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

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

#171

Post by reddytowns »

maxlambic wrote: post #158
reddytowns wrote: post #42

I quit my job to travel the world about 5 years ago. I lucked out in some investments and am now in an early retirement, mostly spend my day working on my own computer projects, surfing, and occasionally going on trips to different places. 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 cou…

Very interesting viewpoint on solo traveling, and sorry to hear about your friends. Did the 2 friends who committed suicide travel by themselves? Do you know if they committed suicide while traveling or after coming back? I wonder what is the rate of depression when coming back from a long solo travel trip due to reverse culture shock and feeling lonely/disconnected from your family and old friends. It is probably ha…

I didn't know either of them that well. One committed suicide after coming back. The other after two years of perpetual travel.

I know what you mean. In my personal case, I started travelling because I wasn't satisfied with my life and didn't know what else to do.

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

#172

Post by theycallmemorty »

helandrion wrote: post #170
seekingcharlie wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done a mix of both, but mostly I do AirBnb. It's much cheaper if you're renting for 2-3 months & owners usually always agree to some kind of discount as it's much better for them to have a secure long-term booking.

Thanks for that tip. I didn't even think of possibly asking for a discount for a multi-month booking.

Most hotels will do the same thing FWIW.

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

#173

Post by sunriseproject »

Great question. I agree.

I quit my job with no plan and about 4,000 saved up. My original plan to teach English in S Korea but realized I would rather not so I got a working holiday visa for Australia in 1 working day and booked my flight for the montha fter.

Basically, I came to Australia hoping to find work pretty quickly which was not the case. As a recent graduate making 60k a year, I didn't want to get hospitality work and to be honest, don't have thick enough skin for it. So, I went completely broke.

Living in hostels was pretty rough too, I am young, but I'm not a drinker and prefer interesting conversation over sex with a stranger and found that aspect difficult within the typical travel community, but it just took me finding my own way and that wasn't a problem anymore.

I survived 4 months living as cheaply as possible, doing work exchanges for room + board for a few months then succumbed to the call of money and picked up a full time freelance job at a studio in Sydney. It was pretty easy getting the job. I'm wrapping up my 3rd month here and off to road trip around Australia and then travel Asia.

Basically, the experience was a bit more difficult than I thought, but in ways I could've never foreseen. I've grown so much as an individual, and also, make it my mission to help inspire other people to ask for more in their lives. I don't do that by pretending my experience has been smooth sailing, but I'd like to think that just by being me, and being confident (something I've gotten better at on the road) and alive and well, that it makes people question their situations.

Either way, stick to your own path. What feels right to you? Don't think with your head. This decision must come from some place deeper than logistics.

You'll figure it out. No matter what happens. Let go of control on this one. Then instead of relying on other people's opinions and experiences, you can rely on your gut instead.

Best of luck. :)

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

#174

Post by sunriseproject »

Great question. I agree.

I quit my job with no plan and about 4,000 saved up. My original plan to teach English in S Korea but realized I would rather not so I got a working holiday visa for Australia in 1 working day and booked my flight for the montha fter.

Basically, I came to Australia hoping to find work pretty quickly which was not the case. As a recent graduate making 60k a year, I didn't want to get hospitality work and to be honest, don't have thick enough skin for it. So, I went completely broke.

Living in hostels was pretty rough too, I am young, but I'm not a drinker and prefer interesting conversation over sex with a stranger and found that aspect difficult within the typical travel community, but it just took me finding my own way and that wasn't a problem anymore.

I survived 4 months living as cheaply as possible, doing work exchanges for room + board for a few months then succumbed to the call of money and picked up a full time freelance job at a studio in Sydney. It was pretty easy getting the job. I'm wrapping up my 3rd month here and off to road trip around Australia and then travel Asia.

Basically, the experience was a bit more difficult than I thought, but in ways I could've never foreseen. I've grown so much as an individual, and also, make it my mission to help inspire other people to ask for more in their lives. I don't do that by pretending my experience has been smooth sailing, but I'd like to think that just by being me, and being confident (something I've gotten better at on the road) and alive and well, that it makes people question their situations.

Either way, stick to your own path. What feels right to you? Don't think with your head. This decision must come from some place deeper than logistics.

You'll figure it out. No matter what happens. Let go of control on this one. Then instead of relying on other people's opinions and experiences, you can rely on your gut instead.

Best of luck. :)

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

#175

Post by siquick »

bewe42 wrote: post #124
kosma wrote: post #41

Strange how all the stories here are positive & cheerful. I did the very thing two years ago, mostly due to peer pressure and reading too much HN, and it was a disaster. I didn't meet any interesting people, had no exciting adventures, tasted no great food, had no job opportunities, and pretty much only existed, lived in crappy hostels, drank bland coffee and burned all my cash reserves. I came back tired, broke, lon…

My experience was not that bad but I would do things differently next time. What I realized was that I do enjoy traveling and living in new cultures but I hate being a tourist. I loathed staying in hostels and having to meet new people constantly. Also going from city to city felt routine after a while Next I'd rather stay in one place and do something there. Eg attending a language school or do some work.

^^this^^

Unfortunately, the majority of travellers only seem to be able to talk about travelling.

"Have you been to City XYZ, you should go its awesome" x 10000

Sounds cliched but far and away the best experiences I had in 11 months in SEA were with locals.

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

#177

Post by doorhammer »

partisan wrote: post #166
doorhammer wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't terribly profound, but I think I just like to read books in different places. I enjoy it; it feels satisfying. The volume on that seems to edge up when I'm in a really different location, like another country. That's not a counterpoint to what you said. It's just what hit me, and I thought it was funny.

I think part of the joy of traveling is leaving things behind including the distractions and worried that keep you from enjoying the things you love to do such as reading. Time seems to become your own again, because it is not fractured by the typical concerns. I always buy a new book or two when I go on vacation because I know I will find the time no matter what.

Yeah. Definitely.

Usually part of the fun for me is finding a used book store wherever I'm at and exploring it.

That was particularly interesting in Thailand, because one of the shop owners wanted to talk about buddhist philosophy and seeing the types of books they had around was really fascinating

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

#178

Post by Causalien »

I am on year 3 of what was originally a 6 month trip. 6 months, I find is when most people decide to go home, but it is also the crucial wall that allowed my travel personality to take over.

There was no magic pill for me. My first 6 months was miserable, it was an adventure, sight seeing and meeting fellow travelers awt hostels was still something I wanted to do. I ended up very lonely at the end of 6 months and didn't make any friends.

After that is when I mentally stopped thinking about traveling and seeing the world. I just exist and tried as hard as possible to listen to that voice inside. I went for crazy experiences that I only hear in passing. That hermit in a jungle that someone talked about in passing? I went and visited him. The cult with promise of salvation? Yeah that too.

Then I got too many friends. The experience didn't just transform what existed in me. I am literally a different person. But I had to leg go of the notion that I am just traveling and that I am going back later.

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

#179

Post by therealdrag0 »

diba wrote: post #133

I quit my job at a top-tier HFT firm to travel the world while working on a pet project. This was an extremely difficult decision since I really enjoyed my job/friends and was setup to do quite well financially. The main reasons I pulled the trigger were: 1) A strong thirst to experience more of the world (and knowing it would be more difficult when I'm older (I was 26)). 2) The desire to run my own show on a project…

"I received a 1-year paid non-compete" How'd that work?
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