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Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

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Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#41

Post by seven »

blizkreeg wrote: post #31
rivo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got sick a few times from street-vendor food in 3rd world countries. It turned out that they often reuse oil for too long. I now avoid deep-fried food, dirty or tap water, and things like ice-cream. I've been fine on my travels since.

This is a mild suggestion. Could we stop using the term 3rd world to refer to relatively poor countries? I think in a modern, globalized, and rapidly developing world, '3rd world' is unnecessary and carries a derogatory connotation to it, IMO. I can't speak for others from a so-called third world country, but it offends me. Plus, the true meaning of third world is something quite different, concocted during the cold…

Love those moments, when I learn that I used a term without knowing sh*t about the original meaning. I will for sure change my use of it.

[x] learned something new today

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#42

Post by Ixiaus »

lotusleaf1987 wrote: post #9
acabal wrote: post #5

I've been long-term traveling and running my startup at the same time for the past few years (in fact just today I set up an incomplete map of my travels for the past few months at my site, turkeysandwichindustries.com), and I can attest that everything in this article is true. What makes me sad sometimes is that traveling the world for a few months to a year doesn't even cross the minds of many of my fellow American…

Not everyone can afford it, otherwise a lot more people would. Germans, Kiwis, the English, and Australians probably also generally have more secure employment and higher wages on average.

It's a farce to say you can't afford it. I backpacked through India for two months and spent a total of $1,534.00 (excluding airfare to and from the country). I was well fed, sheltered, and had a blast. Many occidental countries and developed countries in general, can be pricey if you resort to convenience.

What's really funny, is, a hippie german couple I befriended in India came to travel through the US a year later; they stopped in my city and we spent some time together reminiscing. They told me they were spending less money in the US then they had in India, primarily because they adhered to little or no convenience and used what free resources are actually taken for granted here that aren't available in a developing or crowded country. Water was a big one, they said they got all of their drinking water from bathroom sinks instead of purchasing it (which you have to do in India because of sanitary issues, or you purify it).

The trick with going on a backpacking trip is to leave your job and pick up some under-the-table jobs in the countries you are staying in (if you run out of money and have no recourse, or want to stay longer than you saved for). This is the point many cultured US citizens are trying to make about our fellow "home-locked" brethren: the excuses made are vapid - you either want to go or you don't. There is, obviously, nothing wrong if you're a person that doesn't want to travel; but if you do, all it takes is some clever thinking and embracement of the dynamism of life (you will find a job when you get back, it might even be better than the one you're leaving).

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#43

Post by acabal »

euroclydon wrote: post #29
acabal wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you have a family and a mortgage, then your responsibilities are to them, not to indulge yourself in a year off. But my point is that many Americans who have the opportunity and position to do this kind of traveling still don't seem to do it. And if one has a mortgage but no family responsibilities, then things can almost certainly be arranged to be rid of the house, or rent it out temporarily, etc. to make…

I hear ya, but I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the more robust social safety nets that exists in the other countries you've mentioned. It's almost there between every line you write. I think that the U.S., despite the existence of Social Security and Medicare, is more like China than a northern European country. We have a dog-eat-dog social structure and economy. One of the only reasons we have such a high standa…

Yes, but to catch up to whom? Your neighbor with the bigger house and fancier car? People who play games of catch-up are never winners. This is exactly the kind of fear I think is _un_reasonable, and that holds us back from doing things like this, things we often claim we want to do but excuse as being "out of reach."

I think the truth is that taking just one year off (if it's within one's immediate means) will not set you back in the 30+ years you have left to you. One can save up with a trip in mind, quit their job, travel and return, and the world will still have turned, and for the most part, one can pick up where they left off. Maybe you'll be a rung or two down on the corporate ladder, but a resourceful and willing person (like those on these boards) will always make it happen for themselves.

As for social safety nets, I'm a born and raised American who works for himself and is uninsured (self-employed with pre-existing conditions). That hasn't stopped me from travel. If medical tragedy were to strike, I have money saved, my family would help support me, or worst-case is credit cards and medical bankruptcy. As I mentioned tragedy _has_ struck me while traveling: I was in an accident in NZ that required surgery, hospital time, and two months of physical therapy. Life goes on. That's just the ball game we play in America, but it doesn't mean (healthy) people should sit at home for fear of breaking a bone in a foreign country.

Anyway sorry to expostulate for so long on the topic, but it's one that's near and dear to my heart. Hopefully something of what's in this thread will inspire others to see the world while they can.

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#44

Post by suthakamal »

My wife and I took 4 months off to travel around southeast asia (Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand), and had a great time. Managing to stay just connected enough to read and keep up with goings-on back home, and disconnected enough to not worry about our eMail gave us a great change of perspective and energy about coming back to San Francisco, ready to go build something.

Favourite travel tips: - Kindle's International Roaming plan is $5/wk for subscriptions, so you can get your NYTimes, FT, Economist, etc. while on the go... even in places w/o paved roads and ATM's

- The Kindle is also great generally because you can be less diligent about charging it, and read it anywhere from the beach to an airport lounge without any eyestrain... It also beats a stack of books (but an iPad would do so as well).

- Taking Pepto Bismol prophylactically changes the PH of your stomach, making you much less likely to suffer from food-borne illnesses. That said, the effects become detrimental to your body as a whole after a few weeks, so we slowly weaned ourselves off of it, to give our immune system a chance to slowly adjust to the local flora/fauna.

- An unlocked iPhone is your best friend... whether it's for maps to find your way, a travel guide for a city, downloading a podcast to teach you the local phrases you need, finding/booking a hotel, or making that Skype call back home.

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#45

Post by Ixiaus »

euroclydon wrote: post #29
acabal wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if you have a family and a mortgage, then your responsibilities are to them, not to indulge yourself in a year off. But my point is that many Americans who have the opportunity and position to do this kind of traveling still don't seem to do it. And if one has a mortgage but no family responsibilities, then things can almost certainly be arranged to be rid of the house, or rent it out temporarily, etc. to make…

I hear ya, but I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the more robust social safety nets that exists in the other countries you've mentioned. It's almost there between every line you write. I think that the U.S., despite the existence of Social Security and Medicare, is more like China than a northern European country. We have a dog-eat-dog social structure and economy. One of the only reasons we have such a high standa…

The fear of falling behind and not being able to catch up is unreasonable. The more cultured and experienced, with people of a different mind, you are the more dynamic and "out-of-the-box" your psyche is; I would argue that getting away from the social meme of not wanting to fall behind will get you further ahead than you think.

It has for me. Not just with travel too, it goes for other life experiences people aren't willing to let themselves have because of this action-oriented notion that in order to continue growing (whether it be personally, in business, or whatever) you must be doing something to meet a given end.

World travel is an action, but it's a sort of "pointless" action in the sense that there is rarely any end goal one is attempting to meet by aimlessly wandering about and experiencing what life has spawned. Sometimes I feel like it isn't "worth" my time when I think about backpacking (with no money) down to Argentina; but then I look back at my two months backpacking through India, or my year living on a commune in Kentucky, or being raised on my family ranch, or my month in Costa Rica and realize that all of those life experiences has turned me into an open-minded, dynamic, and powerful individual. I would NOT have accomplished what I have if it hadn't been for my "aimless" life experiences.

Also, many countries do not have more robust social safety nets than any other - that is a pagelong argument I won't get into ATM, but I will say this: compare the amount of freely available resources and recourses for help available in any developed country (if you're thirsty in the US, visit a gas stop bathroom and drink some tap water; can't find a place to stay, spend the night at a homeless shelter or in a park) with that of a developing country. You'll quickly find that any sort of travel is, really, about relying on yourself regardless of the country's technological status. The safety argument is an empty one.

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#46

Post by raju »

blizkreeg wrote: post #31
rivo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got sick a few times from street-vendor food in 3rd world countries. It turned out that they often reuse oil for too long. I now avoid deep-fried food, dirty or tap water, and things like ice-cream. I've been fine on my travels since.

This is a mild suggestion. Could we stop using the term 3rd world to refer to relatively poor countries? I think in a modern, globalized, and rapidly developing world, '3rd world' is unnecessary and carries a derogatory connotation to it, IMO. I can't speak for others from a so-called third world country, but it offends me. Plus, the true meaning of third world is something quite different, concocted during the cold…

My apologies. You are right. I will certainly refrain from using that phrase now on. It is a little ironic that I don't use that phrase in normal conversation, but that I used it today in my comment.

Thank you for your astute observation and comment

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#47

Post by SkyMarshal »

blizkreeg wrote: post #31
rivo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got sick a few times from street-vendor food in 3rd world countries. It turned out that they often reuse oil for too long. I now avoid deep-fried food, dirty or tap water, and things like ice-cream. I've been fine on my travels since.

This is a mild suggestion. Could we stop using the term 3rd world to refer to relatively poor countries? I think in a modern, globalized, and rapidly developing world, '3rd world' is unnecessary and carries a derogatory connotation to it, IMO. I can't speak for others from a so-called third world country, but it offends me. Plus, the true meaning of third world is something quite different, concocted during the cold…

How about 'developing world' instead? Any other suggestions?

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#48

Post by yayitswei »

"You don't need a lot of stuff" really resonated with me. I'm currently taking this mindset and applying it to my startup lifestyle. That, and learning how to connect with many different kinds of people, were two of the biggest takeaways from my six months of traveling.

I personally wouldn't try to run a startup while abroad, since living in a foreign city takes up so much energy (both to enjoy my surroundings and to figure out how to do day-to-day things).

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#49

Post by elai »

Ixiaus wrote: post #42
lotusleaf1987 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone can afford it, otherwise a lot more people would. Germans, Kiwis, the English, and Australians probably also generally have more secure employment and higher wages on average.

It's a farce to say you can't afford it. I backpacked through India for two months and spent a total of $1,534.00 (excluding airfare to and from the country). I was well fed, sheltered, and had a blast. Many occidental countries and developed countries in general, can be pricey if you resort to convenience. What's really funny, is, a hippie german couple I befriended in India came to travel through the US a year late…

You'll spend at most 15 dollars a month on drinking water in those countries, they're doing it wrong!

Re: Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years

#50

Post by qeorge »

Mentioned in the article, you can get free room and board in some amazing places in return for your labor. Check out http://www.wwoof.org if you're interested.

My folks have spent a month Italy each of the last 7 years, at virtually no expense beyond the airplane tickets. They work on an olive farm, and stay in buildings constructed in the 1300s.

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