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How does one afford this lifestyle?
I feel rather silly asking this questions but here it goes. How does one afford to traveling around the world? Between the cost of equipment, maintenance (both machine and human) etc etc, it seems to be a expensive venture. I'd love a little enlightenment on this issue.
Thank you. |
First time on the road was 2000, 2001 and we financed the trip with our savings. And having a few garage sales to get rid of unwanted or unused possetions. we already owned the bikes and the riding gear. Food is needed even when you stay home so that bit doesnt count. Thought that that would be our only adventure. Not long home when we decided that we wanted to go again but had no money. Sold our house, our home of 26 years, a huge thing to do, and bought another house in Queensland. We are now on the road spending the difference. Spent the day on the beach in southern Thailand today. It was a good decision to sell the house..... And the bonus is that our house in Queensland is on an island, a beautiful house with a great swimmimg pool and the rent from the tennants help pay our travel costs.
Not sure how others do it though. |
Similar theme for me. Sold everything but childhood photos, and thats only because nobody would pay for them. Sold all my clothes, other motos, CD´s, car, everything. There was an nice chunk of money in the ´junk´I had collected over the years. Add to that the savings and thats the lump sum. If I was smarter, I would have waited until the house was paid off to become a landlord and let the rent pay for the trip, but i was 20 years from that, or have a job I could do from a computer anywhere in the world. So for me, when the money runs out, so does the trip. And then its time to start all over again.
rene www.renedian.com |
Same here. Sold the house, bikes, cars and all our other worldly possessions, twice, for our trips. All our family and friends thought were completly mad, but it was the only way we were ever going to have the cash for our trips and we have absolutley no regrets, even though or trip to Oz was cut short by a family illness. At the end of the day you can always buy another house, car or whatever.
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On a smaller scale & without selling everything you own, you could tighten up on your lifestyle & save as much as possible.
I did this for three years in the early to mid 90's so that I could raise a large deposit to buy a house. Went without a decent holiday for three years, holiday time from work was spent working for cash at bike shows & in my spare time I bought & sold bikes. Never made a loss, least I made was £200, most was £700+ on a couple of occasions. Obviously you need a basic knowledge of bikes & repair facilities. |
We aren't doing any major travelling yet. Only 'smaller' trips for a month or so.
But we have some sort of a plan. I looked around for a house in a region from wich I know that it will be rented easely. I also wanted a house with a lot af work to do in. (cheap...) I found one after about a year searching and looking around. Bought it with a minor loan. Then we started rebuilding it. For this we did not get an extra loan. We live cheap so that we can each month spend money on the house and still do some travelling. That is going on for 2 years and will surely take another 2 years. Once the house is done, we can rent it for quite a bit more then what we are paying montly. That combined with savings will give us the freedom to de longer ventures more often then most people. And in the end, 16 years from now, we can live year round from the rent we get since the loan is paid off then. When we decide to go travellig for more then 2 months my hardest part is to quite job. I am a fireman and EMT. I will have to leave my station since I can't get a year off or something like that. Little change I can get back into the job afterwards... But one day I will have seen enough. At that point we wonna have the freedom to go. |
Use a cheap bike, go to cheap countries. I'm riding an R65 which was valued at AUS$ 950 before i left. Take your time through cheap countries (you can get by on $1000 a month in many Asian countries), then ride fast through expensive ones!
Sean |
This is something that really doesn't get talked about much. I'd be interested to hear more stories about how people did upon 're-entering' society.
Money issues are the biggest thing holding me back for a really long trip. I feel that the trip expenses are managable because most of the interesting places are cheap. The real problem if you have fixed costs at home like a mortgage, or if a career path that you want to keep would be lost by an extended leave. The career considerations I think at more easily surmounted than it may seem initially. In fact, it seems many people use the trip as part of a redirection in their lives. If you are just out of college or have a financial cushion you can just get on the bike and go. The couple from Ulitmate Journey were able to do what the did only because they made a killing selling an apartment; and the trip cost more than the money the gained on the transaction. If they didn't have the fortune of having a hot real estate market would they have gone anywhere? (diddo for those who had the brains to sell before the stock market bubble burst) Well, I see I am going on so I will stop, but I do suggest you think about what happens when the trip is over before you go. On the other hand don't have a fixed plan because you may meet someone who gives you other ideas http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif (I'm obviously having a very slow day at work http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif) ------------------ Brooklyn Dakar http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/ |
In reply to JSherm.
The first house we sold was bought with the intention of selling it to fund our first trip. A bit like 'firebomber' we bought it cheap and spent as little as possible to modernise it and sold it on. Kind of property developing on a small scale. Property prices in the UK during both times we bought and sold were sky rocketing which helped alot. We made enough to fund the trips and have enough for a mortgage deposits on our return. I was lucky in that I was able to take a career break on both ocassions, but my wife resigned from her jobs. On returning to the UK she was able to get another job within a couple of weeks. We rented a house for six months on our return, both times, while looking around for somewhere to buy. We've now been back from our second trip for about 14 months. We have lot's of small future trips planned, including Morocco and France this year. However, we don't intend to sell our house again to do it. The next big adventure, if you can call it that, is to buy a second house in France, which needs loads of work, which we will live in permanently in eight years time when I retire. |
I have to agree to doing things as cheap as possible. Cheap bike, cheap countries, cheap food accom etc.
There is alot of adventure in that. I chose a lifestyle working as a humanitarian for a large NGO. This gave me the freedom to work whenever I was running low (financially, morally etc). The pay is low, but easily gave me enought to travel. I could do meaningful work helping others, so I always looked forward to working as much as riding. I could work in many of the countries (developing world) that I had travelled and some that I was unable to travel. My round the world travels have been punctuated with short missions to other faraway places. I would leave my bike behind and pick it up later to continue where I left off. I was in perpetual travel for nearly a decade. I have also been lucky enough to have a girlfriend who is doing the same thing as me. Funnily enough, many of us are just as qualified to do much the same thing. I am not some highly qualified, overeducated Mother Theresa with an advanced degree in saving lives. I am just your average Joe whose skills as an overland biker were probably the most impressive thing on his CV, who quite easily found a niche working as a Logistician for a humanitarian NGO. Last year I had finally settled back home, started a family, bought a house. Promised not to leave for the next ten years, lied, worked in Pakistan for 2 months, came back and now this is it. I am here for good. or at least until our 1 year old baby can sit on the back of my KTM Adventure without falling off... I invite any questions or comments, and my door is always open to those wayward nomads looking for a bed and a place for the night Lost1 |
I had many people in the USA ask me how I did it. I would always ask them back how much their car was worth and then do a calculation of how long on the road that would last me. It was invariably years rather than months. They never believed me.
I was fortunate yes: I won the lottery. Or, as we call it in London, the housing market. But it is not necessary to do a huge trip with loads of money. Having been on the road for a lonhg long time, I think a three to six month is just about right. Property rental contracts in the UK are often six months so it is not that hard to cover your major outgoing. It is perfectly possible for people in the UK who are in work to save enough for a trip to India. Maybe two years of saving, but not penury. Maybe easy for me say... |
So someone has bought up the subject . . . . what happens when you get home. That was a real problem for us. We could not settle down and that is why we decided to sell the house to finance the 2nd journey. Not sure how long you have to be on the road before you get totally sick of it but I know that it happens. Read Peter and Kay Forwoods latest story on this web site.
It is harder to fit back into society than it is to find the money to travel. Well thats what we found. Perhaps it is easier to fit back in if you are younger than we are! Do be prepared for a long time feeling unsettled and 'lost'. |
i bought my house just five years ago ,in that time it has almost tripled in value ! ! ! i have also been saving for my big trip for about three years now ,so in about two years time i will stop work ,rent out my house and hit the road for a few years . i was just VERY LUCKY to buy at the same time as the biggest property boom in uk history was just around the corner .
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What about the young people without any house to sell, are we reduced to stealing old womens handbags at their way out from the bank office ehn?
l say so but l usually earn money working, living cheap & making buy/sell deals with bikes on spare time, though l'll need much time before leaving for a RTW,,,l guess the housing enables you faster for it, maybe the stock market is an option for the well knower, anyone good on that? One other thought, if each member of the horizons unlimited would give a let's say 30€ monthly for a jackpot, then one could ride away as winner each month ! great no? Only l don't wish to be the winner n° 999 of 1000! Regards Matt France |
The comment from Simon about how much an American's car was worth made me chuckle. I know plenty of people here driving new cars and wondering how on earth I can afford to take a year off and travel. Meanwhile, they are spending several hundred dollars a month on their cars which will ultimately devalue to nothing.
I think, like anything in life, its a matter of priorities. If you really want to live this "lifestyle", you will find a way to do it. Work out a budget and stick to it. If it takes you 5 years and working three jobs to fulfill your dream, so be it. Like anything, if you don't set a goal, you chances of achieving it will be zero. I decided two years ago that I wanted to travel for a year. Asia was high on my list because it was cheap and exotic. I set a budget for the trip and looked at what I could save and figured I could leave in two years. Most importantly, I set a date for departure. In the last year and a half I have kept track of every dollar I have spent and tracked my budget monthly. I have been very tight with my money and I have saved, saved, saved. I am on track to leave in 4 months, just as I planned a year and a half ago. Setting a date of departure and telling all your friends and family you are leaving on this date is probably the best way to keep your budget and your trip on track. -Dave |
What if you feel like you don't fit into society BEFORE you go on a trip. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
------------------ Brooklyn Dakar http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/ |
JSherm
I returned home 2 months ago after 6 months crossing Africa. A trip ive dreamed of doing since childhood. I really surprised how few posts there are concerning re-entry into "civilisation". The dream realised Im now faced with the stark reality of what Im supposed to consider normal. Perhaps it sounds silly, but its been really tough on me, after travelling alone for so long i cant function in normal social situations. Iv become a recluse and walked off a shoot already (i work in film which provided the finances for my travels). Life at home has lost its flavour. Its to safe, to predictable and to boring. I want to be "out there" again. Just me and my bike and an uncertain dawn. Anyone else out there feel this way? How are we to face normal? |
You seem to speak of the "travellers disease",
"the mysterious illness of the revenants" l don't think its due to money, career or other materials, Someone said "there is something behind the dream" and that is a psychological issue, the dream helped you believe & continue the dreamy cloud above your head was white & light and it even let you sit on it and lose gravity,,, Now the cloud has abandoned you, you wish you had a parachute! What can you do? jump on a new cloud? imagine there was ground under your feets,,,? What could be realistic to do when ground you left long ago, re appears and approaches so fastly! Only birds can fly with ease! What are you doing alone up there anyway? Maybe you have a parachute after all,, The answers are strictly aerodynamical l guess,,, You have to deep dig your mind for it(can be hard), remember your mate who once told you "we all have problems!",, Thats what it is about: the unavoidable secret part of things! Mattias |
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Become a filmstar, then call up BMW and tell them they're paying.
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Thought I'd weigh in on the returning to civilization theme. Just returned from 9 months in Africa and finding it very difficult to adjust back. Took 2 months to find a job, and eventually ended up back at a company I had worked for before. Now I find myself staring out of the window daydreaming of being 'out there'. I also check this forum much more than I ever did while planning or on the trip. Communicating with others of like interest seems to be good therapy. And on the 'how did we afford it?' theme: We planned and saved for 5 years. Got the car, outfitted it. Bought a house that we planned on fixing up and selling. Then we decided that if we didn't work on the house we could keep it AND do the trip. So we did that. Unfortunately we ran out of money on the trip. We did make our destination, but didn't spend enough time anywhere. Now we are saving again, paying off some debt and planning the next one. May have to sell the house this time, but the car is paid for as is most of the equipment. Setting goals is very important. We started planning 5 years before the trip and set a firm date 3 years before. That made it easier to work and save. Now that I don't have that goal, work is harder. I think the only answer to 'fit-back-into-civilization', is to plan another trip. That can justify the work. cheers Graham www.africaoverland.org |
Hi
I originally remortgaged last year to buy a second home in Slovakia where my girlfriend comes from.We looked at many places but couldn't find that 'special' place on the budget i had.I wasn't going to buy a place for the sake of it being cheap so i still have the money sitting in bank. After a trip to Morocco this year my girlfriend has the 'touring bug'.We are doing the Canada to S.A thing in July. I would have liked to taken a year off but like fireboomer i am a fireman and that would have meant me resigning and not being guaranteed a job when i get back,especially as we are 'modernising' (downsizing).So i have been granted 4 months unpaid plus another 2 months entitled leave taken from next year and year after. I hope to sell house before i go or rent it out as this would save £3000 in mortgage and council tax alone. I spend a fair amount on holidays a year anyway.If i went to each of these countrys in Mexico,CA,SA as seperate holidays from uk for 6 months it would cost a hell lot more than touring them on a motorbike. Any way that's how i convinced myself to go. We don't get a second go of this life do we ! Cheers ! Simon |
For Mr Sherm
On the re-adjustment I have to concurr with Jim. I almost told an airline pilot to F#$% O%^ the other day when he began to complain about a five minute delay in his arrival to Melbourne. I thought you little over paid turd have you ever tried to get into Turkmenistan! That I came close to saying it let alone contemplated saying it is quite telling. I am totally over the mind numbing beauracratic shit and pointless complaining associated with structured work. Overbearing bosses that insist on your complying with their pathetic pointless whims. Even bike clubs that lose sight of there purpose and become more pre-occupied with the processes involved in running them. Who gives a shit about minutes where's the beer and the conversation. Sometimes i wish I didnt speak english so when I sat in a local cafe i didnt have to listen to the meaningless drivel that is the background chatter, while travelling I could imagine people were talking on a higher level..of course they werent really! But how was I to know. But if I ever want to do it again I must hold my tongue and slowly I am being drawn back in. Difficult when you can see your country becoming a mean and non-inclusive society that believes justice is holding people in desert concentration camps for years because they were fleeing war and injustice.......how lucky they are! Urrrrrgggghhhh There is no comparison to bike travel....go go go. PS I suppose if you do it you are a bit different anyway and solo trips let you indulge your difference unimpeeded, unshackled and unencumberred with the trivialities of everyday life. [This message has been edited by simmo (edited 17 December 2004).] [This message has been edited by simmo (edited 17 December 2004).] |
Work in IT
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Rather pleased that it is so dam hard to fit back in when you return. had it been easy, David and I would not have spent today on a beach on an island in Thailand, with our bikes parked outside our beach bungalow.
Do not for a minute regret going on the road again, or have we lost any sleep over how our lifes assets had to change to get going a second time. Our only worry at the moment is 'where to stop next'. That will change when we get to Bangkok and have to find a way to get the bikes to Nepal.....but we will figure it out. Graham and Jim, you need to be on the road again. . . there is always a way, you just have to look a bit sideways to find it. |
What l think is that in life, what goes up must go down and what goes down then goes up(like the sun!),
motorcycle travel is extreme satisfaction to the rider so its normal that once home again you get down, thats just the way it is and l think its important to accept it and not try to fight the feelings cause that way you'll get over, Mattias http://johan.lemarchand.free.fr/clip...anim/ani35.gif [This message has been edited by Matt595 (edited 19 December 2004).] |
David and Cheryl, I think you've hit on it! I need to be back out there! :-) I have the strange background of never having lived in the country I'm a national of (GB). So I have always felt out of place. Travelling is much more comfortable for me. My wife, on the other hand, gets homesick when we are out for long trips. As in all things, I suppose it is a metter of balance. Of course I don't feel that way when I'm at work staring at the map of Africa over my desk! Graham www.africaoverland.org |
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Are you okay?? Mattias |
Yes Mattias I was thinking the same thing! Drop a note David and Cheryl.
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excellent thread. prioroties...............davidmc summed it up best. i sacrificed for 3 years to buy my dream bike. a customer of mine said to me, why on earth would you buy a $30,000 bike, and tour 3rd world countries? my response was, why do you purchase a similar cost SUV and take off 2 weeks a year to go to an all inclusive resort? if they have to ask, they won´t understand. i thought it was just myself that deviates from the norm of society. we dance to the beat of a different drummer. an illness in october made me focus on how i want to live my remainder. funny how similar many of us are. i put a mortgage on my house in vancouver, created rental income that allows me to live my dream. i am in the process of building a home just ñorth of acapulco. my jumping off point to tour mexico and visit vancouver occasionally. but my lifestyle is 100% built around touring and planning the next trip. hope you find your priorities jesse. P
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-----Original Message----- From: Cheryl and David Laing Sent: Saturday, 1 January 2005 8:11 PM Subject: Re: Your good health. Mate, the bottom line is we are riding honda Shadows. take more than a wave to catch them. We are well. Missed the disaster by days so that was good. Where we were was completly destroyed so we watch the news reports with a few tears. but for the grace of god go us , and all that. Wish every one a Happy New Year from us. Cheryl and david. ------------------ Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise, Peter. |
Good news.
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idem
good news, happy they're alive Mattias |
A huge thank you to all of you being so concerned about us. Our number wasnt up.......we are at the moment in Northern thailand riding the Mae Sot to Pai road. As a lot of you would know, this road is paradise. Total paradise. As we left Samui , as late as siting on the ferry, we made the decision to go to Kanchanaburi instead of Krabbi for Christmas. Sometimes things just work out right.
Cheryl and david. |
I worked 2 jobs, 7 days a week for 18 months. One very low paying office job working in IT (but mostly researching the trip and slacking on the programming) and one job hosing monkey shit at a monkey lab. I also sold off most of my stuff. Old punk rock records are worth some $$$.
Only thing I couldn't sell was my Yamaha SR500. Not any major problems with it, but no time to fix it so it's sitting in a garage while the fuel gums up the carb. I'll run out of money in New Zealand and I'm trying to get a job teaching English in Japan. I put that mostly useless Anthropology degree to work since they don't care what your degree is in, just as long as you have a university degree. So I'll live on credit cards and hopefully will save up enough in Japan to make it through Asia and Europe. I'll run out of money again, and ring up the credit charges again as I make my way back across the US. Will work my ass off again to get out of debt and plan my next trip. I'm going to get a Vincent Comet and tour the Middle East if Bush doesn't start WW3. And if he does, then down to Argentina and back. I was thinking pre-war Norton which is a complete rip-off from Che but I like old bikes. --Dave ------------------ Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. Australia, New Zealand and Japan are first. http://nokilli.com/rtw/ |
I work about 8 or 9 months a year - and live fairly frugally during that time - then take 2 or 3 months off each year to go riding. By doing things that way, I can cope with the expenses (ca. $100 a day) without having to dip into capital. I think of it as a RTW in about 10 stages, 1 stage every year.
I am not surprised that many of the riders who do the really big, really long RTW trips need to dip into capital (house appreciation, stuff like that) to fund the trips. For sure, it can get expensive out there. |
Well, I just put my coop up for sale. It's not much but I realized, hey, I could sell my place for a small profit why try renting it out.
------------------ Brooklyn Dakar http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/ |
This is probably the most important thread I have seen on this site. It has inspired and frightened me at the same time.
For years now I’ve been collecting overland kit and practicing my mechanical skills on cheap bikes that I restore and sell. I recently purchased a very capable bike, which I currently use to explore my own country and have accumulated about 80% of the gear I think I’ll need. I’m ashamed to admit it but I seem to lack the guts I need to quit my job and sell off my assets. I’m 32 and still have lots of years left in me – I have no reason to pussy foot… …except a mortgage, a job, a dog, an apartment full of stuff, and a fiancé… I’m sure these doubts are completely normal and I simply have to give it more thought. I will visit sites like this until it becomes unbearable and I’m forced to make the paradigm shift you fine folks have already made. |
Luckystriker, and everyone, if you're wondering, dreaming, thinking, but not quite there - come to one of the 10 HU Travellers Meetings this year - there's a new one in South Africa this year too.
All the inspiration and opportunity to talk in person to those who've done it - or leaving soon... See you there! Grant |
Luckystriker...
I happen to think you have a point, but consider what you have spent on the "capable bike" and imagine yourself riding through India on an old Enfield that cost 500 $. Vietnam on a minsk, russia on a ural etc. Sounds like you can use a spanner and this might be the way to resolve your dilema. Start with a small cheapish chunk and move up if the desire is still there. I know of people who have driving holidays in Europe where the car can't cost more than 100 pounds...sometimes they make it across the continent, othertimes 40 miles from home, but each time it is a bit of an adventure. If the car dies its straight to the tip, the occupants to the pub! good stories, and no fear of theft! cheers alec |
Lucky Striker et al,
Deep down the trip is what makes you happy. And the trip was taken on the pretext that from the comforts of our everyday normal lives, we were willing to embrace adversity. Then somehow along the way, the trip became our new everyday normal life and when we returned to our old normal life, things just didn't make sense. The struggle to reconcile the post trip normalcy from the motorcycle trip normalcy is not the adversity we're willing to embrace. The irony is unsettling but its the leit motif one has in their life that helps guide us through these transition periods and focus us. If not, then I'm rambling and I should take my medication...a cold beer... |
Thank you for those comments Grant, simmo and Biram.
I’ll definitely attend the HU meeting in South Africa and meet the congregation. It will be good to talk to likeminded people – my family and friends just don’t understand. Blah, blah, nag, nag …I sound like a teenager! Thanks again |
Columbus, Gue Vara, Marco Polo, Livingstone, Cook, Magellan,(Mc Greggor!!)ok forget last one.
They were all retarded teens then? If yes or no, they brought civilization forward with their dreams and obstination. Just tell them that! Its one classic comment pfff. Matt |
The mortgage can me dealt with, rent out the house or sell it. The fiance, well, that depends, if she isn't game to go along then you have, shall we say, a situation. Maybe you are the lucky one who has found happiness without traveling around the world.
------------------ Brooklyn Dakar http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/ |
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Happy decision making. John |
This is indeed a very interesting thread - and I would like to add my humble opinion...
After having done my Africa-trip, returning to Europe, I also felt something missing... so I took the chance and searched my luck in Africa - which was nice for a while but then didn't turn well in the end - so after having spent most of my money on the trip (and other stuff) I was again without money - apart from what I had from selling my house, but not really wanting to touch that... So I decided to go work in the NGO-sector in Africa, which is actually a great way of saving money for a next trip! Although I earn quite less than what I did before, the thing is that I hardly spend anything - the two major costs i.e. housing and transport are being taken care of, and apart from that there isn't a great deal of gadgets or whatever on which you can spend your money here. Other added advantage is that they usually work with fixed-duration contracts, so no dilemma about quitting job or anything - you just finish your contract, you do whatever you wanna do with the money you saved, and when the money is finished you just look for another contract. Although it's not always easy to get an entry in the NGO-world, they are always looking for people open to and experience with other cultures and willing to live and work in not always easy conditions - which I think fits 90% of the travellers here... I guess in the end it's all a matter of being prepared to take some risks, and making the balance of what's important in your life - there will always be 37 reasons not to do it, and it's never a good time to do it (family, career, house, ...) - but then, if you make the choice, you'll notice if your one reason to go is strong enough, not one single reason can or will stop you... Amen. Jef |
Hi jesse
This is a long and a rather round about way to answer your question, and it contains a censored expletive, but i had to answer it truthfully and i hope i answers your question and gives you inspiration. It is a personal record of my last five years and why i am going to do an RTW and how i am gonna finance it, it is no way meant for sympathy for myself or to pump my ego up in anyway. I went through my life over planning for the future, i was married, and was gonna have kids etc. But my future plans were sorted out by my now ex-wife who ran off with my (ex)friend and had a baby with him. Of course she shacked up with him after i had worked my arse off for her putting her through university to obtain her degree and her carreer. I was devestated thirteen years of my life with my partner, just trashed and thrown out of the window I was dragged through the UK divorce courts system for two years, my wife and her new partner were using every trick in the book including blackmail, to try to take assets from me which i had before i met her, She wanted one 100k the court gave her 25k and it cost me 15k in legal fees. I was 43yo and approaching a mid-life crisis, i looked back at my life and looked at people that had died at a young age around me, my step father 42yo (heart attack) a cousin 30yo, (blood clot on the brain) and the list goes on, i realised that money is not the most improtant comodity in life....... time is! you can get back money but you can never get back time. I was on anti depressants, i was drinking alchahol which is something i don't usually do, and i had started smoking cigerretes for the first time in my life. I was a lost soul i had devoted my life to my ex-wife for so long that i had forgotton about myself. So i started a new regime, i went to the gym and got fit, i saw a grief counsellor and pushed myself forward. I had taken a few European trips on a motorbike in my younger years, so decided to do what i wanted to do. For the first time in my life i went a bought a brand new motorbike , a Kawasaki ZX6R to compliment The Harley Sportster i already own, i toured Spain with a friend on his Blackbird and me on the Kwacker for three weeks, when i came back the fuse was lit, i wanted more. Last year still suffering from depression i decided to ride on the Harley solo to Denmark, Norway,Finland,Sweden,Russia, Estonia and other countries in Northern Europe. Eurika i had found what i was looking for all my life, it felt great relying on myself and what i was carrying on my bike for five weeks. I met my current girlfriend in Oslo whilst i was on the trip (she is from Poland) she was camping around Norway, so we just hung out together in Norway until she had to back home, once we parted i carried on my journey. I had a blast,taking an American bike into Russia had a certain ring to it. When i completed the journey and got back to the UK i gave a metaphorical middle finger (the bird) to the legal system, my lawyers, her lawyers the judges and my ex wife and my ex friend, i thought to my self F***k you all, none of you could have planned and completed this trip solo or otherwise, instead of hiding behind your computer screens and books making peoples lives a misary, come in to the real world and see what your made of. I now had fantastic memories and no one in the land could take them away from me, you can take my money but you cannot take away my thoughts and dreams......oh! and the depression? gone, no more drugs or booze for me( i am still smoking though) I am by proffession a London cab driver, i work at night and although sometimes it can be dangerous it is a monotonos job, but the people make it interesting. In the course of a shift i can meet hollywood stars to the lowest form of life. For a few months after my trip i found it difficult to settle in my job and surroundings. I was observing the passengers in my cab and at the public on the street, i could see just how unhappy they were in there hum drum lives. Whilst i working and looking at these people i kept thinking of the film 'The Sixth Sense' where Cole, (Haley Joel Osment)the young boy in the film uttered the statement 'I see dead people' and thats what i saw around me....dead people, people existing and not living..... they were dead from the neck upwards just going through the motions of day to day living, waiting to die with no fulfilment in there lives. I was also a lot calmer internaly after my trip, where as before i used to confront violence in my job with violence, i now handled it in a very different and calm relaxed manner. Rightly or wrongly nowadays, i look at people in goverments and other national instituions with contempt, as i do with the vast majority of passengers in my cab who think they are so superior to others below them in social status. Last xmas i recieved the book and the DVD of the long way round, and i found this web site. Once i saw film and read the book and stories on this web site, i realised what i had been missing in my life, and I have commited myself to doing an RTW in about three years when my girlfriend leaves university. So the long answer to your short question (have you fallen asleep yet?) 'how do people finance there adventure' is, I will either sell or remortgage or rent my properties, i am making small preperations now, i have sold the ZX6R and i have bought an Africa Twin, and i am about to sell the Harley, i am working hard to pay off debts and save money. I will sell every thing i have to to make it happen, except my soul.......well unless any body makes me a decent offer on it (lol) I will have to take some small euro trips in the mean while, to introduce my girlfriend to the biking lifestyle (thats my excuse and i am sticking to it lol) I do not want her to have any illusions about what bike travel is about. I belive if you want to do something bad enough you will do it, don't make money or anything else an excuse not to do it, use every cell in your body to make that dream come true, when hurdles get in the way of your dream overcome them in anyway you have to, to stay on the path of your dream, always have a sense of humour about you, you will need these qualitys and the determination and mindset to get you through an RTW. Life is like a game of Snakes and Ladders,(if you know that game) sometimes you go up the ladders and sometimes down the Snakes, but you always roll the dice for your next move to see what number will take you forward. If you need to work your nuts off to finance your dream then do so, do whatever it takes, and if your younger than i am, believe me it is a lot easier when your younger. Erm.......i think i got carried away with a reply (Blush), hmmmmmmm....i hope it helped maverick bubble |
I spent 2 years running overland tours in North Africa, The Middle East and Central America saving my meagre pay and living on about $14US a day -I even saved a lot of that ! - then as soon as I finished I spent 6 months in Canada and the next 6 months in West Africa in a Land Rover - I've never owned a place to live or rented a place - currently living in the roof tent on top of my Rover and saving up to ship it to South America....
My Girlfriend and I are currently into a 'Work a year travel for two' routine - she sold her house in Canada and works a year contract in healthcare - I work a year and can walk back into the job I am in no problem, I work outdoors and its very chilled out - then we are off. Like a lot of Overlanders 'The Road Is My Home' - Its where I am happiest - The whole work all year for 2 weeks 'fly and fry' holiday is just scary. Also planning a 'short' West Arica trip to keep my eye in on 2 wheels - when I get a replacement for my Sazook... ;-( Grif ------------------ Ex Rockape, Ex Drago, LR 90 300 Tdi Overlander - Lighter than CF 80 Fridge Ex Suzuki DR650 Overlander *Stolen - L185 KDA * ..and Bloody Nice Bloke! |
Maverick Bubble,
Great story & good to hear how you dealt with the issues/problems caused by your ex-wife. TBH it sounds like she's done you favour? All the best for your RTW trip! Steve |
I started my trip and rented out my house via a good realastate agent.
This went fine the first 2 years but since then the house is empty. Being on the road there is little you can do to "fix" things. When I started to calculate I discovered that if I would have sold the house and had put that money (minus what the bank wants) in a deposito for ten years, it would have left me with the same amount (just the intrest) every month... but without all the hassles... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/redface.gif Yes I felt very stupid! So, now I am selling the house, but still have to go there to empty it etc... My advice: sell everything you have, put the money in the bank and burn all your bridges... It is far easier to "rebuild" those bridges when (or if) you come back then it is to arange these things while on the road. And remember... it,s only things that you sell.... You can buy them all back. Also do not rely on people back home to help you... It is fine the first year, but then they get bored with it (understandable) and again, you can,t arange anything on the road. Maarten ------------------ - www.maartensworld.com - - Some photo's - |
Maverick Bubble
Hi Mav, All the best for the future, and bon voyage. Cheers, John ------------------ Johnefyn [This message has been edited by John Roberts (edited 11 April 2005).] |
such a great website, and this is the best thread i've seen yet. i like the working for ngo idea. i am currently working on a phd in agriculture, and dreaming of a world tour after graduation. perhaps i could get a job or two with ngo after graduation, and tour around that. tour the world on a bike and work for humanity at the same time. i should be highly marketable with my degrees. how do i go about getting employed with a ngo?
joe |
I joined this site 4yrs ago...(my god don't time fly)ready to embark on my RTW....alas it did'nt happen ...5heart attacks... stent treatment and a quadruple bypass later... i'm on the road and have been now..for 15mths ..And i have to agree with all who have replied to this topic ... a house... a telly ..a..pc... are all material things and can be brought ... the experiance of travelling the road can not!!! ...i have savings ... but also do some work while travelling ....at the end of the day ... all you need is petrol in your tank ... and enough for a loaf of bread... I shall hopefully be travelling the road for the rest of my life ..I'm 53now ....Safe Riding ....
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Hey Simmo
Sometimes i wish I didnt speak english so when I sat in a local cafe i didnt have to listen to the meaningless drivel that is the background chatter, while travelling I could imagine people were talking on a higher level..of course they werent really! But how was I to know I know the feeling mate, you want to drive a London cab at night like i do, some of the inane drivel that comes out of ny passengers mouths in different states of soberness and inebriation. When i first became a cab driver i was full of the joys of spring, wondering why all the other established cab drivers had a look of resignation on there faces, now twelve years plying my trade in London i understand them fully. I have had many 'celebs' as passengers in my cab, i can't wait until the day i pick up Mr Mcreggor or Mr Boorman, well if i do you can be sure the full transcript of our conversation will be on this site......you heard it here first folks! i wonder if they would sponser me for an RTW? (lol) Maverick bubble |
This is something I have wondered about and here is where I am at: I am 28 and just finished 5 years of engineering school for my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I got a good paying full time job that I was able to arrange the start date to be in September. I will be taking a 6 week trip across/around the country in this time. I am selling a lot of the junk I have accrued over the years and trying to get it to the point where its just myself, bike and travel necesities. My plan is to ride the Alaska => Terra Del Fuego in a few years...to do this I figure I'll have the KTM 950 adventure I just bought (financed and down payment) well broken in. My hope is to do a job transition and once again do a delayed start date. Eventualy I see a RTW trip happening...though I'd also like to compete in the dakar rally...so we will see.
cool thread |
On another note, if you are trying to decide whether to leave your current job, house/apartment, living situation for a long trip consider this: The world could end tomorrow and suddenly the only thing that would make any difference would be if you fealt you had lived your life to the fullest. The modern world seems to be all about buying things to achieve happyness. I find that this is so not true. The more stuff you have the more tied to the system you are and the less happy. You have to work more to cover the cost of living, food, toys etc. So many people get stuck in the work, buy house, get married, have kids track. If this is what you want then its fine. I think there are a good number of us who fear this since we know it endangers our ability to get up and go. My hope is that I will travel, go adventuring, and one day either be satisfied, or not feel the need to take off and then the other world may be more appealing. Ultimately I look at it this way: When I am 85 years old I want to look back on my life and think wow I did so many things and I am pleased. Rather then, wow I wish I did this or that.
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Well said! ------------------ Brooklyn Dakar http://motorcycleramblings.blogspot.com/ |
Seth
Thanks for reminding me of one of my favourite quotations. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain. |
I'm not really brave enough to go travelling in countries like Thailand. What I prefer to do is spend winter in somewhere like Morocco and then spend the UK summer working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week for 6 months in order to finance next winters 'holiday'.
I'm 44 years old, unmarried with no ties, ride a 1982 Yamaha 750cc Maxim which cost £500, drive a £100 Rover to & from work, live in a shared house that costs me £200 a month and work for an agency that understands that I do not want to spend a couple of months every year scraping ice off the car windscreen. One day maybe I'll go further than Morocco but deep down I think I'm just too lazy. ____________________________________________ ------------------ The people who turned their swords into ploughshares generally end up working for the people who kept their swords! |
Interesting comment "not really brave enough to go travelling in countries like Thailand."
I think many will agree that Thailand requires LESS bravery than Morocco! Don't worry, we'll get you off your arse... just hang around a while... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/biggrin.gif |
Money is a tool.
I sold everything I had. It was easy: I had very little. This also means that I got very little money for it. However, our society is not fit for human consumption. So leaving it is equivalent to quiting smoking: it´s something you do for yourself and something that must be done radically to be achieved. If health should come before pleasure... it should come definately before ambition, competition, stress, selfishness, ugliness, slavery and indifference. So now I´m in Brazil after having travelled 45 000 kilómeters in South America for close to a year. Sometimes I think I don´t have enough money to afford so much freedom and beauty. But "enough" is such a relative term that it doesn´t deserve to be taken seriously. As far as the "going back into society" bit... No thanks, I quit a year ago... Balam |
Bank loan, overdraft and credit cards and ebay. That is how I'm financing my three month tour of the Baltic Sea. Being 43 and with no ties and no money, I think I can happily class it as a mid-life crisis. Admittedly, I was planning to do it in my mid 30s - but then I had my bike nicked. Doh! Hopefully this is only a practise run for 2007 - RTW or China and back. Financially I have no security for the future, but I have decided to stop worrying about it since realistically there is little I can do about it.
See you in the Baltic. |
Sometimes you dont need to sell everything to go and do a trip you dream of. You would be amazed at what you can achieve in as little time as 4 weeks. For those of you who can't give up everything, or choose not to, why not try to take a block of time off work (maybe unpaid) and be imaginative. You may not be able to 'do the long trip' but you will have access to finances. And they can often 'buy you time'. In less than four weeks holiday I have managed the trips below, always coming back to my job (and new debts) refreshed. Admittedly I always want more, buy hey, dont they say too much of a good thing is bad for you? Consequently I dream almost all the time, but with a little ingenuity and effort I can usually turn my dreams to reality for at least 1 month a year....
Around Ireland with no map only ever turning left.....(honda dominator) Over the himalayas and back on an Enfield (solo) Exploring Central America by TS185 Turkey, Aegean to Iran and back by DR350 North West African Desert and back XT600 Across the USA offroad 5000 miles by XR400 Western Europe (all over the place) various bikes This summer.....The 'All Road Tour' 2000km competative rally in northern Finland by KTM640 GO ON......where ever you want to ride, just go and do it. The way I figure it, the last thing I will EVER say on my death bed (wherever it turns out to be) is : 'Thank GOD I sat on my arse and didnt do anything about going on 'that trip'. I'm so glad I stayed at home/went on another package tour' All the best and safe riding to you all out there. Dave 'its all about doing what you can with what you've got...' |
Wow, has this thread struck an accord! I met up with my fellow Aussy mates, Cheryl and David in Chiang Mai.I have just arrived back in Oz after 11 months on the road thru S.E. Asia,
How I funded the trip was to "Grow Old Discracefully",spend the kids inheritance and go and enjoy myself. If the shit hits the fan, I could always go and live in the backyard of my daughter's and baby sit my grand kids! As far as settling back into society when you get back, you have to be joking! I have lasted 8 weeks in Brisbane, began a well paid job,planning my next bike trip to S.America, when I was offered a job in Shanghai.So guess were I am heading now? Maybe I will find some devious way of getting my bike into the PRC! |
I notice a few people who work with NGO's, but none who are working while travelling. This is what I've been doing (photography/writing) the last 1 1/2 years in the US, after living in Africa for 12 years. Despite the exotic location, at times I felt stuck in suburbia there. Which is ironically where I am right now in California staying at a friend's house, getting some work stuff done I can't do on the road until I get a satelite phone.
So this morning I woke up in a real funk because... I feel stuck in suburbia again!!! So, went straight to Horizons Unlimited which I always do when I feel like this! I don't have the bike because of my two dogs, (I have a van instead) but when they're gone, I'll be on a bike again!!! Looking forward to seeing some of you folk when I leave here for South America this summer. Thanks for the inspiration. Lorraine http://OnaMissionFromDog.com |
I like many have commitments to kids, wife, etc etc so the round the world journey aint going to happen just yet. But i still manage some decent journeys, most of europe, to the med,next was all of scandanavia, this year the baltic and a week into russia. so bit by bit I am moving towards the bigger journey. How do I finance it, simple I live in a smaller house, run a older car, packed in working for the company and work very hard on lower pay for myself but this gives me the flexability to take months rather than weeks off when it suits me, then I save like hell its amazing how much people spend to have the bigger house the newer car or be keeping up with the neighbours. Then they think I am rich when i take off for a month or two on the bike. Even got my wife coming along on this trip this time she is taking unpaid leave. It kills me every time I come back i start planning the next bigger journey. so it can be done on a budget. Two weeks and off to russia - five or six years the world trip is on the horizon. Jake.
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You all are some pretty amazing people. Got to love the fact that there are so many consiously lost souls out there (i mean that in only the best way).
I took the route of international school teacher. A 2 year contract here and there plus huge summer holidays for travel. I leave in a week for Vietnam where I'm hoping to ride a minsk through the region. Last year I was based in Tanzania with my Suzuki 650 to explore the bush. Another perk of teaching international schools is you get multicultural holidays. They gave us a week off for Chinese new year, a week for Thai new year, and 3 weeks for christmas/western new year. BONUS for reci.s to the places you'll visit on bike later. Still dreaming of quiting for a year or two and taking it around the world. In the mean time short trips with lots of educational and inspirational reading on this site. Happy trails, Poa I'm happy knowing that I haven't found it because that leaves me to search. |
Great quote Stephano, that is one of my favourites.
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Hi everyone,
Interesting thread. heres my 2 cents worth. Look at the salary u earn in an hour.(more for those in Europe) That same amount can sustain you for at least a day or two in Asia. I am from Singapore, for South east Asia we earn quite a bit of money but in Europe, its a fraction. But if you are in Europe, Asia is soo cheap its hard to see why not to do it. If you stay in your own country, you will have similar standard of living as almost anyone in a similar position anywhere in the world, (with your dvd, hi fi entertainment, car, phone bills, other bills ..... in europe you earn big salaries but cost of living is big too) but if you leave your continent (Europe Especially) the whole world is cheap. I just spent the last 4 months working in ireland behind a bar, and the money i saved there will prob take me for my ride back to Singapore or to almost any destination. Camp in Europe or stay with friends, or ride quickly, and after that... everywhere is affordable, when u have earned in euros. For our american friends i sympathise with u. In 2003 when i left singapore, i had travellers checks in Usd. 1 USD was worth 1.15 or more Euros, when i got to europe it got the other way around and worse. So my travel money evaporated and for u its more expensive to travel. How to afford to this lifestyle. Prioritise what u really want. Every pint of lager u skip in Western Europe, u could have two or more further east. Every packet of cigarette u buy in Uk for example could buy u five or easily pay for your guesthouse in asia. Im not suggesting to stop enjoying yourself, but think what that money could do u in another country. I know i'm having lots of beers starting from poland onwards. If you live in Europe and wish to travel, you are in a way blessed that u are born there. Think about the locals in Asia and Africa, South America, for them overland travel is not an option, well definately not in Europe anyways. So go out an enjoy your luck of being born in Europe or America or for me in Singapore, cause we can afford it. I didnt have a house to sell or a rent to collect, but enough luck and money to buy an old 1989 dommie and travel. I know i am lucky cause i am born in Singapore, and all of you are too. So go and enjoy it, travel, and do spread good vibes to the locals in the poorer countries, even if they try to con u and ask for more money than they should. At the end of the day they are not as lucky as we are. But they have other things we dont either, and they are usually happy to share them. So for all of u earning euros and pounds, go now, before the other currencies catch up. Besides how much money is just relative. Its never enough or if u choose it can be enough. Cheers Dalbir |
I put off my dream of driving across the sahara for years because I didn't think I could afford it. Plymouth to Dakar challenge proved to me that I could. me and my dad did it in a 200 pound pink suzuki jeep ( www.plymouth-dakar.com ), then I bought a ford sierra on ebay for 100 pounds and drove to poland and back, now gone up market and bought a 2050 pound landcruiser for another africa trip next year. just driven it to russia and back, all in my annual leave periods (had to kill the mileage for russia though!) cheap cars have lots of advantages. carnets are cheaper and it's not a disaster if something terminal goes wrong. break your 25000 pound td5 defender in the sahara and your going to be a bit sick!! Also driving a shed, leaving all the dents in the car and having a coathanger as an aerial keeps down the cost of bribes!!
never had a reliability problem, except my back wheel coming off the landcruiser at 70mph on the autobahn!!! then that was user error! (check your nuts regularly, in all senses of the word!) Andy land rover 101 ambie/camper landcruiser 60 series ford escort and 1968 morris minor! Quote:
[This message has been edited by moggy 1968 (edited 30 June 2005).] |
Im am desperatly wanting to do a 6 month trip to South America.. My problem is that at the moment im working for £10k a year with debts of over 7k. My other problem is I have no savings and cant afford to ship my bike or even survive 2 weeks. The only good thing is i already have my KTM 620 adventure but alas not the £1000 to get it to SA. I am a qualified bike mechanic and experienced computer technician but i feel these skills will be not required in SA so no chance of "working my way around"
Any suggestions ??? I was thinking of doing a TEFL (teaching english qual) but not sure where this will get me.. |
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If you're currently living & working in a depressed area, perhaps you should consider relocating for a year or two to go where the money is? |
It was hard for me to get back into a normal life after sailing around the world.
So I then went out and bought a Dakar and took a small job to save money and do more travel. It worked for me. ------------------ |
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Hi all, It really is fascinating to read your stories, they are moving and inspiring. At the moment I am taking a year out from college and education. I am 17, haven't yet passed my bike test, and ride a Vespa 50 which at the moment is seized up and in the garage. I think I will find it easy to save up for a journey around the world if I live cheap before and during the trip and get a cheap bike to do it on (obviously not this one lol!), but I don't think I'm ready to do that. Could any of you recommend to me some less committing journeys that will fulfil my motorcycling passion in the short run? Obviously finance is a big issue here, and things are still unclear because I don't have a bike yet. Thankyou, from James. </font> |
Unseize your Vespa and start exploring your own country. It's beautiful!
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<font face="Lucida Console" size="2"> http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I agree Britain is a beautiful country with great scenery and lots to do, not too demanding and everywhere I go there will be someone who understands me! Not so sure about going around on the Vespa though, I'm 6 foot 3 and get backache after 2 miles. It's not quite got the pace for a B road never mind a countrywide tour!
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Hi there
We dreamed of walking from London to Cape Town, and crossing the Sahara with camels. For four years we dreamed and planned and thought we wouldn´t be able to afford it. Finally we remortgaged the house, sold everything we could, and set off. One year later we have finished the first stage of the walk, are in the process of buying camels for the next, and I have written a book which looks like it will actually get published, so we have made a start in making the trip pay for us. Far, far more importantly, we are both the happiest we have ever been, and for the first time in our lives have time to devote to the things we really believe are important - like photography and writing, which we never really had time to do before we left. I have learned two new languages and seen and done things I could never have dreamed of. For every time I had a doubt before I left, I have thanked my stars ten times over that we took the plunge and just went; I never want to live another day looking out of a city building at grey concrete and wondering what the real world is doing whilst I am working in something I hate. There is some Confucian proverb which goes along the lines of: He who travels learns more than he who lives long, and I could not agree more. I have lived and learned more this year than in the thirty before it - who gives a shit if we NEVER have a house again? It´s up for sale now and if the rest of life is spent in a tent I will still just be glad that we did this. No regrets in this life. ------------------ Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time |
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Something else to think about:
There is a lot of comment in this thread about how the job-mortgage-house-kids-stationwagon-dog lifestyle isn't much fun, and I'd have to agree. I'm finishing my engineering job next year to see how I do as a travelling writer. But I realise that if it wasn't for those people still stuck in the rat race my motorcycle wouldn't be built, I wouldn't have roads to ride on or cities to visit. I guess my point is that not everyone can get up and start travelling, or there really would be no way to travel. And the flip-side of that is if no-one got up and decided to see what was over the end of the world, I'd still be living in an English village or wherever it was that my family first came from, destined to spend my life learning the family trade. So, I've come to the conclusion that there's some sort of social balance operating, some people are always going to be restless travellers and some people are always going to be industrious nesters and that is really the only way human society can expand and develop. I'm just glad I'm a restless traveller. (and the nester is probably just as glad he's got a nice house and a flash car) And to answer the thread question, 4 years of University to get an Engineering degree and 3 years of working and saving to fund the first leg of my travels. Work smarter, not harder and then work harder as well has been my motto so far. With my training I'm fairly employable so I intend to stop where my money runs out and start working for a while. As mentioned in a previous post, it makes sense to stop in a developed country where the earning power is greater so I'm thinking about Canada at the moment. Or maybe travel writing will work for me and I'll be able to live off that ... Also, I've bought a simple, cheap, 2nd hand bike(Honda XR650L) and I'm carrying as little as possible. I've knocked back on beers at the pub and I'm not skiing in the Winter. Matt Aussie 2006 - The First Leg |
Hi People ..
You would be surprised that you can work while you travel !!!! =-most IT people (I do) .. can work either while travelling , either offshore (i.e. settling up for a bit in X country and finish the job / contract/milestone) .. I do (programmeing) shitty mobile games for a living .. and I can work on that wherever I lay off my laptop. It was really difficult to have my employers agreed with that .. but at the end I got it .Not-that-good paid , but It allows me work&getpaid from wherever I am . To my surprise , lots of people do that. Be editing ,coding , designing , there are shit loads of task which can be done off-shore , on the road. Just pick one of them . Even that you don't get your former full pay .. but most employers would be happy to get you working for some money whislt on the road. You can survive with mostly nothing (1000 Euros/700UKP ) a month can get ya travelling forever ! Also lots of Journalists... reporters , bookwriters , do that . and should your skills are non-IT related .. you would be surprised to see how demanded your -whateveryoudoforaliving- skills are. In any country of the world.. any company would like a UK/US/EU/AUs techhnician , mechannic , sales assisst , ->you name it. In 3rd/2nd world countries , hi-skilled techies -propperly trained - (from panel-beating ,bike&car mechs , diesel experts , whatever) are highly priced Whatever your job be at home .. It wiill surely be more demannded overseas .That's a fact. Just figure a way to work as you travel .. and that is Have a nice day Javier |
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CHEERS! Good for you! Are you going to make it to the HU at Creel? Hope you can share all this beautiful experience there to us. MoroCycler |
One doesn't. One's wife does.
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I can only give some ideas on the financing part, as I'm yet to go on any trip of my own (although planning my first ever trip: Lagos - Abuja in a couple of months).
Based on my experience, what will help you is to get an expat job. You'll get loads of offers these days if you are qualified or experienced in Oil & Gas, but there's something for almost anyone if you look hard and have valuable experience. Expat jobs are IMHO summed up as follows: a) You are either working on a decent place and not getting much money but you're still saving some due to lower rent, cheaper food, etc. b) You are in a tougher place (at least as per HR people's standards), getting much more money, saving almost all your income, with at least 2 months off/year and paid return tickets to your home base. And your consumerism instincts are dimished by lack of options. Option b)sounds like a good option to finance travelling, as the advantages are: - "Career expats" typically hop from contract to contract (12 - 36 months). This means you can take 6 or 12 months off and then go back home and hunt for a new contract when you run out of cash. And you will not be a "misfit" job candidate for taking 1 year off. - Just riding your bike where you are could be an adventure, even if you travel 500 km on a weekend. - Your adventure riding could be an asset when applying for a position on a place you've been to before, or just to state that you are better suited to tough places and conditions. If anyone is interested, just try expat on any search engine and you'll find loads of sites. Most job offerings are shown on "suscribers only" basis, although you can see some being offered on newspapers back at home. Check: http://www.expatnetwork.com/ You can browse job descriptions / offers for free (without contact details for which you'll need to pay). It can help you start assessing whether you would find offers that suit you. Hope it helps. |
Oil and gas is a pretty good industry for this sort of thing, I was working for an international company on the rigs in Australia before resigning and riding India to the UK via Central Asia over 10 months. On the last leg of the journey i sent a few emails and had my old job back (UK based)when i reached London. Working 2 weeks on 2 off allows me to save lots and travel Europe in my time off. My company works in 60 or 70 countries worldwide so there is a possibility to continue travelling with regular income.
Of course, it helps when the price of oil is $63 a barrel, but it's traditionally a boom and bust industry. People tend to get laid off pretty quick in the downturn. Sean |
As a baby boomer, approaching 60 and a West Coast US resident, my perspective may be a little different than my younger peers (isn't that the point of a BB, to get different view points?). I'm a semi-retired full time RV'er, that is, I live in a 37' 5th Wheel trailer that I haul with a med.duty Intl "semi". My 2000 Triumph Legend rides nicely behind the cab (thanks to an electric boom), which I've put 37K miles on.
In other words, I left the concept of "home" as a specific geographic location 3 yrs ago subsequent to a divorce. I work seasonally selling RV campground and/or timeshare memberships to support my travel jones. I've found having access to condos and private campgrounds to be the safest, most cost effective and convenient way to live the gypsy biker life. Beats eating all of your meals out and staying in motels. Camp somewhere 1-2 weeks, do a different ride everyday and move on! The down side is that, while your cost is down to fuel and food, you have to buy everything upfront: your rig (RV), bike and membership(which is still less than mortgage/rent plus utilities) and this, obviously, only works in the States, altho' one of my best rides was from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas (1,000 miles solo 1 way) with 2 weeks in primo condos @ $35/night when I got there. There is a growing subculture of folks leaving the ball and chain of job and mortgage for something freeer. And like MC's, there's a whole range of price, quality, configuration and size of RV's and memberships. |
Sometimes its about living REALLY cheap combined with a bit of ingenuity! My brother financed a year of travel by living in a caravan he bought for £500 on the construction site he was working on (a motorway construction). There was obviously no rent and the construction company were happy to give him free electricity as it meant there was always someone on site which was good for security. He sold the caravan after a year or so for £250. Hence his years rent had been £250! I guess theres often a way round things, its just finding the way.
matt |
I have a cunning plan!!..I plan to open a campsite in Estonia next year.i have worked hard to get the money to buy the land but thats history now that i have it.all permission has been granted.To keep costs down,i live in a very nice caravan on a nice quite site,i pay £1,250 a year to live here(TOTAL).Once the campsite is up and running,i will spend 5 months working at my camp and then spend the other months on the bike touring.i taxi drive now for a posh taxi company to keep the hassle from punters down and work my own hours in newcastle.im single with no money commitments. my advice to you would be to stay single!!.Once the camp is running in Estonia(tourism up 26% this year),i plan to start motorcycle tours in the baltics.Any investors??....email me please.
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We attended a seminar put on by Susan and Grant in 1998 at a BMW rally in Montana. At the same rally Helge Pederson spoke about his 10 years on two wheels. We were amazed! Wow, what a concept, travelling around the world on a motorcycle. But, we just couldn't see ourselves selling it all and heading off. When we got home from that rally we started thinking and plotting. We discovered that both of our employers offered a leave of absence plan where you could save up and then take up to a year off while they paid you the amount you had saved. Cool! We rented out our house for the year and while we spent a year exploring Europe and North Africa someone else was paying our mortgage. We had an absolutely wonderful time on our trip but as others have mentioned it was a bit of a struggle coming back to work. We flew back from London on a Thursday, picked the bikes up on Friday and I was back at my office on Monday morning. Ouch.
We knew that we were hooked and promptly set to saving for another year off. If our employers wouldn't give us the leave of absence we would have quit. Fortunately, we didn't have to and we've both signed up for another year long leave of absence starting in summer of 2007. So I guess we're on the 4 year work/1 year off plan! While this plan doesn't give us the freedom of travelling indefinitely it does give us a bit more security for the future. There is always a trade-off and this is the balance that we've struck. The main thing is to get out there. Ekke |
I'm new to Touring. My first trip will be in September of next year, through South America.
I do however have a different, less finalistic approach to raising money. Yachting. There are some big f#@$%n' boats out there that need crew. Great pay. Tons of travel by boat. I'm in Greece right now. Another big advantage is that there is no overhead. Meals, toilettries, sometimes plane tickets home are all paid for. Some drawbacks are, that it really helps to be single. You will be away from home for long periods of time. Another is that there are periods of time when you work for months with only a few days off (you don't spend any money though). Having a trade that applies to boats helps too. Carpentry. Engineering (great engine rooms!). I'm a chef for instance. We just finished the summer charter season. Super busy. On the other hand, shitloads of serious tips on top of your monthly cash salary (You don't get taxed if you work on foreign flag boats). I'm not sure what your situation is. Let me know if you want anymore info. Take care. |
Learn to work on your own bike!!!
Will save you thousands!!! ------------------ Cameron Weckerley |
Hello all, just joined this site and read this post, and you have given me inspiration and useful information.
I have just gotten into Adventure Riding in the last couple of years. I want to do more, and a RTW trip is a dream, hopefully will become reality someday, or at least doing multiple long trips. Now I must start reading more in the different forums !! Thanks !! ------------------ Randy L. San Diego Adventure Riders www.dualsport-sd.com '04 KTM 950 Adventure '95 Ducati E900 Elefant '00 KTM 640 LC4 [This message has been edited by Rad 900 Duc (edited 12 October 2005).] |
Maybe look at buying a bike in SA. I'm hoping to leave in Sept of 06 for around six or eight months. I have a 3,000km KLR that I will probably sell after the trip. It works best for everyone if a traveller sells it to another traveller.
As for how to pay for a trip, I have to agree that working oil and gas is the way to go. I do public relations for a big oilsands company, and I'm worth quite a bit more in this industry than anywhere else. Quote:
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We overlanded UK to Aus in the late 80's and sold the house, to fund it, buying a smaller one when we returned. Now do six month trips (by boat)returning to the UK and working the other six. You can always find somewhere to store the bike/boat cheap & secure for 6 months work period. Working half-years means there's a lot less tax on your earnings and 6 month slots prevent you getting bored with either work or travelling
------------------ BobnLes |
Thanks a lot for every one who has written their opinions on this post, IT really helps!
I ride an Enfield- Bullet 350CC on small tours in and around my home town in India I had never thought of doing a ride as long as some mentioned here. But now after reading so much and dreaming a lot more I am sure I will RIDE , and ride a lot ! Life is tooo short to be spent seeing photographs of exotic places sent by friends which they themselves received as forwards :-) I really don't know nor have I planned my trip so far but I am sure my day will come too. And having seen above how all the others like you have managed their finances, I think I should be able to manage them too (Hopefully). Thanks a lot for all those who have written in with their opinions. Like they say a teacher never knows how far his influence lasts, in very much the same way I am sure this post has made a lot of pople think! Thanks once again to Our Webmasters Sussan and Grant for Keeping this site up and free. Hope to see you all some day in India! [This message has been edited by Red Bull (edited 23 January 2006).] |
excellent thread and in the spirit of keeping it alive I post.
my situation is tangled in the web of the current US society. I've travelled alot and have been riding alot more the past year. BUT I keep my home, I keep my business, I keep my sailboat and a stable of bikes. I am able to at the moment, but they can all be cutaway for when I do want to really get gone. In the mean time I am diligent about saving after tax monies. Last year I rode to Honduras and leftthe biek there for winter and returned to rie hoem and all over the US...this whet my tastes for more..and the dream seeds are planted and being nourished Breaking he family ties at the moment is what my wife and I choose not to do. anyway...keep it up all...and thank you for sharing [This message has been edited by FREEFLOW (edited 15 December 2005).] |
Hi
one of the most important topics for travellers and felt i had to respond. My wife and I have been taking 1 month touring holdays around Europe on our bikes for the last 10 years (both self employed). However we would like to do some more long distance travel so our plans are this: We are both re-training in different health care occupations (wife - speech therapy, me - Podiatry). There is a shortage of nearly all health care professions in 1st world countries and many of them are transferable. A few months agency pay in U.S / Canada can fund many months in S.A. Australia - Asia, Europe - Africa you get the picture. It will also give us an oportunity to do some VSO work and it's a nice industry to work in. On the subject of returning blues; I have returned to a job which was just a money earner, now i am changing to something that is worthwhile and enjoyable and I hope it will make a difference - just a thought. we are 5 years from departure. |
Good on you and good luck! I hope your target countries accept your US qualifications. NZ, for example, doesn't...
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Our qualifications will be U.K. The different Speech Therapy organisations of U.S, canada, Britain, Australia and New Zeland reached an agreement in 2005. As for Podiatry it's not so easy but not impossible, I am also a bricklayer so I'm sure we'll get by. Thanks for the support - happy travels.
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How many of you have realize how little changed back home while you were "away".
Talking about the cost of travelling, I must say that NOT travelling is VERY, VERY expensive... |
My first post here, anyway my story...
When I was 18 living with my parents I got into a big fight with my father which led me to being told to leave. I grabbed a back pack full of clothes and got on my bike which was really the only thing I owned at the time other than clothes, and I started to ride. I only had $300 to my name and decided I wanted to go to california. I realised that i wouldnt be able to spend any money on hotels so I stayed at a friends house the first night hen went back to my parents house, grabbed a tent and some food and left. I made it to kentucky in 4 days on the food I had taken, sleeping in the tent off the road in the woods. The only money I spent was on gas. After kentucky I made it a point to seek out supermarkets, and while shopping I would munch on the food I was walking around with. Doing it this took alt more time, and I finally made it to california 2 weeks later. Once there I sat back and stayed on the beach for a few days, and got a job doing construction. did this for 3 weeks and I decided to go back to NJ. I didnt have too much money, so this time I made it a point to hit every major city I could find. I would ride around early in the morning and when i stood saw a bunch of guys standing on a corner I would go stand with them, usually they were waiting to be picked up for day work. I spent 3 months traveling around the US, made a short trip into mexico and another short trip into canada. When I got home after not having talked to my parents the entire time they took me back in. Eventually i joined the army, and now I take a 2 week trip each year and just ride wherever I feel like as cheap as I can. Since my original trip Ive settled down married kids house etc... When I retire (in 11 more years) I am going to take a year and go around the world, not stopping in every country just go straight around, and after that who knows.... |
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