So you are traveling, or want to go traveling, what kind of traveler are you?
Gap Year
It’s in between university, or grad school and you want to see the world. Great! I have found that traveling sometimes is even more educational than schoolwork. You ever heard employers say that they like people with internship experience because it’s real, rather than theoretical? Travel is life experience. You figure out how to accomplish things in a strange environment. You meet different sorts of people. You learn different ways of doing things, different cultures, and grow into a more well-rounded person.
Definitely travel when you have time before life gets messy – job/wife/husband/mortgage/pets/kids – it tends to slow down your travel time.
Business Traveler
Your employer pays your travel? Sweet, right? Not really. You go from home -> airport -> too full flight -> airport -> tiny rental car -> conference room -> same chain hotel you must have been in this room before. That’s only day one. The other days consist of going back/forth from hotel to client to conference rooms, then fly home, get in so late that all you have time for is to collapse in bed. Keeping relationships is tough. But you make a lot of money as a consultant. I don’t know anyone who has stuck to this lifestyle for more than 3-5 years before burning out. So you don’t want to be this kind of traveler for long.
Two Weeks a Year
You work a classic 9-5 job and don’t get that much time off. Most of that is spent with family, but you get some time for traveling. It’s not enough time, but you try to squeeze in enough to maybe see a new place. Maybe you barely make enough money to afford travel, or you make plenty of money, but are time poor. You have responsibilities. Getting away from home is extremely difficult, or just seems impossible. Many people stay in this period of traveling for years or decades. There’s no shame in it.
I can’t tell you how many of my friends or family say things like “I wish I could do that!” or “I could never travel there!”. I ask, “Why not?” I just hear excuses, especially when I suggest ways they could still go away for a couple weeks or a month. Just remember – you can do it. It is possible to travel longer than this.
Digital Nomad / Location Independent Entrepreneur
You live on the road, living off passive investments, or working in co-working spaces. You rent apartments in exotic foreign locales, experience life living as a local and meet interesting people. This is my life right now. It’s not for everyone, but I feel the grass is greener on this side of the fence. I love being flexible and seeing such amazing places while I can.
