Updated: 04/10/19 | April 10, 2019
“I’m going to quit my job when we get back,” I said, looking to my pal Scott.
“Egentlig? Jeg tviler på det.”
“No really, I am. I’m going to quit and travel the world,” I said, turning my face back into the warm Thailand sun.
It was 2004, and we were in Ko Samui. We had just visited Chiang Mai, where I had met the five travelers who so inspired me to travel the world.
Their world of no 401(k)s, vacations, and bosses seemed too good to be true and I wanted to be a part of it.
I was determined to be a part of it.
I even started to prepare for it while in Thailand before I had any real idea of what I was going to do.
While on Ko Samui, I bought the Lonely planet guide to Southeast Asia.
I didn’t even know if I’d go there on my next trip. I didn’t know when my trip would be or for how long or what I wanted to see.
But buying that guide made the whole thing seem more real. It was my commitment to travel. I had the guide; there was no turning back now. The guide symbolized my trip, and for me, it represented what I had to do to make the mental leap.
This book was like an ancient relic that contained hidden knowledge that I, a new initiate, had to decipher. It was my guide into the unknown. how could I stretch my money for a whole year? how could I get by without speaking a word of the language? how could I avoid getting scammed? how could I make my travel as rewarding as I envisioned it would be? how could I do it as effortlessly as the new pals I met in Thailand? all of those answers, it seemed to me, were in this book—or at least the hints to the answers were there.
I read every page of the book on the flight home. I highlighted destinations, planned routes, and worked out my trip in my head. I knew everything about Southeast Asia by the time I touched down in Boston.
However, once back home, I pertained to the realization that I had no idea how to make this happen.
Would I finish my MBA? how much money would I need? When could I go? Where would I go? What would people say? how do I get an RTW ticket? What credit card should I use? Are hostels safe?
The list of questions seemed endless, and in the days before travel blogs, Twitter, and iphone apps, the challenge of planning a trip was a lot more daunting than it is today. outside of a few websites, there just wasn’t as much information on the Internet back then.
It took a lot longer to find and was usually a bit dated.
But the real challenge would be telling people I was leaving and letting them know I meant it. I don’t remember the exact conversation I had with my parents. They always counter my impulsive decisions (of which there are many) with some nervous, “the world is a dangerous place and we worry” parental response.
Over the years I sort of tuned them out. I have my father’s stubborn streak, and once I make a decision, I make it.
For a while, I don’t think they even believed me, and until the day I left, they tried to talk me out of it.
But what I do remember is going into my boss’s office.
It was a few weeks after I had come back from Thailand, and I was getting more and more sure that I was going to do this trip. I knew I had to do this trip. I went into his office and told him we needed to talk.
A bald, heavyset, affable guy with a love for cooking and wine, who always encouraged me to strive for more, I figured he would be the most understanding and encouraging. and I owed it to him to give him plenty of time to find a replacement.
I laid it all out. I told him about how ever since my Costa Rica trip I couldn’t stop thinking about traveling. I told him about meeting my new Canadian and Belgian pals and how I knew from talking with them that I had to travel around the world before I started my career. and I told him that whatever career that might end up being, it wouldn’t be in healthcare.
He leaned back in his large leather chair and gave me a dissatisfied look.
“You’ve only been here eight months, Matt. It’s hard to find a new person, especially someone good. I think there’s a future for you in health care.”
As he spoke, I heard a mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment in his voice. He had taken to being my mentor, giving me more and more important tasks, letting me manage one of the training programs he was responsible for, and coaching me into adulthood. It wasn’t simply that he’d have to go to the effort of replacing me—I really think he believed I had a future there.
“I won’t leave right away,” I replied. “I’ll stay until July, finish my MBA, and then leave for my trip. That will give you six months to find a replacement.”
“I had always seen you as a potential hospital executive or CEO one day.”
It was flattering, if not also totally manipulative. Not a lot of entry-level workers get that sort of vote of confidence from their boss, assuming he really meant it. I choose to think he did. and what did it mean if I was right? A milLion dollar i året lønn. Et stort kontor. En stab. fancy middager. attraktive ting. Men ville jeg satse min fremtidige lykke på at de virkelig var på bordet? Og vil jeg bruke de neste 25-30 årene av livet mitt på å komme dit?
Jeg husket meg andre steder. Og jeg husket at guideboken satt på skrivebordet mitt.
“Jeg setter pris på det,” sa jeg til ham. “Men jeg vet at dette er riktig for meg akkurat nå. Og timingen er perfekt. ”
Han satt der i stillhet, ansiktet hans mistet tanken da han behandlet informasjonen. Jeg ble mer nervøs etter hvert som hvert sekund på det klokket tikket av.
Han skrubbet hodet og sukket.
“OK, jeg skal snakke med kontorsjefen, og vi begynner å lete etter erstatningen din. Jeg kommer til å savne deg. Men hvis du føler at dette stemmer, tror jeg at du bør gjøre det. ”
På en måte var det mer enn jobben min jeg sluttet den dagen. Jeg avslutter livet mitt.
Jeg slutter i den amerikanske drømmen.
Livet mitt hadde vært på vei nedover en vei som jeg skjønte at jeg ikke var klar for: ekteskap, hus, barn, 401 (k) s, lekedatoer, college -midler – alt du tenker på når du tenker på den amerikanske drømmen.
Som 22-åring jobbet jeg 50-60 timer per uke, investerte i pensjonsfond og planla ut de neste 40 årene. Jeg elsket det aldri, men det var akkurat det folk gjorde, ikke sant?
Selv om det ikke er noe galt med det, var det ikke det jeg virkelig ønsket.
Det tok en tur til Thailand for å få meg til å innse at jeg var ulykkelig. Det viste meg at det var mer i livet enn bedriftens slip. Selv om den livsstilen er bra for mange mennesker, var det ikke noe for meg.
Dagen jeg forlot kontoret var den dagen jeg sluttet i et liv jeg aldri hadde likt. Jeg levde for å jobbe, og jobbet ikke for å leve. Så da jeg hoppet på veien klokka 25, visste jeg at jeg ikke var klar for den typen liv. Jeg kom tilbake til den “virkelige verden” da turen min var over.
Skjønt, etter hvert som tiden gikk, innså jeg at jeg aldri kunne gå tilbake. Skillet mellom den verden og min var for stor.
Noen ganger tar vi beslutninger vi tar frem i livene våre som gigantiske tsunamier. Jeg trodde den dagen jeg sluttet, jeg bare sluttet i en jobb. Det viste seg at jeg sluttet en livsstil. Jeg sluttet i den amerikanske drømmen, og på den måten fant jeg min egen og har aldri sett meg tilbake.
Og de sier at det å slutte er for tapere.
Hvordan reise verden rundt på $ 50 om dagen
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Bestill turen: Logistiske tips og triks
Bestill flyet ditt
Finn en rimelig flytur ved å bruke Skyscanner. Det er min favoritt søkemotor fordi den søker på nettsteder og flyselskaper over hele kloden, slik at du alltid vet at ingen stein er igjen.
Bestill innkvarteringen din
Du kan bestille vandrerhjemmet ditt med Hostelworld. Hvis du vil bo et annet sted enn et herberge, kan du bruke booking.com, da de konsekvent returnerer de billigste prisene for gjestehus og hotell.
Ikke glem reiseforsikring
Reiseforsikring vil beskytte deg mot sykdom, skade, tyveri og kanselleringer. Det er omfattende beskyttelse i tilfelle noe går galt. Jeg drar aldri på tur uten det, da jeg har måttet bruke den mange ganger i fortiden. Mine favorittbedrifter som tilbyr den beste servicen og verdien er:
Safetywing (best for alle)
Forsikre turen min (for de over 70)
MedJet (for ytterligere evakueringsdekning)
Klar til å bestille turen?
Sjekk ut ressurssiden min for de beste selskapene å bruke når du reiser. Jeg lister opp alle de jeg bruker når jeg reiser. De er de beste i klassen, og du kan ikke gå galt ved å bruke dem på turen.