Roslyn resident David Streisand found an ingenious way to travel the world. Streisand claimed that he only spent a grand total of $241 to take a three-month tour of the planet, visiting 10 countries on seven continents.
The around-the-globe trip lasted from February to early May 2013.
“I always had wanted to visit all seven continents,” he told The Roslyn News.
A native of Roslyn, Streisand graduated from both The Wheatley School and the University of Tampa. After graduation from Tampa, he began planning for the trip. Needless to add, Streisand had plenty of memorable experiences. In Antarctica, for instance, Streisand, who was on of a party of 10, spent the night in a sleeping bag. Later, he took a polar plunge on this foreboding part of the planet. Back in a warm weather climate, Streisand visited the pyramids in Egypt, hitchhiked his way through Argentina and found relaxation in a deserted island near Cambodia.
Streisand had no trouble finding places to stay while on the trip. He occasionally stayed at a hotel, but just as often, he found shelter from local residents. Streisand secured those places through “couch surfing,” in which a website, couchsurfing.org provides the names and places of couples, usually, who offer space in their homes for intrepid travelers such as Streisand. “You contact them and you get a room for free,” he said.
For some travelers, adjusting to the local cuisine can be a challenge. However, part of the enjoyment for Streisand was in fact that same cuisine. “The food was great everywhere,” he said. “In Cambodia, we’d just eat with the locals and had whatever they were eating.”
Most of Streisand’s time was spent in warm weather climates. He spent three weeks in Argentina, where he hitchhiked from the middle of that South American nation down to its southern coast. Streisand spent a month in Thailand, where he was joined by his girlfriend. He said that the friendliest people on the world tour were in Cambodia. While in that country, he visited a nearby island, Koh Rong, a mostly-uninhabited place that had no electricity, but was scenic and peaceful.
More solitude was found in Australia. There, Streisand took a 10-day exercise in silent meditation. That, he said, included 10 days spent without music, reading materials and no eye contact with fellow humans.
In addition to Argentina, Egypt, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia, Streisand visited Laos, Ethiopia, Uruguay, Chile and Austria.
Streisand made the trip with funds saved from frequent flyer coupons. However, he sdid not do any flying to gain such coupons. Instead, he used credit card signup bonuses. In all, Streisand said he used over 30 credit cards for what he termed as “manufactured spending.” He would, for instance, buy a gift card and use that to pay back the credit card. Streisand began saving in 2011 and two years later, he was set to go on a trip that is certain to provide a lifetime of memories.
