Don't let the fear of losing a 150k for a year or two stop you from living life. Whether it's managing hedge funds on Wall Street at 500k/year or freshly out of grad school, no one who freed themselves from the shackles of corporate America for a while regretted it. Remember, you live according to the schedule you make in your head and with the right energy, people around you from all walks of life will buy into it. If you had the perseverance and intelligence to get a good job in your field of work, and the guts to let it go for something you truly believed in, you'll be able to get one again. Or move onto something else while "finding" yourself. Brightside's friends probably weren't really holding it down in the first place. You always have fluke stories on Wall Street. You know what they say, birds of a feather flock together.
The longer you wait to take this trip, the less likely you'll enjoy it. Have some kind of plan in place (for coming back) before you leave. When you've left, forget where you live and where you're from and just enjoy it. There's nothing like travelling. I've taken a different route, I'm trying to use my "network" of friends to land a job hosting a travel show. Mostly because I can't really afford to not have a job when I come back, so how amazing would it be if it was actually my job to travel? I was inspired by Anthony Bourdaine. I met him when he was in Dubai and just decided right then and there to leave no stone unturned until I find someone who will pay me to eat, travel or both lol. Good luck man, if you're coming to Dubai don't forget to holla.
i've done this long-term travel thing several times before. i usually alternated between staying in hostels/guesthouses (to meet people and eat homecooked food) and hotels (for the obvious creature comforts). for the times you are 'roughing it' with hostels, trains, etc....i can recommend the Let's Go travel guides. well-written and concise yet detailed info such as addresses, timings for anything from trains to laundry. and of course the best travel guide is just to talk to as many local people as you can. i can also recommend not to put too much structure into your trip beforehand......ie. some places you make like quite a lot and decide to stay at for weeks or even months, and some places you will want to just leave right away. so it's good to leave things open. i remember staying in brataslava for like 18 hours instead of the whole week i had planned on. damn that place was dull! one more suggestion is for all the stuff that you will inevitably buy and pickup during your trip (souvenirs, local clothing, artwork), try and ship that stuff back home instead of lugging it around with you from place to place.
*Fixed. Europe, Australia and island regions (Koh Phi Phi, Bali) make it very easy to travel for cheap and cheaper accommodation (backpackers, hostels) is bearable. A place like Tanzania, if you don't stay in a decent place, you'll probably get raped and wake up with syphillis. I would save the hotel money (minimum 3 star) for places like South Asia and the Far East, you'll cherish the air conditioning after a day of roaming or trekking. Don't bother spending too much on lodging at places with a great nightlife like Beirut or Istanbul because you'll be out the whole night and can sleep over at a girl's house. Nightlife varies from city to city, it's very cliqueish in Paris or Marbella but in Barcelona and Tel Aviv you will meet a lot of open minded people. I never laid out an exact plan of what I wanted to see, I felt my way around. One thing to remember is don't walk around with a kangaroo pouch and a professional camera and a map and a hawaiian shirt and make yourself seem like the obvious confused tourist. It ruins the experience with the locals and sets you up for scams. Yes, you're a tourist, but be a sophisticated one and respect the way of life around you.
Thanks for the response. I'm likely not going to get a RTW airplane ticket, because I plan to do a large part of the trip overland (read: Istanbul to India). Flights from India to SE Asia are ridiculously cheap on low-cost airlines as well. As far as how long I'll be staying at each location -- it's all really up in the air right now.
I've traveled quite a bit in the past 5 years, starting with Europe back in 2005 when I was doing an exchange program in Milan. While in Italy for four months in 2005, I got a chance to travel to about 15 different countries in Europe (I had 4 day weekends every weekend at my university there). Since then, I've been to Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Israel, Japan, and Egypt. The preferred destination for this time around would be central, south, and east Asia (with a large part preferably overland).
Bourdain is the man. Episodes of his show currently fill 95% of my DVR. I remember seeing the Dubai episode now that I think of it - were you actually on the show? Let me know if you're travel show needs a co-host.
You should definitly do it, life is for living, not working. Take some time while you can, enjoy it, you have plenty of time to work when you get back. No one ever said on their death bed "I wish I worked one more day"... DD
Thanks for the tips. It's funny you mention Bratislava. Back in 2005 when I was traveling around Europe, we were in a cab from Vienna to the Bratislava airport to catch our flight back to Milan. Cab driver forgot his passport (had to cross the border from Austria to Slovakia), caused a huge delay, and we ended up missing our flight to Milan. Since there were no other upcoming flights to Milan, what originally was supposed to be an hour in Bratislava ended up being two days. That was also the year that movie Hostel (takes place in Bratislava) was released in the US. :grin:
ive been going to mexico once a year for over 10 years now. went to chiapas and guatemala over the summer. ive traveled all over the country and never had any problems - mexico is great and very cheap. that being said, i would stay out of the northern regions right now - been to monterrey several times, but i wouldnt go right now. the longest trip i ever did was 1 month in mexico - me and my two best friends took a bus from austin to nuevo laredo and then went to monterrey, zacatecas, guadalajara and puerta vallarta. funnest vacation of my life. i love the lets go books - i use them for all my travel planning.
imo, let's go is much better organized and they have better taste in recommendations not only for places to eat and stay, but for which actual cities/towns/neighborhoods to visit.. rough guides probably have much more varied locations, however....there are many places let's go has yet to write up on..
im actually not very familiar w/ rough guide (is it the same rough guide that makes world music compliations? - ive got a few of those and they are awesome!). ive traveled w/ lonely planet and moon ones though. its all personal preference - the first time i went to mexico i bought a lets go book and liked it so ive just stuck w/ them. bought one when i went to europe as well. ive never been steered wrong when it comes to hotels and food recommendations, no matter what country im in. i do feel like they are more comprehensive, especially on entertainment (museums and nightlife) than the others and i like the way they are organized. they do a great job of offering lots of budget options as far as lodging and food - accurate bus/train schedules - sections on history of an area, which is nice if you are into that stuff or get bored watching 'high school musical 2' en espanol on a bus. i believe the books are written by students (from harvard, i think) - so its really focused on 'budget' traveling - and definitely more nightlife/cultural immersion type stuff that younger people would be into.
