Has anyone ever taken off 6 months or more from work/school to travel internationally? I'm thinking about doing it sometime in 2011, and wanted to hear about any similar experiences anyone here has had. Background -- I'm 26 and have been working in the corporate world for almost 3 and a half years now. It's something I've always wanted to do, and now seems to be the perfect time to do it.
A few of my friends did that who were working on Wall Street. They thought they would easily get their job back or find another similar job. Then the financial markets collapsed and only one of three got a similar job back. The other two are still looking for work 2 years later. I wouldn't advise it. You work till you are 90 years old. Then travel. A better option would be to just ask to be relocated to another country or province.
It's still all TBD, but I want to start off in the Middle East (my brother will be studying in Syria until June), then make my way to Istanbul, and then the ambitious part of the travel would begin. I'd like make my way from Istanbul to India/Nepal overland (through all the "stan" countries in Central Asia). The only issue is getting an Iranian visa, but I hear it's possible. I was also looking at airfare, and it's incredibly cheap to fly to SE Asia (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, etc.) from India. So SE Asia would likely be the next leg of the trip.
There's no time like the present and work sucks. Before you know it you'll be 50 with family and other obligations lamenting that you never chased a dream. Do it, and do it now. The only thing you'll regret is not doing it when you had the chance.
Defnitely do it. 3 months was the longest period of travel for me, and I loved it. Now is the time, and there may be another time when you should do it again later. But since you are able to now, seize the opportunity and enjoy the hell out of it. Just keep us posted with interesting travel anecdotes.
sLaNd B a L L a, the other consideration why I think you should definitely do it is that you are young and have no obligations family-wise. Not everyone waits until they are 40 or older like me to get married. Once you have kids, you cannot do it anymore. So I can really only encourage you to do it. You already have the camera, so...don't forget to post some pictures here .
Yeah. I definitely would do it now. It's very common in Europe for kids to take 1-2 years off before they start college. Do it before you have family obligations. My best friend and his wife have been traveling the world for a little over a year now. They've been to Germany, Ecuador, Chile, Mongolia, China, Thailand, Burma, etc. They've been doing it on the cheap. Only cost them about $5k to travel for 4 months in South America. If you're interested in how they get around etc, check out www.ourtravelingcircus.com
Thanks for all the responses guys, keep them coming. On a related note, has anyone here ever been to Turkmenistan? I hear it's tough getting a visa. :grin:
I traveled different cities in Saudi for 31 days after I graduated high school. It was definitely one my life changing experiences. I hope to also have the opportunity to travel early in my age.
great idea. My sister did it and I have lived out of the country as an exchange student and spent time traveling around between jobs and in jobs as well. traveling is fun especially if you are not tied down yet to kids and dogs, furniture,mortgage etc. I say do it now. Right now. Dont be a p**** about it. Grab your balls and put something together. it will be one of the better decisions you ever made What is your question though? I think it is a great idea but much better if you can truly 'have a job' when you get back.. some people go and dont have a good return plan ,and then they spend all their time lamed out on vacation about 'what am I gonna do' kinda thing. are you planning to get a round the world open jaw plane ticket? There are packages and you can choose the stops. Usually something along the lines of this -LA - Toyko - Delhi - Dubai- London - NY - LA Of course you can mix it more with Australia,china, s america,africa etc. I haven't priced them lately but I believe you can do around the world for under 3,000 if you choose major cities. Here is a good website to try: http://www.airtreks.com/ That site has a pretty neat widget that you can choose where you want to go and it basically puts together a price for you for around the world. Do you plan to stay anywhere for a long time? what is your budget? interested to hear more specifically what you want to do. Your original post was pretty vague.
It depends on the kind of person you are. Whether you live with regrets, cave in to the pressure of the "wise" opinion, know how to speak with people outside your comfort zone, can pleasure women who aren't nerds, etc. If you're a low testosterone guy like Mr. Brightside who listens to sappy indie music all day, then naturally, you're going to be pretty risk averse and happy living in a little bubble provided by a 401k plan. A true patsy. His future will revolve around his rotund wife dressing him up for dinner parties and forcing him to pick out a 3 room pad in East Manhattan... next to her "perfect" private school for their 3 kids, 2 girls, 1 boys, raised as Orthodox Christians, etc. And it's planned out in the 10 minutes after he gets her the shiny rock. That works for some guys. But others, prefer to tread the path less taken. What kind of a person are you? What do you enjoy when travelling? I break it up into regions based on how easy it is to get around, sanitation on public transport, and go from there. Region 1: Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji Region 2: The Pan Pacific: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Borneo Region 3: India (southern tip is best, Kerala), China (Guilin to Yangshuo), Japan Region 4: Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, the Middle East Region 5: Africa (Tanzania, South Africa, take vaccine shots!) And save South America for 2014.
