Thoughts of a Nomadic One

My convocation ceremony was yesterday, May 25, 2007.
While the ceremony was long and the robes stifling hot, it finally sealed the end of my undergraduate studies.
To me, the ceremony was a mere formality. However, as I walked around beautiful summer Kingston to the 9 Birch pre-party, it dawned on me that this was the end of an era.

There would be no more pre-parties at 9 Birch, all-nighters in the ILC followed by Denny's, summer gatherings in Kingston, using undergraduate status excuse as an excuse when being stupid, etc.

It was especially sad when I couldn't imagine when would be the next time I would see certain friend. As I said my goodbyes at Ale House to friends who are leaving for Europe, back to their jobs or uncertainty, I think about all the joys and regrets that I've accumulated these past 4 years.

Regrets:
1. Never having spent a summer in Kingston.
2. Friends whom I've lost contact, drifted apart from or lost friendships due to reasons I don't think any of us remembers/cares that deeply.
3. Friendships that never got started or didn't have enough time to develop.
4. Bad timing- Sometimes it seems like certain things were meant to happen but something was always in the way.
5. My marks (haha)

Most cherished:
1. Best friends, good friends, any friends (especially Sci '07!)
2. Every moment I spent playing Foosball and procrastinating from doing work.
3. Getting involved with Year Exec, FREC Committee, EngSoc, APSC 100 PM, SOARB.
4. Pick-up soccer.
5. Being able to call up anyone and go out for breakfast/lunch/dinner within 15 minutes.
6. Quality and inexpensive establishments such as: Darbar, Toucan, JJs, Stooley's, QP, Swedish Beaver (I'll miss you Adam), Brass, Cambodiana
7. CSI/Star Trek with dinner (if dinner is Darbar, this event is called 'Starbar')
8. The feeling that your time and effort has truly made a positive impact to someone, no matter how small it is.

I want to thank everyone who I've gotten to know and who've helped me along the way. I wish them all the luck and truly hope I can keep in touch with as many them as possible.

Wei Tseng

B.Sc.E. Mathematics & Engineering
Queen's University

a) Your travel agent starts laughing?
b) The quote is 25% over your expectations (which already included an engineering customary 20% Margin of Safety)
c) You decide that visiting family that you haven't seen in 11 years is less important to you than spending a little more time on the beaches of Zanzibar?

I picked d) All of the above.

So I went down to King St. W today to the travel district of Toronto. I've been in that area a few times but never took a closer look. It's remarkable how much you don't know about the city that you live in until you go looking for it. Of course, in some instances, that can be a good thing.

2:00 PM: So after quickly introducing my concept, my VISION, the agent pretty much started laughing.

2:30 PM: After further discussions and clarifications, a price was approximated. OneWorld 6 Continents + 2 extra flights (Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg in order to connect to Asia and London to Madrid since OneWorld has a 20 flight limit)
Price (aprox.): $6000 + Tax + 2 flights = $7000 + $600 = $7700 !!!

Well, it could be worse.

3:00 PM: An updated itinerary is drawn up with the help of the Manager and tough decisions made by me.

4:00 PM: After an hour of entering destinations, checking dates, availability and finding other ways of cutting costs, a "reasonable" itinerary is sent to British Airways for quote.

And so, at the end of the day, I have an itinerary that is flexible and hopefully economically feasible. I've checked out gears at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC), Europe Bound, Coast Mountain Sports, Sportschek. Still no clear picks on the backpack front yet, but I know I'll find that special one someday.

So after a lot of playing around with Google Calendar, Star Alliance Mileage Calculator and other destination research, I've been able to pare down certain destinations and get more concrete dates (updated in my RTW travel map and itinerary).

I've decided that I won't visit Morocco this time due to the detour of going from Morocco to East Africa and it's similarity to Europe and other destinations I've been to so I'll postpone that to a future trip. Other regions and destination that I've decided to concentrate on a future trip are certain regions in South East Asia and South America. Due to my time constraint, I can only spend so much time in each regions. I've decided that I'll try to save up my vacations as much as possible so that before I transition between jobs, careers, stages in life, I can take a big vacation or a leave of absence and travel a region of the world for 3-12 months. As a result, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Austria, Romania, Hungary will all be pushed to a later trip.

I'll be meeting with some travel agents from Travel CUTS soon to determine the prices and feasibility of my route as well as booking my Machu Picchu hike. I've also got my GMAT test to prepare for (May 17) and figuring out finances. However, I'm really looking forward to visiting MEC and looking for the backpack that'll accompany my Round The World trip!

• My friend's bachelor party in: 8 days
  
• My friend's wedding in: 16 days
  
• My convocation in: 21 days
  
• Leaving for 4 months of RTW backpacking in: 23 days
  

As many of you know, I have just completed a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Engineering. Many people have been asking me: "What are your summer plans?", "Where are you going to work?" and "Do you want to play squash on Tuesday?" (well that last question was only from AnnaK).

I have been getting kind of tired answering questions relating to my future career. While I am excited about my future job as a an analyst in a technology consulting group within a consulting firm, what really excites me is the idea of not doing any studying or work. I've also been wanting to travel again for an extended period which I haven't been able to since my European Expedition 2003 and West Coast 2004. As a result, I'm taking a break from everything and plan on taking a little trip, around the World.

Numerous comments and questions have been posed to me with my answers such as:

• Why take so many months off and travel so much of the world?

  Because once I start my consulting job, I'll be working 40-70 work weeks and dedicating myself fully to the job. I don't get many vacations so it'll be hard to get away and I'm not content just traveling Europe. Europe is only a small piece of the world and I want to experience it as much as I can!
  

• Why are you traveling to Africa, Middle East, South America, etc..? Isn't it unsafe? Why don't you just travel Europe?

  While it is riskier to travel in Africa, Middle East and South America, it's not as dire as a lot of people think. Yes, many of these countries are not developed, there are higher incidence of muggings and toilet facilities consist of a hole in the ground, or just a provision of toilet paper and a shovel. However, it's an adventure. To me, you don't live unless you've risked. Like in economics, the higher the risk, the higher the potential profits.
  

• Why are you doing that now Why don't you save up some money and do it in a few years when you have more?

  Well you see, even though I only have 4 months, which I had to fight really hard for, it's still better to do this trip now rather than years down the road. I remember meeting numerous travelers/backpackers on my European Expedition and they all told me to do it while I'm young. When you are older, it's harder for you to take risks, harder to travel in hostels with a bunch of young kids and not in the comfort of your AC single hotel room. Also, traveling to certain of the riskier parts are impossible with a wife/kids/girlfriend/sick dog left at home. And so, before I get tied down, I need to go out and see the world!
  

• How are you getting the money to fund this trip?

  A lot of savings. I've saved a lot of money from the past two summers from my summer job as well as working as Project Manager for a course in University. In my last year, I was also a Resident Assistant and did not need to pay rent, utilities and groceries. It's amazing how much you can save if you have a plan and discipline.
  

So, let's get to The Plan(tentative):

Duration: May 27, 2007 - September 22, 2007
Start/End Location: Toronto
Regions: Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia (SE and East), Australasia/Oceanie, South America
Transportation: Star Alliance 39,000 mile RTW Ticket, RyanAir, EasyJet, regional airlines, train, bus, etc..
Lodgings: Hostels primarily, hotels every few weeks and more frequently in cheaper areas (SE Asia), friends places in certain cities.

Destinations(countries, tentative):

• Ireland
  
• Germany
  
• Poland
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Greece
  
• Italy
  
• Spain
  
• Morocco
  
• Kenya
  
• Tanzania
  
• Uganda
  
• India
  
• Thailand
  
• Cambodia
  
• Vietnam
  
• Taiwan
  
• Japan
  
• Korea
  
• Australia
  
• New Zealand
  
• Easter Island
  
• Chile
  
• Peru
  
• Bolivia
  
• Argentina
  
• Brazil
  
• Costa Rica
  

Must-sees/dos:

• Visit the Guinness Brewery, Dublin, Ireland
  
• Visit Warsaw, Auschwitz, Poland
  
• Visit Vatican city
  
• Visit Hagia Sophia and go to a Tapas Bar in Spain
  
• Camel trek, Morocco
  
• Safari trip to see the Serengeti in Tanzania/Kenya
  
• Visit the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel
  
• Taj Mahal, India
  
• Visit relatives and eat great local food, Taiwan
  
• Take a bullet train ride, Japan
  
• Eat Kim chi, Korea
  
• Hiking, New Zealand
  
• Hike Machu Picchu, Peru
  
• Eat famous Argentinean beef, Argentina
  
• Visit Salt Plains, Bolivia
  
• Party in Rio de Janeiro