Life after travelling

[wdamci]

Just looking for some info on your own experiences.

Im contemplating going travelling for a year on a bike but im hesitant because i dont know what to do after it. This is the only thing thats worrying me at the minute.

I wont be able to jump into a job that pays as well as the one ive got now, therefore it would be hard to get back on housing market etc etc.

Its easy enough to think id give up my flat and job etc but its what to do when i get back and starting all over again. How do you guys get round this.

[Matt Cartney]

The simple answer is: You don't. Unless you are very lucky.

Right now I'm doing an unskilled job in an office. It's rubbish, but I know it's not forever. Before I went away I was a freelance news photographer, which was also rubbish but rather better money than my current wage.

BUT: (And this is the impotant bit!) I do NOT regret going. Sure, I'm poor now, and bored. And my trip didn't even go all the way (got as far as Iran on the way to Nepal) but hell, if I hadn't gone I'd have regretted it all my life. I saw things and did things most of mates can only dream about.

You have two choices:

Live safe and comfy and bored and ordinary.

Take risks and live life. Sometimes it all goes to shit but you can't expect to do the really good stuff without some sacrifices.

One way is no better than the other, they are just for different people. Decide which type of person you are and go with it.

Matt

[MountainMan]

It is extremely rare that anyone regrets going on a big trip. Pre-trip jitters is common, you are giving up something known (crappy job, hum drum existence) for the unknown promise of adventure. If it was without risk, then everyone would do it. You just have to live with the doubts, grit your teeth and then once your bike hits the open road, you will be telling yourself and everyone that you can't believe that you waited this long...

[wdamci]

Cheers guys. Its making that decision to go is the hardest. Maybe once ive started planning properly etc it will be easier. Sometimes im 100% positive then other times its 50/50. I do want to do this and sitting here watching life go by rather boringly is annoying. Ive been doing it for the past few years paying off debt and i dont want to be doing the same 3 years from now having nothing spectacular to look back on.

im reading the adventurer handbook just now to get some ideas on where to go and when etc. (Preferably as soon as possible). I defo want at least 9 months + of a trip if im going to give everything up for it. Thinking about a trip to Oz then possibly staying there for a while. (I have family there although i havent met them yet.)

[Robbert]

ah, there's this thing about choises.

A choise is between equally valuable alternatives, in which case it doesn't matter what you choose (cause the're valued equally), so your choise doesn't matter, OR, you don't value the alternatives equally, in which case it's a matter of decision, not choise.

Up to you to flip a coin (and don't look back) or put the pro and cons on a balance and do what's worth more to you.

Rob

[Shells]

Now what, I hear myself say, is the point of worrying about what happens AFTER you get back from travelling??
And also, why worry??!!
You are putting a lot of energy into making assumptions about a life that you can't even imagine yet.

Travelling is an awesome thing!! If you are lucky, you will return a different person. So, you might even approach things differently.

But, back to my first arguement really... after schmarfter. Whether you are travelling or not, you are worrying about something completely out of your control at the moment. You can possibly put things in place to make the transition a bit easier (like not coming back completely broke!), but apart from very few things, you just have to wait, see and enjoy the ride.
(oh and find lots of mates in the same position so you can jointly drown your sorrows )

[trophymick]

Originally Posted by wdamci

Just looking for some info on your own experiences.

Im contemplating going travelling for a year on a bike but im hesitant because i dont know what to do after it. This is the only thing thats worrying me at the minute.


Just do it!


I wont be able to jump into a job that pays as well as the one ive got now, therefore it would be hard to get back on housing market etc etc.


After your travels, you might not want to get back into the rat race, especially over here



Its easy enough to think id give up my flat and job etc but its what to do when i get back and starting all over again. How do you guys get round this.

You will get around it, you will have a wealth of experience


Be positive, nothing is cast in stone, look forward to a change and a challenge


All the best

Trophymick

[tmotten]

I wouldn't worry about it. After I left Uni (I was around 21) I went to Oz on a working holiday. I made a friend there who got me into travelling and I remember talking to him about it when we were saving up for a trip. I was argueing how I wanted that trip to be the mother of all trips because I would never be able to save up enough money to do something like that again. I had hardly any bills because I managed to be living at my folk's. 10 Years later and married, I still can't help myself and now drag the Mrs around the world. We relocated almost every year between Europe and Oz, and do trips in between. Actually, we've made a record this time around working in the same job for just over a year. We're about to give our notice in 5 weeks.

I suppose it depends on what you do for a living and your age, but I've never found my CV suffering. Usually they like the life experience you've gained and the "exotic" places you've worked in (read London experience in Australia). Interviews usually end up talking about the trips. It shows initiative and all the other spin you usually thrown into it to do trips like this.
Is still haven't been able to make my money last more than 9 months, and probably never will now.

We rent places, and still haven't ventured on the housing market, but it's too overpriced now anyway. We're only now starting to invest a bit for the ol' age, but I reckon I'll be working till 70+ anyway (depending on health off course). My pay rate goes up the same as my peers who don't have massive gaps in their CV's, and this year is the first year I've ever had a permanent job. I've always worked contract.

One thing though. It's addictive to move around. We can't see ourselves live anywhere for more than a year without getting very itchy feet and so far giving into it.

[wdamci]

Cheers for the feedback everyone. Some interesting responses there.

As I said maybe after planning the trip ill be more positive about making that decision. Im 99% Yes now but i dont know whats holding me back that 1%. Maybe just fear of stepping out the 'comfort zone'.

[MotoEdde]

Many other posters have offered some pretty damn goods things to reason...but remember this...
The first step off the ledge is ALWAYS the toughest part, the free fall is a bit easier...

[simongandolfi]

Don't think of the trip as THE TRIP. Don't think of the return as THE RETURN. The return is a waystation between one journey and the next. I am 74. Last year I rode from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego . This year I will ride back north from Ushuaia to Duchess County, NY. Next year I plan riding across China. I try to travel within a UK pension. I ride a small bike to keep the cost down (160 Ks to the US gallon) - and also because I couldn't lift a big bike. (Blog at www.simongandolfi.com). My best advice is not to look too closely before you leap - otherwise you may waste your life sitting on the parapet! Good luck, go for it and have fun...

[Matt Cartney]

Originally Posted by simongandolfi

Don't think of the trip as THE TRIP. ...

VERY good point!

[worstell]

I'm in the same place as the original poster: looking long and hard before I leap. I've got a good paying job, a house, and all that. But I definitely need a life change. I could cash out house and small retirement savings and have plenty of funds to travel and still have some in reserve to transition back to normal life. My line of work is very niche, so I worry about getting a job on the return.

I think what I and the original poster are seeking are real life examples of those who have returned "successfully". Money is always an issue and the perspective for those of us without the gaurantee of ongoing financial resources is of course different. Can I really not care what my financial situation is when I return?

So keep the feedback coming.

[tmotten]

That feeling in your stumach never really goes. It's only natural. It's getting less with me, and is starting to feel more like a relief and a return to what I'm used to. The un-complicated life of only having to think about the basics like where to get a feed and where to put your head down.

I'm now getting more worried that it's going to disappear all together at some stage. I can tell the difference between me and my wife who has done less of these moves.

As for work. That'll always be something that noone can help with as we all work in different industries. We both work in Engineering, which allows for more flexibility. Other industries like hospitality, commerce and health case allow for it as well (I presume), but if you really think you're in such a niche industry that you think you might stuggle, it comes down to a leap of faith. I still think that giving it a go once and see what damage it does and work hard to catch up would be worth the risk. If it turns out you're wrong and it also turned out beneficial to your carreer you'd be laughing. If not, you know that you have a blast and the will work hard to catch up again.
Sometimes a step back is required to make three forward.

As for a house. Most of my friends just rent it out while they're away. But you could also sell and invest the money. The problem is that most people have a hard time thinking outside the square (not meant condescending) because everybody they know don't. My family and people I knew before I travelled still think I'm nuts, but most of my mates who lived the same life think it's normal.

Simon, how do you manage to travel on a UK pension?

[KevOK]

The Dalai Lama once said that the meaning of life is to Experience and Enjoy.

Are you doing that at home?

go for it bud,
you wont regret it if you try, you will if you don't