Who are you?

My name is Malena, obviously, and I’m a 26 year old engineer living in Boston. I was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, spent a few years in a little technical school in Cambridge, then joined the Air Force and moved to Albuquerque before separating back to Boston.

What kind of name is Malena?

It’s a nickname, but almost no one calls me by my real name (Maria) anymore.

What the heck does RTW mean?

RTW stands for round the world. Technically, it’s used for any trip that circumnavigates the globe, but sometimes it’s used more generally to mean a really long trip, or the route taken by special airline RTW tickets. In my case, hopefully it will be all three!

Ok, so you’re quitting a good job to go travel for a long time around the world? Why?

I’ve traveled a bit before (3 weeks in Peru, quick college trips to Europe, a few weeks in Turkey) and always wished I had more time - to see the Amazon, carry on to the Galapagos Island, to see Munich and Paris and Scotland and Prague and the little towns in between, to stop and stay in a pottery shop in Cappadocia for a week learning how to make clay pots in exchange for my English lessons… I wanted more options and less rush and the opportunity to truly experience the countries without the ever-present burden of work and salaries and vacation days.

Of course, for Americans the idea of taking more than a week or two off to travel is ludicrous, at least until you retire. Eventually I realized that it could be an option for me - that I could save my money, give my little brother everything I own, and set off into the wild with just a backpack (and of course the ubiquitous Internet connection and tourist trail to help me out.)

Wait, how much money is this costing anyways?

Once I decided to go, I immediately drafted a fairly extensive spreadsheet with expenses and countries and itineraries (the engineer in me I guess.) That was three years ago and I’m finally close to my savings goal. I should have somewhere between 25,000 and 27,000 dollars (US) by the time I leave in March. I also have 15,000 in a retirement savings account that I don’t plan on touching unless I need to. Finally, I was lucky enough to win an essay contest sponsored by Hosteling International and the maker of A Map for Saturday, a documentary about backpacking. The award for this contest is a free RTW ticket!

Wait, you won an online contest? No one wins those!

I know! You can read my (ahem) award-winning essay on the link above, and also in a slightly modified version on my “About the Trip” page on this website. I’m just thankful for all the opportunities this opens up: guilt-free travel to Japan, Australia, and Europe chief amongst them. Another psychological benefit of the contest is the validation it gives me. I mean, just taking off to study candy around the world is kind of crazy, so having at least one other person think it’s pretty cool means a lot to me.

So what’s the deal with the candy thing?

I love candy! Love love love it! I think my (ahem) award-winning essay describes my obsession with candy fairly well, and especially for a long trip like this one and a personality like mine, having a goal to keep me focused and moving is important. Plus, candy is really interesting - and it’s different everywhere! I figure the yak meat lollipops in China or the spiced grasshoppers in Oaxaca will keep people stateside entertained…

Additionally, candy can provide a lens through which to see our modern world, through the terrible history of the slave trade and tropical sugar plantations, the low wages of international factory workers today, the unhealthy food America exports to the rest of the world, and the candy company monopolies devouring smaller imaginative operations. It is with this perspective that I’ll be documenting my travels.

Ooookay getting kind of serious. Let’s get back to the travel questions - where exactly are you going?

There will, eventually, be more detail in the Itinerary section of the website. Alas, that’s still under construction at the moment. Instead, enjoy the short version: Central America, western South America, Australia, Southeast Asia, China and Japan, India/Sri Lanka, Middle East, and a teensy weensy stay in Europe. Or, as I like to jokingly say, everywhere. Careful observers will note that I’m skipping Africa, Central Asia-stan, Argentina and Brazil, Nepal, and of course too many other countries to count. Unfortunately, while 18 months is a long time, it isn’t really long enough to go everywhere.

So how did you decide where to go?

Well, the plan has changed many, many times. I’ve spent years dreaming, reading, researching, and plotting out complicated spreadsheets for various trip permutations. Every few months I would discover a place I absolutely had to go to (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Easter Island) and add it to list. Eventually, I realized that just adding destinations and not removing them would make the trip painfully rushed. In the end, I chose the above itinerary for a number of reasons.

Africa (particularly Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Namibia) would be a dream to explore, and Mongolia, Pakistan and Russia have long been on my to-do list. However, when planning the final route out, I decided to focus on countries that were: relatively easy, safe, and inexpensive to travel in; had a rich history of sweets; didn’t involve expensive, hassle-intensive visas; and of course appealed to me! In the end, these other countries will have to wait until Phase 2, and there WILL be a Phase 2…

How will you be traveling?

Cheaply. I plan on staying in hostels or couch-surfing if necessary, skimping on food, and spending a few days a week focusing on this blog rather than out doing expensive activities. Of course, by keeping my costs generally low, I hope to be able to splurge on some things I really want to do: scuba diving and surfing lessons, a trip to the Galapagos, Spanish classes, some time in Japan, decent food once in a while, etc.

So when are you leaving?

My last day of work is March 7th. I’m planning on two trips to Quebec City before then, to see the Winter Festival there and to experience a sugar shack (where maple syrup is made.) I’m planning on pretty much rolling out of Boston after work on the 7th and heading to New Orleans (send me an email if you’re on the way and want to see me!) My goal is to be in Mexico City by the 15th of March. Of course, I haven’t bought tickets yet…

Aren’t you scared?

Not as scared as my parents. Or my boyfriend. But honestly, yes, I’m a little scared - I’ll probably spend plenty of time sick, lonely, confused, or upset. Or possibly all four at the same time. With that being said, I hope to use common sense and avoid actual physical danger as much as I can. Most of the places I’m going are pretty well-traveled and terrorist/warzone free.

Who made this devilishly handsome webpage?

Why, that would be me! I also had quite a bit of help with the graphical side of things from Uber-designer Katie Stifler. The guts of the blog are done in Wordpress, with a number of plugins and hacks to make things work the way I wanted.

What are you going to do when you get back?

I’m going to be a student again! I’ll be entering law school. This is convenient as it means the rather long stretch of joblessness should have minimal impact on my career.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered here, you can send me an email at malena616@yahoo.com or leave a comment somewhere.