500 days and 50 countries
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
April 23, 2012 5:14pm CST
From August 1998 to December 1999 a group of journalists from my country travelled around the world. They started in Europe, and then they went to Africa, South America, the US, Canada and Asia. 500 days and 50 countries later they returned to Europe. They wrote lots of articles about their experiences, the places they visited and the people they met. After their return two books were published about their experiences, the books contain articles about places and people around the world as well as a diary that describes their daily experiences.
If you got the chance to join a trip like that would you do it? Does it sound like a dream job to you because you would get paid to travel? Or do you dislike the idea of being away from your home and your family for a year and a half?
6 responses
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
24 Apr 12
I think that sounded like a dream job for those journalists. It would have suited me when I was a single person but not now that I have my children. I adore traveling to different countries and over my lifetime I have seen more than fifty countries. My disabled son is at school so it is difficult to get more than 10 days off in term time. The prices for flights are very high in the school holidays. When I was 20 to 21 years old I traveled around the world. My journey lasted more than one year.
I am enjoying the story of a man from Liverpool in England called Graham Hughes and his project is called The Odyssey Expedition. He is traveling by land and sea to all the countries in the world. So far he has spent three years traveling and has less than 10 countries to visit. I love the sound of his journey but it is for him and not me. I wouldn't be able to go off for one and a half years without my children.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Apr 12
I think that it would be a great job for person who is single and independent. If you don't have children it is much easier to accept a job like that. It must have been an amazing exeperience to travel around the world when you were 20 and 21 years old. When I was younger I also travelled a lot and lived and I worked abroad. Today I am married and I don't to travel around for a year and a half without my husband, and I know that he wouldn't like the idea either. We have a house and many pets and it wouldn't be easy for me to leave everything for a year and a half. In the past I would have loved the idea, but today my situation is different.
I think it is interesting to hear about people like Graham Hughes who wants to visit every country in the world. I am sure that he will experience a lot of interesting things and get to know many different cultures that way. I think that would be amazing to visit so many different countries. It is not always easy to travel from country to country because there are some countries where it is difficult to get a visa, but I really like the idea of visiting every country in the world.
@Tracy1688 (38)
• China
27 Apr 12
Indeed, one of my dream is to go arround the world to enjoy differate sights. That's amauing! But there is always gap between dream and reality. If I want to realise my dream, I should work very hard for a long time, maybe life-long time, to get enough money. I prefer to have a comfortable and easy life. In my opinion, if we can get freedoom of soul, we can also enjoy our lives and find beauty everywhere.
1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
24 Apr 12
Hi porcospino
There are some good days when I am a little better in health. I would love and take up the offer to travel. I would love to visit so many different countries, cultures. Staying away from family can be a little problematic for me, but as they would pay for me, I think I can invite my wife to some places which are not that expensive.
There are some good days when I am a little better in health. I would love and take up the offer to travel. I would love to visit so many different countries, cultures. Staying away from family can be a little problematic for me, but as they would pay for me, I think I can invite my wife to some places which are not that expensive. @Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Apr 12
It also sounds like a great offer to me. I know that my husband's wouldn't like the idea, because he would find it really difficult to be away from me for a year and a half. We would be able to talk on the phone, exchange emails etc but he still wouldn't like it, and he would be very, very sad if I accepted an offer like that. I don't think that I would accept the offer today, but if I had gotten an offer like that in the past when I was single I would have loved the idea, and it would have been a total dream job for me. It is still a dream job, because I absolutely love travelling, but today I have to see things from my husband's perspective, too.
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
25 Apr 12
I do understand you dear Poscospino. And I too feel the same - it has been only about 3 months that my wife is away in a different city for her job and I am all in a pitiable condition without her... quite lost completely.
Things were much different when I was single.
1 person likes this
@yugasini (12893)
• Secunderabad, India
24 Apr 12
hi Porcospino,
really it is a rare opportunity to visit 50 countries in 500 days means each country ten days,it takes them more than one year time to visit all those countries,but they have gained a lot of knowledge and information about the countries, what will be expenditure incurred by each member to that tour,how many journalists participated in this tour?have a nice day
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Apr 12
15 journalists and 11 photographers participated in the trip, but they didn't all participate for 500 days, some of them only participated in some parts of the trip. When I first heard about this project I thought that the same journalists and photographers were going to travel for 500 days, but that was not always the case. I am sure that they gained a lot of knowledge through this trip. I recently started reading the book about the trip, and I think that it is pretty interesting book with lots of information about the different parts of the world.
@MissPiggy (1748)
• Indonesia
24 Apr 12
For a once-in-a-lifetime experience? I would definitely do it. 
Even I would do it only for fun if I had the money. That is exactly a dream job for me. I know my family would definitely support me. Besides, leaving family for a year and a half today is not really like so far away with the advance technology. So no, I would not dislike this idea. In fact, I would really wish I had the chance.
Even I would do it only for fun if I had the money. That is exactly a dream job for me. I know my family would definitely support me. Besides, leaving family for a year and a half today is not really like so far away with the advance technology. So no, I would not dislike this idea. In fact, I would really wish I had the chance.1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
24 Apr 12
I understand what you mean. Today where I am married I probably wouldn't do it, but if I had received that kind of offer when I was younger and single I would have been really excited and I would definately have accepted the job. I love travelling so it sounds like a dream job to me. Today my situation is different because my husband doesn't like to be away from me even for short periods of time, and I know that he wouldn't like the idea of such a long trip. We would be able to talk on the phone, talk on Skype, chat, write emails and all those things, but he still wouldn't like it. Another problem would be our many pets, so there would be some practical problems, but aside from those things I love the idea
@MissPiggy (1748)
• Indonesia
25 Apr 12
You are so right. I made that decision maybe more because I'm still single so I can decide anything on my own. 
But seriously, if I do really have the chance even though I'm married, I would try my best to ask for my husband's permission, under the condition that there are no children yet. And no pets. However, if he doesn't allow me then what can I say? Of course I would skip the chance 
.
But seriously, if I do really have the chance even though I'm married, I would try my best to ask for my husband's permission, under the condition that there are no children yet. And no pets. However, if he doesn't allow me then what can I say? Of course I would skip the chance .1 person likes this
@claydequito (18)
• Philippines
27 Apr 12
If I would be given a chance like they did, I would probably grab the opportunity to travel. And YES! it is a dream job. You get around the world, meet other people, see their places, learn how they live, you will be given the chance to explore the world. I am fascinated with travel and culture all around the world. I love to learn and read about wonderful places and learn new languages. Just reading your post made me envious with them. I know that traveling like that can be tiring, not comfortable in some circumstances and requires a lot of money. Still, if given the chance and the resources,I would really go for it. Besides, with today's technology, you can be in touch with your love one's all over the world and the friends that you've made along the way. What would make it perfect is if your love one's were with you as well. Truly, that would be the journey of the lifetime :)
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 Apr 12
Yes, if we would be able to travel with our partner it would be perfect. It would have been a wonderful offer we were journalists and our partners were journalists as well and worked at the same place as us It is my dream to travel around the world and get to know a lot of different countries and cultures. I think that travelling is amazing and it would be wonderful to get the chance to travel around the world and even get paid for it. Of course it is different from a normal holiday because the journalists have to write articles about the places that they visit, but I still think that it would be great.
It is my dream to travel around the world and get to know a lot of different countries and cultures. I think that travelling is amazing and it would be wonderful to get the chance to travel around the world and even get paid for it. Of course it is different from a normal holiday because the journalists have to write articles about the places that they visit, but I still think that it would be great.
