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I quit my job in 2018 and I started travelling in November 2019, so not very well on the travel front but striking out of the 9-5 has been the best thing I have ever done. I doubt I could go back.
After studying Software Engineering then working a couple of years I quit to drive a 4x4 from Alaska to Argentina. That took 2 years through 17 countries, and only cost about $27k[1] ALL IN.
Then I went back to Software to save up enough money to do it all over again. I built a 4x4 Jeep into a house on wheels [2], and then drove it 54k miles all the way around Africa through 35 countries over three years. It was absolutely life changing, and I'll never be the same person.
After a couple more years saving money I'm gearing up to go again on an entirely new continent!
I've slowly been transitioning so this is now my "job". I've published a few books, I write for a handful of magazines, have published a photography book and am growing a YouTube channel about my adventures, and teaching other people how to also follow their dreams.
More than anything else, I learned that time is so, so much more important than money.
I continue to structure my life so I have time to actually enjoy my life. Of course I have less money than I used to, and I'll never have a sports car or a big house, but I'm happier than I ever was going to work 40 hours a week.
[1] theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure
[2] theroadchoseme.com/the-jeep
Ive always wanted to do this, but I don't know what I would do with my stuff? Sell everything seems dramatic because i do have sentimental things. The idea of paying rent for a place in america/california and not using it feels wasteful
Absolutely worth it, however I'd offer a few short tips: 1. Try to stay in one place for a few months, minimum. If you can stay a year or two, do that. Jumping from city to city every week seems exciting at first, but it quickly makes everywhere feel the same. 2. To quote Lao Tzu, when your work is done, forget it. If you work remotely, actively disconnect at the end of the day. It's too easy to be constantly plugged…
> Try to stay in one place for a few months, minimum. I second this. 2 months is the minimum amount of time per country, and 2 weeks per city if you expect to get anything more than a handful of good meals and a couple adventures out of a place. My better memories were all from places I stayed for over 2 months, and all have more to do with people I met than the place itself.
From that base, you can still do day trips and weekend trips.
Taking a loose definition of "travel the world". Born and raised in the BA. In my mid 30's I left a FAANG type(specialized, highly compensated) employer, sold my home and bought a sailboat and moved aboard. Over that next year and half I spent it sailing the Pacific then ending up in Southern CA. I was going through a premature midlife crisis all based on the premise that "humans weren't meant to sit behind a desk al…
Out of curiosity, did you know how to sail before or did you take a crash course just prior to/learn as you went along?
If I were to pick one thing, only the most important thing, it would be that self improvement is the only escape from the hedonic treadmill.
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As Secondary pieces of advice:
You will find that wherever you go, there you are. Escapism is not a good reason to travel the world unless you need to learn that lesson first hand.
You will find your experience varies greatly with who you are. If you are super social, you will have a better experience. If you are a pretty person, more adventure will just happen to you and opportunities will just appear. If you've spent time learning a language, that is a gateway to all kinds of adventure. Made a lot of money? You won't have to be frugal/you aren't limited by much. The more you've invested into yourself, the more it pays off, especially with travel. You'll find that the people who have traveled the longest are often attractive, social, and have money.
I don't like Tim Ferris one bit, I think he's a snake oil salesman, but 4 hour work week had an amazing thought experiment. "You win the lotto today and never have to work another day in your life, how are you going to spend your time?" I would strongly encourage brainstorming the answer to that question before you travel and figuring out the answer while you travel.
Tips:
- read the book "vagabonding"
- you *must* set goals and work towards them
- It is easy to not have structure to your days. This *will* harm you.
- You really, really should set up several hours a day to do something "work" like.
- Hostels are great, even 2 nights in a hostel when you first get to a place will pay off huge
- 2 weeks is really the minimum amount of time to spend in a (big) city
- 1 month is the floor minimum amount of time to spend in 1 country (I found 2 optimal).
- The more poor the country, the more privileged and exploitative you will feel
- People are generally friendly and forgiving everywhere
- The world is vastly less dangerous than you might expect, but be on guard
- America is seen pretty positively in Asia
- The more off the path you are/The more risks you take, the better things will be
- Prepare to feel lonely
- prepare to stretch yourself socially
- If you travel long enough, you start to treasure companionship above all other things
- The most beautiful sunset in the world is empty without someone to share it with
- The more uncomfortable you are, the more you are growing
- Stuff is a prison. Pack less than you think you need. Then less than that.I made a small photo blog about it https://andrew-max.github.io/
I'm now in the process of trying to relocate full time to Colombia.
I also now have an anxiety disorder I didn't start the trip with.
I made a few real friends that I'm in touch with years later.
In 2016, I quit my job working at a small software firm in Chicago. I didn't think I would do it, I was afraid I would keep putting it off, so one day in the middle of the workday I just abruptly opened AirBnB and booked an apartment for two months in Paris, just like that, non-refundable, plus a flight, also non-refundable. It was 7 months in advance, to give myself plenty of time, but also to put a definitive date…
I even met a random stranger in Italy that knew a friend of a family member. What’s perhaps more weird is that I figured it out by the way he spoke about Amsterdam (where I live). That guy gave me a first class introduction to Rome.
Taking a loose definition of "travel the world". Born and raised in the BA. In my mid 30's I left a FAANG type(specialized, highly compensated) employer, sold my home and bought a sailboat and moved aboard. Over that next year and half I spent it sailing the Pacific then ending up in Southern CA. I was going through a premature midlife crisis all based on the premise that "humans weren't meant to sit behind a desk al…
If you have even the inkling that you might want to do this then you absolutely should. Opportunities and projects and ventures will always be there. Your youth will not.
You can't say that with certainty. The opportunities of today aren't guaranteed to sit there waiting for you, or to be replenished in the future. And while it's true that all of our youths are fleeting, that doesn't mean that chasing a romantic image is a must-do for everyone who's considered the idea.