this post was submitted on
63 points (83% like it)
79 up votes 16 down votes
shortlink:
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...

62
63

I'm thinking about quitting my job and traveling around the country.... (self.travel)

submitted ago* by inuse23

I've been working at my job for exactly two years and since then I've never gotten a raise or acknowledgement despite being one of if not thee most reliable employee. Managements changed and im pretty much starting from square one again. I'm incredibly disenchanted with what i've been doing and I simply dont know how much more I can stand.Recently I haven't had to pay rent because I've been staying with a family member, unfortunately his lease is up next month so moving is going to be required. I cant stand the thought of getting into another lease and being stuck doing the same thing day after day. I just turned 22 and I'm starting to feel like I've been pissing my days away trying to be "normal" whatever that means. I need to get out and do something while im still young and able. I wont have a ton of money but I'm thinking saving what money I can and just take off for the west coast and see what kind of trouble i can get into. I know that its really not a wise idea to leave a job without something lined up but sometimes shit like this just needs to happen. How bad of an idea is this"? Has anyone just up and left their job for senseless adventure?

edit: Thanks for the encouragement, I know I sound like i've already made up my mind. I just felt like i was incredibly crazy and needed to hear from people who travel. I'm getting very excited. I want to camp on the beach and make my way up the coast ...sounds so nice.

edit2: I transferred $700 to my savings account. I plan on working until the lease is up which is about 3 more pay checks+about 35-40 vacation hours. I plan on having at least $2000 to bum around with. I'm also trying to talk my friend into going with me. I'm pretty much dead set on an adventure now.

all 72 comments
sorted by:
best
hot
new
controversial
top
old

[–]captain_fitness 43 points44 points ago

I just had to come in here and give the perspective of someone who quit 2 jobs and is currently 5 months into my 1 year RTW trip.

First of all, you are asking if you should go traveling on the /r/travel subreddit. Of course you are going to hear an overwhelmingly positive response from everyone. We love to travel, that's why we are here.

Your situation sounds extremely familiar to mine. I had been working for 4 years in a job and just never felt like what I was doing really mattered in the world. I felt tremendous dissatisfaction with what I was doing, which led me to start to think of a way out of it. I started saving all the money I could, sold basically everything, quit my jobs, booked my RTW ticket, and left.

5 months in, I can safely say that it was the best decision I could have made. I feel more alive, and more like myself, than I ever have in my entire life. I spend all day doing whatever I want, which is drastically different than the office job that I had before. At first the backpacker lifestyle is a bit weird, and feels empty, and sometimes really lonely, but after a few weeks you will figure that out. You will adapt.

But, that's not to say that every day is absolutely mind blowing and amazing while you are traveling. There are some times where I definitely wish I was back home with some sense of normalcy. There are days where you will feel tired, beaten, frustrated, and overall just like giving up. Then there are days where everything goes right, all the chips fall into place, you meet some great people, and the world just seems right. As in anything else, traveling has its ups and downs. However, even the down days are still incredibly better than the best days of working in an office.

You are at a crossroads in your life. To me, however, it sounds like you've already made your choice. You likely know that asking /r/travel if you should go traveling is going to result in a yes from all of us. So, I suggest you start getting your money in line, start figuring out where you want to go, and move from the planning phase to the action phase.

If you aren't happy, it's time to do something about it. Don't ask /r/travel for reassurance, ask us for help in planning, or advice on how much money to bring, or what places are the best. That's the stuff we love the most. :)

Ready to get started?

  • josh

[–]sadz79 4 points5 points ago

I'm just a casual browser of this sub, but after reading all that, now I want to go too!

damn those student loans!!!

[–]ninirox 1 point2 points ago

Let's go everybody!

[–]QCGold 3 points4 points ago

well said!

[–]kittensintraffic 1 point2 points ago

That was pretty damn inspiring. I'm not the OP, but I would like to take you up on the offer for help. I have a question: How do you budget the actual transportation of travel on an extremely tight budget? It seems like that is the part that is non-negotiably expensive

[–]captain_fitness 1 point2 points ago*

Thanks so much for all the kind words - it means a lot to me. It's been a crazy few months already, and I can't wait to see what the next few have in store for me. Today I got chased out of a park by a pack of wild, really pissed off monkeys. Gotta love traveling.

About your budgeting transportation costs - yes, that was a big deal for me, and definitely the thing that I spent the most time on. It seems that the flight, at least the upfront cost and huge number that it can be, is the biggest mental block to just getting out there and doing the damn thing. So, after a ton of research, I figured out that the only way that I was going to be able to afford the trip that I wanted on the budget that I had, in the time that I wanted to leave, was to figure out how to get all of my flights for free.

Sounds crazy right? I mean, it kinda was. I wrote about it on my blog, but I know just how annoying / self-promoting shady it is to have to head off to someones website just to get some info, so I'll just post the relevant parts here -

I often get the question “How the hell did you afford it?” That’s actually a pretty interesting question – as how I got from theoretically going on a trip to actually booking the trip was a pretty wild journey.

I had decided that I going to find the absolutely cheapest way to travel around the world for 1 year, so that I could leave sooner and still have a little bit of money socked away for when I came back. I realized that the largest single expenditure on this trip would be airfare, so I started looking into methods of making that as cheap as possible. It was at this point that I found a little site called flyertalk.com, and started getting serious about the potential of frequent flier miles.

Through the guidance of that site, I found out that it only costs 140,000 frequent flier points to fly to 16 destinations around the world using their OneWorld Explorer product. The only problem? I only had 10,000 frequent flier points. I was going to need a lot more to get a round-the-world ticket for free.

After more searching and learning, I hatched a plan. As it turns out, every major airline partners with a credit card company to offer a branded credit card. These cards are unique because they usually offer some gigantic point bonus if you can spend a certain amount of money in a small amount of time after getting the card. For example, the first (of many) cards that I got would give me 75,000 points if I could manage to spend $6,000 within the first 3 months of me getting the card. Now, I needed 140,000 frequent flier points, and I needed them now, so I got 2 cards, which meant that I had to spend twice that amount in the same 3 months. $4,000 a month in credit card spending? Impossible – there must be another way.

So, I found out about a crazy-sounding scheme that involved essentially legally buying money on a credit card, and then using that money to pay off the credit card. It was essentially a method of creating fake credit card debt in order to fulfill the spending requirements on the card.

Here’s how it worked – I would go onto the U.S. Mint’s website, where they would offer gold coins that you could buy with your credit card in $1,000 increments. So, I would purchase $6,000 of these gold coins every month, splitting the balance between my two active credit cards. The U.S. Mint would then ship the coins to my house, free of charge, and I would receive them, take them out of their packaging, and immediately head to my bank to deposit them. I would take the money that I just deposited in my bank and then pay off the credit card. So, that’s how it went. Buy coins from the US Mint on my credit card, have them ship the coins to my house, take the coins to the bank and deposit them, and pay off my credit card. No money left my hand at all, I was merely transferring it. I kept doing this until the spending requirement was reached, and I received my first big bulk amount of points. Within 2 months, I had 173,000 frequent flier points with American Airlines, which was enough for me to fly around the world. For free. Sweet.

So, with that big amount of money taken out of my budget, I realized that traveling around the world was actually possible. I started researching just how much an average day in each of the countries that I was going to be visiting would cost, and based upon that I decided on a figure of roughly $45 per day to live everywhere. Given that amount of money and the length of my journey, I gave myself a goal. I would need $15,000 to make my dream come true."

So that's the story. If you are interested, you can find more of the credit card offers here.

I know that's not exactly an answer to your question, but it's just the way that I managed to get the burden of the huge transportation costs off my plate so that I could travel.

TL;DR - I got a bunch of credit cards to get enough frequent flier points to travel around the world for free.

Edit 1: "gold coins" in this post refers to the $1 gold coin being pushed out by the US mint, not gold bullion of any kind.

[–]hypermusic1026 1 point2 points ago

Holy crap this is genius.

[–]captain_fitness 0 points1 point ago

haha thanks

[–]hypermusic1026 1 point2 points ago

Does the US Mint still have these coins you speak of? If not, is there something similar we could do?

[–]captain_fitness 0 points1 point ago

it seems like they have shut it down. however, it looks like the credit cards have substantially lowered their initial spending amounts to much more reasonable levels, and some have even removed them entirely.

for example: American Express 45k points with $3,000 spend in any amount of time

Chase 50k points with no spend

US Airways 60k with no spend

That's a lotta points for basically no effort.

[–]kittensintraffic 1 point2 points ago

Wow! Thank you for sharing all this!

[–]_002 1 point2 points ago*

The US and most other countries abandoned the "gold standard" in the early 1900s, i.e gold is no longer a form of currency anywhere, and hasn't been for a long while.

1. The US mint (nor any other) does sell, "proof" bullion coins in gold, silver and platinum. From the website "bullion coin is a coin that is valued by its weight in a specific precious metal. Unlike commemorative or numismatic coins valued by limited mintage, rarity, condition and age, bullion coins are purchased by investors seeking a simple and tangible means to own and invest in the gold, silver, and platinum markets. American Eagle Gold and Platinum Bullion Coins are available in four denominations: one ounce, one-half ounce, one-quarter ounce, and one-tenth ounce while the Silver Bullion Coin is only available in the one ounce size." So... the coins will cost the Market price of gold, silver, etc + cost of manufacture + markup.

2. Since no one uses the "gold standard", there is no place on earth that would let you deposit the gold coins as they are not used as Currency by any one (i.e. if you had a gold coin in your pocket, you could not go into a store and use it to pay for anything.)

3. Since, they're not currency, you would have to sell them on the bullion market which means the price you would get would be based on the "market price" of gold on that day - handling fees, etc. You CAN make money doing this if you can predict if gold is rising or declining in price. But just like any other commodity (see movie Trading Places) you can lose your shirt as well.

So, you cannot buy gold coins that are used for currency and the US mint does not sell regular coins to the public. You can buy Mint sets, proof coins, etc but they cost more than they are worth as currency.

This just seems impossible, but if you're obviously in the middle of your trip you've made it work - I just think the explanation could be clarified. (God knows I'd love to try your method)

[–]captain_fitness 0 points1 point ago

Hahaha, wow, that's the first time that I've heard of anyone hear "gold coins" and immediately go to bullion as their first thought. That does mean that I need to clarify, my apologies for the mixup.

That standard has been away for a long long time - and when I said gold coins I meant

this

and this

definitely, definitely not gold bullion. It's the $1 gold coin that the US Mint has been trying the replace the old, fading $1 bills with in an effort to bring the costs of printing money down. They have a fixed value, and are not collector coins or worth anything more than their face value.

You can actually still order the $1 US gold coins from the mints website, however it appears now that they are charging for shipping, which eliminates the epic-ness of the deal. However, the good folks over at flyertalk have an ongoing discussion of the best ways to hit that spending limit without the help of the mint.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1215231-getting-spending-up-without-mint.html

Sorry for the mixup, and for the long time between responses - I'm in a pretty close to opposite time zone! :)

[–]AMISHassassin 60 points61 points ago

Stop thinking and just do it, fucker. I love you.

[–]tombrusky 2 points3 points ago

I suspect that you aren't really Amish. Using computers is taboo is in the amish community, and being an assasin is somewhat looked down upon too.

[–]yeahthisismyrealname 0 points1 point ago

I read this as Ami, She's a sin. Works for me.

Also, I've taken off for a few months with a few grand and without a job against my "better" judgement or whatever the fuck that voice in my head is telling me to be "normal" Being normal is a recipe for a crap life filled with regrets. We never regret the things we do, just the things we don't.

Go have an adventure. We only live once. What's the worst that could happen? Is it even really all that bad? Have fun.

[–]TheHolyLampshade 1 point2 points ago

I think you're assuming he is an Amish Assassin, as opposed to the possibility he spends his spare time assassinating the Amish.

[–]ulldott 11 points12 points ago

I'm in the exactly same position as you. Been working for 2 years now and just turned 21.. Fortunatly I'm done working this summer. I'm planning to go somewhere. Anywhere actually. Either backpacking through Europe, Africa or USA. My advice would definitely be to do it. I went to South-Africa this summer and it changed me a lot. Now I try to live by simpler rules and more relaxed. I feel this quote fits well.

"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 don't want to think back at things and regret I didn't do them.

[–]QCGold 1 point2 points ago

Hit up South America man! Cheap, beautiful, great people and good times.

[–]generaal_kosie 0 points1 point ago

respect man, I hope you get there. I actually live in South Africa, I'd be interested to know in what way it changed you?

I did a South America trip which ended a few weeks ago, I can definitely recommend going there if you're looking for a crazy time :)

[–]ulldott 0 points1 point ago

Well I was only in SA for a very short time before I went over to Namibia to work on an animal farm for 1 month.

Traveling alone and all the way to SA was really scary and interesting, that alone changed me. But also experiencing a whole different lifestyle, people and culture. I fell in love with South-Africa and Namibia in general. I love the people, the culture, the animals, the lifestyle and the language. Just waking up in the morning with awesome people and go feed a baboon or cheetah was unreal and amazing. It made me realize theres much more to life than just normal 9-5 job/5 days a week. Even before I went there I figured out that the typical A4 life wasnt something for me.

I'm still not 100% that I will be going backpacking because I really want to go back to Africa. I love working with animals and meeting people so still trying to figure out what to do :) Maybe I'll sign up on a 1 year course to become a Safari Field Guide. All I know is that I want to see the world!

[–]Fhwagod 5 points6 points ago

I just got back from my trip around the country 2 weeks ago. I was in the exact same situation you're in now. I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that it was the best choice I've ever made in my life. I left with 800 bucks in the bank and didn't look back. People said it wasn't a good idea but pay no mind to them and do what you feel is right. I have never been happier in my life than when I left without any regard for my future.

Just do it. It's so worth it.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

How did you do it?

[–]Fhwagod 1 point2 points ago

Sold everything I owned, got in the car and started driving. I left with a buddy who had sold all of his stuff as well. We both lived out of the car for about 3 months. I ended up coming home because my money ran out but he's still out there. He's on his way to Houston, TX as we speak, hitch-hiking and using greyhound.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Sounds awesome! How long as he been out there?

I want to do a similar version of your trip, but on a bicycle.

[–]road_to_nowhere 8 points9 points ago*

Don't do it. As much as I encourage people to travel and as much as I've done it myself, you're not going to get very far on $2000 in the US and you're sure as shit not going to get very far in any other country since you'll burn most of that on a plane ticket getting there.

I've been a night auditor for several hotels and you are pretty much pissing your days away. With the economy the way it is most people in this country aren't getting raises or any type of acknowledgement but to be brutally honest your job is extremely easy and auditors are easy to replace so there's little to no incentive to give you a raise. I used to do night auditing in college as a summer job and it's hard to stand out. But you should ask management for a raise. Just because management has changed doesn't mean you haven't put in two years. It's easy to ignore the people who never ask for a raise but it's hard to deny a reliable employee who hasn't received any pay increase in two years. If they do deny you then I'd just use that as more motivation to look for something better.

If anything, I would take that $2000 and put it towards getting a better education and thus a better job. It will mean having far more money to travel on in the future. It sucks having to hold back the desire to roam but because I did I'm now able to travel frequently, visiting 3-4 different countries and several states each year for pleasure.

Bumming around sounds great but when that money runs out, which it will, quickly, what are you going to do? Your job will no longer be there and because you'll be desperate you'll end up looking for anything you can get. You also won't have enough for a security deposit and rent on an apartment so housing will be difficult to find. You'll end up taking another dead end job, if you can find one. At least right now you have some job security while there are tons of people out there looking for any job they can get.

If you're worried about feeling stuck then look for month-to-month rentals or a short term lease. Spend your time looking for a better job. The one bonus of all this is that as a night auditor you can work pretty much anywhere. If you're determined to go somewhere think about where you want to go and start scouring for night auditor jobs in the place you want to be. Look for a big chain hotel or independent hotels in a big network like Best Western. That will allow you to get employee discounts at the other properties so you can still travel on your vacation time. Then work towards finding a better job and moving up the ladder.

[–]inuse23[S] 1 point2 points ago

I appreciate your response on this. I dont want to move up the ladder in a hotel job, at least not right now. The last two places i've lived were month to month and let me tell you they didnt work out well. See I already did this whole "look for a job where you want to be" thing. I moved from Wisconsin to Colorado on my own money and got a job, an apartment and all that. I've thoroughly enjoyed colorado for what is has to offer but now i want to see what else is out there. I genuinely prefer to live in Colorado but I really just need to get out of here for awhile. I realize the level headed folks are gonna tell me get an education. well dude maybe your education worked out for you but i'm a hippie type that really doesnt fit into the system too well. A worthwhile education is going to put me so far in debt I may never see the chance to up and leave quite like id like to. Going to school doesnt teach you everything and it certainly doesnt assure you some cushy job that affords traveling. I like to think life experiences will be far more memorable than learning accounting and sitting in an office so i can save up for my big adventure when im 25.

[–]road_to_nowhere 1 point2 points ago*

I never said you had to move up the ladder in the hotel business. You can move up in any business.

I genuinely prefer to live in Colorado

maybe your education worked out for you but i'm a hippie type that really doesnt fit into the system too well.

I've lived in Boulder and have spent a ton of time in various parts of Colorado and can safely say that that claim is horseshit. There were a ton of "hippie types" in the system and it seemed to work just fine for them.

To me, it sounds like you're building walls because it makes life easier. It's a thousand times more convenient to say why you can't do something and why you don't fit into "the system" than it is to actually try and make it work. The simple fact is that for the vast majority of people an education does "work out" in that they're better off than those who didn't get one. If you think going to college means accounting and sitting in an office then that's just another lie you've come up with to help you avoid trying. I know guys who went to college and are park rangers who spend almost all of their time outside. I know guys who went to college and work in the ski industry flying all over the country doing camera work on ski videos. I know guys who sit in offices as well. I know a "hippie type" who went to college for art and was handed a huge scholarship to go study painting in Europe and another who went to do an internship in Australia. Neither ever came back. College, like anything else in life, is what you make of it. It doesn't turn you into a "suit" and it doesn't determine your future but it does open a hell of a lot more doors than ill-advisedly quitting your job to go camping on the beach for a while.

As for debts, since you've been in Colorado for at least two years you have residency as far as tuition costs go. With that and financial aid the debt shouldn't be too massive. Sure, college doesn't assure a cushy job that affords traveling but what kind of job do you think you're going to score after a few months of unemployment and no permanent address? I'd wager that night auditing is a bit more cushy than washing dishes into the early hours of the morning for peanuts. That sure as hell isn't going to afford you any traveling in the future. For me, it was well worth it to work for a few years and get myself to a position where I can travel regularly every year than to go on a single adventure and end up worse off than when I started.

Everyone gets to a point in their job where they wonder where it's going and they feel under-appreciated and under-compensated. That doesn't mean they should bail and give up on "the system." It means they should sack up and look for something better. If that something better means traveling then go for it but do you think your talents really lie in night auditing? I doubt it. So figure out what your talents are and try to exploit them.

All of that said, the same shit doesn't work for everyone and there are tons of lessons to be learned on the road. A lot of success in life comes from serendipity alone and you may run into someone on the road who gives you the opportunity of a lifetime or shows you the way to happiness. Who the fuck knows? For me, I wouldn't be able to bail on a job without considering all of the ramifications and having some sort of plan, hence my original comment and what I've written above. For others, throwing caution to the wind and wandering without a plan works, we're all different. It just seems to me, and especially from reading /r/travel, that as soon as a situation gets difficult everyone wants to pick up and leave. The number of people who have never left the US but who are "sick of living here" and want to move to another country can make your head spin. The vast majority of them are young people who haven't had a chance to establish themselves but who have had a hard time kickstarting their life so they convince themselves that all of their problems will be solved once they change their location. It works for some but most talk a big game only to take their problems on the road with them, if they actually get it together and move.

Whatever you decide, good luck to you and safe travels.

Edit: Ah fuck it, I'll leave all of that in case you want to read it but I guess only the last part is relevant. Like I said, everyone is different. If it's what you're sure is right for you then go for it.

[–]captjet23 -3 points-2 points ago

You realize I could get from the US/Mexico border to South america, and probably buy a boat ticket to South Africa from Brazil for $2000 USD, right?

[–]road_to_nowhere 5 points6 points ago

And then not eat anything, have a place to stay, or get back, right?

[–]captjet23 -1 points0 points ago

Does it matter? Along the way you will most likely get so caught up in your trip that you will just keep going without thought. Sometimes it might be hard. Sometimes EVERYONE and EVERYTHING might be against you. But that's what you have to understand about people like us. The people who aren't happy with getting "a better education" (for me that means spending $30k and 4-8 years of my life to have people tell me a whole bunch of stuff I can learn on my own and hand me a peice of paper saying they did it) and going out and climbing up the ladder. We are so unhappy with that system that we are willing to just fight tooth and nail, to cross half the world if it comes to that, just to get away from it and be happy. You may love the way the system works, and it may be for you, as it seems to be for most people. But there is a generation of people coming of age who are tired of it. We don't want the same things anymore. I blame Disney movies.

Sorry for the rant, just wanted to make the point that I would rather spend the rest of my life walking around the Earth to the point that I may die if I cannot fight to keep myself alive, than live here and become a part of this system. And that is the ultimate decision. But it's not quite as dark as some might make it out to be. It's not that hard to keep yourself alive. Really. In fact most times it takes no effort at all.

[–]adveilleux 3 points4 points ago

fact of the matter is quitting your job to travel around the US with 2 grand isn't the smartest of ideas. spending it on a few week long trip, looking into work abroad programs, or saving up enough money to do that is a much more plausible option. we're all on your side here, its just 2 grand does not go far in the US, and if youre going abroad a large amount of that will go towards a hefty plane ticket.

edit: spelling

[–]ObnoxiousFly 1 point2 points ago*

You make it sound like it's crazy to want to never work again and only travel the world. Sorry to ruin that thought, but you are not a unique snowflake for wanting that. Many people would love to do it. It's not that they love the "system" or any such nonsense.

[–]inuse23[S] -2 points-1 points ago

I think you have a good point. Some people can fit into the system and some people were born to question it .

[–]Eurasian-HK 6 points7 points ago

Suggestion - get your passport and travel the world. Try going somewhere where you won't see the same fucking restaurants and shops everywhere you go. Try going to places with different cultures and languages. New Ideas new places new experiences.

Open your eyes to the world and stop living in a fish tank called USA.

[–]bachelorfrog123 2 points3 points ago

there's a lot of interesting places and cultures throughout the USA. Traveling America has definitely opened my eyes.

[–]jklap 0 points1 point ago

God damn dirty hippies.

[–]goodladuk 2 points3 points ago

Do it. Once you have family commitments you won't get the chance again.

[–]dankind 2 points3 points ago*

My wife and I both left our jobs a year ago and rented out our condo.. and have been travelling SEAsia since March. Highly recommended. If you don't do it now chances are you never will... it'll always just be 'maybe later when I can find the time...'

Make a plan, stick to it and get it done.

  • Start saving up cash or getting freelance work you can do on the side from anywhere.
  • Do you have your passport?
  • Maybe start building up a couchsurfing profile and participate in the CS community so you can get free lodging, * etc.

Where is it you want to go?

[–]inuse23[S] 0 points1 point ago

I'd like to visit a friend in phoenix, then another friend in LA from there i'd like to make my way up to frisco, and possibly up to oregon and washington. I wouldn't mind leaving the country at some point but I dont have a passport and I'm not sure i'd like to wait 3 months or so to get one. I do have a friend in canada who I'd also like to see so it might be worth it.

[–]-entropy 0 points1 point ago

They come pretty quick now, by the way. In 2009, mine took about 2.5 weeks. It just seems like a good idea to have in general, but that's me :)

[–]cannonball1895 0 points1 point ago

3 months

Damn...it takes that long? I know you can expedite them, but that's expensive. It's a good thing to have regardless. You should probably just get one anyway

[–]dankind 0 points1 point ago

You can get into canada with just a driver's license and birth certificate if you're crossing by car/foot. Go get your passport now, there is most likely short lines now so I don't believe it'd take that long to get it. Go to costco/walmart and get your photos done, then get all the paperwork online and bring it all.

Are you just looking to travel to meet friends, or are you interested in any of nature/historical crap/different food/cultures/etc?

I would highly recommend travelling to SEAsia -- your money will last much longer there. And if you're able to work online, you can keep getting some extra income while you travel

[–]carcinogen 6 points7 points ago

I thought you needed a passport for Canada as of 2010...

[–]dankind -1 points0 points ago

It's entirely up to the discretion of the border guard. I've crossed into the states with an expired passport and birth certificate because my valid passport was MIA getting visa's. I've heard of lots of people crossing Niagara Falls -> NY without issue.

[–]seanomenon 3 points4 points ago

You can travel for a while with $2k, especially if you are careful about what you spend from the outset. If you most camp and stay with friends, then occasionally stay in a motel for a night or two you can save lots of money. (As opposed to staying in hotels every night from the start.) The bonus is those rare hotel nights will feel like a treat.

You can also save lots of money by grocery store shopping and cooking for yourself. Even cheap fast food adds up quick if its every meal, plus it isn't good for you.

If you avoid the desire for momentos or souvenirs you will save a lot of cash. Take only photos, leave only footprints.

The great thing about travelling in your own country is that you can easily pick up some work here and there. Living cheap and the occasional boost to your savings could make that money last much longer.

It's a good idea to put a small amount of money - like a couple hundred - in a second bank account. Don't touch that during your trip. If you suddenly run out of money, you have that as backup "getting home" money. Or if you decide to settle someplace else, that's seed money for a new apartment. It just means you won't end the trip flat broke.

There will probably never be a better time in your life to do this. You will be able to find work again when you are done traveling. Who knows, you might even find a new place to live that you like much more. You have no financial or family responsibilities, you are young and energetic and want to see the country. 22 is way too young to feel trapped in a dead-end job. I say do it, and enjoy it. When you give notice, do it right. Give two weeks notice, say you want to go travel for several months. Don't burn your bridges, even with a shitty job.

I highly recommend visiting some of the amazing natural sites in the Southwest; New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah have some amazing amazing places that are national parks. Arches, Bryce, and Zion in Utah are awesome. The Grand Canyon is, well, grand. There are ancient cave dwellings in New Mexico that are national parks, that are amazing. If you camp in or near the parks it isn't too costly, and you will see some amazing things. I haven't been to Yosemite or Joshua Tree, but hear both are amazing. And the redwood forests in Northern CA are kind of fantastic. I highly recommend a visit to San Francisco if you go to CA. It's one of my favorite places in the US.

Have a blast, man.

[–]SSMonkeybusiness 5 points6 points ago

Honestly, don't tour around this country. You'll do that at some point later in life. Go abroad. Its cheaper and more fun/dangerous.

[–]KevinAndEarth 2 points3 points ago

another vote for do it... if you think "normal" is whatever that means, you are not "normal" and, in fact, want more from life... go find it, wherever it is hiding ;)

[–]megamuncher 2 points3 points ago

Where do you live? If you are in the Vatican City I would not quit, but probably take a few days off

[–]ineededanewname 0 points1 point ago

hours*

[–]ninirox 2 points3 points ago

Are you a journalist? Because I am in the same situation. No acknowledgment once or ever. Just weekends, holidays at work. Me and my husband are both 30, we have been to a few places in our vacations, but the am:pm life is getting depressing as shit.

[–]inuse23[S] 1 point2 points ago

Actually im a night auditor at a hotel. You think your day job is bad, try working 11pm-7am five nights a week. My social life is generally non existent during the work week. In fact one of my ex girlfriends biggest complaints was how much my job sucked...she complained more about my job than I did.

[–]ninirox 4 points5 points ago

Wait no more.

[–]aith 1 point2 points ago

This guy is doing something similar in the US... Check out his site: http://www.adventuresauce.com

[–]order66survivor 2 points3 points ago

“Why tell your grandkids you worked 9-5, five days a week for 40 years and quietly sat in traffic jams while people went to war, suffered disease and shot their own classmates? Tell them you refused to live in fear. Tell them you crossed the Amazon, saw the Lost Cities of Gold and met your soul mate in Casablanca. Travel to the ends of the earth. Go now and live adventures that will make your grandkids proud.” (Author unknown)

[–]quit_complaining 2 points3 points ago

A few years ago I got sick of the job that I had been working at for nearly 7 years, so I quit (without anything lined up), cashed in my company stock and took a three week road-trip across the USA. I loaded up my iPod, rented a car, and went from Colorado to the Pacific coast, across the country to the Atlantic coast, down to the Gulf of Mexico, and then back up into Colorado to finish things off.

I used Couchsurfing instead of hotels, so I made a ton of friends in nearly every state I passed through, and saved a shitload of money, which I was then able to spend on having fun, instead of food and lodging. Not only that, but I was able to avoid the really touristy areas, and do what the locals do for fun. My hosts all took me to their favorite restaurants and clubs, smoked their weed with me, told me what parts of the city to avoid to keep from getting mugged, and I got a chance to stay in the middle of the French Quarter during the height of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I got guided tours, and saw local bands play while sipping on local craft beers. Some of them even cooked dinner for me and had it ready and waiting when I arrived at their homes.

It was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It gave me a ton of confidence, and I was able to start up my own business when I returned. I saw parts of the country I had never seen before, and experienced culture-shock more than once. You should definitely go for it. I'm well into my 30's, and there's no way I could manage to do now what I did back then.

[–]travelnews 2 points3 points ago

There are so many blogs about people that sold everything to travel or took a career break. You will find 100's of stories on these sites and their links. You can view peoples twitter profiles without an account and find their websites to read about how they decided to go, trip planning and deals found on the road. Some people listed bike, hike, swim, climb as they travel. But they all have tips about camping, hostels, hotels, restaurants, routes, passport/visa and site to see. Enjoy your adventure!

Jeff Career Break http://careerbreaksecrets.com/

Melvin Traveldudes, Travel Talk on Twitter http://www.traveldudes.org/community

Rolf Potts - Vagabonding Site http://www.vagablogging.net/

Travel Canucks- Trip Planning http://travelingcanucks.com/travel/series/rtw-planning/

Dave - Tiredofit - Costs http://www.tiredofit.ca/stats-logs/

Matt - Landloper links http://landlopers.com/2010/05/02/travelblogs/

Loretta - Skalatitude list of Women on Wheels http://www.skalatitude.com/p/wow-women-on-wheels.html

[–]AFDIT 0 points1 point ago

You'll have an adventure whatever you do. Sounds like that's what you're after anyway. Maybe make a tour of it so you get to see multiple places.

[–]ninirox 1 point2 points ago

Oh, and DO IT.

[–]purpleyam 0 points1 point ago

Go for it!

[–]TheOutlawJoseyWales 1 point2 points ago

I read an article that talked about this one guy who simply washed dishes at various kitchen across the country to pay for his travels. Think about that. I think it was from NPR.

[–]gaya2081 1 point2 points ago

Get a job that allows you to travel around the country :)

[–]seanomenon 0 points1 point ago

Also, a money belt like this or this is a great investment. I like to keep a few hundred emergency cash, plus photocopies of my ID and credit cards, in it. Just a nice feeling to know you aren't completely screwed in case of pickpocketing, robbery, or just losing your wallet.

[–]Ryan256 1 point2 points ago

Speaking from experience, you will end up going into debt unless you're very careful.

Interview for your next job shortly before quitting your current job, then set the start date out as far as possible. This is advantageous in two ways:

1) You can interview while your brain is still in "work mode". (You will see the world differently after traveling and it's hard to take interviews seriously.) Also, some employers are wary of employment gaps, and you'll seem more valuable to them if they need to offer a higher salary to entice you to leave your current job.

2) When you're traveling, you'll run out of money sooner than expected. If your start date is already set, you can get a steady income right away instead of getting into crippling credit card debt.

This will be the last trip you take in many years if you start to use a credit card.

</motherly advice>

Do it! Have fun! :)

[–]phillyc22 0 points1 point ago

Just do it! I'm 32 and one of the things I regret not doing when I graduated from HS was go travel and I had the money and oppurtunity to do so. You are still young. Plenty of time to make things up if you do mess up. Right now, I have been working in the IT field for the pass 7 years and I'm not fond of it. I'm saving up money and leave the country to go travel for a while in December. Will decide what to do with my career when I get back. Don't let society tell you how you should live your life.

[–]Carl262 1 point2 points ago

I quit my job and traveled for all of 2010. I spent 3 months of that time living in a tent on a beach in Australia...I surfed, played guitar, watched dolphins, fished for sharks and salmon, made friends with kangaroos, and read a ton. Every day was an adventure...I came back broke and unemployed, without a car or a place to live. I don't regret any of it.

[–]ulldott 0 points1 point ago

I would love to hear more about this. Sounds fantastic! Did you just put up a tent on a beach and lived there?

[–]Carl262 1 point2 points ago

I found there's 3 basic needs when traveling: transportation, lodging, and food. You have many options for filling those needs.

Australia is, in general, quite a bit more expensive than the US, so I wanted to stretch my budget. My keys to cheap travel in expensive places was: hitchhike (great way to travel, even when not on a budget), self-cater (i.e., grocery stores over eating out), and camping (even hostels in Australia were normally around $30/night for a dorm).

I was going to be in Australia for a bit, and at first was going to get a job (fruit-picking, or some temp work), but I decided rather than work, I'd just rather live on a beach.

After much unrest and indecision, I bought a car (I sold it after leaving the beach for what I paid for it and began hitching again). I found a place where you could camp for free, but it was a very deserted place and without a car I would've had to walk 2 miles in on a gravel road, which would've made it tough, not to mention the closest town was about a 30-minute drive away. I was often the only person on the beach, and I enjoyed the solitude. The camping limit posted was 3 weeks, but I never got kicked out. I had borrowed a couple tents from a friend in Sydney (6'x6'), and I bought a cheap surfboard and guitar (which I stored in the spare tent). I used a Goodwill type store called Vinnie's to buy books at $0.25 or $0.50 a pop. Another friend I met borrowed me a fishing rod (a huge one used for ocean fishing), and I was set!

I ate a nice range of foods, from rice, potatoes, fresh fish, oats, eggs, bread, canned vegetables, fresh fruit and meat. Water had to be brought in, so I used a few big jugs that I refilled when I went to town.

The animals were amazing. There was two kangaroos with a joey in the pouch who I watched grow up. I saw whales, dolphins, wallabies, possums, sharks, octopuses, and what seemed like every animal imaginable! I sometimes went days without seeing people...I just spent the days fishing, cooking the fish on a fire, playing guitar, reading, surfing, and working out.

Best experience ever.

[–]kittensintraffic 0 points1 point ago

you don't have to QUIT your job all together to take a vacation/move. Can't you just transfer to another state- stay there until you're bored, then do it again?

[–]annahri 0 points1 point ago

I think it's a good idea. You should WWOOF!

[–]immortals 1 point2 points ago

Don't hesitate, do it. I was in a similar situation and decided to go to Asia for 3 months... I never came back and have been here on a 7 year adventure now. The decision to leave was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

[–]travelsofadam 0 points1 point ago

I quit my job to travel after working there 3 years and know exactly how you feel!

I started a blog to try and make some money and gain some professional experience while traveling and it has paid off. The one thing I'd recommend is to save up some money so you'll be prepared. Good luck!

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 14270 on app-10 running 86c9e1d.