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?