Any of you want to just dump it all and travel for a living?

[MG113]

Let me just preface this by saying, I've immensely enjoyed this last week of reading posts and discovering this forum.....discovering similar personas....aka the other aliens like me that inhibit the human-majority populated planet...etc.....you all are beautiful...

Anyways, I'm a Guitar Teacher/guitarist/songwriter/musician..blah blah blah......i'll spare you, but lately on my mind has been up and traveling when my lease is up in April.

Has anyone tried such a thing or thought about it?

Sure you can google it and get a bunch of travel writing suggestions and jobs and of course those who argue them and then you're left with indecisiveness as usual, which frankly I've grown tired of.

So I ask, does anyone travel for a living and/or thought about just traveling the country and figure it out as you go? Variety and seeing every state is something I've been craving forever; with or without a traveling companion.

Nice to engaged you all as well.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I've definitely thought about it, the notion has been lingering in my mind ever since 2008. Everyday I wonder how I would live off of the money I have saved if I did.
I would like to do it, but the more I think about it the less rational it seems(especially without a plan), and I become discouraged.

 

[Tyria]

I would love to put everything into a sort of stasis and go traveling for a few years. Self-discovery and everything.

I saw the movie Eat, Pray, Love recently. I would love to have the kind of traveling experience that JR had.

 

[MG113]

Yeah I was thinking it can't possibly cost that much if you pretty much have no bills to worry about. Sure, there's car payments and crap...but if you're able to do odd things or play perhaps gigs along the way.....i think it would be the ultimate INTP freedom experience. What could be better than complete freedom of up and leaving when you get tired of a place? No ties to any one job...etc. The more I think about it, the more excited I become.....but yes...the logical thinking counters every idea with 'yeah and how are you gonna do that?" Stress.

 

[snafupants]

this scenario reminds me of that film revolutionary road, which is hands down the saddest movie of the decade. the more competitive culture becomes, the more inculcated, accepted, ritualized limiting options becomes. the movie is made more tragic because the preponderance of the population does not realize they are a joke whose only autonomous decision is the default one of breeding anew. "hopeless emptiness. now youve said it. plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness." that quote from the film sounds trite, until you realize people live in denial their entire lives; for all of the pain and grunting, have conditions improved? wrong thread?

 

[MG113]

Excellent comparison. Its funny you mention that movie as well. I highly gravitated towards the thinking of Dicaprio's character.

 

[MG113]

Are you solo in these fantasies, or do you have a traveling companion?

 

[The Gopher]

well not sure if it is the same but I imagine running just to see if people will be able to find me.

 

[bloozie]

I've actually thought of just dropping everything and doing volunteer work with the PeaceCorps.

 

[walfin]

You can't travel for a living...

Oh wait you can. Maybe if you worked for Lonely Planet.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I've actually thought of just dropping everything and doing volunteer work with the PeaceCorps.

Same here, but then uncertainty about my immediate and long-term future has kept me on the more familiar path of education.

If I had a motivated partner, who complemented me perfectly for unplanned travel, I think then I would be completely willing.

 

[Cognisant]

I've actually thought of just dropping everything and doing volunteer work with the PeaceCorps.

No doubt, that would be interesting.

Were I a successful writer I'd hypothetically travel around in a slow, meandering, living-cheaply kind of way, soaking up the human condition as I go.

 

[James Black]

I had a plan worked out, but it relies on something that may never happen. I'm not even sure if I thought of the plan, or stole it from someone, or something, but I really enjoy the idea: when/if I make enough money, I'll have a map of the world in a room, with a set of darts. Or a list of the world, with a set of darts. I'm notoriously bad with darts and can't hit anywhere near where I aim, nor do I have any sort of consistency, so it'd be a pretty safe bet that the results with vary greatly. Anyway, I'd throw a dart, or a few darts, once a month. And once a month, I'd take a trip (with my at the time Wife, if I'm so lucky) to a new part of the world. Of course, darts in the ocean would most likely have to be rethrown.

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

So we're not filling out applications here then?...
I'm sort of let down, now. I thought you were onto something, or had a plan.

I've accepted that I'll be in school for at least the next 7 years so, in the months-long break intervals in that time period, I would very much like to do this. It would be ideal, really. It's just...I don't have any money.

 

[snafupants]

I had a plan worked out, but it relies on something that may never happen. I'm not even sure if I thought of the plan, or stole it from someone, or something, but I really enjoy the idea: when/if I make enough money, I'll have a map of the world in a room, with a set of darts. Or a list of the world, with a set of darts. I'm notoriously bad with darts and can't hit anywhere near where I aim, nor do I have any sort of consistency, so it'd be a pretty safe bet that the results with vary greatly. Anyway, I'd throw a dart, or a few darts, once a month. And once a month, I'd take a trip (with my at the time Wife, if I'm so lucky) to a new part of the world. Of course, darts in the ocean would most likely have to be rethrown.

^ this is how my younger sister and advisor decided where she, my sister, would attend college. shes happy and it generally turned out pretty well. ###butt - study abroad? those programs are ephemeral and cost less than a normal semesters tuition sometimes, barring outlandish living expenses.

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

^ this is how my younger sister and advisor decided where she, my sister, would attend college. shes happy and it generally turned out pretty well. ###butt - study abroad? those programs are ephemeral and cost less than a normal semesters tuition sometimes, barring outlandish living expenses.

I will be investigating this, since I currently haven't any knowledge about this kind of thing. I just started looking at financial aid packages yesterday too, trying to see what I can get to pay for U of Minnesota tuition. If I can do something like this in the semester break intervals, then yes, I don't even know why I haven't known about this, and I will most certainly make it happen for myself.

 

[James Black]

Any of you tried this?

http://www.geocaching.com/

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Any of you tried this?

http://www.geocaching.com/

Seems like a ploy for kidnapping and IRL trolling.

 

[EditorOne]

"If I had a motivated partner, who complemented me perfectly for unplanned travel, I think then I would be completely willing."

Theoretically this makes sense, but don't forget it actually creates restrictions on the very freedom you are seeking. You might find it acceptable to spend a week on an empty hillside outside a city; your partner might not. Two sets of overlapping-not-completely agendas are inevitable.

The thing about all this is you just have to do it. You used to keep $100 under a false inner bottom of your shoe in case things just hit bottom and you had to go back home to parents or friends or whatever. These days, with digital money and cards and whatnot, I'm not sure that's even a good idea.

You go wherever you most want to go and when you get there you size up the options for staying however long you want to stay. You don't have to have a plan for a year. You can give yourself a month to go someplace and see how it plays out. If it's just too much uncertainty and variables, go home. If not, pick another place and give it another month.

Do it before you find yourself accumulating possessions, obligations and burdens.

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

"If I had a motivated partner, who complemented me perfectly for unplanned travel, I think then I would be completely willing."

Theoretically this makes sense, but don't forget it actually creates restrictions on the very freedom you are seeking. You might find it acceptable to spend a week on an empty hillside outside a city; your partner might not. Two sets of overlapping-not-completely agendas are inevitable.

The thing about all this is you just have to do it. You used to keep $100 under a false inner bottom of your shoe in case things just hit bottom and you had to go back home to parents or friends or whatever. These days, with digital money and cards and whatnot, I'm not sure that's even a good idea.

You go wherever you most want to go and when you get there you size up the options for staying however long you want to stay. You don't have to have a plan for a year. You can give yourself a month to go someplace and see how it plays out. If it's just too much uncertainty and variables, go home. If not, pick another place and give it another month.

Do it before you find yourself accumulating possessions, obligations and burdens.

Said sections are my thoughts, essentially. I really have to look into the studying abroad thing though.
Well, they're more than just thoughts, too. I've been having trouble the last 3 years or so with travel partners...No one wants to go where I want, ever. If they do, it's for a different purpose and with a completely different plan in consideration.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Well I left out "for a living" when I was thinking of going with a partner. If I were to live a lifetime of travel the only way to do it would be alone, it's just I can't see myself going anywhere anytime without inspiration. Maybe when I'm older.

 

[Thaklaar]

Maybe when I'm older.

Watch out. That phrase is habit-forming. Keep saying it long enough and you'll look up and realize you're old.

 

[Dansk]

You guys are missing out on the biggest travel opportunity of the modern era, and you are all uniquely well suited to it: teaching English.

I'm living proof: I'm typing this message at the English academy I work for in South Korea right now. Been here 5 and a half months and life is good. I'm making more money than I know what to do with! (Seriously, you try spending $2000 a month when your rent is covered and a great meal in a restaurant costs $5. They even pay return airfare when you sign a contract!)

I got fed up with my boring and broke-ass life back in Canada last winter, found a job and moved 14 time zones away from everything I knew, and it's been the best thing I ever could have done. I've learned more about myself in these five months than I did in the last 7 years combined.

Now, don't think Korea is the solution to everything. It's by far the best paying location to teach in, but there's a reason for that. The short list of downsides is that the cities are dirty and smelly, grandmothers are not cute cheek-pinchers but instead horrible vicious screaming machines, there's a distinct lack of marijuana, and the education system has more in common with a meat-grinder than something we consider learning. The benefits are no public intoxication laws and beer that's literally cheaper than water, plus fantastic hiking in the numerous mountains. (I avail myself of both former and latter on a regular basis.)

If money is less of a concern, go somewhere else. China is a huge employer at the moment, as is Vietnam or Thailand. Japan is saturated with English teachers, but it's a wonderful place to live. (Based on my 6 day visit two months ago.) South America is for those who aren't afraid to wing it, but don't go there expecting a 9-5 job and paid airfare.

I would recommend this to anyone. Teaching is much easier than you think, and there's nothing, NOTHING, like living in a foreign country to give you a new perspective on life.

Oh, and to further tempt you wannabe world explorers into doing something rash, instead of flying directly home to Canada next year, I'm going to take the trans-Siberian railway from Beijing to Moscow, and then on to Amsterdam via Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark before flying from there. Oh, and I'm going to visit North Korea too, before Kim Jong-il dies and it turns into somewhere just like everywhere else on Earth.

You may now resume your regularly scheduled lives.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Watch out. That phrase is habit-forming. Keep saying it long enough and you'll look up and realize you're old.

Haha, yea, I'm aware.

 

[Geminii]

I think I'd have to travel in elephants - have something (real or constructed) which provided the impetus for me to move from one place to another.

A consulting job with bunches of pre-arranged clients would do it. Arrive in a city, sort the client out in a couple of days, stay on for a month or three, repeat.

 

[Thaklaar]

I think I'd have to travel in elephants -

One of my favorite Heinlein stories.

 

[mke2686]

Let me just preface this by saying, I've immensely enjoyed this last week of reading posts and discovering this forum.....discovering similar personas....aka the other aliens like me that inhibit the human-majority populated planet...etc.....you all are beautiful...

Anyways, I'm a Guitar Teacher/guitarist/songwriter/musician..blah blah blah......i'll spare you, but lately on my mind has been up and traveling when my lease is up in April.

Has anyone tried such a thing or thought about it?

Sure you can google it and get a bunch of travel writing suggestions and jobs and of course those who argue them and then you're left with indecisiveness as usual, which frankly I've grown tired of.

So I ask, does anyone travel for a living and/or thought about just traveling the country and figure it out as you go? Variety and seeing every state is something I've been craving forever; with or without a traveling companion.

Nice to engaged you all as well.

i spent a little over 6 months exploring europe. it was by far the best 6 months of my life to date...

 

[orion]

i know a guy who traveled around for 8 years i think it was but he did it in europe and he lived reasonably well he said it was easy to find work just stop by little buisnesses and farms or whatever and ask if u can for a little but usualy they will pay u just under minimum wage and its hard work but he said it was worth it. also in europe they have kinda like a boarding home you can stay at for little or no charge and the trains are cheap if u want to travel.

 

[Lobstrich]

I would LOVE to do that. To go around the whole world. Experience every nation, learn about every culture, their history, their food and their traditions. It is what I want more than anything.

But I am too afraid to do so. It is hard to explain. It is impossible for me to leave my comfort zone, it is so easy to just sit at home, play some videogames, read some stuff and talk to the people I know. Leaving my home to visit another country for years without being able to see those I know. Frankly, it is scary. I have millions upon millions of "what if?'s" No matter how many positive things I can find, the negative things will always overcome.

Recently I got offered to travel to BC, Canada. And live with some family there. (Even though Canada is not what I mean by "experiencing cultures" I want to experience world that I do not know) And I would actually love to do it, I was there on a short vacation once. I loved it, and would have loved it if I went for that year. But I said no. Why? I have absolutely no, fucking idea. It's sad..

 

[Admirable Complexities]

So... When and where are we all meeting?

 

[EyeSeeCold]

But I am too afraid to do so. It is hard to explain. It is impossible for me to leave my comfort zone, it is so easy to just sit at home, play some videogames, read some stuff and talk to the people I know. Leaving my home to visit another country for years without being able to see those I know. Frankly, it is scary. I have millions upon millions of "what if?'s" No matter how many positive things I can find, the negative things will always overcome.

Recently I got offered to travel to BC, Canada. And live with some family there. (Even though Canada is not what I mean by "experiencing cultures" I want to experience world that I do not know) And I would actually love to do it, I was there on a short vacation once. I loved it, and would have loved it if I went for that year. But I said no. Why? I have absolutely no, fucking idea. It's sad..

I love crossing that threshold between the familiar and the unknown, it is exhilarating. Ultimately, you just have to commit, when you're ready to be ready, just do it without thinking. Grab some clothes, bust open the door and jump in the car. Hit the gas and take off, don't look back.

My eyes were really opened when my English teacher relayed to me that at any moment I could leave school. In fact, I didn't even have to come that day. Of course I already knew that but I never understood what it meant, I was the source of my own captivity. I had about $200 at home. At any moment I could retrieve it and take a bus or plane to a new city, state or country. Yet I choose to stay in my comfort zone, attending school weekly, 7:50-3:10, doing what I was told to do.

So... When and where are we all meeting?

Love the avatar. I had an idea to map locations of INTPs, that would have been cool.

 

[Lobstrich]

My eyes were really opened when my English teacher relayed to me that at any moment I could leave school. In fact, I didn't even have to come that day. Of course I already knew that but I never understood what it meant, I was the source of my own captivity. I had about $200 at home. At any moment I could retrieve it and take a bus or plane to a new city, state or country. Yet I choose to stay in my comfort zone, attending school weekly, 7:50-3:10, doing what I was told to do.

That is exactly my point! I am too afraid to take this 'leap of faith' all these "what if?" keep rolling through my head. I envy those who dare to just take off! I am still young though, I hope that some day I will have mustered some kind of courage and just set off, because it is nothing but a mental barrier that I have to get past, but how?... Oh well, I think I will just return to thinking about all the wonderful places, hehe.

 

[Admirable Complexities]

Love the avatar. I had an idea to map locations of INTPs, that would have been cool.

Why, thank you. And I agree. Map everyone's location and start with the closest, then move from there. Eventually, we could all chip in for a school bus. =P Now, /that/ would be epic.

 

[JoeJoe]

Love the avatar. I had an idea to map locations of INTPs, that would have been cool.

You can do that with Google Earth/Maps(?) quite easily...

 

[EyeSeeCold]

^That was the plan, didn't think anyone would go for it though.

 

[JoeJoe]

^That was the plan, didn't think anyone would go for it though.

Curse the Pness!! That's a matter of a couple of minutes!!

 

[Methuselah]

I like to travel, but I wouldn't want it to be the norm. It's hell on your body and routines. Nothing makes me feel grotier than a long flight or a multiple-day road trip.

 

[alphaxys]

I used to uphold this in my mind as the greatest lifestyle one could live-- the epitome of daring, the pinnacle of adventure, and yada yada. I damn near dropped out of high school after reading a book called The Teenage Liberation Handbook, a book that proposes "unschooling"-- i.e. dropping out of school in order to maintain an individualistic sense of intelligence and to push forth on one's own without the societal bonds of mainstream education. I wanted to train-hop and be with the anachists, the vagrants, the radicals. I was reading a lot of crimethinc at the time.

Anyways, I didn't, and while I regret that decision at times, there are other times (predominantly) where I feel like I would have ended up burnt out, toothless, an alcoholic, and jaded past the point of any return to a light, neutral normalcy of attitude. I have seen too many travelers who beat themselves into the ground and are now a shell of themselves, barely having the energy to take back cans to buy themselves another beer. Sounds dramatic, sure, but unless you have a good deal of money, traveling can be a very hard life.

There are ways to get around this though. Like one-- don't squat. Many squatters are among the most immoral and depraved members of society, not to mention mentally disturbed (violence tends to accompany these types as well). Two-- travel within an established system-- that means WWOOFing, going to intentional communities, doing Au Pair jobs, or taking seasonal work at resorts, hotels, and nature centers. Three-- try to maintain some contact with people who are locationally-stable, as you may need these people if you get between a rock and a hard place, and also because they will keep you in touch with the dominant culture (in lieu of your normal avenues like computer, tv, written media-- much of which generally falls by the wayside if you are on the road too long). Which is to say that this continual contact with mainstream culture will effectively keep you grounded while living such a "whirlwind lifestyle."

I've written an epic somehow.

I do think I will end up traveling again, but I am going to wait until I graduate so that I can do it through established avenues with some degree of comfort. I'm not knocking the "ascetic" lifestyle (I mean this in a way unrelated to actual monkdom, that's a whole other segue), but poverty can only be romantic for so long, in my case.

 

[JarNew]

I WISH

Although I thought about it a lot. I decided the best thing for me to do is go through college and get a job and then travel.

I mean if I'm going to travel I have to do it first class. What I realy enjoy the most is sensual experiences and for the best of those I'm going to need money for mountain climbing gear, a tent, and a russian mail order bride. jk about the bride, but it would be really enjoyable to have a girl to travel with who I can just experience true life with..

 

[NeverSayMyName]

To answer the question: probably yes. I might get sick of it in a long run, but I'd rather do that than nothing.

In addition, being a professional musician and touring around the world in a band is something I'd love to do for sure. I dream about every day, literally

 

[Stoic Beverage]

I've always wanted to...
I really want a job that doesn't require me to stay in any specific location for any amount of time. I figure unless I become a writer, which is the only practical occupation that fits the aforementioned criteria, I don't see it happening. Half of me wants to get a practical, good-paying job, and settle down, because that's what I "should" do. But the other half wants to find a buddy, put my thumb in the air, and go where the winds take me. That would be my ideal existence, but I'd always have someone from my family looking over my shoulder, pressuring me to be "successful". Which, by their standards, is what I'd call a wasted life. You really only get one run, and I don't want to have to slow down.

 

[NeverSayMyName]

I've always wanted to...
I really want a job that doesn't require me to stay in any specific location for any amount of time. I figure unless I become a writer, which is the only practical occupation that fits the aforementioned criteria, I don't see it happening. Half of me wants to get a practical, good-paying job, and settle down, because that's what I "should" do. But the other half wants to find a buddy, put my thumb in the air, and go where the winds take me. That would be my ideal existence, but I'd always have someone from my family looking over my shoulder, pressuring me to be "successful". Which, by their standards, is what I'd call a wasted life. You really only get one run, and I don't want to have to slow down.

You're not alone, trust me. I'm going to do whatever feels right, instead of what I "should" do, or others want me to do.

 

[Linsejko]

You guys are all theory and no action.

I'm planning a very concrete year off after this year of university ends. I'll be working in construction for 6 months in America, saving almost every penny I can--aside from martial arts classes that I won't deprive myself of--and then I'll travel through South America and hit every country (taking my time in Chile, Colombia, and a bit in Brazil I think), perfecting my Spanish, enjoying the perfect beaches, seeing the rain forest, learning a little about every indigenous people I can meet, learning to really dance, and just getting to know myself apart from work. I figure a saved $10,000 should be enough for a comfortable 6 months in SoAm. I'll use contacts through pasporta servo and friends of friends (I know an absurd amount of South Americans from every part) to get grounded with locals everywhere I go.

 

[gephura]

I've thought about it quite a lot already, but for now money is short.
I finish university this year though, so this summer would be ideal...

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

You guys are all theory and no action.

I'm planning a very concrete year off after this year of university ends. I'll be working in construction for 6 months in America, saving almost every penny I can--aside from martial arts classes that I won't deprive myself of--and then I'll travel through South America and hit every country (taking my time in Chile, Colombia, and a bit in Brazil I think), perfecting my Spanish, enjoying the perfect beaches, seeing the rain forest, learning a little about every indigenous people I can meet, learning to really dance, and just getting to know myself apart from work. I figure a saved $10,000 should be enough for a comfortable 6 months in SoAm. I'll use contacts through pasporta servo and friends of friends (I know an absurd amount of South Americans from every part) to get grounded with locals everywhere I go.

 

[FearDunn]

Wind at my back
Sun on my face
Capture season
Release rhyme following reason
Pedal winding chain
Distance sought and knowledge gained.

 

[Magnetosphere]

Oh, wow. My family members always used to think that I was a bit messed up, simply because I wanted nothing more than to travel the country a few years back. I almost dropped out of high school when I was seventeen to walk from Michigan to Montana. My mom wasn't very happy about the idea, but she figured that there wasn't much she could do to stop me.

I ended up trashing the thought not long after - still, it's something I've always wanted to do.

 

[indigofireflies]

Always. At least once a month I look at roads and think 'I have money. I could just travel. Be on my own. Throw away all my connections and walk.' I've always wanted to be like Thoreau and just kind of be a hermit in the woods and write. Life-long dream. I'll eventually do it, no doubt, and crawl back to civilization for internet.

Or never return. Always possibilities.

 

[Omelas]

In a word, yes.

Right now, considering said option quite seriously. Except...well, I can't. Stupid logic, getting in the way of random travel plans.

 

[warryer]

I once drove from ohio to florida just because. I didn't do anything when I got there, it was the going part that did it for me. It wasn't as personal as going for a walk or a bike ride but, still thats a long distance to go. I sometimes get a kick out of going for a walk in the middle of the night when everything is so peaceful. It feels like a spiritual experience.

The drive put into perspective just how small this country/world really is. How my problems, in the grand scheme, don't matter all that much so I shouldn't take so much stock in them.

I recommend that each and every one of you go. When you feel the urge... DO IT. It is extremely liberating. Yes you can rely on yourself. Yes it is worth dropping everything. Explore.