If no work or family commitment, how long is your dream trip before returning home?

[ahbian]

7 years ago I got on an airplane. Haven't been back since. As for money? Get a job while abroad.
To those who get homesick on a trip here is my advice.
Suck it up!
If you give up halfway through a trip because you miss home, food, gf, etc you will regret it. You'll go home at the end anyway so that part can wait.
Food you can make. Look hard enough and you can find most ingredients. It's that key one that you won't find. You'll survive.
GF can come with you or visit. If she doesn't want to or won't wait for your trip to end then she's not worth it.
When friends and fam ask when I will go back I ask then when they will visit me. Guess what the answer is most of the time lol.
These days with internet, skype, mobile phones and cable tv there is no reason to miss home. Think what it was like back when you had to get on a sail ship and set off and possibly never come back. No way to communicate. It must have rocked!
And after all this time I have found out that home isn't where the heart is. It's where you feel comfortable going to the toilet.
I love traveling. Yes, I know I'm odd. Left my country 22 years ago. Still consider it my home but I wouldn't give up the traveling for anything. Plus the feeling you get when you fill up a passport is great.
がんばって Y'all!

A question popped into my head, how to take into account the need to return for NS reservist?

 

[commoner5]

I'm already retired. My CO will only allow me 2 weeks

 

[szeping]

I wish to live like Julia Roberts in "Eat, Pray, Love" for 1 year.

But, 3-6 months is good enough for me.

 

[bunnyrei]

I applaud those here who live the dream by not being tied down with the comforts of your home and other commitment. We are living one life after all, and I am of the opinion we should not be tied down in the rat race and miss out on all the goods in life.

I want to travel but I'm presently so tied down with commitments and I'm frustrated. Is it even remotely possible to find a decent job abroad as a short term traveller? Need advise from those who have been there done that to help me live my dream.

 

[aspenx]

Longest trip I have done alone was 5 weeks. It was after my graduation and before I started working.

It got a little tiring on some days but, no regrets!

And now I have a job that won't allow me to be away for even a week......

 

[ricohflex]

Equanimity.

It is not about how long you can stay away from home.

Staying away long does not mean you score brownie points.

Having travelled to many countries including the expensive and exotic places does not mean you are better than others.

Home is a good place.

The place you are travelling to is a good place.

Enjoy both.

Stay grounded. Evenly balanced.

 

[framemylife]

Hard to tell how long one can stay away from home. It really depends on how happy and at ease with myself while satisfying wanderlust. I've been overseas for 6 months and never really felt like I need to return home. Most might never find out the answer to this question, myself included. I can only say, think about what you really want in life, be it to be tied down to stability or not, and leave a bit of a room for the unexpected!

 

[NineEleven]

There's so many places I'd want to go! South America, Central Asia, America, Africa, Middle East....would be great if I can have a month for each at least, visiting cities & towns.

Sadly the longest I did was 3 weeks in EU & subsequently just 2-week trips. Am planning for a driving holiday this summer by sending my car there, let's hope everything works out well.

 

[NineEleven]

It was a mixed bag of emotions at that time- I just completed 6months in Africa , which has fill me with so much excitement and eye opening experience, so getting back into the developed countries in Europe had me landing with a thud !

Wow, you must be like an encyclopedia to share with us. Please start a thread if you haven't, would love to hear your fascinating experience.

 

[canonmono]

Longest trip I have done is 7 weeks in NZ but the ultimate target is a 2 yrs backpack .. as for how to deal with traveller cheque, drop it .. change cash for the next destination in ur current location and u will be just fine .. next target EGYPT ..

 

[Akatsuki]

given an opportunity, i would like to do the following in my lifetime.

1) A trip to major battlegrounds in the WWII Europe theater.
2) Travel from north to south of Japan, visiting as many villages and towns as possible.
3) North-African/Middle-Eastern trip, from Morocco east to Egypt, cross the suez canal into Jordan, ending in Israel.

Seriously, can accomplish any 1 of the 3 is enough for me :bsmilie:

 

[Tyrov]

given an opportunity, i would like to do the following in my lifetime.

1) A trip to major battlegrounds in the WWII Europe theater.
2) Travel from north to south of Japan, visiting as many villages and towns as possible.
3) North-African/Middle-Eastern trip, from Morocco east to Egypt, cross the suez canal into Jordan, ending in Israel.

Seriously, can accomplish any 1 of the 3 is enough for me :bsmilie:

#2 is on my list. On bicycle.

 

[stiffen33]

I think the question has seem to put a narrower limit on "work" and "home" than what one CAN do.
Having travelled quite a bit over the years, I've come to consider the entire world as "home", and feel anything worth pursuing can be labeled as "work" to be taken to, and benefit from being with you anywhere you go. It is the circle of less mobile people close to heart and lifelong familiarity that gives you a place to return to.

If I had to follow your definition then my dream trip would be forever, with occasional trips to visit the people and places that mean more to me, more often in between.

 

[dapier]

longest trip I had was about 1 year a few years ago in North and central America, and I did not make full use of my trip, and I have not bought my DSLR then.. what a waste!

The rest after that, about 7 to 8 trips, were 1 month each, mostly to EU and mexico. I caught the travel bug during the 1 year trip. I am now planning to drop my career, sell my car to travel full time, hopefully from the middle of this year and live the life of a nomad.

 

[jaskak]

This is the topic I cant get enough. Left home when i was around 20, that was 1998 march. Straight from small town in Arctic Circle i went to explore South America, first few years i spend entirely over there, amazing continent. 2004 i did my last trip there, bought a car from Rio, and drove around. 2005 i came to Asia and been here since.
Dont have much money, some way i end up working in odd places on a way, never had work permit, never got into troubles bcs of it.
Home is where the heart is, never had my own place so i dont know what to miss. Over the years i have learned to live on a road. At the beginning my parents were against my life style, but now they encourage me to continue, they want to see the pics and read the stories + that now they have "tour guide" where they go, they come to visit me once a year where ever I am. I think i never cant stop this, its an addiction, hahahaaaa.

Of course i have had my share of accidents and unwanted surprises, been robber with knives few times, corrupted cops stopping me at the middle of desert in peru etc. But im still a live and i take those bad luck moments as statistical facts, cant always have "good luck" World will take care of its children's

 

[delinquent]

I've read the thread where the TS spent 15 months around the world and across 30++ countries. I think as fellow people who share the same interest here, if we didn't have commitment/ family/ friends, who wouldn't want to travel around and capture awesome pictures! Although money can be a great problem.

Personally, I'll want to travel for probably 2 years with all my savings by then. Work somewhere, learn the cultures, record some amazing moments around the world and keep moving across the countries!

Of course it'll be best if money will fall from the skies!

 

[pupuce]

Hi Bunnyrei,

You are tied down with all the committments, why not consider untying them.

I sold my apartment (or you can rent it out now since the market is good), sold my car, quit my job, packed everything into boxes and left in a 3 months time frame from the moment i decided. Although funnily, I bought my departure ticket only 2 weeks before my intended date. Somehow a little uncertainty resided in me then.

Deliquent said " if we didn't have commitment/ family/ friends, who wouldn't want to travel around and capture awesome pictures! Although money can be a great problem"

I have committment which are my family and friends.. but its not forever and besides they can always join here and there. I had a friend who wanted to join me in South Africa and in the end she decided to join me in Tanzania and Uganda . Like she said, it will be too difficult for her to find kakis for such ulu area. Another 2 best friends flew to Barcelona for my birthday.
There are always skype which is a great way for me to stay in touch with family.

everything is doable.
You can live your dream once you decided what makes you happier.
Cheers,

I applaud those here who live the dream by not being tied down with the comforts of your home and other commitment. We are living one life after all, and I am of the opinion we should not be tied down in the rat race and miss out on all the goods in life.

I want to travel but I'm presently so tied down with commitments and I'm frustrated. Is it even remotely possible to find a decent job abroad as a short term traveller? Need advise from those who have been there done that to help me live my dream.

 

[ManWearPants]

7 years ago I got on an airplane. Haven't been back since.

Now this is extreme.

With the rat race and peer pressure of living in Sin, it takes a lot of courage to walk away and keep on walking. I have been tinkering with thoughts of 9 months in eastern Europe and central Asia. I have been cutting days and location so that I will not be out of the rat race action for too long. Latest plan cut till 4 months in Eastern Europe. Hope it does not get cut again. The heart is willing but the mnd does not allows it.

 

[Daoyin]

Now this is extreme.

With the rat race and peer pressure of living in Sin, it takes a lot of courage to walk away and keep on walking. I have been tinkering with thoughts of 9 months in eastern Europe and central Asia. I have been cutting days and location so that I will not be out of the rat race action for too long. Latest plan cut till 4 months in Eastern Europe. Hope it does not get cut again. The heart is willing but the mnd does not allows it.

Ahh.... some people are ruled by the heart while others are ruled by the mind. Wouldn't it be nice if they are in agreement. So, some reply on fate.

 

[sinned79]

if i have the financial capability, i would like to take a 1 year break from work... and do a round the world trip. quite inspired from pupuce round the world trip.