Hello,

I just stumbled onto this site today and I am VERY HAPPY! I have a question though for most of you. How do you really do it or how easily can you find work while traveling?

You see, I have been in the military for 7 years now and I don't really have that much money. I don't have any great skills nor a college education. I have dreamed, longed, prayed, wished, and everything else about just leaving and seeing the world. I know that you can hit hostels, camp, and find jobs sometimes but is there any real way to find work along the way?

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am poor. I can save up roughly $6000-$8000 USD in one year but that is it. I am 25 years old now and of course I am not getting any younger. When I seperate from the military I can get a job or go back to school. Either choice will make it to where I can't travel much. I would like to travel while I still have a strong body and as many other's have said on here; the world could end tomorrow. Could anyone offer some advice?

BTW, thank you all for this site and your posts! I have been daydreaming about traveling for years now and eveyone looks at me like I am crazy! Some scold me, some get angry (thinking that I am lying to them), others laugh it off, but no one really believes that I just want to leave. I am so happy that thier are others that are like minded out there!

[This message has been edited by Lipton (edited 25 February 2006).]

__________________
-Aug 06 finally have a motorcycle license
Bought a 2002 Yamaha 650 Classic
Drove the Blue Ridge Pkwy from Tennessee to Virginia

XANADU!

hi people

good luck to those of you on this thread I 'm sure your work out how to travel or now been given the ideas,here's a saying I like

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body,but rather to skid in sideways totally worn out shouting HELL WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!!!!

be lucky nobby

Lipton, send me your email address




[This message has been edited by kevinrbeech (edited 26 February 2006).]

__________________
www.4x4-travel.co.uk

Get yourself a job rather than a career, go into work that allows you to come and go, whether it be truck driver, teacher, nurse or whatever. This way you can leave your job for six months confident in the knowledge you will get one when you get back. wether you can stick it when you get back is a different issue of course! Your military experience amy give you a lead into various jobs such as security, depend on what you did.

Andy
Landy 101 ambie/camper
TLC H60 x2!
1968 morris minor traveller

__________________
1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

My way takes a long time, so this might not work for you. I worked a government job for 30 years and retired on their pension. That takes care of normal day-to-day expenses like the mortgage. I need a place to return to, so I don't really want to sell my house. That also gives me a place to store my vintage bikes while I'm on the road on my "new" one ('97) Real estate is also a good investment, I think. During my working years I also funded various retirement plans which I still have available when government sponsored inflation starts cutting into what the pension covers. I don't live like a king, but I do manage to keep my bills paid, and I'm able to take a month or two long trip every year or so. Once my child support is paid off (only 2 more months!) I should be able to do better than that. And you should see people's faces when you tell them you're 55 and retired. I figure I've got 10 to 15 more good touring years in me before I have to start going on a scooter.

Pippin

I am 36 and am now getting the feeling to get out and go on some trips. However, I am married, with 2 children. Rather than go all out around the world, if you read my earlier post a few posts up from yours, use your local geography to your advantage. Buy a decent bike and ride up and down the East Coast when the weather permits. Work your way up to a long trip. My plans are to obtain a cheap Chinese Zongshen 200 and ride all through Arizona, and northern Mexico. I don't think the worldwide tour is within my near future, but I will use the weekends to my advantage. We'll see what the future holds as far as a longer run (and obtaining a much more worthy bike, although seeing how far I can go on a Chinese made 200 would be an adventure in itself), but I will enjoy what I can do now, rather than dwelling on the Greg Frazier million mile rides and wondering how (and really if) I can copy such a feat. Just a suggestion.

The book 'the perfect vehicle' is a classic biog of a female biker doing just what you have suggested, taking a bike (a Guzzie) and taking regular shorter (ish) runs around the states. It's a great read and looks at many of the emotional and psychological aspects of motorcycle riding as well.

Andy

Landcruiser H60 x2
Landy 101ambie
1968 morris minor traveller!



I am 36 and am now getting the feeling to get out and go on some trips. However, I am married, with 2 children. Rather than go all out around the world, if you read my earlier post a few posts up from yours, use your local geography to your advantage. Buy a decent bike and ride up and down the East Coast when the weather permits. Work your way up to a long trip. My plans are to obtain a cheap Chinese Zongshen 200 and ride all through Arizona, and northern Mexico. I don't think the worldwide tour is within my near future, but I will use the weekends to my advantage. We'll see what the future holds as far as a longer run (and obtaining a much more worthy bike, although seeing how far I can go on a Chinese made 200 would be an adventure in itself), but I will enjoy what I can do now, rather than dwelling on the Greg Frazier million mile rides and wondering how (and really if) I can copy such a feat. Just a suggestion.</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

__________________
1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

Well, after so long I'm slowly getting there. I've just about wipedout Ebay for bits for my DR800 and I've started growing some testicles. I've spent the last 23 years in the military trying to keep aircraft from flying into each other and I have reached the end of my tether. I've had a good time mind, spent 4 years in Gibraltar, 2 years in Germany and 2 years in Cyprus. I've served from Kent up to the Highlands of Scotland and all points between. Mostly with a bike however, I think it's time to go.
The DR's ready but I think it's just the size of my testicles that are holding me back. The money is good, I already get to travel, people have tried to shoot at me or blow me up, but what can you do? Rough with the smooth I guess.
I have a loving wife (with an SZR 660), an 18 year old son (TTR 250), Ginger (the cat) and no bricks and morter.
Sod it, time to sell up the detritus of the past 23 years and make some plans.........

Good luck and a long life to all the rest who never felt they never quite fitted in.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Lipton:
[B]Hello,

snip

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am poor. I can save up roughly $6000-$8000 USD in one year but that is it. I am 25 years old now and of course I am not getting any younger. When I seperate from the military I can get a job or go back to school. Either choice will make it to where I can't travel much. I would like to travel while I still have a strong body and as many other's have said on here; the world could end tomorrow. Could anyone offer some advice?

snip

Hey Lipton, I saw Rene Cormier's costs for travelling South America were on the order of $400 per month plus bike and other incidentals. You could travel for almost two years on your $8,000 saving. Have fun dreaming and planning!



------------------
Ekke Kok
Redwood Meadows, AB
'89 R100GS
'03 R1150GS Adventure

__________________
Ekke Kok

'84 R100RT 141,000 km (Dad's!)
'89 R100GS 250,000 km (and ready for another continent)
'07 R1200GS Adventure 100,000 km (just finished Circumnavigating Asia)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

www.ekke-audrey.ca

[QUOTE]Originally posted by moggy 1968:
[B]The book 'the perfect vehicle' is a classic biog of a female biker doing just what you have suggested, taking a bike (a Guzzie) and taking regular shorter (ish) runs around the states. It's a great read and looks at many of the emotional and psychological aspects of motorcycle riding as well.

Andy

QUOTE]


I should take a look at that book. Was it more from a female angle, or a general angle? With my situation, I will have to do my rides "locally" and look into the wider spectrum as my children grow. I still have at least 17 years or so for my youngest before I can leave her, although I suspect my wife won't want to let me go so easy anytime in the future!

Hello All,

Thank you so much for the advice! I have been looking into quite a few options and I really like what I have been finding. I am looking at either 2011 or 2030 to do a RTW.
It is a while still down the road but that is life. I figure if I do everything right I will just take smaller trips and then retire around 2030 or so with enough savings to travel for a couple of years.
Then I can come back and live off of my kids or something. All in all, bright prospects for the future and I hope to meet/see you all on the road in the coming years.

__________________
-Aug 06 finally have a motorcycle license
Bought a 2002 Yamaha 650 Classic
Drove the Blue Ridge Pkwy from Tennessee to Virginia

XANADU!

My wife and I are just into our 50s. Our youngest and only child still at home is due to start university later this year (A-level results permitting!). We can't rely on our current reasonable health and fitness lasting forever so I reckon we have to plan on leaving in the next 2 or 3 years or we will never get round to it. I think we would probably rent out our main UK home to try cover the mortgage while we are gone. We are fortunate that we probably just have enough savings to fund such a trip although we would be wiped out by the time we came back.

__________________
If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

Bikes were always my escape, got fixated on Bike travel at 16, with camping trips to Cornwall, after leaving school got into work to travel thing, various bike trips getting further and further from home.........Mainly financed from living very cheaply, in 75 went out to Aussi overland by public transport. information in those days was difficult to get. I had a copy of the BIT guide, a bunch of photocopied (?) pages and that was it, best advice in that guide was to go for it. arrived in Aussi, my wife and I worked like hell for 18 months lived very simply and on the proceeds bought a BMW bike, shipped it to SrI Lanka and rode home from there, we must have been amongst the last travellers to come through Afganisatan before it closed down. Got back to Europe. stayed 2 years worked and saved, added to the 5000US money we had left from Aussi and shipped a R80 off to New York, spent around 12 months in North and South America, sold the bike In Bolivia for twice I had paid for it and used the cash to fly across the pacific (always wanted to go to Easter Island) and arrived back in Aussi. Bought an old R90/6 and punted that round Aussi, making up for the travelling we did not do the first time. We had been on the road for near on 3 years on that trip, China was just opening up, could have done it, but did not have the energy so came back to Europe.
By this time I was 'done' travelling and now went to college and got some professional qualifications and went into the kids, house etc etc thing. Now I'm separated, waiting to sort out the divorce and sticking the odd toe into the bike travel thing, off to Romania this summer, but would find it very difficult to give it all up and go off full time again.

I suppose the question is.........Would i do the same now? I would hope so, but it feels to so much more difficult now, kids seem to have to go to university, they come out with debt and there does not seem to be the same support from the state if you did come unstuck. People such as Cynthia and Lorraine do set me a very good example, I have not been to Africa and there all the bits between Russia and China that are now open................

__________________
Charles CCM450, BMW R90/6, BMW R50
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...a/027_27-1.jpg

I thought it would be years before my wife and I could afford to do a big trip. As it turns out, we are doing one this summer. We're planning a trip across Canada. Until now our trips were 2-3 days, as we both had jobs and other obligations.

As it turned our, both of us were terminated from out jobs recently (redundancy). I received a generous severance package and began looking for another job.

WAIT!!! Why are we looking to get back on the treadmill so fast? We both agreed to take things a little less seriously and enjoy our 'paid' time off. We opened a bottle of champagne and began to plan our cross country trip. We figured the jobs we will eventually have to get will be waiting for us after our 3 month adventure - whatever and wherever those jobs are! We have given notice on our apartment, will store our junk, and spending as little as possible on superfluous stuff until we depart in May '06.
It's exciting and scary - but we will have an adventure that will leave us with far more memories and experiences than the money we would have earned had we looked for jobs.

So, just when you wonder how you can do it, something comes up to allow you to - one way or another, sooner than you think.

[This message has been edited by tor1150r (edited 05 March 2006).]

__________________
--
http://www.motorcycle-overland.com

It has been asked here, what if you are young and don't have a house to sell? Consider traveling by bicycle. I was able to do this when I was only 18. This is much cheaper and simpler. You'll become super fit and experience places in more detail. After the first 2 or 3 weeks the pedaling part is nothing.

Since the cycling trip I've done some motorcycle trips that lasted a few weeks, and I always felt the pinch of time and money. I started seriously thinking about how I could travel for a longer period of time while I'm still young.

Like so many others on this thread, my answer is related to real estate investment. Do not assume that this strategy is not right for you even if you are young. I scraped every penny to buy a house at age 25, and I too had travel on my mind from the start. Now 3 years later somehow the value of the house doubled. Buying a house may make you feel tied down for a while but then it can set you free. You might as well pay a mortgage rather than rent.

And I don't think you have to be bored meanwhile. I've gotten into so many hobbies during the last three years of home ownership and I know I will miss some of that when it comes time for the big adventure.

The funniest part about this is that you may look like the quintessential normal person… house, car, debt, trips to home improvement store, mowing the lawn, normal job… then one day you've got major cash in the bank and are riding off into the sunset. :-)