A friend of mine went travelling in south America a couple of years ago. She went for four months and took four pairs of knickers. Her advice to me has always been to travel light.

After reading my Netjetters competition entry, in which I set out my plan of comparing the relative merits of the kebabs and the sex in each country, my mum said she wasn't sure which would be more hazardous to my health. Her advice was to make sure there was greaseproof paper covering both.

My grandma, a veteran of three trips to Las Vegas, told me that when asked what number I wanted to play at roulette, I should put all my money without hesitation on 22.

I've also been given advice about the places I am going to. A work contact whom I've never met but have spoken to on the phone a couple of times has given me her parents' address in New Zealand with the promise of accommodation and excursions. A professor at a university a friend of mine used to attend has passed on the contact details of some friends in Toronto.

A boy I have been pen pals with since my early teens, who lives in Nevada,says: "The idea of you and I palling around for a few days sounds like a real kick in the ass." I'm not quite sure what that means or whether it will hurt, but I guess that's one of the things I will pick up in America - like saying "I guess" all the time.

The Guardian's talkboards have also yielded some good tips; a secret waterfall in northern Queensland, lychee and green tea ice cream in New York's Chinatown and national parks in Canada.

The reaction at work when I gave in my notice and told them all I was off to travel the world was, "Oh good, that solves our budgetary crisis." The crisis obviously isn't too severe as they all dipped into their pockets to buy me a guidebook to Fiji. They also gave me a box of chocolates. The chocolates soon disappeared, however: after celebrating my last day in the office, I ate one and then drunkenly passed the box round the tube carriage on the way home.

I have been doing my research about America, the first country I will visit. The philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said "America is a country of young men". I certainly hope so. He also said that "in skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed", which will non doubt come in useful if I go to the Rockerfeller ice rink - although he neglects to mention how to stop. Perhaps that's where the young men come in.

There are some things I don't understand about America that I want to find out while I'm there. What are eggs over easy? Why are legal pads yellow? How many Hershey bars does it take to make yourself sick?

At the moment, I am most excited about New Zealand. Apparently there are so few cars on the road that if I hire one it won't matter that I sometimes forget the difference between the accelerator and the brake. A few sheep may be hastened to your table, but no humans will be hurt.

I'm in San Francisco for new year and Sydney for Mardi Gras. I'm not too good at adrenalin, so I think I'll leave the bungee jumping and skydiving to others. But just so I don't feel I'm escaping without any danger, I do arrive in Fiji in the middle of the cyclone season. All tips on how to survive cyclones, make the most out of Sydney, cure the hangover in San Francisco or beat the dealer in Las Vegas are more than welcome - as are tips on every other place I am going to. I've been warned that winter in New York and in Toronto will be freezing. To pick up some tips on how to survive, my first preparation book will be The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. This book about Scott's mission to the South Pole might help me keep warm on what should be, for me, the best journey in the world.

Of course, the Guardian isn't just sending me around the world. They are sending me business class. And in every city I will be put up for the first night in one of the best five-star hotels in the city. Much as I like to proclaim my east end roots and my Walthamstow upbringing, I am rather partial to the idea of travelling in style. So I've packed my Clinique three-step cleansing system and dug out the designer shades. My backpack is full of pulling outfits and sparkly makeup. The only problem now is how to fit in those four pairs of knickers.