Eldon Haines

Home: Eugene, Oregon

Age: 70

Job: Retired planetary scientist. Frequent volunteer work in the South Pacific

Longest trip: 6 months

Places visited: Europe: Germany (and East Germany when it was divided), France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, England, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Americas: Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, Malasia, Singaore, Indonesia (Java and Bali), Nepal, Laos and Japan. Oceania: Marquesas, Tahiti, Samoa (both), Pohnpei, Palau, Yap (twice) and Guam.

Favorite place and or country: "Samoa, Bali, Nepal and Yap. The first three for the people — fun loving, generous, gregarious, warm people. Yap, whose people are culturally more cautious, for their relative togetherness, social consciousness, strong traditions and cohesiveness. All for their astonishing natural beauty — forests, reefs, mountains."

Inspiration to travel: "I've always been interested in travel. Got started in the Rockies at age 7, Europe as a student in 1957-58, Japan and Palau in 1992, and it has blossomed from there."

Most memorable road experience: "A mixture of sheer joy and abject terror, was a 5-day working journey from Samoa to 800-acre Swains Island aboard the Manua'tele III. E-mail me for a full narrative account of this this trip."

Biggest challenge on the road: "My 29-day, 3000-mile sailing journey from La Paz, Mexico, to the Marquesas Islands, March-April 1997, aboard 36-foot Pax. The most intense challenge was the return trip from Swains Island to Samoa."

Biggest sacrifice: "Being away from home for a long time. I miss my home, my trees, my hikes, my friends, my singing and folkdance groups, and teaching (celestial navigation.)"

Biggest reward: "Finding how differently we humans approach the challenges of living on Earth, and yet how connected and similar we are at heart. The aphorism 'The map is not the territory' looms ever larger as I get lost in the intricacies of a culture, giving up any hope of understanding, while love and appreciation between us grows."

Travel advice: "Folks are generally in no greater danger traveling than in their hometown — often less danger, because so many cultures are less violent than our own. But don't travel in politically volatile areas. Be awake to your human environment just as you would in the grocery parking lot. Drink bottled water and pay attention to how food is prepared. Expect some good alimentary canal problems and be prepared for them. Go light. Go public transport. Learn at least 'Good Day' and 'Thank You' in the local language. Get off the beaten path to find the most wonderful people. Just GO!"