What do you guys think of me traveling the world myself.

[puffff]

I did this a few years ago. Best thing I've ever done my life. A couple friends I know ended up doing the same thing after seeing what a life changing experience it was for me. Both came back with the same rave reviews.

 

[arrfep]

Did not read the thread, but I can imagine what half the typical ATOT responses would be. Don't even question, just do it. If even some part of you thinks it may be fun, then that's all you need to know. Don't even worry about doing it for some cathartic experience, to find yourself or have your epiphany. Just do it because you'll meet great people, see awe-inspiring things that many others will go without ever knowing, and generally have a hell-of-a-good time, and the window for you to take this trip is slowly waning. IIRC, you have like $70k saved up. Take 20k, leave next week, and don't come back till you've only got enough money to buy the plane ticket home.

If you want to do it, just do it.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'm not an introvert... I've interacted with thousands of people in the couple years all of whom I have never met before. So, I am not shy/introvert.

I think you may be confusing the internet with real life. They are not interchangeable.

 

[sdifox]

Didn't you just go somewhere with your mom? You should try travelling with friends first, then graduate to travelling alone.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

You may want to explore the U.S. first.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Before you can travel you need a pretty damn good and solid job. A typical flight to go maybe 1000km is like over $1k. So going overseas is probably a couple grand right there. That's JUST the flight, never mind hotels being 150-200/night and even simple things like going to a museum will cost you 20-50 here and there. Adds up quick.


You could travel within the same continent and take the bus too, much cheaper, but you'll be spending more time on the bus than actual travels. Though if you just want to have quick travels at various towns you could technically take a bus to the first stop, go check out that town, walk around a couple hours go see some of it's attractions, take another bus somewhere else and just sleep on the bus. That would be the cheapest way. Though I think any kind of leisure travel would be kind of boring alone, maybe bring a friend or something?

 

[silverpig]

Dude, go do some wicked backpacking trip for a few months. Land in the western himalayas, go through Nepal and India and end up in freaking Bhutan or something. You'll see stuff none of us ever will, you'll lose weight, you'll figure your shit out, and you'll be a better person for just getting out and doing something crazy like that.

But before you go, get me some cheap computer stuff

 

[KeithTalent]

I think it's a great idea, and now's the time to do it. You're still young, and aren't tied down with major obligations. It'll only get harder to do later.

This.

KT

 

[KMFJD]

Do it , i'm currently on a 4 month trip through nZ/OZ and loving every minute of it...saw Uluru a couple of weeks ago.....pictures do not do it justice...tomorrow snorkling on the great barrier reef....I have no desire to go Home...since you are under 31 grab a working holiday visa, start of downunder and head out from there.....

 

[stargazr]

Do it while you're young.

You know what they say - it's not the things you do that you will later regret, but the things you didn't do.

 

[iGas]

OP, I will be in Asia at the end of this year and early next year, wanna have the first ever ATOT over sea meet?

About your question, make sure you have enough money to travel. Travel with little or no money = blow big time.

I concur, however you still can have a good time with a moderate budget.

I have done the back packing and the youth hostels in my youth, and it was great meeting many awesome people along the way.

Now that I'm more financial secure my budget for travel roughly triple, therefore I have much more fun while travel for shorter period of time. Recently I have been traveling and staying in 3-5 stars hotels and it is great, because I don't have to worry, thus I don't spend all of my time looking for the cheap seedy deals on accommodations/restaurants/entertainments, or air/bus/boat/train fares instead of having a good time.

PS. I pretty much travel everywhere alone, except once on my trip to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. However, I ditch my roomate (angry French Canadian) on our first leg in Mexico, because he was very rude to the Mexican.

 

[William Gaatjes]

No you don't. Your emotional obesity rivals even its physical analogue. You need to cut down on the emo, get an education, and then a stable job.

I agree with HamburgerBoy and Trident.
Independence is very important, it gives you the chance to think about your opinion, give your opinion and stand by it.

Speaking with a very heavy Jamaican accent :
I do not know you Locutus, but i know one thing, a good education and a good job will get you further in life. You want to be the ant man or the cricket man ?

 

[DrPizza]

After. Need to loose a fair amount of weight before doing this. Will also loose it during learning Scuba.

Scuba is not physically demanding at all, unless they make you "pass" a few tests at the very beginning, like the ability to swim three lengths of a swimming pool, holding on to the sides, over 20 minutes if you need that long. Otherwise, you put on a wet suit (makes you float even better), a weight belt (makes you sink), and you learn to adjust the air in the jacket you wear (which holds your tank, etc.) to make you neutrally buoyant. With practice, you'll be able to hover in the water with zero effort expended. (Of course, as you go deeper and the pressure is greater, then the wet suit becomes compressed and less buoyant, so you adjust as you go.) You could kick your legs and swim really fast through the water as if you're in a James Bond movie attempting to escape from the bad guys or catch up to the good guys underwater. But the key in SCUBA is to NOT swim like that - just leisurely move about; especially since leisurely moving about scares the fish a lot less (so you can see them.) If you're expending effort, you're doing it wrong.

 

[DaWhim]

stop thinking, just do it.

I am traveling for 6 months in south america (in colombia right now). I got about 4 more months to go.

if you have never done backpacking, u should take some "weeks" trip before going on for a long one.

most of the time when you travel by yourself, you are not exactly travel by yourself. it is so easy to meet up with other travelers here and most of the time, i am traveling with some other people.

 

[Krynj]

Definitely a great idea. You only have one life -- and it's way too short. I don't know you well, but from what I've read on here, and what you said in the OP, you've got a lot of stuff to figure out about your life and who you are. Traveling the world by yourself will be something you remember forever. Do it.

You will need a bit of money first though. However, you'd be surprised what kind of deals and treatment you can get from local city-folk and business owners when they find out you're traveling the world on a shoe-string budget.

 

[sonambulo]

if you have never done backpacking, u should take some "weeks" trip before going on for a long one.

most of the time when you travel by yourself, you are not exactly travel by yourself. it is so easy to meet up with other travelers here and most of the time, i am traveling with some other people.

Best advice in this thread. I would say backpack around Montreal or some place in the US for a couple weeks just to get your feet wet and *then* go for the big trip to Asia.

 

[ponyo]

I did this a few years ago. Best thing I've ever done my life. A couple friends I know ended up doing the same thing after seeing what a life changing experience it was for me. Both came back with the same rave reviews.

Do you still have your travel blog hosted somewhere? I still remember your initial post about wanting to travel and then actually doing it. Very cool.

 

[SandEagle]

OP, save your money. for a few hundred bucks I can come by and slap you silly until you find yourself

 

[nublikescake]

I agree with Hamburgerboy and Trident. Although I find the idea of one emo kid giving another advice kind of funny (summer job thread anyone?). Anyway, a few things I've noted:

1) For someone with psychological "issues", you communicate normally, especially when it comes to rejecting sound advice.
2) It follows from the above: quit hiding behind the psychological issues crap. Shrinks have a name for everything. It doesn't mean that you go seek out what it is and then label yourself with it and limit and stifle your potential for the rest of your life.
3) Quit dodging what you KNOW are the things that you've messed up on and what have caused you to get to the stage you are at now. You KNOW that you need to get a decent education, skill or trade and then use that to get a decent job (no, not flipping burgers). These are the established ways in society to climb the social ladder and get to a point where you can lead a normal and successful life. No amount of "self-discovering" will do away with these hard realities of life.
4) If you want to ignore the above and go on your hollywood-esque adventure of discovering yourself via globe-trotting, you're only fooling yourself further. Or maybe you're at the point you're at because you like to fool yourself.
5) Don't ask ATOT (a forum visited by people who, in general, don't give two shits about what your problems are and are just here for the shits and giggles) about advice on life-matters. These are issues that you need to deal with, either yourself or with friends and family.
6) I am not saying that you haven't tried to remedy the situation yourself but this adventure of yours isn't really going to help you in the long run.
7) I could be wrong here but I don't think that the people encouraging you to go on this trip here are in a situation even close to yours or suffer from the issues that you do, to the extent that you do. They're speaking from the safety of their perspectives and it would be fool hardy to think they "understand" your situation.
8) You can bash me for the above and ignore the advice or confront your inner demons and be honest with yourself. The choice is yours.

 

[Koing]

I did this a few years ago. Best thing I've ever done my life. A couple friends I know ended up doing the same thing after seeing what a life changing experience it was for me. Both came back with the same rave reviews.

That was such an epic trip

Are you still with that girl you met? I remember reading nearly every page of your trip!

I did 3 weeks in Armenia and Georgia in 2009 and 3 weeks in Australia last year

I'll have to save the longer stuff for when I quit my job and get less serious about training...which is an issue.

Koing

 

[mattpegher]

If you do decide to go trekking through foriegn countries, please watch every episode of "locked up abroad" first and don't do anything stupid.

 

[Blitzvogel]

Nothing wrong with wanting to see the world while most people sit stuck with jobs that make them hate life. However I would advise you plan carefully about where you go, and try to actually experience the country instead of just being a stupid tourist. Yes, see the sights, but actually try to live like the people there (within reason). That would be a truly marvelous way to live. Take odd jobs here and there (there are books on this), work your way across the world, meet all sorts of people, make friends.

I really want to go to Greece (I can't afford it), and while people tell me that "you wouldn't want to go at the moment!" I can't help but find myself fascinated by going during such troubling times. It would be good for a person to try and experience what the average Greek citizen is feeling at the moment instead of just reading or watching on a TV or the internet. I was inspired by a Henry Rollins "stand up" bit where he talked about his random trips across the world including one where he personally eye-witnessed a riot in Pakistan over political reform, and how that kind of experience was "real", not the typical touristy thing to do.

 

[L1FE]

I love traveling and think it's a great thing to experience. Just don't fool yourself into thinking that the trip is what will change you. The appeal of extended travel by yourself is that you'll essentially be able to start over. No baggage, essentially no responsibilities, and no limits. That being said, if you approach your travel like you do your normal life, the brief ecstasy you get from cutting all ties will quickly devolve back to your current situation.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from taking the trip. It could be a life changing experience. Just realize where the true change is coming from.

 

[gophins72]

"One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more."
-Thomas Jefferson