Earlier quoted context omitted.
> both unattractive and picky I know this is HN, but I do have to say: good luck! :-D
Yo forgot the third parameter in the function..
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Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
331–340 of 461 posts
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#332Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dating apps, couch surfing, and getting out of the house & going where the people are. Expat groups on Facebook and WhatsApp, too.
As someone with mild social anxiety, the thought of doing something like that is utterly alien, even in my own country let alone somewhere else. I don't mean in a "i wouldn't do that" sort of way, but in an "i cannot even imagine/does not compute" sort of way. Anyhow, good on you for living life :)
I have mild social anxiety. Maybe more than mild. I have to say sometimes it is easier to be social in another setting. For example, in hostels the expectation is to just start talking for no reason and tell that lone traveler that you are indeed exploring the city and inviting them to join you.
Another thing I've found is taking a class - in my case kickboxing classes led to quite a few new friends.
I don't have as much courage to do that in my home country.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#333I finally have a reason to post on HN!
I quit my job after working for 2 years as a software engineer and traveled solo for a year and some change through 30ish countries in Europe, Asia and Oceania. It's without a doubt the best decision I ever made in my life.
When you first start out traveling, you end up moving really fast since there is so much to see. I think it's because that's what you do when you're on a fixed-length vacation. After a month or two of this you get tired and you find yourself staying longer and longer in places you like. For me, that ended up being tropical places where I could scuba dive for cheap.
During a long trip you'll grow a lot as a person. It sounds cliche, but you'll be scared and lonely sometimes, but also super-charged with energy and surrounded by great friends at other times. You may even fall in love (a few times). It's important to realize it goes in waves - I found that every 3 to 4 months I would feel depressed or lonely and think about going home, only to meet some incredible people and realize how cool of a life I was living.
I came back when I ran out of money. I traveled on a "shoe-string" with only a carry on backpack for roughly $24,000 USD. For those interested in traveling like this, check out "How to Travel the World for $50 a Day" by Nomadic Matt.
Coming back and joining the workforce was incredibly hard. I didn't have a laptop with me, so a lot of my technical skills had atrophied and it showed in interviews, leading to me failing every interview from big tech companies. Luckily, after having only a few hundred dollars to my name, I got a dev job and my skills came back rather quickly after that.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#334While not exactly the same, I used to travel a lot for work (consulting company).
I think the best advice for traveling I've come up with is: meet locals. Skip the tourist traps, plenty of pictures online.
Have a drink at a bar and strike up a conversation, ask them what they do for fun. While in London, I did this and the guy said him and his gf were going to do swing dancing at another place on a weeknight. The place was a total dive, but had a live jazz band, cigar smoke, and rare whiskey. It was truly one of the coolest experiences I've had.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#335Did not quit my job, but instead went full remote in 2018 (age 55 at the time). Still doing it, but the pandemic forced me to stay in one country for just about a year now. In that year I put down roots, got long term visas and maybe will spend another few years there while we see how things shape out this and next year. But ya, 2-3 months minimum in a place is what you need, with just a small backpack. Make local fr…
I did something similar a few years back. I went fully remote while working at a startup and traveled through Asia. While I agree with many points, my experience was more of a mixed bag.
1. Not every job is suitable to do while traveling. Especially if it's kind of unstable like early stage startups. Putting of fires at work on a flaky internet connection while sweating from heat is not that fun and leaves you quite exhausted. It's also hard to plan for anything more serious, if you have to be available when anything breaks.
2. You really need to stay in one place much longer when having a job (2-3 months), as you will have much less free time to enjoy wherever you are.
3. If you work 5 days a week it will limit you excursions into less developed places (with really bad internet) to only 2 days. Quite often these places are what's the best about area you are in.
4. I think going out with expats is not a complete no, no. Just don't do that exclusively. You can get some great tips and avoid many stupid mistakes thanks to other fellow travelers. Especially when you are in a new place that's really different from what you already know.
5. Try to connect with people as much as possible. At the end of the day, that's what you'll remember and what will affect you the most.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#336Took 5 years off. Half that time in Tokyo, visited 60+ countries. Best thing I ever did in my entire life.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#337I did it over a decade ago, before marriage & kids (responsibility).
Here is what I wrote:
https://breckyunits.com/backpack-the-world-with-zero-plannin...
That post now makes me cringe here and there, but hey I was young. I'd highly recommend doing it, especially when you're young since the value of the experiences will compound. Had a few near death experiences but at least in this universe made it out okay and that has made all the difference.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#338Curious if anyone has pulled this off with kids? I have three kids under 7, and I'd love to do this for a year but wonder about logistics.
There are families living on boats. Some of them blog and vlog. This family has a couple toddlers on a trawler. https://www.bumfuzzle.com/trawler-vs-sail/
Taking small children on a boat hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital is, frankly, a lot more dangerous than people realize. I'm not saying it's not doable, but those people are taking way more risk than I'd be comfortable with.
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#339When I quit my job and went travelling I used this framework: 1. Go via land. You see everything in between all the places you should see as a tourist. You immerse yourself in how a place actually feels. You meet people who aren’t just trying to extract money from you. I cycled, because I like cycling, but any form of transport works. 2. My algorithm was something like “Go east. Stay somewhere if it’s interesting, un…
What languages do you speak?
Great stories btw also, it sounds like you really made the most of traveling and doing so much by bicycle is quite a feat!
Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?
#340Absolutely 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…
> 3. Try to blend in and adopt local clothing, culture, foods, etc. Read books by local authors, watch local films. A bit obvious, maybe, but I've met many people who insisted on only eating Western food, reading Harry Potter, and watching Netflix while abroad. At that point, why even bother traveling? Depends on the purpose/intentions of the travel. While I feel similarly about much of my own travel as you do, it's…
I agree with your point, but the OP is asking about people who go travel the world, not take two weeks in Torremolinos as a summer break.