"if I return home from my voyages with no money, but 30 countries in my passport, it will be a highly successful venture."
fuckin hell yeah, man. that's not irresponsible, it's a stuffwhitepeoplelike rite of passage. and it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. you'll love it. if i were rich, or had more than 0 moneys, i'd do it.
Your plans are awesome, but nowhere in them do you mention how you are going to make the money to fulfill them. Backpacking in Europe. Flying around the world. Moving to Austin. Going to grad school. Starting a business. These are all awesome things (five things I want to do too), but they all cost an immense amount of money. You have to be a little more realistic about your future.
On the other hand, your outdoor adventures and your change in lifestyle are highly respectable. Those are both basically free and will have a long-lasting positive effect on your life.
My point: you don't have to travel the world to find fulfillment in your life. Travel is wonderful and is my favorite thing to do in life, but it costs a lot of money, and this is the worst time ever to be broke (in your early 20s, in the midst of a global recession).
I didn't mention my job because it's boring and little changes in it, therefore it ranks low on the point-of-interest meter. I've got 7k saved up and will have double (easily) or triple, maybe even quadruple, that before I leave. As Andrew pointed out, I may try to find a job over there, depending upon how long I want to stay in one place. And if I've got to stay in Memphis for a little upon my return, so be it.
I know this is the worst time to think about being a spendthrift. But I absolutely refuse to wait for a European adventure until I'm thirty. At that point, there'll be the potential for a mortgage, kids, pets, bills, etc. If I go now, I answer to no one but me.
just out of curiosity, why are you starting your adventures in europe? other people have mentioned, and i agree, that europe is f'ing expensive. like super duper costly. i'm going backpacking too starting in june, but i'm going to south and central america (later moving to africa, but that's another endeavor), where you can get a pretty sweet sleeping situation for US$5/night. and that's kind of middle range. if you're smart and traveling in developing/third world countries, you can easily live and have quality adventures for under $1000 per month. that being said, i hope you have fun doing whatever you choose, i hope it's rewarding, and i hope you find what you're looking for :)
Well, to answer your first question, I don't really have a solid answer. I've never been to Europe and want to ensure I've got a solid enough cash fund to do everything over there first, before I jump to another corner of the world. I'd really like to hit up South America and potentially Africa, but Europe, Oceania and South America are my top three.
Basically, I don't want to go to South America in December and spend all my cash before I even make it to Europe with my friend.
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fuckin hell yeah, man. that's not irresponsible, it's a stuffwhitepeoplelike rite of passage. and it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. you'll love it. if i were rich, or had more than 0 moneys, i'd do it.
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On the other hand, your outdoor adventures and your change in lifestyle are highly respectable. Those are both basically free and will have a long-lasting positive effect on your life.
My point: you don't have to travel the world to find fulfillment in your life. Travel is wonderful and is my favorite thing to do in life, but it costs a lot of money, and this is the worst time ever to be broke (in your early 20s, in the midst of a global recession).
Good luck.
Zach
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I know this is the worst time to think about being a spendthrift. But I absolutely refuse to wait for a European adventure until I'm thirty. At that point, there'll be the potential for a mortgage, kids, pets, bills, etc. If I go now, I answer to no one but me.
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And is this going to devolve into something where I have to prove I know something about WoW?
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Basically, I don't want to go to South America in December and spend all my cash before I even make it to Europe with my friend.
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