The Boiler Works folks laid out a very organized plan and it will certainly work for some. But I'm not sure this approach fits many younger potential travelers.


Both had good jobs for years, owned a house, owned lots of vehicles, had good medical insurance (you have to pay A LOT in USA for this), and had family support.

I asked in my first post (over a year ago) what jobs they had ... they never answered or posted again on HUBB.

This couple were able to rent out their house, which obviously financed most of their trip. Nice, if you own a house.

But how many young, novice travelers own a house AND ... have years of savings, 401K's, investments built from years of steady employment? Answer: Very few.

Yet somehow young, nearly broke travelers DO manage to travel. NO, they won't have full cover insurance when on the road like out Boiler Works folks, nor will they have the ability to fall back into their steady job at any time. Or start on new bikes and fancy gear. Nor will they have medical and evac cover.
I wonder if Boiler Works know most countries in S. America have free medical care ... (or very low cost), even for foreigners? Guess not.

Young travelers often rely on family to Top Up their depleted funds from time to time. That's what I did back in early 70's. (I paid the money back) But I took off with about $1200 and made it 10 months in Mexico, Cent. Am. and S. America. I was topped up $1000 to finish my trip and finance my business.

I started a business in Guatemala and got a job in Argentina to help finance further travel/survival.

To me, a more interesting thread would take a look at what poor people and students do ... how do they manage to go anywhere in today's world? You can work and save ... but most won't have the head start the Boiler Works couple had ... and most don't want to wait into their 40's to travel. :help smilie:

So, how do the kids do it these days? (not the rich ones)

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...tes-zona-84884

If you are discussing marriages or motorcycles this is good advice. Always trade up, never trade down" I posted twice on the above thread - perhaps a little off topic, but appropriate....

explaining a way to legally ride South America by motorcycle and at the end of your journey have more money in your pocket than you spent on your motorcycle.

As noted in my post, insurance, gas, camping/lodging/food and play money are more difficult to recover unless you work while traveling, or camp out a lot and finally lose that 10 kilos you really don't need anyway.

xfiltrate

So Mollydog, young people who haven't spent 20 or 30 or 40 years (or even ANY years) working hard and making sacrifices to achieve financial independence and the means to travel resent those who have.
What's new!

"Young travelers often rely on family to Top Up their depleted funds from time to time."

Again, what is new but surely that must detract from the pride felt at doing things the hard way.

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

My point is it can be harder to do when young and broke and know nothing. (but in this case ... ignorance may be BLISS!?) Ask me how I know.

Just because many "older" or more established folk are too chicken-shit to head out to far off lands without financial security, insurance or medical cover, doesn't mean students and youngish travelers won't do it. Some are lucky enough to have family help, others go with nothing and wing it.

I don't see resentment ... just a fair assessment of reality and typical gap of understanding between generations. But nothing new here.

"The Hard Way" ? But is that the "smart way" ? ... or the "right way" ? All about values, or goals ... but what if you HAVE NO GOALS at age 20? OMG!

Maybe you never traveled when young and broke, and now you're too old so will never know what it takes to head out solo with next to nothing.

I know lots of folks who worked hard, saved, sacrificed and waited ... and waited ... to make that dream trip. Are they now happier than everyone else? Really more secure? Are they "proud" of themselves for their blessed hard work? ... (and can't shut up about it at the Pub! )

Or do they feel bitter, feel they got burned for working some dead end job they hated most of their lives? And for what? Sadly, I see WAY more of this later example.

Some value family (or creating one), job and security as Number One priority.
But values vary across the spectrum, no "Right" way.

Most kids jump straight from high school into Uni, not really having any idea what they want to pursue or why they're there. Parents are usually behind this decision.

Travel is great for helping to focus, maturation, figure out who they are and what it is they want to do. I say: "go travel now" ..(or join the military) until they've grown up and have some "real life" experience. Then come back, study or work at what really interests you, not what you were pressured into going into.

Real adventurers fly by the seat of their pants, take risks and live life at Wide Open Throttle. Are they happier? Dunno, but they've got a lot better stories!

And YOU are buying the Beer! (cause they're stone broke!)

I think you "youngsters" misunderstand where we oldies are coming from. Apart from the illusory invincibility of youth, the younger travellers have the huge advantage of having nothing to lose. Can't get broker than broke so what the hell. Need medical attention then just use whatever is available and accept the outcome and rely in the quick healing of the young. Broke and need food or accommodation - then just bludge or work a bit or eat and sleep rough. Part of the adventure afterall.

So having been there and done all of that already when young, the wrinklies have then had a lot of years getting used to a normal life with attendant responsibilities and a more conservative outlook on all sorts of things so aren't all that fussed about reverting to a less comfortable lifestyle. Many also have the resources to buy a vehicle almost from spare change that would be just a dream for most under 25's. That is tough for the "Me Now" generation to accept, but hardly the fault of the baby-boomers or whatever is the generation or two or three older.

All a bit academic anyway since the vast majority of teenagers follow the usual path of education -Maybe a short gap year travel - job - career - marriage - house ownership - kids - owing lots of money - and then if they are lucky and more to the point actually want to, they can go traveling in their retirement. Those who extend their gap year to many years or even forever are an even more minuscule proportion of their cohort than we old travellers are compared to our age group. AND of course the vast majority of oldies sit at home or down the club waiting to kick the bucket. Young or old, we travellers are a pretty select group.

Plenty of chicken shit young people around too - majority in fact. We may have done our apprenticeship in Adrenalin rushes in other ways than going off to far off lands and now financial security (which you lot aren't backward in asking to "borrow" a bit of it whenever you get stuck) is just part of what we are. We have it, so why would you think we would throw it away just to add a bit of "excitement" (read uncertainty + risk) to our overseas travels. Caving - no longer interested. Rock-climbing - used to a bit but now?? Flying, skiing, motorbike - yes too, but not the slightest bit interested now. More sense and less joints that don't hurt. Business class or better. Get used to it.

Could it be they are stony broke because they spent it on instead of tap water. ;-))))

God help us. Mention "b e e r" and the bloody forum has to convert it into a animation so the readers can understand it.

__________________
Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Not sure if 31 is young or not any more, but 3 years ago, I left everything and spent 1,5 year riding across South America. I had had a fairly decent job and some (about 5000 UK pounds) savings, didn't own a house though. Ran out of money in Argentina, found a job on a horse farm, carried on a few months later.

It was the best time of my life. Lots of wild camping, cooking my own food and so on, very minimal comfort, but it was the best thing ever.

Right now I'm back in the UK, planning the rest of my round the world bike journey. I'm stuck in a regular 9-5 job; my salary is pretty average, so I can afford to save about 600 pounds a month. That means I'll save about 7000 pounds a year; I'm also going to need a new bike, probably something like a Kawasaki KLE500, that's about 3000 pounds, so in the end I'll be left with about 4-5000 again.

And here's the weirdest thing: I am worried that it won't be enough to get me going. I want to go around Africa next and I always thought, I started off in South America with more or less the same amount, so that's what I'll do now as well-just go and wing it, find jobs on the way, volunteer, whatever. That's how I did it before, anyway. Why shouldn't it work this time around, right?

But suddenly, I'm not so sure. I also find myself a bit worried about safety in some countries as a solo female rider; I'm worried about visas and the carnet, and insurance (didn't need any of that in South America), and I'm worried about what will I do when I come back-I will probably have to start all over again, explain my CV gap, somehow find a job, to save money for Asia, Australia and so on...This is so NOT me, I didn't care about any of that before-I just left!

What the hell happened to me?..I was 28 when I left for South America, so I can't say I got very much older; I only spent 1,5 years back in Europe, so surely it isn't our Western cultural conditioning which tries to tell us the world beyond our borders and our 'safe' jobs and life insurance and mortgages is dangerous and unpredictable?..

So here I am, all worried and unsure, and at the same time going absolutely mental because I miss travelling on my bike so bad it drives me nuts sometimes. I find it ridiculous for human beings to spend 8 hours sat at desks at 'work' everyday, I find it absurd to waste my time on such trivial, meaningless activity - I'm talking about your average office/managerial jobs here mind you, not work that's actually meaningful like medicine, science etc-I feel caged and just barely able to breath sometimes, and when I remember a sunrise in the Peruvian Andes, or cooking spaghetti for supper over a camp-fire somewhere in the caretera Austral in Chile I just want to curl up in a ball somewhere and cry.

I wonder what happened to my balls - or rather, ovaries-of steel and how come it's so much harder to leave this time? Not like I have a family/kids, or debt, in fact I have absolutely nothing to lose, and yet I'm stalling.

Sorry for the long rant! I know I will eventually leave for Africa, and I'm 100% sure I will regret spending so much time on a silly office job, but wow it's difficult to get unstuck...

Very thoughtful and beautiful post!

I think many travelers feel this anxiety ... plus female hormones may be reeking havoc as well. Many women in your age range are about pushing prams and decorating the house. Domestic bliss and all.

I hope you can resist going down that path and get back on the road ... and get happy! But doubtful your S. American nirvana can be repeated. But once on the road I'm sure things will calm down ... but it will be a completely unique experience ... nothing like your first trip.

Africa (by accounts I've read ... never rode bikes there except Morocco) is tough in places. You've read Lois Pryce's book on her solo trip? Maybe start off with "easy" countries first? Work up to Class V zones later.
Join up with some riding buddies? It can work.

As we age I believe it's fairly "normal" to (GENERALLY) become less adventurous, less bold and more conservative when operating out of our comfort zones.

Same happened to me mid 30's. I ended up teaming up with riding buddies for security ... but now am back solo again at age 68. (going crazy as I age!)

I would look to save money on buying a bike. Is a used KLE really 3000 UKP?
Maybe start in S. Africa, buy a bike there to avoid Carnet fees. A nice 250 may be cheaper (and lighter) than the KLE.
Or ... go back to S. America and buy this bike:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ipa-peru-86755

!Que le via muy bien!

If a person doesn't want to do that type of desk job then why do it? If you, or I, want that professional meaningful job then make it happen. It doesn't matter whether you want to ride a motorcycle around the world or have a meaningful job. You have to make it happen or it won't. Nobody ever got anywhere just sitting around hoping/wondering/wishing. And if those jobs weren't meaningful to the company that offered it to you or I it wouldn't be there in the first place.

Sounds like you are going through a mid-life crisis but you are awfully young to do that. I hope you are able to ride to your heart's content. I do wonder about all those folks that just seem to sell of everything and hit the road. How do they ever reintegrate into society? They may not be materialistic and not want to own a house, a car, or have high speed internet but then they'll have to go back to a subsistence lifestyle.

Here in the states I laugh at all the people who are anti-material item, anti-wealth and anti-just-about-everything-else-in-life-you-have-to-work-for. They are the ones who are always looking for help. Help which is a euphemism for money which of course they despise and won't work for but ask others for it all the time.

I can pretty much do what I want financially and the last thing I EVER do is HELP someone who has chosen to just take it easy and just kinda get by in life. Riding a motorcycle around at 25? Go for it! But since I was working my butt off in life at 25 don't expect me to share any of my wealth with you. I made sacrifices to get where I am if don't get to share in that adventure I won't pay for it.

I'll see if this post gets banned like my last one did.

NC

I've never met Mollydog as he lives on the other side of the planet from me but "young" and "living off his parents" are not terms I'd commonly associate with him.

He posted up a brief biography recently and it would seem that the passage of time has seen off his "40's", "50's" and most of his "60's".

Whether his brain is fried from "drug use" or just from going over the handlebars once too often in Baja is something only he will know.

LOL.

They deleted my post but left Molly's chicken shit one posted. "Welcome to the HUBB, sponsored by the drug using liberal crowd . . ."

I'll go back to ADV. Wah!



NC

Numbercruncher, Perhaps if you'd carefully read ALL of it, and moderated your attitude somewhat your post would still be there.

You came off as trolling in a big way, and a couple of people commented to me that it was all over the top.

Disagreement is one thing, but the political rant / labelling wasn't on.

And "sponsored by the drug using liberal crowd"... err, no, that would be incorrect.

And mollydog gets a demerit for the chicken shit too.

__________________
Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
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