I’ve recently run into a lot of people who have quit their job to travel around the world.
And most of the time, after talking with them, I end up feeling like they’ve made a big mistake.
You see, I haven’t met a single person who has used that time wisely to “figure out” their life. Does quitting their job solve the problem of work? of purpose? of meaning? long-term does it help? Does it make you feel like your time is worthwhile?
This may seem pretty interesting seeing as I’m on the tail-end of a 2 month travel trip, where I’m headed back to “reality” - but it upsets me that many travelers who had enough insight not to stay stuck in their life STILL ended up stuck in another life, just somewhere else.
Fantastic, you quit your job and are traveling the world.. Many of them (assuming they don’t go back home after a short period) go right back to the reality they left in the first place, just a few years later.
That’s great if you just want a few year break from the 9 to 5 lifestyle. But what about those of you who want a very different longterm lifestyle?
In the start, I envied these people. “Damn, escape your life for a bit, go off on an adventure and do something fresh and exciting.” Problem is, after covering about ¼ of the world myself and meeting hundreds of people on the way, I noticed that 90% did what they did for one of two reasons: They hated their job/life, or they just ended a long-term relationship and needed a fresh start.
Although there’s nothing wrong with that, we naively assume that these things are going to make us happier long term. The truth is they won’t.
The truth is that you’re avoiding reality and not solving any problems. The truth is that almost every single person I’ve met traveling long-term hasn’t figured shit out about life and how to have a more meaningful and enjoyable existence once they go back to “reality.”
I’m all for saying “fuck it” and quitting your job and traveling the world – don’t get me wrong. I’ve done it before - more than once.
The problem is that most of us don’t just want world travel or adventure – we want many other things like a job we love, the feeling that time spent has been worthwhile, and an exciting, not-at-all-mediocre life. Your problems or gripes with society aren’t magically going to disappear because you did.
Here are the biggest problems that the “quit your job and travel the world” thing doesn’t solve:
#1 Long-term thinking your life and time has been worthwhile
For a short time you’ll be thinking “Sweeeet! I’m using my time so wisely now, seeing the world, investing in experiences not stuff, and then it’ll slowly start to fade. You’ll be traveling just to be traveling and you may get listless. What at first was a beautiful escape and immensely wise use of time has now become drudgery. You want more. Something is still missing.
What was “missing” from your ordinary life is also going to still be missing from your travels because you’ve chosen to address symptoms and not the core discontent that bothers you.
When I first “quit my life” and started traveling, I didn’t like a lot of things. I hated my job (like everyone else), I wanted to find more purpose and meaning in life, I needed new friends, and I just didn’t want to be living a mediocre life anymore. I wanted stories to tell. I wanted adventures.
“Life is too short to be spent in a cubicle” I told myself.
… But guess what? When I traveled did I get any closer to figuring out what kind of job I liked? Nope.
Did I figure out how to create more meaning in my life? Nope.
That’s because you need to start trying things out – it doesn’t matter where you are. Sitting in an ashram in india meditating is not going to materialize your dream job in front of you.
Finally, after the second or third time “quitting my life” the travels were no longer very happy for me. The individual days were fun and exciting, seeing new stuff, meeting new people, going on adventures, but that listlessness was finding me again.
“I still really want to live a meaningful life,” I told myself. And that’s when I started thinking and testing.
#2 Purpose and meaning
One of the problems for me was that after traveling so much just for the sake of traveling I ended up not having a background story. Like in life, if there’s no plot to your story, events are just noise without a place.
Most of us quit our jobs in the first place coming from a purpose standpoint – our work sucked and felt meaningless. It felt like there were 532,234,123 other things I wanted to do than work just for the sake of existing and paying my rent.
But you don’t magically find purpose and meaning by traveling. You find it by doing shit. You find it by trying new things. You find it by cultivating relationships with friends and family or love with your spouse. You find it by creating some mission that is important to you and meaningful.
You find it by producing and not consuming.
If there’s one single trend I see more common than any other in long-term travelers, it’s this: their days seem to be used wisely and they have tons of stories and life experiences, but beyond all these events there is no undercurrent of meaning. They still feel just as lost as they did in their corporate jobs, just with new, fresh surroundings.
They’ve got stories to tell, but they still haven’t figured shit out about life. I’m not saying I have – but if you want purpose and meaning, start figuring out what gives your life meaning and purpose…. right now. If you want to do that on your travels, then do it there. You can do it sitting in your cubicle or sitting on a beach in Bali.
But you need to say to yourself “I want more meaning in my life, and I’m going to start sitting down, thinking, and testing, to see what things give my life meaning.”
#3 Happiness
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the hardest years of my life, it’s this: you sure as hell can’t go looking for happiness.
It’s just contrary to the nature of happiness. Like success, the more you pursue happiness, the madder you become and the futher you get. Rather, it’s a natural side effect of doing things right. Traveling will not bring you happiness long-term, nope, no way.
There are even myriad studies to show that although people’s happiness peaks before/during a trip, after the return it returns to the pre-trip levels. It’s fleeting. Days are more important than events.
Happiness does not come from single events.
Happiness does not come from leaving your ordinary life behind.
Happiness does not come from avoiding your problems.
You may lie to yourself and believe all of these things to be true, but I can tell you first hand: I’ve “ditched” reality many times, and every single time I came back to the same exact problems.
Take the trip for the sake of excitement and adventure – but don’t travel thinking that “quitting your job and traveling the world” magically makes you superior to cubicle dwellers or your back-home friends.
You’re on a temporary opiate high.
#4 Balancing adventure and reality
One of the finest arts in life is learning how to balance adventure and reality – in other words, how to incorporate adventure into your daily life. How not to come off the travel high and return back to reality. How to have your reality constantly leave you in such a state of excitement and adventure.
How do you live a remarkable life in a conventional world?
Unless you’re the rare couple who plans to globetrot nonstop for life, I assume most of us want a family and some sort of mostly-in-one-place existence.
…Which means that there is going to have to be some balancing of income (work) and adventure (to stay sane).
If your lifestyle requires you to be self employed, are you working on that while you’re traveling, or are you just saying you’ll get your shit together when the time comes?
Have you actually sat down to think about how to make your life awesome even though you’re living in one place?
It’s easy for us 20 somethings to say our life is awesome – many of us are untethered and can move across the world in search of freshness and excitement. And it’ll work. But most of us won’t end up doing that forever. So what happens when you go back. Have you thought about that?
The art is not in creating adventure and meaning while on an adventure. That’s easy, anyone can do it. The art is creating an insanely meaningful and exciting life while living your day to day life.
#5 Finding enjoyment in daily life and finding or creating work you love
Time and time again I meet people 5, 10, 15 years older than myself that have temporarily dipped out from American society while they figure their shit out.
And it’s immediately apparently after talking with them for 5 minutes that they haven’t figured anything out. And that’s pretty upsetting… I mean, great, you quit a job you hated. That’s definitely good. But what now? Do you guys really want to teach English or teach in an international school forever? If that’s what you truly love, fine. But if you’re doing it because the pay is good and you can travel and have a better lifestyle for a couple years, what’s next?
Wherever you are, have you actually thought about what makes life meaningful?
Have you actually thought about your “ideal” way to work and have fun?
Have you actually thought about your ideal lifestyle?
These things don’t just come as magical realizations while you’re meditating in some ashram in India.
And I hate to see so many people who start with good intentions – quit the job and find yourself – only to be lost in travel buzz drifting from place to place saying, “I’m taking it one day at a time” while failing to really meditate on life.
They fall in with the other hostelling people and mostly end up partying and lounging around, thinking they’ll go back with some great stories and a restored sense of purpose and understanding of the world. Uhhh…right.
Clearly that’s not the case, as I meet more and more people I am repeatedly reminded that many travelers seem to have a superiority complex, but in reality they haven’t figured out much.
The truth about quitting your job to travel the world
At first I truly envied these people.
I couldn’t wait to quit my job and travel.
I couldn’t wait to regain a life of excitement, full of stories and wise use of time.
And then in 2010 I started doing it, and I started getting bored. I got bored of just traveling just for traveling. There was always some reality I had to come back to that needed changing and fixing, regardless of the travels. It was putting a damper on my life.
Big questions for me like purpose and meaningful work never magically appeared upon my plate. And that’s when I realized these people were stuck in one phase just above (but not far above) seeing through the way most of us lead our lives.
They hadn’t figured out anything about the rat race. They had merely been avoiding it for the time being – but to truly see through it requires living it in a more evolved way.
The step they took wasn’t much better than what most of us fear the most – getting stuck working to pay the bills and just existing on our plot of land. They were also stuck in another reality.
It’s like meeting many location independent bloggers – Great, you’re the 400th person I’ve met who quit their job to travel. And when I ask “so what’re you up to, what have you figured out about life?” I rarely get an answer from someone who has truly sat down, thought, and produced a wise response.
So here’s my advice: take those trips, travel for a year, or two years, or three, or forever. Live abroad. But know that it will not solve a single problem in your life.
If you can honestly tell yourself you’re doing it in the spirit of adventure and excitement, you’ll get the most out of it.
Many of us delude ourselves into thinking quitting and traveling is a panacea, when in reality it’s just another pill for the symptoms. It won’t solve the problems of finding meaning, being happy, feeling your time has been worthwhile, balancing adventure and reality, or finding work you love.
In this era where quitting and traveling is the cool thing to do – ask yourself, are you doing it just to escape or will it actually bring you closer to where you want to be?
And then the most important question of all:
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin
—
Update: The point in me writing this post is to illustrate that travel is not a panacea. I meet many many lost people on my travels and a very high percentage of them use travel as an opiate. They avoid asking themselves the hard questions in life, and would rather get fucked up 4 nights a week than confront the reality of what it would take to improve their life.
Travel won’t help you fix deep personality flaws, or learn how to find work you love, although it may help put some pieces together. It isn’t a magic bullet that will solve all your problems. 20 somethings, in particular, are experts at running away.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t travel. I’m not saying to stop taking vacation. I’m not saying to avoid long-term trips.Do all of those things. Travel as much as possible in your life, and if you can, create a lifestyle where you can travel whenever you want. But if you have big questions in life, god questions, questions about reality, happiness, purpose, meaning, finding work you love, being a better spouse — you can only answer them right now, wherever you are.
Image: Ben Beiske
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Great, insightful post, Alex. I liked this line:
“These things don’t just come as magical realizations while you’re meditating in some ashram in India.”
…and would continue the thought with two things:
1) The realizations often come when you’re out there TRYING stuff, experimenting with various activities, until you hit one (or more) that really makes you come alive. You can experiment with various jobs and types of work by doing volunteer work, internships, job shadowing, talking to people who actually live that way, etc.
I’m a scientist at heart, so the way I test my theories/ideas is by putting them in practice. If they don’t work (“oh… the day-to-day of this job isn’t nearly as fulfilling as I’d imagined it to be”) then I revise my ideas and try a different “experiment.” It’s sad to hear about so many travelers stuck in the party scene or in a holding pattern; like you said, it doesn’t solve the root problems.
2) One’s definition of “ideal” lifestyle and fulfilling work may change over the years – and that’s okay. You’re not giving up or selling out if what used to be “ideal” for you eventually loses its luster and you move on to something else, even if that something else appears somehow less adventurous in a conventional sense.
Hey Shayna,
#1 I totally agree. I’m guilty of not realizing this until recently – for a lot of years I thought intellectually about stuff and about finding enjoyment or jobs I loved, but the foolproof and fail proof way to do it is, like you said, just TRY stuff.
I too am a scientist at heart (Bio major), so I have to really test things out a ton before I am comfortable talking about them.
#2 Yeah I hear you. For example when you’re single traveling the world maybe you’re definition of exciting is the full-moon party in thailand, but once you’re traveling with your spouse you may crave a quieter sort of pleasure. I agree it can at first be misleading because we may be thinking “Oh god i’m getting old and boring..” when in reality those priorities have just changed.
OMG, I want EVERYONE in the lifestyle design sphere to read this. Seriously, seriously read it.
Because no one is saying, “Don’t be silly, stay home in your stable job.” We’re just saying, “Don’t be a child. Manage your fucking expectations.”
I don’t say shit about shit when people tell me they need to “prove they’re BAMFs” because having taken that particular trip to hell and back, there’s no way to teach what you learn, crossing your limits and (hopefully) not killing yourself in the process. It’s still dangerous and probably a little unnecessary, but it’s their choice to make.
However, if they think becoming BAMFs is going to make all their problems evaporate, I have to laugh. And that’s pretty much what I do when ever someone tells me they’re taking a year off to “find themselves”. Where’s Waldo?
Hahah thanks Shanna –
Yeaaa people always tend to be a bit polarized. Younger 20 somethings like me tend to get off when they say “Yeahhh fuck reality I’m outta here!” There’s still that youthful rebelliousness, nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn’t solve much. Most people get that immediately superiority complex too, as if they’ve magically figured it all out by traveling. Meanwhile they’re still teaching English in Asia and are no closer to enjoying their life than they were before. They merely jumped their problems for now.
Yeah, having done the year off to find myself, I will be pretty wary myself when people mention they want to – we’ll need a good life talk first.
#5 really resonates with me. It sounds so easy but I think it is really difficult for almost all of us.
Yeah Mike it DOES sound easy. Believe me I said the same thing. 2 years later I still haven’t achieved it, so it’s definitely not easy. It’s deceptively difficult, there are so many small things that can go wrong and there are so many potential factors working against you. But worthwhile? Absolutely.
Damn Alex, you spoke exactly how I felt. I wish I read this back when I was in Taipei. I left to get away and hoping to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. When i came back from living overseas for two years, I came back to the same reality. I thought being away would give me all the answers in my life. It didn’t. I had fun there, but in my free time I wasn’t actively trying to start anything. I would come home, watch TV, and get on the computer. I was just hoping the answer would appear like magic. I kept thinking I didn’t want to go back to the restaurant. No way did I want to. Yet when I came back, I had to go back cause I had a mortgage.
If I knew then what I did now, I would have read a ton of books, tried any kind of business, and been more productive with my free time. I thought going away would do all that for me.
Great post!!
Haha Benny I hear that. I definitely did the EXACT same when I went to Beijing. “I don’t want to go back to how it was before.. no friggin way..” Yep, the exact same as me.
Hey man at least you’ve figured it out now — your conclusion is the same as mine– read a ton, try to start a business, and use free time wisely. Those are all really hard to do for most people too! So even if you have it figured out it’s such a small piece.. some days it can be overwhelming. But like you I can’t see myself doing anything else, and I have some big lifestyle changes that need to occur.
Hey well 35 is better than never. I am 100% sure that in 5 years you’re going to be living a lifestyle that is the envy of just about everyone. And most people live to 80 and never will see the same lifestyle you have.. so that’s quite a blessing you’ve got on ya !
So what’s the answer? I mean, there has to be more to life than this. I hate my job. I mean, I constantly feel bored and listless, I take a long lunch break just to escape, I think endlessly about my 20s slipping away. Isn’t it better to travel, have adventure in your life, meet people and yeah, you come back to the same reality (if you come back), but at least you have some great times to reflect on?
And ok, you might not find the ‘answer’ to all your problems, but don’t you gain perspective on some things?
Alls I can tell is, if I keep working this way and watching my days go by, I might as well be dead.
Hey Cia –
This was just food for thought. I don’t think there is really any “right” answer – I personally HAVE Quit my job to travel the world. Did it solve my problems? No. Was it worth it? Hell yeah. I mean think about how most people spend their time – years elapse and they don’t have much more “living” to show for it. Obviously this changes when a person is older – when you have a family and kids, it’s more important to be in one place and you can’t escape quite as easily.
Despite my 5 reasons not to quit and travel the world, sometimes moving abroad or going on a long-term adventure really can be the kickstart most of us need to get inspired and motivated to make some changes again.
Yep! I agree 100% – it IS bettter to travel (even if you come back to the same reality) and have more adventures and more experiences, revelations, about life.
You will absolutely gain perspective too!
My point is just that a lot of people in this “lifestyle” niche seem to be quitting their jobs to travel. It makes a good story. and it makes people jealous. But it doesn’t solve anything.
I say go for it, I always recommend people to drop it all and go, but at the same time carry the understanding of what will and won’t change.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best in “Self-Reliance”: The person who travels “with the hope of finding [something] greater than he knows . . . travels away from himself, and grows old even in youth among old things.”
Paulina – Awesome quote, Emerson is one of my favorite writers and philosophers ever. I will have to steal this quote.
Thankyou for taking the time to write this article. I have lately been thinking along exactly the same lines as you describe; i.e “I need to get out of here, leave this mundane reality and irksome existence etc….”, and I guess I have had a misguided notion for a while that if I can only escape this reality, if I can only be ‘somewhere else’ (wherever that is!) then I’ll find some sort of deeper meaning, and all my problems will miraculously be solved. Obviously I am intelligent enough to realise the naivety in this , but I think your article was what I needed to reafirm this, and it has really made me question what I actually want going forward. I guess what I’m trying to say is Thankyou!
Hi Mark!
Look — it’s worth it just for the sake of traveling and life experience. But I made the mistake that it would solve my problems — it can’t. There’s no way haha, because we’re running away.
Yeah the irony is that we all realize how naive it is, but still it pulls at us. It’s an emotional pull that can be hard to fight. Bottom line? Do it — but don’t expect it to solve the bulk of your problems. I made the mistake, so I can tell you first hand. But there are hundreds of reasons to quit your job and travel — happiness, meaning, loving your job, etc. are not some of them. All just my experience, for whatever it’s worth!
Wow what a great article and I appreciate the spirit in which it was written to prod us into better judgement and sounder thinking than rather just to burst the self infatuated bubble of the “I am a traveller not a tourist crowd” (which of course is quite an agreeable task). I have been traveling for six months after selling up shop, quitting my job and deciding with my fiancée to see the world and escape the grind. And the first 5 months was great traveling, learning about places, meeting people, experiencing cultures and eating great food. However the things I worried about, what should I do with my life? Should I get get qualified in this or that area? Should I go back to uni? Should I try this or that company? All the anxiety has come flooding back despite eating scorpions, climbing mountains and talking Mandarin has done F$&k all to stop my anxiety about work and my career. I still feel like I have underachieved, like I could have studied harder or, and worse still, that I was doing quite well in my last company and might have been line for a promotion but maybe i left for an escapist fantasy. I thought that traveling getting gigs in pubs and English “teaching” jobs with little responsibility and using that to propel us to our next destination would make us happy but it really has not. I did a Skype interview I just thought what am I doing, I never wanted to teach little children English is it really worth it for the experience of paying bills in a foreign country.
The buzz of travel does not last forever. It becomes a bit same old same old find a hostel, do laundry see the sights, eat the local thing and take lots of pictures. My supervisor at Uni before I left said that should not go traveling long term as, and I paraphrasing, when you travel in some else’s country you are just a voyeur and you can’t be a voyeur forever you need to build your own life and make a contribution…I think there is some truth in that. I do not regret coming as I would always wondered what it would be like to travel otherwise and I have had a great time but maybe it is time to cut my losses and go home (but feel like a failure to my friends and family).
Hey there –
Yep, quitting your job and traveling is a short-term fix. It’s fine — but like you said, those things we avoid in the first place come back to haunt us anyway.
Exactly “You can’t be a voyeur forever.” You DO need to start figuring out how to contribute (in my experience it’s one of the main ways to live a meaningful life). Traveling indefinitely doesn’t stay fun forever… like my last trip I spent 3 months traveling and found myself pretty restless. I wanted instead to have a daily ritual doing stuff I loved. I wanted to live in a cool spot and have a close group of friends, do work that was important, and then do trips sporadically throughout the year.
What do you mean “cut your losses?” You haven’t lost anything though. You’ve gained immensely. And you learned that long-term travel (at least for you) is not the way to a meaningful life. It’s fun to do at least once.
The real question then is this: What was the long-term trip missing? In other words, what about it wasn’t giving you the life satisfaction you want?
I have been travelling, on and off, for 9 years now. I have to disagree with this article – I first travelled to cure a broken heart (obviously the cliche!) but in my first year, I did learn how to be happy again.
I’ve learned how to experience life, what to value (people, not stuff), and how any stage of my life is just temporary. I travel for a time, then stay stable for a time, then travel again. It makes me blissfully happy.
Hey kelly -
Thanks for stopping by. What I meant re: happiness is that traveling won’t teach you how to be happy in one place. It’s easy to be happy traveling – seeing a new place all the time, meeting new people, having a new adventure, it’s fresh.
It’s much, much harder to be happy living in one place though – which for many people, results in either over-drinking or over-working to help compensate for that subtle boredom.
Any thoughts on this?
Best,
Alex
I reject the idea that you need to stay in one place. Why do we think we need to? Why do people think travel is temporary/transitory, instead of a way of life?
If you are stuck in a place for a time (years, even) then there’s so much you can do to alleviate boredom. New activities, new classes, new friends. Get an ‘easy’ job if you have bills to pay and spend your free time doing what you love.
(I’m not one for big houses or material possessions – it’s amazing how little money you truly need.)
Anyway, this is how I live my life. Even if I do have children soon, and assume they need to stay in school for, hmmm, 4-5 years at a time (before changing/moving), 5 years is not so long in the grand scheme of life.
That’s what I have learned from travel.
That the expectation to settle down and be stable, well, we don’t actually have to DO that.
I agree with Kelly. This article makes it sound like you should second-guess yourself if you’re feeling like traveling. There is so much pressure on young adults to grow up and be responsible. I agree that traveling doesn’t solve all your problems, but let’s let people try things once and awhile, make mistakes. You gain confidence from making mistakes. Sometimes a trip is just what you need to inspire yourself to make other changes. Or not. Everyone is different and figure what you need.
Hi Lynne,
My point was not to not travel. This article was written for the myriad folks who think that quitting their job to travel the world will solve all their problems.
Go travel, and do it as much as possible. But don’t think it will solve all of life’s problems you know?
I travel several months of the year. I love traveling and think it’s one of the best investments for your money. But there’s this trend recently of people glorifying quitting your job to travel (i’ve done it, twice). But what next? If you hated your job, how is traveling going to help you get one you love? If you were in a bad relationship, how is traveling going to help you improve it (if you decide to stay in it)?
I think it’s human psychology to want to run away, instead of confront and fix things.
Does that help at all?
– Alex
This is a very interesting article and one that I think is very relevant for 20 somethings. I’m 43 years old and am one of the few in my peer group who’s been able to make ongoing periodic travel a part of my lifestyle rather than simply something I did in my 20′s. I’m happy for people who travel in their 20′s but I’m REALLY impressed by those who do it in their 30′s and 40′s and beyond.
And really, it’s not about travel exclusively, it’s about creating a business or career whereby you have the -freedom- to control your schedule. If you have THAT, then you can use it as you see fit; travel, raise kids, etc.
I’m self employed and highly suggest the freelance/ self-employed route for those who want to create a freedom-rich lifestyle.
Also re the issue of having kids, I know it’s what most people do but I just want to submit that it’s in no way something you -must- do. Not having small kids in the house, and being able to enjoy other people’s kids, is quite satisfying for me.
Hey Gary,
Totally with you – It’s easy to travel un-tethered in your 20s. The people who can maintain that (esp. with kids) are impressive. I think most often it’s the self employed.
+1 to the career/business where you have taht freedom and flexibility. And it’s more than just travel, like you said it gives you the freedom in raising your kids, traveling, taking back your time, and ultimately taking back your life.
I’m also working on the self employment route for that same reason.
Re: kids, I’m 26 so that’s in the back of my mind, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Although I like your idea of being able to enjoy other people’s kids, I don’t like thinking about the lack of family (& family gatherings) in the future. Haven’t hacked that part of my life yet haha.
Thanks for stopping by !
I have to say, as someone who sits in a cubicle all day and sometimes dreams about traveling the world, I’m sick of people talking down about the idea. I’ve lived in 1 city for 90% of my life and have only traveled outside of the USA twice. Traveling might not solve problems, but it is a rare opportunity… not many people have the balls to do it. If life seems meaningless now, then why the hell not travel? It’s time well spent. What do you really have to lose? We’re all going to kick the bucket some day. Will you be more or less disappointed that you didn’t slave away in some office? And what exactly is wrong with teaching English overseas? IMO teaching contributes 10x more to the world than counting money for the man. Probably a better investment than grad school and for half the money!
Hey Albert,
My point here was not to tell you to NOT travel. I travel 3 months a year. I suspect that will never change and I will do that for the rest of my life. It’s one of the best investments for my money, in my opinion.
My point is that, if your life is in shambles, travel is great – although it won’t solve your own personal issues.
Nothing wrong with teaching English at all. This post was mostly written for the people that have been abroad teaching English but still aren’t getting the life they want.
Alex,
I just read this (while at work, go figure) and I can’t thank you enough for having the balls (excuse my language!) to finally be the person to admit this. I can’t deny I’ve got the quit-my-job-and-bounce-all-over-the-globe itch myself from time to time, but when I weigh the perception of reality with this fantasy idea, it all makes sense. A HANDFUL of friends of mine glorify this lifestyle as they hop from place to place with that “superiority complex” (you nailed it, by the way) teaching English to students and give me the pity-speech of my 9-5 “rut.” Yes, my job completely sucks at times but its not THAT bad. I enjoy what I do and how it affects helping other people. I have not found complete serenity (but come on, who has?) but I enjoy the stability and balance that I’ve created. I travel when I can (twice a year, money permitting- maybe sometimes more) and maintain full-time work because I need the money. I’ve never understood (but definitely also envied) those who could just up-and-go like that. If I miss a day of work with no pay I cringe. It’s a very cool concept to me, don’t get me wrong, but your whole article really opened my eyes to appreciating the things that I do have in my life. My relationship, family and balance are the most important. I just can’t thank you enough for this awesome read and I’d love to read your future posts. Thanks!
Hi!
So I am a traveling, nae, I am a person who moved to Paris thinking I was going to stay for 5 months, stayed on a few times because of relationships (yes at first I was all about the experiences crap) but after about 8 months I became incredibly wrestles and my life felt meaningless here too. I thought I just wanted to go back but put myself to the ultimate test and instead of choosing to take off again (as I had done from every job since I left uni, so 2 in one year) I stayed and forced myself to make the situation work here until my work contract of 1 year was over. Now 1 year later I have finally figured out not only what I want to do but also the importance of just sticking to a routine and continuing to do things even through the rough times. For me it was about pursuing a passion on the side. Building something for the future and finding the balance between living in the moment and planning for the future.
I definitely agree with this article that you are not going to Eat, Pray, Love your way into happiness. However I think with hard work, dedication and NOT QUITTING traveling can bring happiness. So I definitely think there are benefits to traveling but you have stay in one place long enough to learn the lessons. I have never been more discipline as I am today. I am so happy I stayed. I figure if I can do it here 50, 000 miles and a very big pond away from everyone I love, I am definitely going to be able to do it back home.
P
Hey Porschia,
Awesome story – and I totally agree with you. There are LOTS of 20 somethings (myself included) that just bounce around and move when life isn’t going according to plan.
Like you did – I think sometimes we just need to commit. Tell ourself “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work… start making friends, find work, hang out with people, get hobbies.” Sometimes it just takes commitment you know?”
That “not quitting” part is huge.
Hey Kelly -
I don’t think you need to stay in one place, and I don’t think I ever said that haha. I even wrote this article while on a long-term trip (3+ months).
Sure travel can become a way of life, but not for everyone. Let’s face it, the majority of people still want a family, friends in one place, an apartment to come back to and relax.
I spend 3+ months a year of traveling, so yeah I’d consider it a way of life in addition to having a “normal” life. I’m totally with you there, and I think people should travel as much as possible.
And the big one is children – like you said, you’re (most likely) going to need to stay in one place for them. Again that depends on people – some still move around, but it’s not without emotional side effects on the kids.
Agree it’s not necessarily either/or, but it does leave a lot to think about !
Best,
Alex
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