answering some questions I’ve had from friends and readers about my upcoming travels abroad.
“What good is livin’ a life you’ve been given,
If all you do is stand in one place?“
Lord Huron – Ends of the Earth
As many of you know, I recently left my comfortable corporate career, with very few plans except for a one-way ticket to Bali.
I’ve repeated that sentence in one form or another a hundred times in the past month since leaving my job but it’s still hard to believe.
Though I’ve certainly traveled far and wide, this trip feels different. It’s entirely liberating and frightening and exciting all at the same time. People have asked me a million questions about my plans, so here’s a little Q&A that might help you get into my mindset.
Q: Did you hate your job?
A: The funny thing is, I really didn’t. I worked with some incredible people, and the work was interesting. I had good pay, great vacation time, and was close to home. This being said, I wasn’t feeling entirely fulfilled. You know when you start to dread going in to work every day, it’s time to make a change. Call me a millennial, sure. But why sit and twiddle my thumbs, gaining money just to spend it on more things that I don’t need?
Q: Are you really going alone?
A: I’ve actually felt the least alone when I travel solo. There are so many opportunities to meet other people – whether in a hostel lobby, through Couchsurfing, or through tours, that it’s almost hard to find time to be truly alone! Sure, it gets lonely not having your best friends or family from home, but it’s easy to keep in touch.
Q: How are you paying for this?
A: I’ve known for quite some time that I wanted to travel abroad, so I started putting money away. I would try and save any way that I could, and was fortunate to not be burdened with any debt from school. I also found an insanely cheap flight abroad (<$400!) and won’t be living lavishly while there.
Q: What are your plans?
A: I really don’t have many plans! I’ve found that while traveling, it’s best to just go with the flow. One day I might make a new group of friends and want to travel with them, or I might fall in love with a place (or someone in a place) and want to stay. It really can benefit you to be open-ended when traveling for this long. I do have my TEFL certification to be able to teach English abroad, and I hope to use Workaway to work for the price of room and board.
I’m sure there are so many more questions, so feel free to drop a question in the comments below! I’m not leaving for a little while but will be starting to post a little more often, share some tips, and provide insight into the life of this silly, queer, friendly traveler.
Next up: Bali!
