Live Talk: Traveling Around the World

Carbondale, CO: What's the best way to get things going? It's hard to imagine taking a year off at once, how do you start the process?

Gayle Forman: The hardest thing about taking a year off is deciding that you can do it. It really is a huge leap of faith, to decide that you can leave your job/home/dog/family etc.
That was the hardest part. Seriously.

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NYC, NY: So overall, besides having the luxury of writing a book, you think that traveling the world for a year or two is a positive experience? For some reason I have a longing to quit my job (bound in Times SQ is not fun) and go from Istanbul to Beijing back to Moscow.

Gayle Forman: It was an extraordinarily positive experience. Travel changes you. That's why we love it.
That said, it was also really difficult at times. I have always found that I get tired of traveling after about 3-4 months and I definitely hit some walls. And the truth of it is that traveling together is hard on a marriage. You are constantly grappling with unfamiliar places, cultures, languages, etc. You get tired of being the (lost) stranger in a strange land. Nick and I fought pretty intensely at times. I thought it meant we were doomed. But then I talked to other couples who traveled together and they all said that traveling had tested--and usually solidified--their relationships. It did for ours.
Even when it's difficult, travel is always a positive experience.

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Cerritos, CA: Hi Gayle, Did you ever feel threatened or really nervous in any particular situation?

Gayle Forman: Yes, whenever I had to drive somewhere with an insane taxi driver or bus driver. It was the only time I was scared.
Once on an overcrowded minibus in Tanzania (20 of us in a van built for 12) we clung for our lives as the driver careened around bends at ridiculous speeds. Every so often he slowed down to check out a bus that had flipped over on the side of the road, and then revved back up. I was very happy to reach our destination.

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Atlanta, GA: Is there any place you regret going to? Is there any place you regret not going to? Thank you.

Gayle Forman: Nick and I both regret not going to Laos. As we traveled, other travelers would ask us where we'd been and we'd say "Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand..." and they'd ask, "Not Laos? It was our favorite."
Oh well.

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Anonymous: Hi Gayle,
What did you do for insurance on your trip? Did you get traveler's insurance? (Just for evacuation emergencies?)

Gayle Forman: We bought travel health insurance, which is different from trip insurance (that covers cancelled flights, lost baggage, etc.)
It is quite reasonable, as low as $500 a year. Ours was more like $1200 a year for each of us, and included evacuation insurance. Again, I have an article on my web site that gives URLs of various insurance carriers.

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Helena, MT: How does an opportunity to travel and make money at the same time come about if one isn't a journalist? I'm a social worker and have a huge interest in travelling and travel journalism but I haven't ever written anything for any publication. My question is did you come up with the book idea yourself and then go or did a publisher approach you with the idea before the trip because you are a journalist?

Gayle Forman: I did not sell my book until after we got back. And I did not write very many articles on the road, either. We saved all our money before we left--two years of serious belt tightening. And we did not make a lot. My husband is a a librarian and freelance journalism--not so glamorous as you might think.

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Nevis, West Indies: What was the most exciting portion of your adventure?

Gayle Forman: My favorite thing about travel is that wonderful moment, that alchemy, when the man at the tea shop remembers your name and suddenly, you connect, you belong.
For me travel is all about those connections, and creating those bonds was my favorite part of the trip.

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Clearwater, FL: New Zealand is high on my dream list. Would you suggest a minimum of a month to see its many pretty parts? Are the car rentals/campers reasonably priced?

Gayle Forman: I would choose one island, North or South, and rent a campervan. New Zealanders are big on campervanning and there are lots of great campgrounds. If you go high season, be sure to rent a van well ahead of time.

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Hoboken, NJ: How did you handle the packing issue? I'm sure you traveled through every season & climate, yet you must have had to maintain a manageable amount of luggage.

Gayle Forman: The first part of our trip, we followed the summer, except for a few freezing weeks in Beijing. I mostly bought clothes as I went and then sent them home when I was done with them. We had our winter clothes shipped to us before we went to Europe in winter.
We also did not use backpacks. We had two bags, the Beast and Beastette. The Beastette was a rolling bag that converted into a backpack. All our clothes went in that. The Beast was a hardshell rolling case--yes, a hardshell case. We had a computer and lots of tickets and cash and the Beast locked and when locked to something stationary was our traveling safe.
When we cruised around a country, we would often leave the Beast in storage and make do with Beastette. We left Beast in an attic in Amsterdam. Beastette is still with us.

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Plano, TX: Gayle, My friends and I (three in all) are planning a three-week trip to Europe this summer. Ireland, England, Amsterdam, France and Italy are the countries we'd like to visit. We will be staying in backpacking hostels throughout our journey. My questions are:

1. Do you think we are biting off more than we can chew as far as the number of countries to visit in the given time period?

2. What are some general tips for saving money?

Thanks!

Gayle Forman: It's a big mouthful. But then again, with the proliferation of cheap airlines (Ryanair and Easyjet) that allow you to fly from say London to Nice for as little as 10 euro, you might be able to do it. BTW, I recommend flying around Europe as opposed to training because it is so much cheaper now (if you book early enough).
As for saving money, stay in hostels, don't eat in restaurants, get food from grocery stores, etc.
If you are going to hit all these countries, my advice would be to pick one place in each one and stay there. Experience Italy in Rome, France in Marseille...Otherwise you'll just get to know the transportation system.

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Los Angeles, CA: How difficult was it for you to reestablish your life after the year off? How long did it take you to find a job? How much money did you have put away to live on until you found a job?

Gayle Forman: I'm a freelance writer so I went right back to it. Nick got his job back--and health insurance--right away. So that part wasn't so hard. Also, we built money into our savings so we'd have a cushion when we got back (I can't help it; I'm an accountant's daughter.)
But re-entering regular life after such a momentous year away took a bit of adjusting. Then again, it was such a joy to see our friends and family, to sleep in our own bed, to get coffee without getting dressed and to not be lost anymore. The weekend we got back, we went to brunch at one of our favorite places and as we left, I jokingly said to Nick, "OK, so let's pull out our map and figure out where to go next..." And laughed with relief.

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Ocala, FL: Which countries are the bargains for travel this year?

Gayle Forman: Next on my agenda is Mexico. It's a huge bargain, and right next door and I feel like I've taken it for granted for far too long. There's more to Mexico than Cancun and I want to go exploring there and Central America.

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Gayle Forman: Alas, I see that my hour is up.
Thank you for all of your fantastic questions. I hope I could be somewhat helpful. I'm sitting here with a smile on my face thinking about all the places to go to...
Happy trails.
Gayle

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