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Julies last blog post..Tango Caribeno/Caribbean Tango
Anthony Connors last blog post..Departure and The Route
Anthony Connors last blog post..Departure and The Route
They specialize in 2-3 week placements, but offer some long-term projects as well. And you don't have to be a teenager to sign up.
Marilyn Terrells last blog post..Indy Adventure Contest Winner: #3
When I was 22, I was thinking of 401ks and careers but really, I should have been thinking about full moon raves and seeing Rome. Now, I'm living a 22 yr olds life. I feel 23 so why not act it!! Age is only a number right?
Everyone gets on me about traveling but, you live life once! Everyone worries about money but I've found if you are versitile and willing to work, you'll get by just fine b/c like you said, you don't need much stuff!!
ps- I'll e-mail you re: dinner
pps- I stumbled you !
@Anthony: That's great that you're travelling now at 21... you're smart for making the leap!
@Marilyn: Thanks for the link, that's a great resource for folks thinking of taking the plunge. Also, have to say I love Intelligent Travel! Thanks for stopping by...
@Matt: I was actually thinking of you when I wrote the 'how much it costs item', because I know you've been able to travel extensively on a limited budget. You should write an article on the "drop dead cheapest budget for world travel". PS Thanks for the stumble!
First, I felt a bit bad about bullying you with my pushy little "Go to Spain" speech earlier in the week. Travel and living abroad has changed my life... I wanted to share that with you.
I love the list! 22 was actually the worst year of my life... there were so many things I should have known but didn't... although, like you, I'm not sure I would have been open to the advice and good counsel of older, wiser creatures.
Here's what I wish I had known at 22:
9) Instead of spending time looking/searching for someone amazing, BE amazing! The challenge is to be interesting and passionate and kind and engaged in your life. Love will come. (And it did... a little later).
10) I wish I had known (by this I mean that I wish I had really, truly understood) that someday I would die. I would have spent less time feeling sad or bored or complaining or looking at the clock during class. Now that I'm in the middle of my life (rather than the quarter mark), I live more fully.
11) Mistakes can be great teachers. At 22, I was terrified to screw up and this fear prevented me from taking some important risks. Now I try to learn from my mistakes and I feel less afraid to change my path, change my life. (Just like you are doing!) I've also learned that a lot of things can actually be fixed. If I have a conversation that goes badly, I can go back to that person the next day and say, "I'm really sorry that I hurt you. Let's try again." That's so cool!
Great post! Thanks!
Teacher Girls last blog post..Postcards I Wish I Had Sent, Barcelona
I was lucky enough to travel a lot in college, but I definitely wish I'd known that I didn't have to turn into an "adult" once I graduated. I was so worried about money and becoming successful that I denied myself a lot of opportunities all throughout my 20s.
Now I'm making them up in my 30s and not looking back! In fact, I quit my job on Monday and leave for Madrid next Friday (although unlike you, Christine, I'm only going for a week!) Who knows what I'll do when I get back. I'm just trying not to worry about it!
@Travel Betty: Man you are putting me to shame!! Here I was worrying about moving to Madrid, and you're making it look easy :)
When I was 22 I was, like Nomadic Matt, thinking about 401ks and careers, and although travel was on my mind, I didn't think it was a practical choice at the time. Now I am at the early stage of planning my extented time off (a mini retirement from the corporate world you could say) that hopefully will take off in the next year or two.
carpool guys last blog post..Montreal, Quebec to Fernie, British-colombia, Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain
I've been wanting to travel again and all of you are close to making me not re-sign my lease, put my furniture in storage and just go somewhere.
I'm at my wit's end not knowing what to do with myself --tomorrow, next week, this month, this year. I can't really figure out what to do in the next 15 minutes. I'm jobless, brokenhearted and in debt already.
Somebody email me with some great ideas. Maybe one of you will actually convince me to drop everything and go.
Traveling won't solve your problems, but if want to do it, there is no reason you can't make it work...
www.bettysonly.blogspot.com
Betty's Onlys last blog post..Really Really Trying
Cujo: If you are interested in integrating college and travel, why not look into a semester abroad or the semester at sea program. Most colleges have international connections with other universities and frequently exchange students. Semester at Sea is usually an around the world trip on a cruising ocean liner where between ports students take classes preparing them for the next country. The semester abroad has more cultural immersion.
The extreme college/travel experience is the World College Program in New York. I attended this school for 4 years, living in Kenya for a year and Costa Rica for two years AND received college credit for it
http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/globalcollege/
Any one else with some ideas?
1) Working as an au pair (nanny)
2) Waiting tables and bar tending
3) Working at the front desk of a hostel
4) Teaching English at a language institute, a local school or, if you are an educator at an American or international school
5) Travel writing
6) Working on a cruise ship
Many of my friends who have taken long trips worked for a certain period of time (a year or two) with the goal of saving money for their travels. Some lived with their parents... but they all lived frugally so that they could save as much money as possible for their trip.
Dream big (but stay out of debt)!
Teacher Girls last blog post..Postcards I Wish I Had Sent, Sevilla
Kens last blog post..The Dog Came Back
transliterations last blog post..Georgian Transliteration and Virtual Keyboard
I am putting together a list for you and all those interested today and you should see something posted shortly.
If you guys have any suggestions for Cujo and other travellers, leave them in the comments and I will include them on my list.
Thanks!
5/28/08 Update: I have posted a list of online resources here: Making Money While Traveling: The Quick Guide
As for droping off everything and go, I would find a way to take care of the debt first (don't have to pay all off at once before you travel), then figure out how you can save some money for travel. Once you make travel your priority, you will learn to figure out ways to save for it (live frugally (do you want a new shirt/cable (fill in the blank here) or do you want to travel), take up a second job for awhile, stay out of debt, work abroad, etc.)
Cujo: I agree with the others: definitely think about studying abroad.
I wouldn't quit school just to travel because you learn and experience a lot in college (in and out of class) and your degree will take you farther than you think no matter which area you choose. I traveled a lot when I was in college on the weekend, during the holiday break, and summers and that definitely broaden my mind a lot.
Jenny: I live in Iowa too and yes, had a very sheltered life:) until I got to college and really started to travel, and that broaden my life, my mind, and my perspectives on life and the world.
In response to the questions about how to get work online and some resources, I have posted this article: Making Money While Traveling: The Quick Guide.
Check it out and let me know it this is helpful.
Thanks!
Christine
I know some amazing 50+ people too. I think it depends more on the person than anything else.
In this article I was talking to myself at 22, and I was super motivated. I literally had a temp job after college that was photocopying all day, and I did the best, fastest job I could do. It was a 1 week job, and I got it done in a day. My reward? They sent me home for the rest of the week. So basically, I just knocked myself out on any job I had, regardless of any benefit. I just wouldn't do that now, and I don't think most people my age would take such things as seriously.
It did work out for me, because I did turn one of those temp jobs into a systems developer position, by the brute force of my will. Might have saved myself some of the stress of it though in retrospect.
I wish people around me knew what you know because I refuse to take one of those type jobs, I hate to "work" and by work I mean a job sitting at a desk doing somethign meaningless that I dont care about and my parents keep going on and on about how i need a job but I just want to travel. I wouldnt mind "working" if it were something i believed in something to help endangered animals or something involving travel. but I hated college and dropped out so the peace corps wouldnt take me and in iowa there arent many jobs availible period, let alone in areas of my interest. That is why I want to move back to California where I briefly lived for a few months last summer, there are lots more jobs there and its a warm beautiful place, I just feel like a helpless kid since my parents dont agree with me they wont help me and I have no idea how to go about moving finding a place, and a job that will pay the rent and the student loans i have racked up because without a degree I dont get opprotunities that I feel I deserve (but thats a whole other venting paragraph haha) My dad thinks I should conform, take a desk job, make money and accept that as my life and I just refuse. Id rather anything than that. I looked into becomign a travel agent but couldnt find any clear information on how to go about that, there are some random online programs that seem fishy to me and schools in far off places that are expensive and of course I have no money and dont even know how reputable they are or if being a travel agent would even give me the travel I want. some listings I saw while in california woudlnt hire a person who hasnt even traveled outside the country yet. So I feel lost and confused and helpless and I probably sound whiny, I just wish there was a step by step list of exactly what to do so I could get the hell out of iowa and find myself in a job that i would like to save money for travel or else a job that IS travel.
I had thought about working while abroad too but when I did research and tried looking for positions alot of people i talked to told me its very hard to find work in a country where you need sponsorship without a degree (which I dont have or want) because its expensive and they would rather hire locals than bring an foreigner over. I know I could work here and save money but I hate Iowa so much and the jobs here are pointless stupid ones that I cant make myself care about, thats why I was trying to find a job that I could do in the US to save for travel that would be worthwhile and fun or connected to travel somehow. I like the idea of working with kids or animals and working outdoors, otherwise I love jobs where you go from palce to place all day and its always different. I thought it would be fun to be a professional organizer since I love to clean and organize things, or a travel agent/travel writer, but I dont know how to just go and be something like that, you dont see ads in the newspaper for jobs like those and some of that may just be because I live in iowa where everything sucks, I dont know.
Jenny, I don't want to sound preachy but you are in the best situation for saving major $$ right now. Living with your parents is the best way to save. Rent is paid, food is paid, you might even have the use of a car as well! In that setup working even at a poorly paid job will allow you to save. In less than a year you could have enough to travel for two depending on where you went.
Moving out to Cali is the quickest way to working hard and not saving a penny. Ask yourself what your priorities are. Finish college? Meaningful Job/Career? Travel? All three? In what order? And focus on the goal...
yeah I know you are right thats why i came back after I dropped out, I hated college it is everything that is NOT me to make it short haha travel is what I want most, the only reason I want a meaningful career is because I figure I have to work at SOME point to get money so I dont die and if I have to work then I want to work in a job that I love and that I believe in. I know I cant be a travel writer if I dont travel so I know in all actuality that I wont "have" that career right now, so I am trying to think of other unconventional jobs that would make me happy and I just dont know if staying in iowa will do it, and if I stay and save then I go travel then all my money is gone and I come back to iowa again? that is what scares me. I dont know how long money will last abroad and I dont want to be right back at square one thats the only reason I was thinking of moving first, because if I lived in a warmer climate with more to do I wouldnt be as miserable in the waiting period while I saved, although I wouldnt be able to save as quickly I might find a rewarding job there that could lead to travel opprotunities or at least keep me happy while I save. I may even meet friends to travel WITH and we could split some costs. I guess I just dont want to stay put here because im afraid the longer I stay in iowa the more unhappy ill become and if the world ended id rather have spent my time in a beautiful warm place with activities to do and friends to be with than sitting here wishing a fairy godmother would save me
I am twenty, and your advice means a lot to me. I take my job far too seriously, want to travel but have no vacation time, am on the brink of debt and use my parents as my safety net. Your post made me think - my current job is not my career. I sure can call out sick, vacation time or not, because now is the best time to go to Brasil, Japan, Europe... wherever.
Thank you again.
The worse trap you can fall into, is be afraid of picking the wrong thing, you pick nothing. You end up taking the path of least resistance. A very boring life living at home, not traveling, not going to school, not working at a job you like.
The Fix:
Pick something now. Pick, and don't worry about it too much. What you would do tomorrow if you could?
Flesh it out. Is it travel? What country? Where do you want to live? What kinds of things would you be doing. Then set your goals on that.
I agree with Raypainter... you're in the best position to do something amazing starting right now. You just have to decide what it is. There is no step by step, these are the hard decisions you have to make!!
Then, when you have decided, come back here. Tell us your dream plan. Then we can point you in a direction. You can literally do whatever you want. Go, decide.
Rough Budget:
$2500 for a 6 month volunteer program in Africa
$1500 for flight from NY ($1300 flight plus $200 bus ticket Iowa to NY)
$2500 pocket money for 6 months ($100 a week)
=$6500 for 6 months living and volunteering in africa. Your pocket money should roughly be enough to take a safari as a side trip or spend a couple weeks living in africa after your volunteering effort.
So here is your goal. Raise $6500 in 6 months.
- Spend nothing. Continue to live at home. Save every single penny you can.
- Tell friends and family about your plan. Blow off any misgivings. Be strong. Tell them instead of gifts for your birthday you want cash for your trip.
- Defer your student loans for 6 months. Tell them you are going to volunteer overseas.
- Write down your reasons for wanting to go. Think through all the benefits this trip will have on your life.
- Keep people in your life up to date on how much you've saved and how much you have to go.
- Get a job. Or a second job. Offer out your services. Mow lawns. Walk dogs. Tell people about what you're doing.
- As you get closer to your date raise funds. Lots of people have hit me up for their volunteer trips, and usually a nicely crafted letter will do the trick.
- Start a blogger.com blog to keep track of your fundraising and spread the word.
- Set up a table outside the grocery store on saturdays if you have to and make posters about where you're going, what you're doing and why you need their donation.
- Write the local paper in your town in Iowa. Tell them what you're doing and why you're collection donations.
Then you go to Africa. You write about it. You send your articles all over the place both online and print publications. You decide if this is what you want to do. If it is, you've just opened a bunch of doors for yourself-- degree or no. You could work at a non-profit, you could get writing assignments, you could go back to school for journalism if you love it. You could hit the road again.
A woman I know raised $10,000 to run the Dublin marathon for cystic fibrosis in 6 months. It can be done.
Ok, don't let me be the only one to throw out ideas. What other advice can we give Jenny?
In ten days we will fly out of Boise with our ten-year-old twin sons, three bicycles, two trailers, and a whole lotta food and gear. And then we will spend the next 2 1/2 years riding said bikes from Alaska to Argentina.
Are we scared? You bet! Do we wonder if we made the right decision? At times. Will it be a wonderful experience? Absolutely.
You can read about our journey at www.familyonbikes.org
I'm looking forard to leave France...Here is my blog about the project :
http://www.romain-world-tour.com
;)
about 10 years of building a career that I hated. I abandoned it all in my early 30's, threw caution to the wind, and pursued a career in film and video production.
Which is what I still do today in Las Vegas.
I have sworn to teach my son principle #1 from the time he could speak to the time he is ready to go out on his own: Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life!
Andrew Hamilton
Convention Videographers Las Vegas
Hamilton International Productions
http://www.hiproductions.com
I'm only 16, but still. after school I'll definitely go somewhere!
Understand that most of the people at work will not matter in 5 years. Do what is right for you and your friends.
You will figure it out.
Be kind.
What do I wish I'd known when I was 22?
1) After you graduate, no one will ever look at your transcript again. Your grades will not define you. Turn off the computer and go to bed.
2) After you graduate, no one will ever care how many extra-curricular activities you coordinated or how many committees you were elected to. Put down the clipboard and go have some fun.
:D
I just graduated from college, 2.5 weeks ago. I am jobless (though i am looking), virtually broke, and living at home which has been KILLING me.
I went abroad 2 years ago to Vienna, Austria and fell in love with backpacking/traveling. I plan on working a landscaping job, to earn some capital... buying as many shares of VISA as possible.. and then running away for a month and see where I end up... I would like to go overseas again, but no matter what anyone says.. its going to be at least 1.5g minimum for flights off the bat (short notice etc...)
Is there anywhere fantastic in the states i should check out (im from new england, CT)... and how should i do it (i've got a leased car with a limited amount of miles per year, so driving hinders me somewhat as does the expensive fuel prices.)
Congrats on your graduation JamesDady!
Eva: So true what you wrote! Couldn't agree more!
I am 22. My husband and I have been married for four years. We have a three year old son. We just bought our first house last week. I love to travel. I am currently a junior in college, and I was able to go to Germany this past spring break with a class, that was the first time I've been outside of the US.
I keep telling myself that my time will come once I am older, but I am sad to have missed out on these backpack/adeventure/peacecorp days. I was so excited to get married and settle down.
I just keep telling myself that my time will come.
Rachels last blog post..we are homeowners!
I want to amend this post to add: "There is no Right Way".
Look at this way, you will be 37 when your oldest goes to college. You can travel the world while I'm in my early 40's and chasing a screaming 3 year old around and wishing what I really knew at 22 was I should shut up and have kids already while I still have energy.
You're in an awesome phase in your life. If nothing else this blog is about enjoying your life now, whatever that means. For me it's travel. For you it's family and a sweet house. There is no Right Way.
That girlfriend you are with at 22 wont be there when you are 30, and she will have kept you from:
- travelling,
- fucking a load of nice women,
- being experienced with women
- some of your hard earned cash.
JT
http://www.Privacy-Center.net
Great stuff. The Haymarket! Small world, I'm from Amherst. Good luck on your travels. I envy you.
I've always been greatly interested in traveling. Some things like student loans and credit card debt has held me back but over time i always tend to calmly think about what i want to be doing in the next six months and i do a little something to get where i want to be. For instance, I grew up almost my entire life in the states and last year in September I left my web designer job of 2 years, was doing good actually, and moved to Peru, which is where I was born. But now im struggling with trying to travel more because i succumbed to a job in the family business. Frankly not doing much here since my uncle who happens to be the boss doesn't get along with me very well..and besides a distribution company doesn't have much use for a graphic designer after a few months work.
cheers!
-Fer
it's people who has that thought which causes us to go into debt as a nation, as well as individuals filing bankruptcy and using those credit cards you oh-so-declare not to use. It's one in the same...
Don't be naive, have a backup plan in case something major comes along (car accident, accidental death, birth, etc).
The rest I can almost agree with; except i don't think everyone needs to travel... i think most people actually need to focus on the local area they're in and try to improve it.
but what do i know, i'm only 25 and most likely have more money than everyone who's commented, and i have everything a guy could want:
- Badass Jaguar, Viper, Corvette (68), and lastly my prized shelby cobra
- A 7000sqft house, filled to the gills with cool shit like plasma TV's, etc etc.
- King Air (it's a plane guys, a plane)
- An awesome Wife
I did NOT inherit any money, and i've worked my ass off since i was 14. I lost my parents when I was young, and have had to struggle through most of my young life, but I have learned more than most people will ever know.
Only words of wisdom I could give is "Do what you love, and love what you do"
My suggestion - work real hard in your 20's - I have no regrets that I didn't do the backpacking thing. I still had a blast in my 20's but I also worked long hours. Take a vacation or two every year and you'll still see plenty. Then when you're 45, you'll be relaxing on a beach in the Caribbean smiling and thinking about those 23 year old backpackers you knew who are now fighting to make ends meet and raise kids in their 40's.
This article was written with people who want to travel in mind -- not targeting the entire population. Some people have no desire to do so and will sit back and enjoy their life in a non-traveling way. But yet others want to do more -- see more.
And if material things are what make you happy, then congratulations on the success you claim. I'm 22 and while I would like to have modest possessions the things you have listed are just that: things. In the end, they will provide nothing more than a waning memory.
Traveling, or something of the sort, will provide an insurmountable experience that will go with you the rest of your life. You'll eventually have to replace everything you have now with something bigger and better (either because they degrade or because they're old). It's a constant process. But sitting back and taking in the exotic locales or different cultures -- or even simply the fact that you're not at home -- isn't something that can be so easily replaced.
*No one needs travel.* I can't emphasize this enough. Travel benefits no one in a modern developed country, as we have access to essentially everything and better.
If you've read this, you have computer access. You no longer need to see Venice/Japan/Wherever because you can scrounge up thousands of photos of every place you would go via Flickr. You can find the spices in the food you'd eat in online stores. You can find classes offering the exact same things you'd do somewhere in your nearest city.
Pay off your debts. I cannot stress this enough. You did not "deserve" that education - pay for it and stop leeching off of other people. You go without what you cannot afford, and that includes goofing off and drinking your years of college away.
Stop thinking you're a unique butterfly who gets to flutter off to new places and experience new things because you're young. Stop thinking you are immortal and that you have an infinite amount of time to make bad decisions.
To me, this advice is useless and contrary to being a responsible member of society.
Stop wasting your time. You don't get much.
As a reference, I am college-educated, responsible, debtless 21-year-old with a concrete job who realizes how stupid young people like the ones being encouraged really are.
1. Pick a career you love; you don’t have to give into the pressure to be practical. This is bad advice, because the reality is that the "cool careers" are, for most people, impractical if not impossible choices. I live in New York, so I'll point out the obvious, which is that the 22-year-olds who work in publishing, the arts, and the like do NOT pay their own rent. They're parentally supported, which leads to the paradoxical result of unpaid publishing interns living in much nicer apartments than young Wall Streeters-- pretty much the only New Yorkers under 30 who can afford to live there on their own steam.
Market forces ensure that, at a given level of education, work that is enjoyable pays less than other work for no reason other than because it is enjoyable. This is good and bad, mostly bad-- good because it provides a way for the grunt work to get done seamlessly and efficiently, but bad because the enjoyability of work is actually pretty highly correlated to its usefulness to society, while this dynamic encourages pointless, dead-end activity while punishing a lot of useful work-- a garden-variety local artist is 20 times more useful to society than the average white-collar office worker, but the former starves, must quit and do something else, while the latter flourishes. The result is to encourage not merely the completion, but also the creation, of unnecessary unpleasant work, and to steer our society toward a dearth of originality. This is actually a catastrophic social problem that threatens our society's future existence, but that's an entirely different discussion.
The differences in wages and prospects among career tracks are due to market forces-- competition, and the point here is that entering a "cool career" inevitably involves competition with the children of the rich, who can work for a pittance (or unpaid) because of their trust funds, and who can work 80 hours per week because their parents hire maids. I'm sorry, but your advice is impractical: telling the average college graduate to enter this rigged game is just dangerous.
#5. The job you have right now is not that important.
I disagree here, too. It's true that most 22-year-olds are working very hard at irrelevant grunt work, but if they toss caution to the wind and "follow their dreams" for five years, they're likely going to end up as 27-year-olds doing the same grunt work that could have been gotten out of the way half a decade ago-- with bosses who are younger than they are! I don't think there's any way around the inevitable professional hazing other than to suck it up and go straight through, and I think that most people would rather get it out of the way at 22, when they can have nervous breakdowns or develop self-destructive habits with limited consequences, than in their late 20s or 30s.
You're absolutely right that the actual work done by the average 22-year-old is of nearly no importance, and will inevitably be forgotten within a couple of years, but positioning and brand-name are of critical importance. For most ambitious young people, the 20s are a desperate scramble to become the "protege" of someone important and be "made", since every young professional who is awake has already learned that hard work and talent have almost nothing to do with it, while connections and permissions rule. Doing unimportant work at a place like Goldman Sachs provides the remote possibility of becoming someone's "protege", whereas doing unimportant work for a two-year college's IT department does not, and that's the essential difference. In practice, the "protege" phenomenon is so rare that most people need a couple decades in order to have a chance, and entering the game at 30 is like losing half a box of lottery tickets.
6. You don’t need a safety net.
This is the worst advice ever. Subprime aside, most people who run into financial failure do so not because of buying boats or second houses, but because of unexpected disasters like medical bills. People fail every day not because they're stupid or lazy, but because of very real pitfalls in this society. You're absolutely correct, by the way, with point #2-- running a credit-card balance is utterly stupid. What I'll point out, however, is that for most lower-middle-class Americans, credit cards *are* the safety net.
7. This is the best time in your life to travel carefree.
You're half-right. Travel is extremely problematic for Americans. For most of us, it's prohibitively difficult at any stage of life. We live in a Third World, failed society where there is no universal healthcare, and where there is no federal vacation floor. Most companies have shitty vacation policies, and the result is that most people will not be able to do any significant overseas travel until retirement.
What you miss is the fact that someone recently out of college is a nobody, and cannot afford a long resume gap, since he'll be competing against hundreds of people without such gaps. You might consider the "nonconventional" job applicant who eschewed work and traveled for a year to be a more interesting, original, and complete person than the horde of young resume-padders, and you're almost certainly right. But your positive view of such a person is not mainstream, and 95+% of future employers are going to look at someone who took a year off to travel around Europe (regardless of the facts) as a lackadaisical, spoiled rich kid who couldn't figure out what to do with his life, and who is probably looking for a job now only because his parents' portfolio is doing poorly. It's an inaccurate and extremely unfair judgment, but you're deluded if you don't think a well-traveled, under-padded 20-something is not going to run into it.
My father told me when I was young to "not get too involved with a girl while you're young--save that until you're old like me." I followed his advice and I'm glad I did.
In the end people are going to do what they want to do. Just don't come looking for free handouts in 20 years because you didnt save when you were young because you were too busy traveling.
two things you should get alot of while youre young are sex and real estate.
I agree with you on most points, but I think I'm coming at this question from a different angle. You mention for #1, that the "cool jobs" are difficult to get. No doubt. I was thinking more along the lines of not getting a traditional 9-5 job at all-- like trying my hand at writing a novel or starting a business or any number of things. I don't even think I would have been successful, but I would have liked to try. That's my personal perspective. You're experience may be completely different.
I also didn't address the pay vs. job enjoyment factor, but you picked up on something I think is important to underline. From my perspective, making the most possible money is only a limited source of enjoyment for me. Making money has always been a means to an end, and when my salary doubled, then tripled over my career, I didn't find my quality of life increasing. I suspect, and I am testing this theory in front of the world, on this site, that I will be happier making a living wage, with increased control over my lifestyle, than I ever was making the "big bucks" and very little control.
On #5, I was being flip, and a lot of people called me on this. Naturally if you want to move up in certain competitive careers, doing grunt work well and hard is critical. From my personal perspective, I wouldn't have stressed myself out that much. My first job wasn't even in the field I ended up in, and I allowed myself to get stressed over petty things that ultimately didn't have any impact on my future career.
On #6, I respectfully disagree. When I was 22, the idea of moving overseas was very scary to me. I could get mugged! I could get sick! I imagined all kinds of horrible things. But the truth is that traveling is about as safe as living in a major US city. The likelihood of something terrible happening does not increase dramatically because you cross the Atlantic. While I agree that having financial backup and proper health insurance is important, I don't think it's any more dangerous if you're in a flat in Paris than a studio in New York.
On #7 I half disagree. I think as with anything there is a risk of misrepresenting yourself. You could tell your employer you spent the last year getting drunk in Bali. But as someone who has interviewed future employees, with gaps for travel and for other things (like divorce, child birth etc) I don't think they will make assumptions that the person is rich or spoiled. At least I didn't, and I don't know that my fellow managers acted any differently.
Mike, I do appreciate your comments, so I apologize if it seems like I'm singling you out. But I did want to take a moment to address some of the comments on this thread and your response was so thorough.
Thanks to everyone who has visited the site and to those who have commented. Even if you don't agree with my article, I appreciate hearing the feedback. I do hope that I can make this site useful for people who are interested in taking a similar path.
Thanks,
Christine
almostfearless.com
Over come your fear
As for #5, I'd agree with you that a lot of things that seem critically important at 22 are, in fact, not. I don't think doing well on the average entry-level grunt assignment matters, in the long term, any more than a grade in a college course. However, an assignment that might lead to better assignments, or a star mentor, is of much more importance. Most young professionals don't have the perspective to tell the important assignments from the chaff. They tend to err on the side of presuming all assignments to be important, because firms are good enough at hiring and firing to filter out, or get rid of, those who would err the other way.
On #6, it seems we're talking about entirely different things with the term "safety net", because I misinterpreted what you meant. Your point is that travel abroad isn't really that dangerous, and I agree. My point had to do with the concept of a domestic "safety net" that has nothing to do with travel. I misinterpreted your point about the "safety net" to be a general one, rather than a specific one regarding travel.
As for #7, I was probably overreaching with the claim that someone who took a year to travel would be seen as rich and spoiled, but I still maintain that most employers wouldn't excuse a long resume gap because of the person was traveling.
An established freelance writer or tech consultant can get away with traveling for a few months or a year, because he has a reputation that won't fade significantly if he takes some time off. But a 2x-year-old nobody can't really afford to have a long gap on his resume, and travel doesn't sound better to most people than "I read, and took walks in the park, and went to parties". Like it or not, the boneheaded macho culture that rewards presence and sacrifice over performance and potential, and that punishes perceived self-indulgences such as voluntary employment gaps, is still very much in force in most of corporate America.
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if photojournalism is your dream, then go for it man. Don't do what your parents want you to do, its your life, not theirs. In the end, you will be the most sucessful at what makes you happy, and if you've found that in photojournalism, then dont let anything stop you.
The traveling advice is great too. Even if you run out of money while traveling, make sure you have a work visa and you'll never be short (:
Loved this post!
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I think there's a lot of truth here - even though I disagree with a few points.
I'd add: Children change everything.
I am in my mid30s. I'm a lawyer married to a lawyer. The legal profession doesn't lend itself well to travel, depending on what you do (of course, as I say this, hubby is in Germany).
When I was younger, I traveled everywhere I could. I grew up in the rural south, I had no money but I knew that I wanted to see what else was *out there*. I was lucky enough to see some pretty amazing places.
Now that I have small children, I hope to pass along a love of travel to them but it's far more complicated than it used to be. I used to be able to pack up on a moment's notice and fly away - now there are school and dance schedules to work around. My children still travel - my (now) 2 yr old flew over to the UK with us in March - but it's not the same. It's much, much harder.
So, I agree that you should travel as much as you can when you're 22(ish). The whole world is out there waiting.
And no, pictures are not the same as having a beer in a Czech beer hall or eating from a street vendor in Singapore. You don't feel the same way staring at a computer screen as you do looking out over the valleys in Wales from atop a mountain. Not even close.
As for those folks who talk about finances and material things, you know, whatever floats your boat. But personally, I'll say that when I graduated from law school, my husband and I both made really good money but worked long hours. So we paid someone to clean our house, do our laundry and mow our lawn. We ate out every night. When we made arrangements to have someone walk the dog, we realized that we were paying someone else to live our lives for us. I missed my old life (ok, not the laundry part). I wanted to get up each day and be excited about my day. So I changed things - I now love what I do (still a lawyer but I own my own firm, also a blogger).
Money is important but - as cliche as it is - it doesn't buy happiness.
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Family
Family
Family
If you have a sucky family then I am seriously sorry for you, but my family are no picnic. My mum was a pot head manic depressive who hung herself, my gran was the founding secretary of the National Front for f**ks sake, my dad is a failed entrepreneur and for many years an alcoholic, my brother is a bloody communist, the other just plays computer games all day, the third is in care and we only get to see him once a month, I spent a few years in care myself, my grandfather was a Nazi holocaust denier, my aunt hung herself two days ago... okay you get the picture my family is screwed up, but they are still the most important thing that you will ever have in your life. And they are all the more precious because they're not always going to be there. If I could go back in time and talk to my 12 year old self I would tell her to grow the hell up and stop being so selfish spoilt and self centred. And that's what I'm telling you people now. Some of you have kids and I'm sure that they are the joys of your life and I'm proud of you and them. There is nothing that you can do in this world that is more wonderful than bringing children into it. Lots of children. They are the future.
Yes I want to see the world, but I don't want to backpack and be all hot and sweaty and worried about how I'm going to eat whether I'm going to sleep in a bed or a haystack. I want to travel with my husband and kids when I have had a fulfilling life and deserve some relaxation.
My advise to all you people out there that are my age (19 or there abouts) is:
1. Get a job - join the army: good pay, great benefits and takes care of point 4
2. Get married
3. Have some kids
4. Give something back to your country
5. Make a pile of dough
6. Then treat yourself - go travelling, have a swimming pool installed, employ a maid to do the house work, whatever you like...
My most important piece of advice is: Don't while away the best years of your life on yourself. While you are young and able; make money, do some good in your community, inspire the local kids to make good of their lives, anything! There is time enough when you are older and less able to do stuff that matters to treat yourself.
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This could generate a great stream of income on your site also or just save you a bunch of money when you travel.
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Thanks for your time
Adam
Las Vegas
nice1 keep up with it.
-Geoff
PS - spend a little time in India, it will really flip your world upside-down. And the people are really nice.
4. It doesn’t cost as much as you’d think to travel.
5. The job you have right now is not that important.
7. This is the best time in your life to travel carefree.
I travel a bunch, and people are always amazed that I can. It is all a matter of priorities. Whether you are 22 or 37 or 67, an amazing life is still out there. Grab it.
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Christine, thank you so much for what you did for me back in 2001. You literally saved my life. Not so long afterward I was back on my feet enough to fly away on my own multinational voyage, and it makes me very happy to know you and Drew are off to see the world for yourselves now.
Bon voyage from an old roomie! And all the best to you, now and ever.
if you go to hostels maybe
if you decide to sleep wherever you are ( kind of fall asleep drunk at a party of someone you don't even know, sleep at train stations etc...)
however with a bit of organization you can save a lot and travel not spending a lot, you just have to plan a bit before leaving and make smart decisions when you're travelling
pareshs last blog post..Soniya got Bronze Medal in World school chess competition.
you can get the following for that amount:
1. house/condo - P20,000
2. food - P 6,000
3. transporation - P 6,000
4. recreation - what's remaining!!!
Traveling while in college, or immediately after college, is an excellent way to spend longer periods of time travelling while still persuing long term career goals. I always regretted that I was unable to spend a semester or year abroad during college and I have encouraged my college age son's to build that into their college experience. Living abroad is much more difficult to work into your life later in life.
I have had a very successful career and have been employed continuosly for over 30 years. However, we have taken a 3 week family vacation every year, travelling extensively throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Asia and Europe. These trips have provided rich experiences for our family and wonderful memories. My kids are both in college now and they still look forward to and make time for our family vacation.
When the boys were 8 and 10 years old we took them to Europe for 3 months. This was a magical trip for our family and it was amazing to watch my youngest son go from worrying about how he was going to order food without speeking the language(something that was very important to him) to becoming a confident international traveller. The kids learned that they could spend an entire day playing with kids who spoke no English, communicating without words. They learned about the world and about themselves, and were amazed at how much their travels enhanced their study of history, geography and world events. Most importantly, the bonding that took place during our travels resulted in a closeness that never wavered through their adolecence and into adulthood.
There is no question that travel is worthwhile and valuable. For our family, travel was more important than buying bigger and better things. When necessary we lived more frugally in other areas to be able to afford to travel. We also chose to travel on a budget to make it more afordable. Again, it is all about priorites and personal choices. But then that is what life is all about.
So my advice is travel and experience life to it's fullest but don't do it at the expense of getting a college degree, developing marketable skills and building a solid financial foundation. It may not be easy to have it all but with effort it is possible to have those things that are most important to you.
A number of individuals have been able to create information guides to places they love and earn and income from it.
If you are twenty two and you get it your growth, your education and your employment could be one and the same.
So if you are 22 make it count, enjoy your travels and your experiences.
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My addition to the list therefore - don't think about that - your experiences will be far more memorable than those of the people sitting behind a desk!
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I'm so happy to have found this post. On more levels than one. I'm preparing for a cross country drive from Boston to San Diego. I'm trying to get my 23 year old brother to take the journey with me. He graduated from college this past May, and has fallen victim to the current economy [i.e. he's jobless] - unfortunately, landscaping in New England doesn't last much longer than November :). In any case, he's currently living with & off my parents, so they believe they have the final say in what he does.. I'm pretty sure he could swing this trip - and we'd do it cheaply, tough times for everyone! He hasn't been to many places outside of New England, and I think that this type of eye-opening experience could really help him grow as a person. I plan on showing them this post. Very, very closely.
Additionally, this post has helped me to open my own eyes as well. I quit my corporate job at the end of August - at a company I'd been with for 3+ years (second job out of college). It was hard to leave my friends, but easy to leave the monotony of office space. When I turned 27 in October, I started to think that I was too old to move across country. I now think very differently. Thanks for the added encouragement!
Best,
Suz
"3 Troopin' Travelers"
As someone who up-and-moved to Morocco from the US at age 23, on the one hand it's reassuring to read a post like this and feel that I'm doing something great and noble and enriching. But that feeling doesn't last long, and reality takes hold - I'm very far from home, with no idea what I'm doing with my life, and my funds are dwindling...
I would encourage any other members of my generation who are thinking of setting off for distant lands to do it - at the end of the day, Christine is right on target in that respect - but don't do it without a larger plan in mind, or at least some notion of where your life is headed. You don't want to find yourself up a creek without a paddle, or a plan.
Safe travels to all,
Andrew
<abbr>Andrew´s last blog post..Paris: A Week of Living Right in the City of Lights</abbr>
1. To never forget to pack a smile and be generous in giving it to everyone you meet.
2. To never leave your values and what you hold dear despite whatever you see in other places.
3. To sample a local dish (and not grumble about it if it's that bad).
4. To make as much memories as you can.
5. Discrimination based on color, religion or nationality is always present but it's up to you how to handle it. (went to Hong Kong, China and Macau last year with some friends and to say that the Chinese authorities are something is an understatement..hehe)
And Christine, go travel to Spain!
will be subscribing to your blog from now on..it's nice to know a kindred spirit ^_^
<abbr>mauie hernando´s last blog post..Smile. It’s 2009.</abbr>
but I am scared that I am not strong enough to do it. I don't know how I could possibly afford to do it.
Remember the dreams i had when i was a kid, cos they're not impossible just becaause i'm older.
Just GET ON WITH IT.....
Don't be put down be every obstacle i come across.
Save a bit of money. even if its a 10er a month!
just enjoy life!
As you said #7 is great go out and travel.
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Then get over that and appreciate what you have now because no-one is ever going to make you understand that NOW is the best time to be alive and that you will never be able to do what you can now again.
My grandfather told me all the above back in the late 70s, wish I'd listened harder than I did and maybe I'd be have been living abroad, running my own business, zero debts, a loving wife and two wonderful boys a bit sooner than when I was 35.
My eldest has already taken the advice to heart and, so far, has had 8 different grad level jobs on 3 continents, He's coming home for an extended stay this Autumn, with his girlfriend, to celebrate his 25th birthday with us.
I love both this website and its philosophy! If you'd like to read more travel stories or write in a different venue, you might like www.vagabondstory.com. Best wishes!
Pete