enough about your own experiences whilw making contacts with other cultures...instead of all listing the prices of the hotels and everything. This IS MY PERSONAL OPINION...I am Canadian, well, French-Canadian from Quebec. I traveled in Africa, South-America and Europe, and I studied anthropology in the University of Costa Rica, In San jose, by myself. I think that traveling is mostly a psychological and sociological experience, since you were living a free and completely different rythm of life, with preoccupations and situations that normal routine workers in America will never even suspect. Anyway, Reading your text brought alot of memories and made me realise how frustrating counting every cent you are spending, really was!! I am now searching for a way to definitely travel while working... Thanks for all the moments and impressions you shared...Hope to see you sometime, somewhere!

Isabel Trottier

for a few years now ive been planning on going around the world. ive been dreaming of it, and even started preparing myself, by getting a masters in teaching english as a second language. everyone i know thinks im nuts.. thats beside the point. i had a good job as manager of loan operations, and spent all my time contacting my overseas borrowers and talking to them, exchanging addresses and sending them postcards. my children are now 20 and 18, my parents think im crazy.. i quit my job 1 month ago. i couldnt believe it when i seen your story being put on the net. it really encouraged me to just go for it. im scared.. unsure how i will do anything.. but i know i want to go. do you feel that any country is unsafe for me to camp/hitchhike, or whatever in alone, at night.. etc. do you forsee any problems that i should look into before going. i plan on working my way around, camping and staying at youth hostels... congratulations and if you know anyone else who wants to go with me, please send them my way.

Jolene Ibrahim

Next time you visit Europe, be sure to visit Hungary. Budapest and Sopron in particular. Very beautiful, friendly people, and relatively inexpensive.

Kathryn Dunlap

I spend a happy time while I read those articles. I'm a grad-student, and now I'm in my lab studying neural network. Thanks for those nice pictures!!

Akishige Kino

I have dreamed since college about taking a trip like this. I found your travel log incredibly interesting and inspirational - very well done and worthwhile. My wife and I travel every chance we can get, but 3 or 4 weeks every other year just isn't enough. Although I'm a software engineer she is in graduate school for several years, so it may be a while before we get our chance - but you've proved that it can be done! Have you ever considered approaching a company with the idea of making a CD-ROM out of it? There are a few titles out there that touch similar ground ("4 paws of crab" and "From Alice to Ocean" come to mind), but it seems like your trip could make for a very interesting travel CD-ROM.

Thanks again, and hope you make it to Africa soon.

Good luck,

Brett Gilbert

Great chronical!! Reading this after having visited so many of the same places myself was great, I do wish the end of the trip had been as well documented as the begining though.

Douglas Bertram

Wow, what a coincidence! Just two days ago I saw you and Kathey and on Monday your web page shows up in a Dallas Morning News article on interesting personal web pages.

It's an interesting read and I started to feel sad when you started talking about going home, kind of like I didn't want you to end the trek.

About the only thing I can think of that would improve the page would be to subtitle the photos. Sometimes it's obvious what they are, but many times it was unclear (although the http file reference occasionally helped :-)

Roger Sunshine

Hi,

I thoroughly enjoyed your narrative, it was surely the best I've read on the internet. Hope to see more from you on your next adventure. I would have enjoyed more detail but thats probably best saved for the book. I must say I'm ready to quit my job and do some traveling,but... thanks for making this available

jeff allen

Thank you for sharing. I admire your desire, stamina, and stick-to-it-tivenes. It made a most enjoyable read of the course of several lunches at work. Reinforced my belief that there are no places on Earth that I don't want to see. Some have higher priority than others, of course.

Enjoy Kenya (I was born there), Egypt and South Africa!

Debbie Greenberg

I thought this was FANTASTIC I have always wanted to travel and this story just fuels my desire. I hope you get a chance to add to the stories. I have started bugging my wife to come up and read your story, I know she will enjoy it as much as I.

Joseph Monroe

Having traveled many of the places on your "page", we really enjoyed the articles. Have not finished reading them yet but admire you all for traveling in the manner you did. We (wife & I) must always go on tours as it suits we old grits better!!

Good luck.

Jack Stubblefield

Thanks for the journal. I enjoyed reading it very much. I've also gone on long, extensive travels and it was great fun for me to read about your reactions under similar circumstances.

Like yourself, I'm constantly looking forward to my next long excursion. We should swap travel tales some time. I think you would like Russia a lot, especially St. Petersburg. China is also a great place for an experienced traveler, although it can also be frustrating. I spent a year there and would go back again dispite the difficulties. Turkey is a must visit country. Take care and happy travels.

Matt Donath

What an envious experience you all have !!

It was a Saturday afternoon, at work, decided to take a break with the internet, that's when I "accidenly" bump into your world of travelling experience. How I wish my break is of 1 year around the world, instead of an hour around the internet, sigh.

Tiny piece of suggestion from me, if you would like a nice hike up the highest mountain in South East Asia, a cool dive down to one of the world famous scuba diving coral beach resort, then perhaps you might like to drop by E.Malaysia, Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.

Hopefully, someday you like to plan for a more "Detail" Asia trip and pop into KK (Kota Kinabalu). You are most welcome for any queries. Yeap, I might be nice enough to, mmpphh, perhaps,buy you a............. road map :-)

Best Regrads

Catherine Sheo

THIS WAS A MOST FACINATING JOURNEY.I ONLY WISH I HAD THE COURAGE TO UNDERTAKE SUCH A TRIP.I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT THE ENTIRE COST OF YOUR TRIP.FROM START TO FINISH.

RICK BROCK

Strange to find so many familiar places where I have lived (like Malaysia, Hawaii, Netherlands, England) as tourist attractions. One forgets that tourists see things with different eyes. Toward the end of your account I was reminded of an ancient saying: "It is Tuesday, this must be Belgium" - I think this dates back to the time when it was smart for Americans to "do" Europe on tours that whipped you from country to country just so that you could say you had been there. Now that you are home, what sticks with you of this whirlwind tour? Buildings, beaches, or people?

I am glad I have been able to see much of the world by actually living in places for a while, and getting to know people. Places blur into a sort of sameness. In the end it is the people that stay in my memory.

Your pictures are gorgeous!

robert wolff

Beautiful travelog, and lovely pictures. Will come in very useful for my next trip!

Stephen Londergan

I'm looking forward to reading your journal. I've seen Michael Palin' s Pole to Pole and Around the world in eighty days many times and have enjoyed them very much. I've read the Jules Verne Book and I am going on an around the world journey when I graduate college in December. I plan on only being gone at most 3 months, but I am looking forward to it.

chris hobbs

I can definately identify with alot of your trials and tribulations traveling in and around asia. I have been going to asia for almost 14 years. It has certinately been interesting. I really don't remember too much about nepal(1981). Too much dope. I'm very lucky that I made it out at all. I've been following your trip from the beginning. You are very fortunate to have been able to go and do the things most people only DREAM about. I'm at the part where you are returning back from pokhara to kathmandu.

Thanks lots. eddie d.

Dear Russell:

What a facinating story! Although I just get started to enjoy your tale but I couldn't help to write a few words to you. I also have been planning such trip for a while but it take a while before I can head the road. Since I am still a student and I need another half year to finish up my Ph.D degree. I am just wandering whether you can provide some information and experience about how to do preparation. I will keep enjoy your story and I know one day my dream will come true also just like you have.

Thanks again for such a good story.

Hong Ding

Australia looks like fun, I hope that one day I will get to visit there too. Are the people nice?

(name withheld by request)

Dear Russell,

Just finished a quick scan of your journal and I had to smile. Our three month trip ended a couple months ago and as I continue to type my handwritten notes into my Mac, I've been thinking how - unlike anybody else - I was so preoccupied with beer and exchange rates. We did Cairns & Brisbane (where I thoroughly researched FourEx) & Sydney & Hong Kong & KL & Penang & Kathmandu, too. We missed Singapore & Fiji & all of New Zealand except Auckland, but we made it to Burma and Vietnam and a little China, and to Pee Pee Island and a little of India, too, as well as five weeks in Africa. Anyhow, if you're interested and you'll drop me a note to let me know you're still out there, I'll send you my journal when it's transcribed. I think that'll be about another month. Thank you for sharing your trip with Mirja and me. We enjoyed it.

Bill Murray, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Congratulations on finding a perfect medium for publishing your journal! And congratulations also for having the courage to just give up your jobs and go! I too have long dreamed of making a trip such as yours, RTW and without a return date. However, the time has never seemed quite right for leaving my job. I suppose that's the hardest part. Thanks for giving me a booster shot of confidence that this can be done! The book that first inspired me is called "The Royal Road to Romance", written by Richard Halliburton way back in the 1920s. Maybe you've heard of it? The format is very different from your journal, but the spirit, themes, and many of the locations are the same. I really liked your format too, especially the fact that you didn't do much (if any) editing. I also think your writing improved and gained style as time went by. If you were to add anything, the one thing I would like to see is your packing list. You didn't seem to have much trouble with overpacking, which is a chronic problem for me! However, as a result of your example, whenever I do finally go RTW, I now intend to carry one additional item -- a journal!

Jim Fleck, Allen, Texas, USA

Great story, sounds like you had quite an adventure!

Have you come across any info on Vietnam on the web? I'm planning a trip in a few months and I'm looking for interesting places to see, ways to get around and digs. Maybe I'll do a Vietnam story on the web as you did when I get back!!

Thanks

Andrew Rhind

I am planning a trip for my family and myself ((3 of us) and am really enjoying reading your journal. It gives me a much better sense of ones day-to-day travel than the travel guides as well as just being "fun" reading. I look forward to your next journal, perhaps about around-the-world staying only in small towns and/or less popular places. Best wishes,

Sally Krasne

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your travels (during breaks at work-took 2 weeks). You were able to express your thoughts and feelings in a very entertaining way. I liked your honest opinions-some things you two experienced were very funny, even though at the time it doesn't seem so. I think it's fabulous that you were able to accomplish what you did-taking off a year and traveling the world on your savings. I wish I had thought of it. After college, I chose to move to a foreign country and work-traveling in and around there. I think your experiences would make a great book for college seniors (the best time in life to make that kind of decision); your stories and pictures with comments about each city: pros/cons, restaurants, hostel/hotels, etc. Best of luck to you in your future travels.

Cindy Champion

Read the whole story (OK I lie I skipped a couple of bits mostly on the Europe leg of the trip).

Congrats on another good backpacking piece that inspires the rest of us to take a similar trip (or another trip).

I was most interested (like the majority of ppl) in those areas that I myself had travelled in (primarily Asia).

Small criticism .. if you're going to update this perhaps a more accurate view of your own feelings throughout the trip - didn't you and Kathey ever fight???

Still speak to P&U?

Thanks

Mark

ps greetings to Kathey I feel like I got to know you both through your writings.

I only read the first part of May but having visited Vienna Salztburg and Prague I really enjiyed your comments, your experience sounded much like mine in Prague especially. After my third visit I really got ot grips with the Tram system!!

I intend to read all of your journey when time allows but in the meantime thanks for an enjoyable and informative read.

Dave Hayzen-Smith

Thanks for the nice travel logue. I enjoyed it. I have done a bit of traveling (not much in comparison! ha ha) so it was interesting to see that you felt the same as I have in similar circumstances.

Jeffrey A. Harvey

It took a lot of time to read through the whole thing, but I'm glad I did. Nice narrative: it really gave some of the feel of what it must have been like. I'm glad you included some perspective from after being back home for a while. IMHO, what's really needed, in addition, is a retrospective after being back for at least a year. How did this trip affect you long-term, and how does it feel being back in the "normal" routine?

Thanks for making this account available.

(name withheld by request)

Hi there!

I was reading your journal and I think it is quite interesting to find out about your experiences in different cultures and cities. I have realized though you have really missed something when you were down in Europe. I was very surprised that you just skipped Turkey and especially ISTANBUL, a magnificient city which is like no other you have been to!! Well I think this is a big loss but hopefully you will make it up and when you do you will understand what I mean!!

Best regards,

Christine

Thank you for writing this journal.

I am planning a trip DC-Paris-Berlin-Moscou-Leningrad-Bejing-Shanghai-Kuelam-Hanoi-CA-DC for next year and working hard on it. The toughest part is taking off from work. I still have a lot to do here.

Your writing is a dynamite piece of work!!!

Quang Nguyen

After all your work the least I can do is congratulate you and thank you on your efforts. Not only was it a first rate critique to a certain kind of world travel, but the writing and photos were clear, compelling, and from the heart. Thank you and I look forward to seeing the next installment, whenever that is!

(name withheld by request)

Dear Russell,

Nice to read of a bloke with the same travelling feelings as I had. In my humble opinion, if you want to make a book (and earning money) of it, try to tell stories which are far more detailed than you did now. So you probably have to skip a few then. And really, Italy??, you can spend 9 months in Italy alone.

Keep up the good work,

Aart Ligthart

I finally finished your journal and I would like to express my appreciation for all your hard work and excellant recollection. I am planning a trip this fall to South Africa and Israel for an extended period of time, maybe 4-7 months. When I finished graduate school at age 27, I left for Southern Europe for two months, claiming I will also travel. I am turning thirty next week, May 4th, and I am planning a trip to celebrate this occasion. I am taking my mountain bike and plan to roam the cities and countryside as you and partner. I am thoroughly inspired and am looking forward to my adventure. Currently, I spent the last three days at my computer reading the wonderful stories and pictures provided. I feel a little melancholy finishing the narrative. Thanks again, as I am grateful for such an articulate narrative to excite me during the long hot summer.

Eric M Mondgock

I really love your journal and especially the photos! I used this page as one of my "learning pages". I've now completed my site and would love to have you over for a visit." The URL is http://www.inch.com/user/kteneyck

Karen TenEyck

Very Cool!

Sam Raymer

Enjoyed your journal, the pictures were a nice touch. My wife and I traveled to Athens and nine of the islands three years ago. your article brought back good memories. My wife teaches and I am a computer consultant, this enables us to travel most summers. We also own a home near Malaga on the Costa Del Sol in Spain. This summer we will travel to Morroco for two to three weeks. I am toying with the idea of doing a e-journal similar to yours if you think there would be interest. I am hoping the Inet will be a vehicle to share travel experiences and possibly arrange home exchanges etc. Best Regards.

Gerald Jansen

I am an avid armchair traveller, just beginning my travel adventures in my 30's. I took my "trip of a lifetime" in 1993 in a very different way, an escorted tour of the U.K. but i enjoyed it very much and still reread my travel journals occaisionally. I've even thought of rewriting them from a perspective of 2 years later. Anyway, I discovered your journal while surfing the net in search of travel information and was very interested in your impressions of the world. What a trip! Your journal really brought life and breath to the places that I usually only read about in fact-based travel guides. You have pictures and your journals as wonderful memories. Still have the travel bug? Would you travel in any different manner/means the next time? (i.e. on shorter trips, use hotels or B&B's instead of hostels) I hope you post any further adventures!

Diane Johnston

I enjoyed your travel adventures very much, as did my daughter who pointed me in the direction of your journal to begin with. You did a great job keeping up the journal! I hope to visit Europe someday but as a $150 per night, middle-aged, tour group, camera-around-the-neck tourist :):) It was very heartwarming to hear of the enthusiastic support from your grandfather as well as the rest of your family!

Nancy Johnston

great page! although there are some pictures that had dates on them, and for me i would hate to download those pictures and crop quite a bunch of your photo. i don't know if i could save considering the fact that i am in grad. school in a not so lucrative career (i.e. big bucks)..cheers..

Mat

Well, I can't believe I read the whole thing! It was fun to live vicariously through your travels, and the specific details about each country were interesting. You have inspired me to get off my butt and do some traveling of my own...But I wish you had spent more time talking about how the places you visited made you feel and what they made you think about....Sometimes I think the journal got a bit bogged down in where you slept and ate and how much it cost. But altogether a real labor of love...Thanks !

Holly Yarbrough

I enjoyed reading it, I did wish you hadn't gotten so far behind in europe. I hope you do turn it into print some day. Perhaps you might combine it with your wife's notes (or is this the joint compilation?) Having said that, I spent a month touring england, with a tape recorder even, and got very few notes. (I spent all my energy on pictures, in fact the tape recorder mostly served to record the caption information for the pictures "sheet 204, St. peter and pauls cambridge, redundant, 13th century")

I was "bemused" by your frequent visits to american chain restaraunts, so far, I have managed to avoid same. I did like it for the price comparison it provides. (of course, I did hit some foreign chain restaraunts, and I remember once quite unconsciouly spending Y225 for an american candy bar in a Kamakura hotel -- they had a pile of choclate next to the cash register, and while I was paying for breakfast, grabbed one and put it on the slip. Brain was definetly elsewhere...)

Have you made any more trips?

Jeff

Hi to both of you!

I read bits and pieces of your journal, which I just found on the Web. I mostly read about cities I have been to, like Berlin and Warsaw, and it was nice to see pictures and reminisce. My husband and I might be going to Germany next summer for a couple of weeks, and you have some great tips for us. I hope you add more pictures to this site. I am looking forward to reading about Asia and southern Europe. Too bad about Russia.

How are you enjoying the real world? :) I would love to contact you by e-mail sometime, if we do decide on a trip to Europe next summer.

I loved reading your journal. Thanks for sharing!

Leslie

I saw Michael Palins two travel documentories and read a book by David Duncan on bicycling around the world for project HOPE in the early 80s. The reoccuring theme about three quarters through each of these trips was a longing for home, but a sort of stubbornness to continue. Did you feel the same? Anyway thanks for taking the time and energy to put this together for the "NET".

David Smith, Washington, DC

I really enjoyed reading about your trip. I've done a couple of one month trips to Asia and Europe, but I always wanted to do the really long round the world trip. Hopefully, I can convince myself one of these days that I can do this sort of thing. Enjoyed your pictures and journal, and I'm glad I was able to read this on the internet. Hope you keep another journal for your next trip!

(name withheld by request)

Your journal is the best use of the World Wide Web I have found yet. It sure beats watching a real-time view of a coffee pot. Thanks

David Driggs

A fascinating trip. You have saved me thousands of dollars because now I will not have to go. Better your money than mine.

Thanks,

T-Bone

The journal brought back lots of memories of several simalar trips I did. But not all at once as you two did.

I work in Tourism now in Europe, just sort of drifted into that after travelling through out Africa, and Australasia. So I'd be interested in your views of Africa when you get to go. All in all I was once more on the road, with all the "bad" that never even got close to outdoing the good that one experiences.

Sterling effort putting it on the net. Thank you for sharing your trip with me.

Mike Kobrak

I enjoyed reading your Around-the-World Journal very much!! I was especially interested in the parts about The Netherlands (because I live there) and Hawaii (been there on our honeymoon). I haven't read all the pages yet, but I have already added it to my hotlist so that I can visit it some time again!!

Keep up the good work.

(name withheld by request)

Awesome piece! I have not completed reading the full version but was compelled to respond right away.

Tom Tuohy

Thank you for your journal. Along with the pictures and text, it made feel like I was with you on your travels. I noticed, you kept on mentioning hotel rates etc. I am curious about how much the entire trip cost (just in case I want to travel the world)

Matthew McGehrin

I rarely find anything on the WWW that interests me as much as your story has. It's three o'clock in the morning and I've been following your story all night. I tip my hat to you friend...what you did was what so many of us dream about, but never do. Your story gave me the chance to live part of that dream. Thanks!

Charlie Morriss

I have travelled through most of the European countries and your story brought back many pleasant memories. I must compliment your photography skills. Most of the photos are excellent.

Patrick Musick

I think that page is wonderful. Would love to have gone to the places myself. Thank you for sharing your photos.

Margarita Judd

I'm reading this Sunday evening...after arriving home from 3 weeks in Europe this past Wed. While I was only gone a short while (compared to the two of you!), a lot of what you wrote was familiar. Our first stop was Amsterdam (overwhelming...perhaps we should've gone here last) then Prague (beautiful, wet, many Americans), Florence (my favorite, hands down...the only place we didn't see a McDonalds), then Paris (which I didn't really like) and back to London, where my friend was studying. Maybe most interesting was the view of the US from abroad. I mean, difference in lifestyles became so apparent; it seems American life moves so...FAST. Emphasis on speed and convenience! I admire all of the work you've done here...here's to future travels

Jen Firlik

I attempted to write this letter to you last night but i think my computer acted similarly to your jeans and pooped out as i was sending the message after HOURS of reading your pages. When i first read your introduction i thought "Those lucky _______" I used an explative here that i won't repeat. But i rethought that first instinct after i read your entire journey. It did sound like an adventure of a lifetime, certainly you and your wife have courage that my husband and i are lacking!! I think we would do a similar type trip but on a much smaller scale. But i am still green with envy since my husband and i love to travel. We are probably similar in age to you guys (26/27). We live in Pittsburgh now after spending 3 years in Los Angeles. Gosh, i feel like i know you, but i guess you probably have a lot of people telling you that now. I still have yet to explore your photo section and i skimmed most of Europe since i was extremely tired from reading the previous months. I wish you much luck with your page, i am sure you are educating people all over the world with your experiences. Hey, when in Pittsburgh you can stay with US!! I am sure i will have some good questions for you after finishing your stories.

Lillian Bloch

My wife and I are going to Italy for a month this summer. Certainly nothing like your trip. this is our first trip abroad together. After reading your journal I feel much more at ease with the thought of a foreign culture. I realize that all the problems we encounter can be worked out, perhaps not easily, but finally. I have learned more about security. I have learned more about tolerance. I think we will have a better time because of your journal. thanks.

Dave Baca, Texas, USA

I absolutely loved your journal. Last year my husband and I did practically the same trip. We started from Korea, then went to Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Your pictures looked just like ours and it was so fun to see them. You have inspired me to go home and finish our photo album.

Jena Layton

I didn't have time to read much, so I just checked out the part where you were in Poland. I visited there a few years ago, right after I graduated high school. I only saw Krako'w twice, but I really enjoyed the city a lot. I like what I have seen of the journal so far, and I look forward to seeing some more. Also, I will have to make sure to check it out from Netscape (rather than Lynx) so that I can see the pix. Anyway just thought I would drop a note to say I like it so far. I'll probably have more to say later...

Matt McDowall

Good Job! Keep it up. Tell me, which was more tedious the trip or putting together the Web pages! I'm sure it was the latter. Thanks for sharing as much as possible. Yes it's my dream as well to circle the globe someday. If you have a trip planned through Japan or India or a few other countries please drop a word. (I'll introduce you to some of the locals). Thanks again and it was fantastic. (I made the trip for less than you did!) Regards,

Thomson Koshy

I very much enjoyed your journal. I felt I got to know you. On two such trips of my own I went to some of the places you went to, and it was great to read your anecdotal opinions as it was to read the cricticisms--some of which I also agreed with. You were writing this mostly for yourself and for someone coming down the same road right after you. Therefore the prices were okay to cite. I'd like to know how you and Kathey are doing now and whether you intend to go to Africa afterall. Don't miss Kenya. See everything there and be very picky about the rest--except maybe South Africa, where I have not yet gone. The islands off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean are a treat. Also, some day go to the south of India. It's very nice in Trivandrum, and the culture is totally different from that of the north.

You did a great job! All the best to you,

Terry

As it was with many others, you hooked me from the beginning. An intriguing concept for a honeymoon - I suspect that not many have made such a trip while beginning life together. I have not been to Europe yet - hope to go someday. I have been an amateur radio operator for many years, and I have many friends who I communicate with on a regular basis scattered all over the world. I look forward to visiting with many of them someday. One of the most useful pieces of information was the different exchange rates that you encountered and how you came up with a shorthand method of conversion in your head to help you stay within your budget. Good luck to you both and I will be looking for your book if you get it published.

Alan Brubaker

This article is great! I just got back from travelling Europe and it is really neat to read about other people doing and seeing the same things I have done and seen. Please keep up the writing, because I only travelled for 1 month and I want to see what I missed out on. Have fun and good luck!

Margaret Molinari

your stuff brought back memories of my 1 year on the road back in 72-73 when i spent a TOTAL of under $2000 including air-fare and 30 rolls of film and gifts for exactly 1 year to the day!!! but i really travelled on the cheap.

it also brought back our most recent long distance foray, 2 months in Nepal (+a side to India and Turkey coming home) as i reread your Nepal section ... maybe i'll put some of our journals on.

you know, i have tried to read a number of books by travellers of the genre that you (and I) are but they fail since they try to get too literary and try to make the trip more impressive so i appreciate the straight forward ... here's what we did, saw and felt ... approach.

good job. will visit more

Harold Goldstein

Amazing. I would not have had the energy even in my twenties. Few people could do (or would want to do) what you did.

Say, now you're well-qualified to be travel agents. Why not start a business?

Best regards,

Leon Malinofsky

I really enjoyed your journal. I skipped some parts (mainly Europe) and will get around to reading them. I backpacked Europe about 5 years ago (how time flies) and am now planning the trip that I said I would do (when I was in Europe) but not exactly the trip. I'm planning on India-Nepal-India Thailand Malaysia and Indonesia and if I have money left somewhere else. I'm planning to leave in September.

While reading your journal I could close my eyes and think real hard and almost feel like I was in some places (in Europe) - haven't been able to do that for a while. Give yourself a pat on the back for the style you wrote your journal.

I'm pretty restless right now and can't wait to leave. I just read the 'Back Home' page and can relate to what you said. I'm not looking forward to the re-adjustment when I get back - especially since I am midway through my degree in C.S. and need to plunge into school/work when I return. Hopefully my 'head' will not be too flaky or whatever.

Gotta get back to work now.

Regards,

Harold Ohye

I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me...

Seriously, it sounds like a fantastic trip, a real once-in-a-lifetime experience. It makes me wish I had had the nerve to do something similar back when I was just out of school and had no real obligations.

Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us...

Joe Staudt

I thought the pictures and information given was very educational!

Philip Humphreys

Fascinating. It brought back memories of my (admittedly shorter) 5-week bike trip through Europe a few years ago.

John V. Goodman

Wow that was a nice story! I didn't read all of it but I will come back. It must have tough adjusting to going back to work as you alluded to at the end. I would like to visit Scotland someday.

Gary Rhine

This is great info!!! I'll be touring parts of Europe this May (95) and can't believe my luck finding your journal. It even better than the Let's Go Europe manual. Thanks for all the hard work and effort.

Vicki Coffin

I really enjoyed reading about your trip "around the world". I'd never really thought about travelling around like that and it sounds like you two had a lot of fun!

I especially enjoyed your review of the places you stayed, your likes & dislikes and where you'd go back to in the future. My wife and I are working on our "vacation fund" and while I don't think we'll take as extensive a trip as yours, I would like to see some of the places you talked about.

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed it and welcome back.

Ron Beck, Plano, Texas, USA

I just finished reading your journal and enjoyed it immensely. I have never had the chance to travel as extensively as you did (not yet!) but I certainly have dreamed of doing it. You write an interesting account of your journey and it makes me a little jealous when I think of your trip. I've spent a good portion of these past two days reading your story at work, which makes it easy to imagine being somewhere else. I feel I got to know you a little through your writing. So how goes life after having been back a few years? Any new trips? I hope you've gotten the opportunity to see and do even more. One thing my fiance' and I have talked about is a long trip right here in North America. There is certainly much to do and see without leaving the continent. I hope this message finds you and Kathey well, and that all your travels are pleasant ones.

Terry Henderson

I spent a chunk of the week-end reading your journal, and after reading about nine and a half months of your life, I almost feel like I know you! Often when I read about a place I've been to, I would think: "Yup, it was just like that!" and it would bring back memories. Some stuff was pretty funny. I also discovered that you did the Paris-Switzerland-Italy segment at virtually the same time I was there (May 92) and not only that, but according to your account, we were at Notre-Dame in Paris at the same time on the afternoon of Sunday May 2, 1992!! Funny hey?

There is a wonderful country in Asia that you missed and should definitely add to your list for the future: Indonesia. Everybody who's been there seems to have fallen in love with the place. I spent two and a half weeks in Java and Bali; Bali was definitely my favourite. It's beautiful, culturally rich and good value for the money!

(name withheld by request)

I found your journal when surfing the web one day. I tentively started reading about the 'adventure' and somewhere on the first page, I was hooked. Its so much better hearing about this kind of trip from the eyes of a traveller... what was taken for granted, what wasn't, how you felt seeing Per and Ulrika again, coming back home... There was a 'personal' quality that came across in the story that I don't think is present in many stories like this. I guess it just seemed like you were sitting across the table telling the story... which is, Im sure, how you meant for it to be. In a long-winded sort of way, Im saying I loved reading your journal entries and seeing the pictures you provided. Thank you for spending the time and sharing your trip with us. It was incredible.

Kenny Quick

I just spent 2 hours (!) reading your journal - enjoyed it very much. As I doubt I'll ever get to travel outside the USA, it was fun taking the trip through you. And if I ever do get to travel, at least I now know what to expect (or not to expect!) in several countries I've thought about visiting. Asia was one of them, but after hearing about how dirty and primitive some parts are, I'm not so sure any more. I think you and your wife are really lucky to have been able to take such an extended trip at your young ages. That's the time to go - when your health and energy are up to all the walking and sightseeing. I think you should definitly write some sort of book based on your pictures and diary - it's a good read! Thanks for letting all us armchair travelers see most of the world through your eyes.

(name withheld by request)

I greatly enjoyed skimming over your journal (time restrictions!). It brought back SO!!!!!!!!!!! many memories. My ex-husband and I spent 9 months travelling around the world in 1975-76 (it was MUCH cheaper then!). For various reasons I no longer have any photographs or journals of that trip (just memories), so yours (while different) are precious to me. Thanks for taking the effort to put them on the WWW.

(name withheld by request)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your journal! It was like a good book I just couldn't put down. As someone who would never have enough "guts" or stamina to attempt a trip like yours it was wonderful to live through it vicariously. Thanks for sharing with us all.

Lola Estes

Excellent! I thought it was really good and you were quite intrepid to even do such a thing. I got a little tired of all the prices, but they'll be invaluable to anyone else going on a similar trip. Now I want to go!

Richard

I read your travelogue over the course of about a week -- so each day when I resumed the story, I felt like I was truly travelling along with you! As a married guy with two kids (4yrs old and 4 months old), I doubt that I'll ever be able to have quite the "pick up the bags, let's go" opportunity (not to mention the inability to save the cash necessary for such an excursion); however, when the day comes that my family does explore the World, I know that the memory of your travels will definitely be of some assistance! I liked the JPEG photos--you should definitely add some more-- and the overall format was very easy to read.

Scott Martin

I just finished reading the WONDERFUL journal of your 'round the world trip on the WWW.

Thank you SO much for taking on such a monumental task - your devotion to journalistic duty is quite novel in this day and age.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending I suppose on how one looks at it) you have given me a severe case of wanderlust. This is exacerbated by the fact that I work with people from all over the world, including many from S. Africa, England, India, Australia, and the like. The British Commonwealth are quite well represented here in B.C., and we are always discussing the differences in language, custom, and culture in the different countries.

Like I said, it all makes for a severe case of wanderlust.

One of my good friends is leaving this June on a two month tour of Africa - the game parks, climbing Kili, etc. so I'm quite envious. She has already been all over the world - took a year off of work to do it about three years ago. So, "travel is in the air". I've just decided to spend three weeks in Europe this fall, if I can save up the $$$ to do it. Wish me luck!

Thanks again, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done!

Glenn Hawkins, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

This is soooooo awesome!! I am a sophomore at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. I will be spending my junior year in Munich and hopefully doing some travelling in the 2 month break we have next Spring. I can't wait to get time to read more of your journal. I'm so jealous! =) Thanks for all your work.

(name withheld by request)

I think most people would like to travel and see the world. Most of us never get around to it. I really enjoyed your account, because, even if I never go myself, I have some small idea of what it would be like. And, yes, I am inspired to go out and see some of these places for myself. Unfortunately, I doubt I can convince my spouse that I should quit my job, she should shut down her business, we should rent out the house, store the cars, board the cats, and hit the road. But the idea does have a certain appeal. Hope the marraige is going as well as the honeymoon did. I also hope to see an account of your next adventure.

Tom Duggan

I read your entire journal with great interest. It seemed I just had to go on to the next link!

Walt Dike

Thank you for taking me back to all of those wonderful places. Your page is a great gift of us who are land bound. Amazing. Thank you.

Patricia Ryan, San Francisco, California, USA

I very much enjoyed reading your adventure. Brought back memories of when I traveled for about 6 weeks in Europe with a buddy. Just being away that long made me homesick, so I admire you both for sticking it out for so long.

Now I have to go dig out my old journal! It's been about 7 years. Reading your journal makes me want to get out there and see the world again!!

p.s. Hope your knee is better.

(name withheld by request)

Thank you very much for the virtual tour. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I will go back and do it again soon and explore all the maps and other hyperlinks I did not do today. Perhaps I will even download some of the pictures.

(name withheld by request)

Great journal, evocative and memory-provoking. Made me wonder why the things that stick with you are the details, and what's hardest to recall after the fact is the overall impression. I loved Salzburg, too, and I enjoyed your photos of Italy and Greece (you know it's impossible to get a photo in Athens without a yellow cab in it!). Nice work.

Anne Tanner

What a fantasy. I found myself dreaming a bit while I read. I'm so glad that you decided to let total strangers like me in on the event.

Thanks. I enjoyed the trip.

Gordon Atkinson

This was really fun to read. It took several (ok, a lot of) days to finally finish the complete journal. I always dream of doing something like this but now it is most unlikely with kids and that dreaded word "responsibilities". Maybe one of those 4-6 week trips when my kids get a little older.

The pictures were also one really nice touch. It was good to see some of the things that you were just writing about.

Good luck and I hope you make those trips to Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia.

Looking forward to hearing or reading more from you.

Brian Shapiro, Athens, Ohio, USA

I lived for a year in Sweden, on a study abroad program. Your "coming home" entry seemed especially familiar. Yes, even the toilets were no longer familiar! And the fact that 1.00 USD = 1.00 USD; it's the little things that matter...I think this site is an incredible accomplishment; both you and Kathey should be very proud of yourselves...you definitely should put out a book; I think travelers our age especially would find it invaluable. Thanks and good luck!

Sheri Emerson

Thank you very much for putting your stories on the internet, Mr. Gilbert!

Thank you again for your work. I will enjoy reading your stories in the future.

Stuart Edeal

Thanks for all your efforts in putting this together. Just discovered your area here, and read the Paris and Rome stuff, having visited those two cities recently on an absolutely outstanding trip. Reading your notes was nostalgic. Thanks.

Dennis Mick

I haven't had time to read your text, but you have some really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Chris Taylor

I absolutely loved this journal. I was using it to do a research paper on Stockholm and although there wasn't much, I couldn't stop reading. It is a dream of mine to visit these places. I am graduating from USF with a public relations degree and I am hoping to get a job that will allow me to travel to such wonderful places. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences for those who are not that fortunate. Yet.

Marie Cote

Just started (you're in Fiji), but am a great buff of travel books, because I love to travel. I appreciate that you aren't trying to be philosophical or pedantic, you are just sharing your trip with us. This is why I read "on the road" books and I really have enjoyed what I've read so far--it's very real and the little details (how you felt, exchange rate, photos) really make it easy to try to put myself in your shoes and imagine what it would be like to be there. Keep it up!

Valerie Koetting

i enjoyed the journel *very* much. you gave a human face to places that are usually only mentioned in papers and books.

Bill Thater

Since I'm going RTW shortly, I was doing a little net surfing trying to find some latest info on Christchurch when I stumbled at your travelogue. I started to read it at about 12.45, it is now 16.45, and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Hans de Vreught

You are very lucky to have had such an adventure! I found it facinating becuase you did the little things that actually make it memorable.

And Prague is beautiful, isn't it?

Shelly Nuessle

That journal of yours uprooted a freeness from within me. It woke it up and reminded me that other people besides me realised how to enjoy the planet we have.

(name withheld by request)

Excellent!

My wife and I did a similar trip for a year (93-94) and hit alot of the same places. Brought back alot of memories of getting off a bus,train, or whatever and having to beat back the touts!

Will continue to read more later.

John Cotton

Excellent so far. I can compare bits with my trip in November '94. (Germany, Switzerland, England, Wales, Scotland for 2 months)

What cameras and film did you use? The photos are excellent. I especially like the shots 'indtaj' and 'thauw'.

Thanks for putting it on the site and sharing the trip with everybody.

Tony Tibbs

Just finished reading your journal on a rainy Friday afternoon here in Connecticut at the office. I feel like I've been on a wonderful trip myself and I hate to come back to real life.

My husband has seen a lot of the world and definitely has the travel bug to see more, and reading your account made me realize that we should have planned for a trip like this when we got married!

Thank you for publishing your story.

Karen Olrik, Westport, CT, USA

GREAT story...GREAT job... Having traveled throughout western Europe and Asia some, we were totally mesmerized and fascinated with your trip experiences, and information about food and lodging. Can't wait for more. Our hope for a future destination is South Africa, and we understand the country and the people are wonderful.

Bud & Becky Bowen, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Thanks for writing your journal. I have travelled very little. I have read a lot about places and things to see around the world, but not a lot about what it is like to travel. I hope to make a long trip sometime; you've given me an exciting glimpse of the experience.

Barry Sweezey

I really enjoyed reading your Around The World Journal. At times I felt as if I was part of the world tour seeing all the wonderful places. I really liked the part you wrote about Greece.

Govinda Dhondu

I will send a more detailed response later when I finish the whole journal but my first impressions are that you have done an excellent job in presenting your trip. I've been around the world twice but the duration each time was much shorter. later...

Paul Michals

From what I looked at: I like it... Just wish I had the time to read it all. Looks as if I'll have to go through your world tour like a book and read a few pages a day. Great Job and Thanks!

Michael Johnson

So far I've only read Introduction, September and October, but had to stop and let you know how much I'm enjoying this. I especially appreciate the honest assessments of each place. My goal is more foreign travel in the near future, but until then I will live vicariously through adventures such as yours! Thanks for sharing your trip - am looking forward to the rest of the journal.

Cynthia Savitt

Good description of your travel. It is amazing how many other 'Travelers' that you meet several times at several remote sites. Thanks for your good efforts.

Jim Miller

Very interesting reading. Although I am a little older and don't stay in hostels, I found that your experiences brought back memories of those places I have been and made we want to go to other places I had not been.

Jerome Kruemcke

What an incredable journey! A trip through the world and a trip through your personal experience. The thoughts, emotions and feelings were as interesting as the descriptions of the places you visited. I can tell that you did not just tour the world, but you actually experienced the world. It may seem like a dream sometimes, but it will always be a part of you. I'll bet that every now and then a smell, sound or sight triggers a memory of your trip and you get homesick for your journey. Excellent work!

Dan Cavey, Texas, USA

I really enjoyed my vicarious trip around the world with you. You are very fortunate that you were able to do this together as a couple at the start of your lives together. My wife and I would have loved to do that and now we have two children and it looks like we won't be going on any long trips for a while! All the best to the both of you.

Sean Ferguson

I just read a few pages of your journal, just as a day trip. I plan on other times, to take a break from work. I admire you: you did something I never had the guts do to and probably never will. Quitting your job and going on a trip like your is a dream. Who knows? Maybe some day. Great work, great journal. Thanks...very much!

(name withheld by request)

Two enthusiastic thumbs up, way up!

Hani Zakhem

I really enjoyed the whole thing. As a person who has done some extended overseas traveling also, it was very interesting to see how you went about putting your page together. I kind of hoped for more impressions and less of your departure and arrival times, I guess. But maybe I don't have a right to say much since I haven't read it all the way through.

(name withheld by request)

I am really enjoying your trip. I've added it to my bookmarks so I can "get away from it all" any time. I love your honesty..."Fiji Sucks." It is nice to really hear what a place is like without someone trying to sell it to you.

Please keep this site active! I want to introduce my students to it as soon as I get my net connection up in my classroom.

Tory Klementsen

Your journal is fantastic! My wife (at that time wife to be) and I spent 4 months in Europe attending classes (most of the time) and wish we had a record as wonderful as yours. Congratualations on a job well done.

Matt & Cathy Schulze

Excellent, almost like being there! You've just saved me several thousand dollars in travelling expenses ;-)

Dave Murphy

Wow! Great Work!

First, I have only viewed Jan, so I'm really not able to comment on the whole thing; but, in general I was impressed by your work. Having traveled extensively and catalogued my experiences in photos and notebooks, I have often thought about publicizing my trip the way you did. I've never made the time to do it, but figured someone else might have. I'm so pleased to see something as complete as your piece.

Anyway, thanks for your time and effort. I'll read the rest in non-work hours.

David Hoffman

Pretty great idea, saving up and traveling around the world. Thanks for sharing it with us on the Web!

John Bales

I loved your page, Its one of the coolest ideas I have seen on the net. I really felt like traveling through Europe, and the interface is very very nice.

Patricio Lopez, Monterrey, Mexico

I'm very impressed with your desire to experience life. We forget too easily the necessity of risk and some amount of adventure in our lives.

James S. Jones

WOW Thanks for taking the time to document your trip. I really enjoyed the experience.

John Keller

I'm so jealous. I've always wanted to travel the world, but like most people have a hard time saving up that much money. While I was reading your journal I was wondering how your experiences might change someone, but as you said when you got home "I'm not sure if I came back a different person." Just so you know, your journal is helping out two of my friends from Australia. They are doing a "world tour" as I write. I copied your journal to give to them so they could get some ideas as to where to go and what to bring. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us all.

Andi Fifield

One word: W O W ! I feel as though I've just travelled with you guys on your trip, and I'm exhausted! The pictures are fantastic, and they captured the essences of the places you've been beautifully. If I ever plan on taking a trip anywhere close to yours, I'm going to use your journal as a guide, along with all the other Let's Go books, etc., etc., and money belts are essential. I had heard stories about things like that, but to read about what you actually went through, everything seems more... real. Thanks for sharing your trip with everyone!

Phil Jung

WOW! What an expedition! Really gives a lot of inspiration for my next vacation.....So, when's the book due out?

Tom Schneider

Thanks for sharing your story with us! I truly enjoyed reading about your adventures. I'm sure you realize how lucky you were to be able to take such a journey. I know we're lucky that you shared them with us!

May you and Kathey have many more happy years of traveling together!

Gary Pratt

I found your Journal through the 'Cool Site of the Day' page. I haven't spent much time in yet. Just reviewed some text and pictures. I will be back. The pictures are beautiful. I'm entranced by the idea that you publish this on the WWW and make it available to everyone. So far I have enjoyed what i have seen.

Harley Spiller

Just browsing through and I was caught up in your page - your story is great, one I envy! I have done my share of travelling, but not with this sense of freedom and adventure. Looking forward to reading more - I have only gotten past "September" thus far!

Monique Trulson

Well, I've only just completed 'Ocotober', but I am really enjoying your journal. I think that it is really wonderful that you kept a journal - I find that it really is the best way to stay in touch with yourself, find out who you are at what time in your life. With so much useless information available to us via WWW, it's great to come across a thouroughly enjoyable site, both in terms of entertainment (the vacation) and psyche (your journal).

Joshua Malinsky, Toronto, Canada

Great photos.....fun to see different photo of places i've been....not to mention places i haven't!!!

Ralph Matile

Absolutely wonderful. I am getting married this fall and can only hope that my to-be wife and I will have what it takes to do something like this. The text was outstanding bringing more than a single tear to my eye. This is what the web is for -- to share those truly unique experiences with those that may never be able to (financially, mentally ;-) or whatever). Best wishes (and congrats) to both of you.

(name withheld by request), USA

It's 3 am and I'm still up reading your page. I'm planning my own rtw trip (hk-sing-bkk-moscow-prague-home) and the info about hk, sing and thailand is all very useful. You obviously put a lot of work into that page, and I totally appreciate it! I can't wait to check it out with a browser that shows graphics (I'm using lynx). Anyway, it sounds like a great trip, and I'll be back to read more as I plan my trip. Thanks for the gift!

Gabe Joynt, California, USA

Just read about your round the world adventure. What a facinating tale! I found your info on Asia very informative as I am leaving for Malaysia in the near future. Your story has helped give me a taste of what I am going to experience (especially the part on the beer prices !!!)

Kenneth Meneely, Canada

I've spent time over the past several days "digesting" your journal. It's been a real joy to glimpse a portion of the adventure the two of you had. I would be interested to see Kathey's journal, as well, because I'm sure her point of view is slightly different in some respects. I commend both of you for your willingness to live life completely! Would love to see a follow-up as to whether you have had a chance to see the rest of the places on your list. Also, no curiousty to see S. America? The only places I have been that were included in your journal are DFW (my home also) and Hawaii. But I have traveled in Mexico and Central America a bit. Thank you for posting this journal. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Julie Murphy, Texas, USA

I really enjoy reading your reports. You give really interesting informations about how expensive were your travels, how easy are transports and you didn't forget to tell us the frame of mind of each country.

I wish you'll be able to travel around the world again.

Serge Wavreille, France

I congratulate you for making this great experience available on the NET. I also envy you for the experience-of-a-lifetime trip. I travelled to China in Nov. 1993 and the experience was tremendous!

J. Jack Chan, Ohio, USA

Wow!!! Fantastic! You and Kathey have done things I've only dreamed about! But...I'm still only 22, so I suppose I still have lots of time. I am definitely tempted......Loved your journal. It turned out terrific. Looking forward to that latest installment - all about Africa?

Aimee Rostamo, California, USA

What a nice experience! Thanks for putting your impressions and other notes on the WWW!

Patrick Kremer, Belgium

I really liked this website. I was browsing on my mothers computer at work with her permission to look around the WWW and I decided to check out the CSoTD, which was your's. It looked pretty lame at first but when I got into it and started looking at all the places you went and all the stuff you did, it became pretty interesting. I've always been interested in other countries and this site helped me understand what was underneath the mask the tourism agencies of countries put on their countries to make them look good. Plus it got me really interested in New Zealand and Australia because, even though I've never really thought of going there, now I really would like to experience some of what you did for myself. The prices and exchange rates really help put the price of traveling to these countries in perspective because sometimes people think that the U.S. dollar can either buy so much or so little of another countries currency that you can sometimes get dragged into thinking a particular country's not worth going to either because it would be to expensive or that if you can get so much of their currency that there must be nothing good to do. It's neat to see that a lot of the foreign currencies of the countries I'd like to go to have pretty close exchange rates of the U.S. dollar with each other. This site also taught me a couple of things about traveling that I've never even thought of before because, even though I do a lot of traveling, it's all in this country. It's funny because my girlfriend's school is in session today but mine isn't, so I'd normally be in school learning other things today than the truly exciting things that I learned today. Just reading your depictions of what it was like to live through this and relating it to my own experiences gives me a greater sense of feeling for your trip than any story about a trip I've ever heard from any of my relatives. Especially when you were in the Oriental countries and there was almost a sense of hurried anxiety and slight confusion that filled me and almost made me want to give up on reading this in disgust which is what I would have done if I had been living these experiences. I think you've got a great Web site going here and if you ever take another trip, make sure to write it all down for us poor people whose lives sometimes consists only of reliving other peoples experiences. Thanks a lot.

Nicholas Hanley

Good stuff you have here. 9 months!!! Thanks for putting it on the Net for all of us.

Bach Hoang, Missouri, USA

hey guys, swell site, your discription of New Zealand was so apt. You obviously had a great time..

Jonathan Ewart, New Zealand

I have nothing complicated to say; just congrats on the interesting times and experiences you have had, and your willingness to share it.

Travel is too often (I think) misunderstood, and I think some people are still at home when they travel, if you know what I mean.

Robin Benson, New Zealand