My trip around the world happened when I was 20
By maximax8
@maximax8 (31046)
United Kingdom
February 24, 2013 12:11pm CST
Twenty years ago today I left on my trip around the world with my backpack. I visited California, Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, Sumatra in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. I let out my cottage to get a monthly income. I got a working holiday visa for Australia. Whilst in Australia I worked as a children's nanny, a factory packer and a charity collector. I had the best year of my life with all that happy traveling and some amazing adventures. My trip did actually last just over one year and I had said I would stay away just 6 months.
Has a trip lasted longer than your originally planned?
Which ways do you or have you used to afford traveling?
Can you think where you would go on a trip around the world?
2 people like this
15 responses
@joanamarienieva (160)
• Philippines
25 Feb 13
Great! You're so lucky so did it. I want to travel around the world but I can't afford to do so. Its really expensive and I don't have enough money for that. Maybe, when I go abroad and work there and save some money.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
It had to be a working holiday and me getting a monthly income through renting my cottage out. I did casual sorts of work which I found enjoyable. I am so lucky to have done all that happy traveling. I wish you good luck to be able to afford some traveling in the future.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (47064)
• India
26 Feb 13
Yes, not everyone in each country can afford to travel outside. So, a foreign country experience is always noteworthy.
@blackrusty (3519)
• Mexico
25 Feb 13
it has been a dream of mine to do this type of travel but in todays living the cost would never allow me to so all my travel was around the us casnada and mexico now my travel is only in my dreams
@urbandekay (18278)
•
25 Feb 13
I really had the impression that you were a world traveller and had been everywhere for some reason
all the best, urban
@blackrusty (3519)
• Mexico
25 Feb 13
only in my mind maybe in a few years i will get a trip to some place new but for now my travel is in my mind and though the words of others and what i read
@urbandekay (18278)
•
25 Feb 13
I have subsidised my travel sometimes by taking second hand laptops and other products with me to sell, sometimes I have had a little trouble when going through customs. I have never stayed longer than I intended
all the best, urban
@urbandekay (18278)
•
25 Feb 13
No, not too much trouble they were easily bribed
all the best, urban
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
It is excellent that you have sold some second hand laptops and other electronic products. I hope that customs didn't give you too much bother.
When I visited Australia a second time it was when I was 28 years old. I got a cold that went into an ear infection. With a bad ear infection I have to delay flying. The Olympics was on and the flights were full for three weeks. I stayed another three weeks in lovely Western Australia.
Best wishes Urban.
@buddha3 (1026)
• India
25 Feb 13
Oh, wow!! That's really and exciting and adventurous trip!!
I love the idea of working trip where you work in a country and also tour it for a short time. It's really exciting to know that you worked in Australia when you visited. What did you do in other countries? and in which country did you spend most of this time?
ummm I have great dreams of travelling throughout the world, but I would shortlist a few like Ireland, South Africa and few countries in Africa, Indonesia, Caribbean countries, Sweden, Germany, Poland and Japan :)
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
I had a hard time with immigration when I arrived in the USA. I had a working holiday for Australia and not America. I had no intention of working illegally in the USA. I spent ten months in Australia and in the other places I acted like a tourist with sightseeing.
In LA I saw Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Disneyland, Venice Beach and Santa Monica. In Hawaii I visited Pearl Harbor and spent time on tropical beaches. I stayed on Beachcomber Island in Fiji and tried out para sailing.
Good luck traveling to the places on your travel wish list.
@buddha3 (1026)
• India
26 Feb 13
Coooool :) Hey do you have pictures of those trips? Just requesting you to share a few of those old pix, if you have. It would be great to see the old pix.
The Fiji trip sounds more exciting! Did you try para sailing somewhere else after that first experience at Fiji?
And please tell about Indonesia. What did you see there and how was your experience?
@aminul842700 (861)
• Dhaka, Bangladesh
25 Feb 13
Hi Maxima, you are so lucky lady and visited so many good countries. Hope you will travel more countries in near future. I welcome you to travel Bangladesh. In Bangladesh you will get so many good places like world famous mangroves Suburbans, Words biggest sea beach in Cox'sbazar, Natural scenery of Rangamai, Bandorbaon, Khagrachory etc. If you travel Bangladesh, I think you will be happy. Have a very nice day.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
Hi my friend. Yes, I was so very lucky to travel around the world when I was so young. I did a similar trip at age 29 years old just going to New Zealand and three of the Pacific islands. I would love to visit Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
When I worked in London I had a friend that came from Bangladesh. I was made redundant from that job so off I went traveling around the world. Have a lovely day.
1 person likes this
@aminul842700 (861)
• Dhaka, Bangladesh
26 Feb 13
I will welcome you in Bangladesh. Have a nice day.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
26 Feb 13
Wow that sounded like a wonderful adventure, thank you for sharing my friend, I expect you have some wonderful memories of your trip. I have never been outside Europe and I didn't fly till I was 26. I planned a trip in 2006 to travel all around Scotland, with my car, tent and mountain bike, I actually planned for 5 weeks but I did it in 4. I went all the way up the West coast, across the top to John O Groats and all down the East coast. I made my money stretch out by camping, it was so much cheaper than some of the B&B's and there's something adventurous about camping out in the middle of nowhere, with the wonderful scenery Scotland has to offer all around you.
@frankiecesca (2489)
•
25 Feb 13
I have never stayed on a trip longer than planned as I have always just done set things where my flight was booked back in advance. If I didn't have so many bils to pay nowadays and hold my job down, I would love to just go off travelling.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
Hello Frankie. I had been made redundant so at that time I didn't have a job to go back to. In those days I had a cottage with no mortgage to pay. I bought the property outright when I was 19 years old.
These days I have children, dogs, a mortgage to pay and bills being paid by direct debit. I have to keep an eye on my bank accounts. I can only manage to travel for up to one month these days. I have chosen three weeks to visit Eastern Europe. That is all the time I can get for my son you see.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
24 Feb 13
I'm jealous but I'm happy for you that you got the chance to do all that.
When I was in my teens and still in Germany I got the chance to go to Paris, England , Italy Yugoslavia and Austria but ever since I've been in America I haven't traveled anywhere but the neighboring states.
That's what happens when you're afraid of flying....you stuck in one place pretty much but I'm happy at least i got to see some other countries
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
Hello Missy Bear. I am glad that you visited Paris, England, Yugoslavia and Austria in your teens. So did you move from Germany to the USA? The USA is a huge country. I worry that some planes end up crashing. I have stayed completely safe with all my plane journeys. This year I have planned a train journey. I think it will be fun for my kids. I am so happy remembering my wonderful trip around the world.
@missybear (11391)
• United States
26 Feb 13
I love riding on trains, unfortunately I live in Vegas and there are no trains,
back in the days we used to get on the train on the weekend and just go somewhere and spend the day and then come back.....those were the days
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
24 Feb 13
Hello my friend Maxine, why you omitted India from your trip list? India is a mini world. Black,white,yellow,brown all colored people live this sub continent. You can enjoy here all the weather of nature. Mountain,desert,forest,vast plain land, sea lakes all you can visit here. There is a saying: Which is not in India, that is no where in the world. You can stay India for years together.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
Hello my friend Bhanusb. I wish my ticket had allowed me to visit India. I took Singapore as my easy introduction to Asia. I am now double that young age I was then. I will managed to visit beautiful India I hope. Yes, there are lots of great sights in India.
@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
24 Feb 13
It seems that every trip I have planned I was dragged back to work before I was ready. I wish that I was able to be that carefree. However for me it seems that there is always something that draws me back, the cats the dog, the job, the family just to name a few. I have always wished that I had travelled more when I was younger. I was to afraid to leave every one behind like that. Plus I might have loved it so much I may have never come home. Hats off to you. The memories you have created will last forever.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
It is a shame some things draw you back. I was young and carefree without children or pets on that trip. I owned my cottage mortgage free. Therefore it was ideal for letting out to get a monthly income.
I wish I had learned how to drive a car when I was much younger say aged 17 to 19 years old. I didn't learn to drive until my thirties. Yes, my happy memories will last a lifetime. I wonder if I will ever travel around the world again. Hopefully I will at age 50 years old if I can afford to do that.
@Cutie18f (9546)
• Philippines
25 Feb 13
You did? I have never done that but I don't think I am missing anything. I am not just the travelling type of person. I hate taking planes and boats.
@camomile07 (1420)
• Germany
26 Feb 13
My longest holiday dured over three month, a wonderful time I stayed in Prague, when my grandparents still were alife (they lived outside that city in a small village) and I went to Czeck Republic to know that place. During my life, I visited already several places in Europe, but never abroad. Australia, Singapore and parts of the USA I'd like to visit once too.
@jricky1 (6800)
• China
25 Feb 13
It's really a good chance for you to go so many places and see the outside world.The longest trip for me is a two-month trip well i travel twenty cities in my country.Most transportatis by plane,i enjoyed the places a lot.Though it would be a tiring trip but quite exciting and enrich my life.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
25 Feb 13
My trip gained my level of independence and patience. It have me a better understanding of places outside Europe. In Indonesia I saw poverty and more surprisingly I saw that is the USA too.
It is great that you did a two month trip. Visiting twenty cities in your home country must have been fantastic.
@ptrikha_2 (47064)
• India
26 Feb 13
Hi Maximax,
Seems like your world tours started at quite an early age! You indeed had a long stay in Australia. I too had longer stay in a few of the domestic places I had to go, owing to official requirements.
It was not so easy when my stay was extended. In particular, my 2010 Chennai stay got extended and it was a bit tough for my family back home.
