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

I came back after a year, but after spending 18 months in the states, wanted to go travelling again. I'm currently staying in Taiwan, and periodically travel to the neighboring countries.

I'm not sure whether it was a good decision or not. It felt like I unplugged myself from my peers, friends, and culture. After coming back, I felt out of place, and just not into what everyone else around me was. It's strange how much a shared perspective on life seems to matter regards to enjoying your relationships with others. It was like I was being slowly wrapped in a spider's web, being bombarded with the thoughts and concerns of others that I couldn't relate to anymore.

There was quite a lot of loneliness I had to deal with. That was the main emotion, I think, from when I started. Everyone became a foreigner to me after awhile.

I wasn't sure about mentioning this, but I think it's kind of important. I know of two other people who travelled like I did.. They both were really smart, both into IT, paid well, and they both (separately) went travelling for an extended period of time and ended up committing suicide. I can't really speak for why they did it. I know I felt depressed for a period of time, but got out of it.

However, it is really fascinating going to a new culture. And the longer you stay in a single place, the further the intricacies of the culture are revealed to you. There is something that is really hard to describe when you let people from other cultures rub off on you. After coming back to the states, I used to have dreams of my trip, nearly every night, coupled with an intense feeling of longing, which is a big reason as to why I left again, the second time.

So, I learned a lot of amazing things, but at the same time, I think I lost something that I can never get back.

But heck, my sadness may have to do with not needing to work anymore and adjusting to that life. Or because I've always been an introvert, and becoming an outsider, too, was just too much to overcome in order to establish solid relationships with people from my own culture again. Or because I had a tough childhood, etc., etc. I really don't have a conclusion, and probably never will.

YMMV. That's all I can say, really.

— [W]hat was the experience like?

10–11 months, through Europe, quick stop in Turkey/China, Southeast Asia, and finally South America. Really amazing and eye-opening, especially at my age of being relatively sheltered in my childhood mostly in the northeast USA. Nearly every day was a day where I learned or saw something new, which was awesome.

It was also pretty challenging at some points, but of course, that made it engaging as well. I'm reminded of me, a shoddy hiker, backpacking with a heavy pack through Torres del Paine in Chile, only completing it because I took breaks every 15 minutes to motivate myself with peanut M&Ms.

And yeah, it was a very formative experience, and I came back changed for sure, and, I think, more resilient.

Responding to some of the commenters before me, I was also an introvert when I went and I absolutely had some hellish times while staying in hostels and I can see how other introverts might have experienced the same. Over time, I did become more of ambivert, but yeah, I definitely also experienced some trifling times as an introvert. This contributed to a good amount of fatigue from being outside of my comfort zone (see below).

— How did you choose to budget?

Not very well, but thankfully, traveling (even in some places in western Europe) is very affordable compared to than living in a top-tier city. I could survive off of $50 a day in Europe lodging at hostels, and anywhere from $30 down to $10 a day in Southeast Asia. I generally spent more than the average, since I wanted to experience the places I was going thoroughly.

— What moved you to this decision, and how was the process of finding work again after your travels, if applicable?

A desire to expand my problem space and create a better mental model of the world that better matches reality. As for post-travel, I went back to school, but being a developer, I suspect I wouldn't have had any trouble finding work again. I didn't, though, because traveling accelerated my quasi-disillusionment with tech and my move into behavioral science.

— If you were to do it all again, what would you do differently?

Be more fearless. I was a 20-year-old kid so a bit of worry was probably on par, but being nearly 23 now, I would have taken more risks. I certainly wasn't conservative, but I could have done more. I came back home after South America because I was fatigued after challenging myself. Interestingly, I think I would have been more fearless if I let myself just realize I was burned out and let myself rest without feeling like I was wasting time "not seeing the world" or something. It doesn't always have to be go-go-go and then resting only so you can do it again—rest for rest's sake. Long-term traveling, as any traveler will tell you, gets tiring.

I would also optimize for meeting more people and traveling with them more. I did meet a lot of people, but didn't really travel with too many of them (perhaps 10% of my trips were with others). Solo travel is freedom to the nth degree, but it's also really great to have a mix of shared and solo because it's nice to experience things with others sometimes.

There's lots more I can say, but it was a pretty transformative experience and it's something I wish everyone would experience sometime.

http://nambrot.com/posts/24-semi-nomadism-a-way-of-life/

Tl;DR: Post-college I negotiated a remote deal and spent the last months slow travelling, while still producing good work. I think logistically, everything works out very well, it really isn't a financial question at all (if you are a half-decent developer) unless you spent most of your travels in expensive Western cities. I prefer this over full-time travel.

However, the worst thing ended up being the transient nature of travel, no matter how slow you do it. If you are a person that does well by him/herself, then that's fine, but having a stable and sustainable social life has become a greater priority for me.

- It gets tiring after a while, I kind of missed my car/TV/desktop.

- Finding a new place to stay every month or week is a bit of a pain.

- I think it helps to have something to do other than existing in a different place. Eg. My photo blog: (shameless plug) jack.ventures

- I definitely don't think the nomad lifestyle is right for everyone, it can be very isolating.