The idea of a world tour
This idea of a world tour is far from being new but before February 2005, I had never talked about this project to anyone. It was too crazy, unreachable, almost "insane" to think about it. I must admit that my involvement in the association BEST (Board of European Students of Technology) freed me. With BEST, I have been working in an international spirit, meeting people from all over Europe, talking with crazy European travelers. And this idea of a world tour became gradually something obvious : I had to do it and it was now or never !
What kind of world tour ?
There are many ways to travel. I chose the option "adventure". I
will be travelling by hitch-hiking and will go to hotels only when I
would have no other choice. I will just fly over the oceans and the
unsafety spots.
I chose to hitch-hike for economical reasons - it costs nothing ! - but
also to meet a maximum of people. I started hitch-hiking last year and
since then, I never stop travelling with this original means of
transport : I always meet surprising and open-minded people who often
used to travel by hitch-hiking. It is also a way for me to tease at
people who are afraid all the time. Afraid of being mugged, afraid of
taking risks, afraid of the stranger, afraid of anything. In my
opinion, my trip has nothing to do with bravour. I mean, I'm sane (hope
so, anyway) and sometimes I'm scared also. I'm also aware to take risks
but I perfectly know that all my stuff can be stolen in an unknow
country. I just don't ask me certain questions in certain
circumstances. Question of trust. I like to trust people, and
people trust me back when they give me a lift.
Why now ?
I'm currently a four-year engineering student. I have three
months left of courses in my engineering school and then I leave
Grenoble for a long internship (6-months) in a firm. With this final
internship, I will be partly in the working world, with maybe job
offers at the end of the internship. I don't feel ready about it and I
don't want to refuse an interesting first job because I'm traveling
around the world. That's why I don't want to do this world tour after
the end of my studies.
Of course, it is also possible to take a gap year later on, after
working a couple of years. We can officially do it in France, but some
other factors pop up afterwards : career, family children etc. In my
opinion, it will be harder to do it later, and I don't want to postpone
such a project !
For all these reasons, the gap year between the last but one and the last year of studies seems to be the perfect solution.
A world tour, for what ?
For travelling ! I got the chance to travel with my parents and my
school. My numerous trips in Europe but also in the US didn't stop my
curiosity and my willness to go further and discover always more !
For escaping from the hundrum daily life ! In other words, I want to
leave my personal comfort and couch to live day after day, without a
fixed schedule. It's in my opinion the best way to leave his own habits
and to open oneself to the others.
For getting to know with the others ! Discovering new cultures, new way
of thinking are always interesting. « I'll come back penniless
but richer. »
For getting to know with oneself ! I am currently often really busy and
I don't take the time to rest and to think seriously. Travelling is
also a way to learn to get to know oneself, in order to be more
open-minded with the other people or the different one.