Here are some actual questions that we’ve been asked, sometimes frequently. Feel free to ask us others here.

Travel

• Where are you going? What is your itinerary?
• How long will you travel?
• Is Uncornered Market the next Lonely Planet?
• Then why give “Practical Details” at the end of your posts with travel information on hotels, restaurants and transport?

Website

• What does Uncornered Market mean?
• And the tagline – measuring the Earth with our feet?
• What technology do you use on your site?

Packing and Preparation

• What are you carrying with you (e.g., electronics, equipment, clothes)?
• How are you able to afford to travel for this long? Did you win the lottery?
• How do you prepare for a trip like this?

Q: Where are you going? What’s your itinerary?
A: Check out a full account and interactive map of where we’ve been and an itinerary indicating where we’re going.

Q: How long will you travel?
A: We have yet to set an end date. Our original plan estimated one year to 18 months to make it around the world. We quickly learned that exploring takes time and we barely covered Asia in 18 months. Our goal remains to visit all the continents, including our own. For the exact number of days we’ve been on the road, check out the “RTW Journey Clock” counter on the upper right-hand side of this website.

Q: Is Uncornered Market the next Lonely Planet?
A: We are not Lonely Planet, nor do we wish to create an alternative online (or written) travel guide – though we do engage in travel writing for this website and others.

Q: Then why provide “Practical Details” information on hotels, restaurants and transport at the end of some of your posts?
A: Particularly in areas where available travel guides do not suffice (e.g., Central Asia), we enjoy sharing with others what we wish we had known before we visited. More tactically, we use this information to draw in additional readers from online searches.

Q: What does Uncornered Market mean?
A: It’s a play on the phrase “to corner the market,” which means to have a monopoly on or to control the supply of something. We don’t wish to control the market on any of our experiences, but rather share them with a larger audience.

Q: And the tagline – measuring the Earth with our feet?
A: No, we are not walking around the world. However, much of our movement is overland and we do prefer to explore on foot.

“Measuring the Earth with our feet” relates to our goal of learning about the world through engaging with it rather than reading about it. The reference is to Cervantes’ Don Quixote (Part II, Chapter VI).

In the novel, Don Quixote explains the difference between knights errant and knights courtier. He suggests that courtiers “range the world over by looking at map,” never leaving the comfort of the King’s court. On the other hand, knights errant go out into the world and experience and understand its joys and sorrows first-hand, thereby “measuring the Earth with their feet.” Both types of knights – and experts – are necessary.

Q: What technology do you use on your site?
A: The underlying technology for our website/blog is a heavily customized version of WordPress. We also use a variety of technology extensions (known as plug-ins in blog parlance). We host our photographs on Flickr, and our videos on YouTube and Blip.tv.

For how to best to view and experience this site, read this.

Q: What are you carrying with you?
A: Too much. The more you travel, the more you realize how little you really need.

• For an overview (clothes, travel equipment, and electronics), click here for a list of what we are lugging around.
• Regarding equipment, we aimed to adequately equip ourselves in order to capture, produce and publish photography, audio, video, and text while on the road. For a full list (and photograph) of our equipment and how we use it, check out Our Office-Less Office.

Q: How are you able to afford to travel for this long? Did you win the lottery?
A: No, we didn’t win the lottery, nor are we living off a trust fund. We made conscious choices (i.e., no property, car, etc.) and saved to make this trip a reality.

It’s also important to understand that we travel on a budget, so the cost may not be as high as you imagine. This makes the journey lighter on our pocketbooks and often makes things more interesting. Finally, we sustain our traveling ways through freelance projects along the way.

Q: How do you prepare for a trip like this?
A: Obviously, a trip around the world is not something you can prepare for overnight. Be prepared for a lot of list-making. More details about the nitty gritty of immunizations, visas, and travel insurance here.