Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#1

Post by temp_-_ » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 7:14 PM UTC

I seem to read so many comments on discussion threads in which individuals encourage others to "Quit your job! Travel the world!", which often comes across as shallow and even flippant to me, given that the advice is so easy to extend but the action itself can quite be difficult for one to do, whether due to concrete reasons or any personal reservations.

So, my question: those who have traveled for an extended period of time, either instead of working or by finding a new way to work, what was the experience like? What were you able to do? How did you choose to budget? What moved you to this decision, and how was the process of finding work again after your travels, if applicable? If you were to do it all again, what would you do differently?

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#2

Post by andkon » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 7:45 PM UTC

I've travelled a lot, and worked as a travel blogger, but never 'quit my job to travel.' It's a lot cheaper than you'd expect. You could probably do it for $10-$20k a year.

I think it's hard in that it's hard to get good at, but there's not a very sharp learning curve. You need to learn how to find deals, and how to meet people when you're tired, and how to not get ripped off, and so on. But mostly, extensive solo travel isn't that difficult. It's just about amassing common sense.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#3

Post by phillc73 » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 7:50 PM UTC

In early 1999 I'd been working as a contractor at a major Australian bank, writing VBScript, building an Intranet site. A three month contract became nine. By then I'd managed to pay off my student debt and put aside a decent amount. I quit and traveled.

Three months in southern Africa and three months in the United Kingdom.

It was my second trip to southern Africa and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Different the second time around. While I was exploring different areas, I had a much better sense of what to expect from each situation.

My first trip to the UK. I wasted a lot of time in those three months, which could have been better spent. I did see quite a lot, but generally I treated it mostly as a tools down and relaxation period. I did return to Australia, but 12 months later, I was back in the UK and lived there for a further 13 years.

Returning to Australia, it was straightforward enough to find work. I think I was offered something on my third interview. This just happened to be with a company which would go on to become a dotcom giant, survive the crash and continues to do reasonably well today. Everything worked out well enough.

I would certainly do it all again. If I had the choice to do things differently, I probably would have cut short the UK period and seen more of Europe, although I did a lot of that in subsequent years.

In short, I would encourage people to do something like this. I don't think breaks of even up to 12 months in a career should be a concern, especially if explained easily enough. The experiences are worth a great deal.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#4

Post by sitkack » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 8:14 PM UTC

It is often cheaper to travel that sit at home in your western apt. If you can sublet or give up your place, costs are not exorbitant.

1) Find an itinerary using http://www.airtreks.com/ they are amazing. Seattle -> New Zealand -> Australia -> Malaysia -> Nepal -> Turkey was about 3300 USD.

2) Get a nice place for when you land, like 3 days. Use that time to find lower cost habitation.

3) Don't over plan. Don't over spend. Talk to everyone. Read people, find good people and befriend them. Be nice. Not everyone is out to hustle you, locals often live on $5 a day. Don't flaunt your western wealth.

Total cost for 9 month trip, including the above flight and the crazy expensive flight home, 15k. I should have done this 20 years ago, experience would have been very different, more raw. As you age, the senses dull, our wealth bludgeons any immediacy and hardship (both good and bad). You are shaped by what you see and do, so see and do early.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#5

Post by junto » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 8:55 PM UTC

In 2004 I spent most of a year travelling around South and Central America. I met my wife on that trip (she was also travelling) and now we have two awesome children.

Travelling refreshes the mind. It breaks bad habits and it frees your soul. Sounds like mumbo jumbo I know but I can't recommend it enough.

Give yourself at least 3 months. Take eery opportunity and trust your gut. It can be dangerous out there if your mind isn't aware of what is going on around you. A bit of common sense and you're fine. Also get to meet the locals. Sticking around the hostels with other backpackers can drive you potty in the end.

Best thing I ever did. Finding contract work when I got back was easy due to great old contacts who hooked me up.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#6

Post by homakov » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 8:59 PM UTC

Didn't quit the job (working remotely), on my 3rd around-the-world already. Feels perfect

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#7

Post by waterlesscloud » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 9:04 PM UTC

sitkack wrote: post #4

It is often cheaper to travel that sit at home in your western apt. If you can sublet or give up your place, costs are not exorbitant. 1) Find an itinerary using http://www.airtreks.com/ they are amazing. Seattle -> New Zealand -> Australia -> Malaysia -> Nepal -> Turkey was about 3300 USD. 2) Get a nice place for when you land, like 3 days. Use that time to find lower cost habitation. 3) Don't over plan. Don't over…

On the flip side, I traveled a lot more when I was younger than I do now, and I wish it was the other way around.

I didn't have the perspective to appreciate everything when I was younger, and a lot of it is sort of a blur. My experiences these days tend to come with a lot more appreciation and depth.

Grass is always greener, I guess.

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#8

Post by seekingcharlie » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 9:07 PM UTC

I've been a "digital nomad" for the last year. I left my full-time job in Australia & headed for Berlin & just picked up a few casual consulting gigs via Dribbble (I'm a designer).

I quickly realized that I really enjoy slow traveling - staying in places for 2-3 months & trying to keep a normal routine. I work full-time now, pretty crazy hours, but I generally move somewhere new every 3 months. I spend a few months of each year in SF & the rest in Europe. I'm heading from SF to Split, Croatia in 3 weeks for most of the summer.

As a final note, there are many different ways to travel. You never really understand how cheap it is until you actually do it. Before I left, everyone told me that I would need a liquid $50k to spend a year in Europe & I remember being worried that I only had about half that - very funny to me now. I've saved more traveling than what I have paying rent somewhere in Australia.

TIPS: * Try & get paid an SFBA salary & live in cities that have a very low cost of living in comparison. * Re trying to get a remote job - move to the job for 3 months first, work your ass off & prove your worth, THEN ask to move remote. * Sell everything. Forget about clothes, shoes, books, records. If you can't pack light at first, believe me, you will learn on the road!

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#9

Post by tzakrajs » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 9:11 PM UTC

Has anyone done this with their professional spouse? How did it go?

Re: Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, how did it go?

#10

Post by jsackmann » Sat, Apr 25, 2015, 9:14 PM UTC

I traveled for about two years. I was able to work remotely, so I didn't have to worry too much about a tight budget or finding employment upon return.

It was a great experience, and here's what I'd change:

- spend more time in fewer places; be less of a tourist. (bonus: for the most part, the less you move around, the less expensive it is.) I would particularly try to do this in places that aren't typical tourist destinations. Think of stops of 1-3 months (perhaps with side trips) rather than 1-2 weeks.

- if you're traveling with someone else (particularly a significant other): (a) be really, really confident that you want to travel together for that long; (b) do whatever you can to find destinations that you both are interested in; (c) explicitly acknowledge that you will want to spend time apart during your travels; and (d) expect the relationship to get rocky at times even if you do all of the above perfectly. It's hard.

- Plan to return to your current home, if at all possible. I didn't do this, and re-adjusting to 'normal' life was much more difficult without an existing set of family and friends around. Even if you do go back 'home', re-entry won't be seamless. One of my friends spent two years in Japan and claims that she was more homesick upon returning home (USA) than she ever was in Japan.