Around the world in 240 days -- free

Jennifer Lee is about to embark on a world tour, perhaps starting in Ecuador and ending in Japan. In between, the Galapagos Islands, Kenya, Turkey -- but who knows?


		Mike Kane / P-I
	UW graduate Jennifer Lee uses a map in her bedroom to tentatively plan her tour.

The costs for her entire trip -- up to $20,000 -- are covered. The catch: She must travel for at least eight months and visit at least six countries in two regions of the world.

"When you can go anywhere in the world and do anything you want, it's infinite freedom," said Lee, 22, a recent University of Washington graduate.

Tough life.

Ten UW students are chosen every year for an all-expenses-paid trip around the globe. They don't have to attend classes overseas. Nor do they have to write a report or give a speech when they return. All they have to do is enjoy.

"I almost cried when I found out," Lee said of winning the fellowship. "It's a wonderful chance of a lifetime."

UW alumnus and investment adviser David Bonderman established the fellowship that bears his name. He traveled internationally after graduate school as the recipient of a Harvard scholarship and sought to create a similar opportunity for UW students. Bonderman, founding partner of investment firm Texas Pacific Group, declined through a UW spokeswoman to be interviewed.


		Mike Kane / P-I
	Jennifer Lee's bedroom map shows her notes detailing her plans for part of her itinerary. She plans to visit Japan, with a stop in South Korea.

More than 100 students have received Bonderman Fellowships since it was established more than a decade ago, and some of the more recent winners are preparing to begin their travels later this year.

The awards are highly competitive; the five undergraduate awards drew nearly 100 applications alone, said Brook Kelly, counseling services coordinator for the honors program and a former fellow.

Undergraduate honors students who are juniors and seniors and graduate students are eligible to apply. They submit an essay about why they want to travel. The finalists are then interviewed. Five undergraduates and five graduates are chosen each year. They must begin their travels by the end of the next year.

"What we're looking for is people who demonstrate a passion for the world, and people who ... don't come across as I-have-all-the-answers, but they have questions and they are aware of themselves and aware of the transformational potential," Kelly said.

Unlike most scholarships -- which often require students to write a paper, work or maintain a certain grade-point average in exchange for the funds -- the Bonderman Fellowship does not ask students to submit anything upon their return home. The fellowship is intentionally unstructured. Students are free to wander the world and reflect on their experiences, developing insights without academic pressure.

"They want a student to come home and say, 'I can't imagine this experience not being in my life,' " said Shawn Wong, former director of the honors program. "It's changed them so dramatically, their view of the world, themselves."

The fellowship initially started small but is now worth $20,000 for at least eight months of travel; students can travel longer if they stretch out the money.

Students can go virtually anywhere in the world, assuming they can cross the borders. (North Korea and Cuba are probably not options, for instance.) The Bonderman committee discourages students from spending much time in Western Europe, though, given that it's an easier place for students to visit on their own than, say, South America or Asia.

Students develop their own itineraries -- keeping in mind that their plans will likely change during the course of their tour. They must research foreign laws, unknown languages, airline routes, public transportation and medical shots. And they must travel on their own -- the first time for many on so extended a trip.

"I want to have an experience where I'm pushed outside of my comfort zone," said Camden Davis, 24, who graduated from the UW last year and plans to leave the country by the end of the year.

Over the years, the students have had unique journeys. One student biked through Asia. Another experienced a riot in Central America after there was an increase in bus fares. Ryan Kimmel, who received one of the first fellowships in 1995, spent two months studying art and literature in France and England. In those early days, extensive travel in Western Europe wasn't discouraged.

"It's a different kind of travel," said Kimmel, who went on to earn a medical degree and served on the Bonderman selection committee this year. "You're not going for the postcards, even though these are remarkable places. You're going for the cultures and interacting with the people."

Among the anticipated voyages:

Davis intends to spend part of his trip in Turkey, where he planed to study as an undergraduate until the Iraq war canceled his trip. He also hopes to travel to Nepal and hike.

"I want to go everywhere, and eight months is a long time but it's not forever," he said. "It's so hard because I know I can't really make a wrong decision."

Lee, who was a neurobiology and international studies major, hopes to focus her travels on environmental conservation. She said she was inspired by reading Darwin to visit the Galapagos Islands.

Peter Berberian, 22, aims to visit countries that Portugal colonized, such as Brazil and Angola. He expects to return to an orphanage in Mozambique where he had previously done volunteer construction work.

"Just going and being alone and discovering who you are in a really intense environment ... I really can't wait to do that," he said.

Some parents worry when they learn about the free reign the fellowships give students, former honors director Wong said.

In Wallingford, Berberian's mother, Carol, is not one of the worriers -- usually. Her son has traveled before and she trusts his judgment, though she admits that it gets scary at times.

"In the middle of the night you're thinking, 'Where in the world are they?' " she said.

His father, Mickey, noted that his son wants to learn more about and appreciate foreign cultures. "He wants to be a traveler and not a tourist," he said.

In preparation for their departures, the recent graduates are researching destinations and stocking up on travel gear.

Lee intends to blog about her journeys. She's already written about her experience planning the trip -- how she scrapped her original travel itinerary and started over again. She expects to use the blog to keep in touch with friends -- and her mother.

"I told her to look at the blog," she joked, "that's how you'll know I'm still alive."