Ian Howells
Trip included: Cape Town, Perth, Sydney, New Zealand, Santiago to Buenos Aires
Length: 9.5 months, at age 32
Travelled… solo
Highpoint: Staying in mud rondavels on the Wild Coast of South Africa.
Lowpoint: Missing the funeral of a good friend who would have appreciated the experiences I was having.
Top tip: Don’t try to fit in too much – spend the odd day just sitting in a park, reading a book.
Sophie Atkinson
Trip included: St Petersburg, Trans-Mongolian Railway, China, Australia, NZ, South Pacific, South America (and Antarctica), Cuba, US road trip
Length: 1 year, at age 33-34
Travelled… solo
Highpoint: I met a fantastic girl from LA in Antarctica who is now one of my best friends.
Lowpoint: Being robbed at gunpoint after a wrestling match in Mexico City.
Top tip: Buy the most comprehensive, extravagant and flexible ticket you can afford – your desires will change along the way.
Sandrine Prevenier
Trip included: South-East Asia, Hong Kong, Bali, Australia, Tahiti, Easter Island, Santiago, Guatemala to Mexico
Length: 6 months, at age 30
Travelled… firstly on group tours, then with my partner, then solo
Highpoint: Easter Island – one of my dreams.
Lowpoint? Being ill in Bali. To make matters worse, my boyfriend had to go back to the UK. It was the hardest part of the trip.
Top tip: Slow down! Maybe take a language or cookery course, and get to know the local way of life.
Jon Pressling
Trip included: Cape Town, Australia, NZ, Fiji, Hawaii, LA
Length: 6 months, at age 23
Travelled... mostly solo, apart from a group tour in NZ
Highpoint: Surfing in Byron Bay with a pod of dolphins.
Lowpoint: Spending a lonely, stormy Christmas Day in a hostel in Hawaii.
Top tip: Go with the flow and don’t get stressed by schedules.
Kirsty Page
Trip included: Wellington (Somerset) to Wellington (NZ), via Europe (InterRailing), Syria, Jordan, India, Nepal, South-East Asia
Length: 6 months, at age 23
Travelled… with my brother
Highpoint: Getting to the top of Gokyo Ri in the early hours and looking out at Everest and the rest of the Himalaya.
Lowpoint: My brother discovering he needed root canal surgery 3,500m up
in Nepal.
Top tip: Take hardly anything – you’ll appreciate carrying a smaller bag. Buy clothes as you go along.
Alex Celini
Trip included: Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Hanoi to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Auckland, Tahiti, LA, New York
Length: 8 months, at age 29
Travelled… solo
Highpoint: Reaching the Afghan border along the Khyber Pass.
Lowpoint: Getting caught up in riots in Lahore and catching chickenpox in India (while miles from civilisation).
Top tip: Don’t be afraid to go alone.
Alastair Humphreys
Trip included: Across Europe, south through Africa, by yacht to South America, north to Canada, across Asia and westwards home – by bicycle (www.alastairhumphreys.com)
Length: 4 years, at age 24
Travelled… alone
Highpoint: Getting to Cape Town – the end of my first continent.
Lowpoint: Feeling out of my depth at the start. And -40°C in Siberia.
Top tip: Put a start date in your diary. You’ll never have enough information, preparation or money: you just have to get going.