Author Topic: Quit job to travel?  (Read 5804 times)

Le Dérisoire

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Quit job to travel?
« on: February 18, 2013, 03:15:51 PM »
Dear Mustachians,

I need your help to solve a dilemma and tell me what to do with my life.

I’m a 25 years old lawyer without kids and I’ve been living with my girlfriend for the past 5 years. She is also a lawyer. Before our life became centered around our full-time work schedule, we did travel a lot in unconventional places around the world. Travelling can be very cheap and fulfilling if you know what to do and what not and if you enjoy going in poor countries.

Recently, I’ve been considering to drop work for a year (or 2?) and travel with my girlfriend. Something like doing the silk road very slowly on our own, or anything else, I don’t know… Since I’ve always been a light mustachian, money is not an issue. However, they are many pros and cons I’m not sure about.

Pros

No kids: Since I don’t have kids yet, travelling is easier and cheaper. I don’t think it is feasible or at least enjoyable to go in places like Iran and Kirghizstan with very young kids, unless you prove me otherwise. With kids, you are also limited in the things you can do such as riding horses for several days or hiking in difficult places. I’ll want to have a family in a few years from now so I think that the timing for travelling is about right.

Young and healthy: I’m young and healthy, which might not be the case when the next opportunity to travel come or when I reach FI. I might even be dead. I do not fancy travelling in convenient and comfortable places like Hawaii (MMM) or Europe, so being in a good shape and healthy is important. I could wait to be FI to travel as much as I want, but it might not be possible at that time.

Cons

Quit work: I like my job, as far as I can like a job. I don’t think I can find a better job than this one for me. Of course, if I go away for a year they might not be able to hire me back when I come home. I would probably need to find a job less suitable for me. It is a very big con to me. I already think working for a living is very boring and repetitive. However, every other job I’ve seen is much, much worse than mine. I consider myself very lucky to work at this place and I would like to stay.

Postponing FI: It will take more time to reach FI. However, I don’t consider that it’s time wasted since I would not have spent money on a fancy car or some other crap, but on traveling and learning which is something that makes me a happier and better person in my own eyes.

So, what do you think? Should I wait to be FI and use my work vacations to travel until then (2 or 3 consecutive weeks max), or should I quit? Is it possible to travel with kids in unconventional places?

dharmon

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2013, 03:41:08 PM »
What about something in between? I'm thinking a 1-3 month sabbatical (as much as your employer will allow) to travel. It's not a year, but it should be enough to scratch the itch until you reach FI, and hopefully you could convince your employer to let you take off for a month.

TN_Steve

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2013, 03:41:45 PM »
We faced this (dive travel is our lifetime budget killer); because wife was med, not law, we ended up doing very little travel before kids--planning to more than make up for it beginning when we retire in our mid-50s.  We never took kids on our annual live-aboard dive trips, and I suspect it would be even more difficult with respect to truly off the beaten path travel.

Here is an interesting blog that may be helpful.  By a young lady who quit her biggish lawfirm job in her late 20s to travel the world "for a bit," and has never stopped.  http://www.legalnomads.com/

steve

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2013, 03:43:39 PM »
What about something in between? I'm thinking a 1-3 month sabbatical (as much as your employer will allow) to travel. It's not a year, but it should be enough to scratch the itch until you reach FI, and hopefully you could convince your employer to let you take off for a month.

I like this idea.  OP, go to your employer and tell them exactly what you told us: That you really love your job and you'd hate to lose it... but you want to take a large chunk of time off (don't be specific) to travel.  See what they're willing to do.

Jamesqf

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2013, 05:03:46 PM »
Is the sort of law you do something that you can do remotely?

NumberJohnny5

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2013, 05:28:34 PM »
No kids: Since I don’t have kids yet, travelling is easier and cheaper. I don’t think it is feasible or at least enjoyable to go in places like Iran and Kirghizstan with very young kids, unless you prove me otherwise. With kids, you are also limited in the things you can do such as riding horses for several days or hiking in difficult places. I’ll want to have a family in a few years from now so I think that the timing for travelling is about right.

So, what do you think? Should I wait to be FI and use my work vacations to travel until then (2 or 3 consecutive weeks max), or should I quit? Is it possible to travel with kids in unconventional places?

Yes, it is easier and cheaper to travel without kids. As for not being feasible or enjoyable...I'd disagree for the most part. True, you're going to be worried about the lives of more than just your gf (future wife?) and yourself, and will likely not go anywhere that has a high probability of getting seriously hurt. But if you're rational...is the place you're looking to go to any worse than NYC? No? Then take the kids. Yes? Then I'd think twice.

It's definitely possible to travel with kids. Ours haven't been to the US since, oh, end of 2011. We're in Australia right now, not exactly "unconventional", but we've discussed places like South Africa or Saudi Arabia.

travelbug

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2013, 06:21:49 PM »
Hi

we are going to be travelling full time soon, but are 37 and 40 with two small children in tow and we have achieved FI/retirement.

But we also took 12-18 months off when we were in our early twenties and it was the best thing we ever did. Our old employers welcomed us back and it shaped our lives like you could never imagine. We then decided that this lifestyle would be the catalyst for us to work hard and retire young.

We are taking off later in the year with no real plans except to see as much of the world as we can.

When I read your post I thought about another young lawyer, I follow her blog, who took off for a year and 6-7 years later is still travelling.

http://www.legalnomads.com/

maybe you could contact her as she has great contacts and has forged a new career out of what she loves doing. She also has interviewed some amazing young lawyers who are out in the world working in their careers in more unconventional ways.

Good luck and happy travels.

Le Dérisoire

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2013, 06:07:56 AM »
Thank you very much for your answers, I'll think about it.

zoltani

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Re: Quit job to travel?
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2013, 10:29:23 AM »