181–190 of 461 posts
I'd love to hear concretely what you guys who traveled actually gained from traveling the world? Because I always hear that it's really exciting and you get to go to exciting places - but what exactly did you gain in terms of perspectives besides your instagram pictures and cocktail stories? I've never get beyond this superficial in hearing people's travel stories online and IRL. Maybe it's just me; but the idea of g…
My partner and I took a year out for all of 2018 and travelled for 365 days, aged 34. We went to 21 countries during that time, the route: UK India Hong Kong Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand Russia Mongolia China Tibet Japan Malaysia Indonesia Australia New Zealand Fiji Hawaii North America Chile Bolivia Peru Colombia Brazil We saw many wonders of the world (from various lists) including Taj Mahal, Angkor Wot, Great Ba…
How do you plan such things and how do you keep your safety? I always wonder how many people get mugged or even dead during such trips?
We got a round the world flight ticket, we had to commit to the first six month flight times then half way through commit to the rest. It was possible to change for a fee. But we found the flights gave us a schedule to work around.
Some parts we planned extensively (you can't go to Tibet without being on a tour the whole time you are there, Machu Picchu books up months in advance, etc) other parts (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand) there is somewhat of an established back packer route you can follow and just make sure you get through in time for the next flight.
By far the least safe place was South America, we met many travellers there who had been mugged, beaten up, etc. It was our last destination and we were not very adventurous as we were tired and also just wanted to get to the end without an incident.
Other than that, we generally felt safe, there were one off isolated incidents (drunk Russian man on train trying to make advances on my partner when he thought I was asleep) which were uncomfortable, or going to a train station in Jaipur at 3 in the morning and waiting for a train, with lots of people loitering around and bothering us, and no real security or staff to reassure us, but these were exceptions rather than the norm.
We typically went to places which had a reasonable number of travellers, so it didn't feel too crazy in that sense.
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…
> A bit obvious, maybe, but I've met many people who insisted on only eating Western food[...] At that point, why even bother traveling? Whenever I have a guide (either professional or a local friend), this is often strangely a lot of work. Particularly the tour companies I've gone with in China insist on trying to get me a Western breakfast. If I wanted pancakes and sausage I would have just stayed at home and cooke…
I also don't get people who won't at least try local customs like eating cooked fish on rice with green tea in the morning, but there are plenty of them. These people usually don't do well in really different countries and complain and whine and compare to home all the time instead of curious observing / understanding. Real travelling, which is about learning and immersing and broadening your mental horizon, and not about conquering some beach with your ass is just not for them.
I'd love to hear concretely what you guys who traveled actually gained from traveling the world? Because I always hear that it's really exciting and you get to go to exciting places - but what exactly did you gain in terms of perspectives besides your instagram pictures and cocktail stories? I've never get beyond this superficial in hearing people's travel stories online and IRL. Maybe it's just me; but the idea of g…
My partner and I took a year out for all of 2018 and travelled for 365 days, aged 34. We went to 21 countries during that time, the route: UK India Hong Kong Vietnam Cambodia Laos Thailand Russia Mongolia China Tibet Japan Malaysia Indonesia Australia New Zealand Fiji Hawaii North America Chile Bolivia Peru Colombia Brazil We saw many wonders of the world (from various lists) including Taj Mahal, Angkor Wot, Great Ba…
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.
Silly question, how do you earn money if you don’t have a 9 to 5?
I'd love to hear concretely what you guys who traveled actually gained from traveling the world? Because I always hear that it's really exciting and you get to go to exciting places - but what exactly did you gain in terms of perspectives besides your instagram pictures and cocktail stories? I've never get beyond this superficial in hearing people's travel stories online and IRL. Maybe it's just me; but the idea of g…
I spent 3.5 months backpacking in India and Southeast Asia. I saw incredible places and stood in a hundred postcards. For me though, people are what had the most impact. Tens of thousands of Hindus come to die in Varanasi each year. If you die and are cremated there, you are freed from the cycle of rebirth and can attain salvation. I stood with an Indian friend on the edge of tears as I watched them burn the dead. He…
I'd love to hear concretely what you guys who traveled actually gained from traveling the world? Because I always hear that it's really exciting and you get to go to exciting places - but what exactly did you gain in terms of perspectives besides your instagram pictures and cocktail stories? I've never get beyond this superficial in hearing people's travel stories online and IRL. Maybe it's just me; but the idea of g…
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…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> A bit obvious, maybe, but I've met many people who insisted on only eating Western food[...] At that point, why even bother traveling? Whenever I have a guide (either professional or a local friend), this is often strangely a lot of work. Particularly the tour companies I've gone with in China insist on trying to get me a Western breakfast. If I wanted pancakes and sausage I would have just stayed at home and cooke…
They are probably used to closed-minded arrogant Westeners whining aloud about not getting their cornflakes. Unfortunately. I also don't get people who won't at least try local customs like eating cooked fish on rice with green tea in the morning, but there are plenty of them. These people usually don't do well in really different countries and complain and whine and compare to home all the time instead of curious ob…
I think it's more likely that they want you to feel more at home. I was visiting an overseas team in Bangalore for a week and the team took me out to ... a steakhouse. Most of the team didn't eat beef but they wanted to take me somewhere they thought I'd like. I was appreciative of their consideration but ended up ordering the chicken, felt weird otherwise.