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

Working remotely was amazing. One thing I'd recommend is to work at most 4 days per week, and preferably 3 - travelling takes a lot of time and can wear you out.

If you're an introvert like me, you'll need careful management of how social you are. For six months by yourself, you will get quite lonely unless you put significant effort into meeting people. I found it helpful to spend most of my time in hostels, but 2-3 days every fortnight in a hotel to recharge from all the socialising. Hotels are expensive but as an introvert they were a lifesaver - I could just kick back and take a break from meeting new people every day.

If it's your first time doing this, I don't recommend committing to more than six months away from home. It can be more challenging than you realise.

If you're working while travelling, it's a good idea to find an office that you can share for a while. I spent 2 months in Germany, working from an acquaintance's office. I made some friends there, and it was a good base to make weekend trips from. But also having the option to not travel on weekends was very valuable to me - sometimes I just got exhausted! There are definitely times when all you want to do is lie in bed and surf the internet. Make sure you have time to do that.

Travelling possibly isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're unsure, I would advise to give it a go. Most people don't get the travel bug by sitting at home. You might enjoy it. You might even love it :)

http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-06-24

I accept that they enjoyed what they did, but it's often that some (for my perspective) important parts of their stories are completely omitted presenting their "adventure" as much more successful than it really was.

"I've once traveled 5 months with 8K USD"

"That's nothing..." then you hear something amazing, like "for 1K" but only after you research more, if you insist, you discover that the person omitted the detail that they count just 1K of cash but not the money they got from actually working. Or that the girlfriend paid for everything. Or the parents. Or that they mostly lived in the hole. Or that they drove 10 hours per day every day. Or...

That being said, as I was younger, I made a trip through the Europe by mostly sleeping in the night trains. And I conveniently won't mention my relatives in London and my friends in some other places. But you could do the same, it's amazing. I really enjoyed it and it gave me profound insights, enough to sit in front of the computer writing this instead of doing something amazing. You're welcome.

You must have a passport of some country which has pretty good visa agreements. For some of us, traveling the world requires sitting in a lot of embassies first.

Since I make iOS and Android apps, it's fairly easy to get contracting work, and it's nice to not have to worry that much about money. I've happy that I can get private apartments and not have to stay in hostels. I'm not 19 anymore.

A lot of other commenters have hit the nail on the head about travel. Here are a few things that I totally agree with:

1. Traveling will not instantly make your life amazing. You will worry about money, you'll get lonely, and you'll probably really want some food that you don't have. Every city I go to I try to find coffee that's on par with Stumptown or Four Barrel. You'd be amazed what a Google search for "Hipster Coffee shops in xxxx" will turn up. However, many many times I have to settle for Nescafe, especially in Thailand.

2. Loneliness can be a big problem. I'm lucky enough to be traveling with my fiance so at least we have each other, but I've seen other travelers and digital nomads that are having a rough time after about the 6 week point.

3. After a while, if you're not working, you'll get bored. It happened to me. Being on a beach for a week is great if you're stressed. It's not so awesome if you're already a little bored. Find something you like doing. Make a list of books you want to read, programming topics you want explore, or whatever floats your boat and do that for 4 hours a day while you're out. It keeps your brain sharp and gives you a purpose.

Other observations: 1. Many digital nomads are software developers (including myself) but many aren't. The ones that aren't tend to be in pyramid schemes. Have you heard of the drop shipping lifestyle? Would you like to? It can get irritating, especially since every blog post or Facebook comment is about how they're winning at life and you should too!

2. Coworking spaces are great for meeting people that are also traveling or starting their own companies. They would also totally be down to hangout and grab a drink. See point #2 above. They can clue you in to where the best expat bars are or where to find an IPA.

3. It's ok if you don't actually want to go to museums, temples, or whatever. Finding the best coffee shop in town can be so much more enjoyable than making the trek to temple #5 and seeing the second tallest Buddha statue in the country.

4. Move slowly. The days when I'm in the worst mood are the ones that I have to put on my pack, navigate to the train station, hop on a plane, and somehow find my AirBnB in a new city. It's a pain. Spend at least a week or two in a city if you're doing long term travel. You can get cheaper rates if you do weekly or monthly rates anyway.