There is no functional difference between 6-9 months and 12 months. Selling your stuff versus storing it is a pretty simple equation- just weigh the cost to store it with the cost to replace it. Unless you have a lot of really nice stuff, it’s probably going to be cheaper and much easier to just replace when you get back.
I wouldn’t pre-arrange a travel group, but rather show up at hostels and other traveler hangouts and see who is going your way who might be fun to hang out with for a day, a week, a month or so. It’s a normal thing to do, and hostels will even have message boards for putting together spontaneous groups like that. That way you get some companionship but still keep your freedom to chart your own course and get away from people if they are getting on nerves. This may all sound kind of strange, but it’s absolutely common and you’ll have no problem doing it. There are a lot of bad and a handful of decent organized tours out there, but the main value to those is they can make very efficient use of your time- which is something you’ll have plenty of. In general, organized tours are going to be more expensive and less fun.
As for the degree- How high in the five figures are we talking? While a 4-year degree is not by any means a magic ticket to middle-class prosperity, but it is pretty close to a pre-requisite. There are ways to make decent money without one, but statistically, you are better off with one than without. This is especially true if you really are interested in living abroad. Most opportunities abroad are firmly shut to those without a degree.To illustrate, there are so many teaching jobs in China that I knew a guy who was employed for years despite being an active raving schizophrenic who taught his students about the lizard people conspiracy. And yet, you’ll be required to bring a physical copy of your diploma if you want to even think about getting a work visa.
Graduating without debt is a fine goal, but some debt can be a calculated risk. To start with, consider that most federal student loans are eligible for repayment plans where you will never pay more than 10-15% of your income. And there are deferral programs for financial hardship or situations like Peace Corps service. I would advise people to use discretion in what school they attend and not to outright waste money, but I would advise people to do what it takes to get the best, least expensive education they can- even if it does mean taking on a well-thought out amount of debt.If you just have one or two semesters left, I would seriously consider toughing it out and getting it done.
Why are you so willing to blow your life savings to go on vacay, but not to use your savings to allow you to concentrate exclusively on finishing your degree (which after seven years of even part-time attendance should not be more than one to three semesters away)?
If you want to keep getting what you are getting, keep doing what you are doing. If you want to make a change, I can see no reason why doing some travel when you are physically able, have the means, and lacking in other responsibilities, would make a good break from one stage of life to another.
It is pointless to maintain a soul-crushing existence as a cubicle-dwelling, corporate drone - a life that you dislike - if you can make this work. Sure, your career may get put on hold, but you have time to recover. Your retirement savings could also suffer, but you could also be dead by the time you are eligible for them.
There is risk in everything - you just need to decide how much risk you are comfortable with. For some - not settling down to a regular existence is unthinkable. However, you need to get rid of the idea that you need to do what is expected of you if you want to be happy with your life. Just make sure to manage your risks responsibly - taking a few months to explore the world and yourself will be money well spent, but staying the course you currently ride (that is not making you happy) also has risks and costs - some of which are not recoverable (time).
Now, I’m currently 38 and I did something like this between my junior and senior year of college. It wasn’t a vacation, but I went to work abroad, volunteer, travel, etc., but mostly work. It was not difficult to do. I lived 9 months in various parts of Europe and I only needed plane ticket money there and about $3000 extra dollars beyond what I earned while living and volunteering out there. I did it because I was feeling stifled and dead-ended in school; I knew I wanted to finish school, that wasn’t an issues, but I knew I needed a break, time to get away, and get some psychological space. I just knew that shaking up my surroundings was going to do the trick, and it did. I came back with new found confidence, new skills, and finished off my senior year with the best three academic quarters of my college career, after having the absolute worst quarter and being put on academic probation. (And then after graduation, I moved back to Europe to live and work there for a bit over five years.)
Now, granted, I was a good bit younger than you at the time. I turned 21 while I was away that first time. But I do understand the need to shake yourself up and your surroundings. Obviously, I can’t guarantee that it will work for you, but with what you’ve described about yourself, with no attachments and still at the relatively young age of 34, I would say go for it. The one adult thing I would tell you is don’t dip into your retirement funds. Don’t even think of it as an emergency fund. Pretend it does not exist. Leave it alone.
Otherwise, have fun, and don’t forget to write! (Even sven has covered pretty much all the practical advice here, so I’d be redundant going over it myself.)
Before starting I would consider the weather/climate situation. It is better to be in a place when the temperature is moderate than when it is either freezing cold or roasting hot.
Oh sure, phrase books will help, but some command of a language that isn’t English is a great idea.
The OP needs to think about potential hurdles, and packing a backpack full of clothes and a laptop isn’t necessarily helpful if you don’t have a phrasebook.
Many travelers form impromptu travel parties after meeting up in backpacker havens such as Khao San Road in Bangkok. You’ll meet other travelers on the way, maybe drink with them, then get a feel for maybe who you’d like as a traveling buddy or party. I’m more of a solo traveler myself, but hooking up with people in such places is good because you can always veer off and go your own way at some point if you feel like it.
A couple of years ago, I did something insanely stupid. I quit my job, sold my house for just enough to pay off the mortgage, gave away almost everything I owned, and packed the rest in my Jeep Liberty and drove to LA to get married and go back to school. It was a brilliant decision. But I was doing all of this because I had a goal, not because I was just bored and lonely or feeling at a crossroads.
If you have a goal, work toward that goal. Don’t try to escape who you are by just changing your environment. If you want to change you, change you. Looking at different scenery won’t do it. But if you have a goal of traveling the world, find a way to make that happen.
You are over 30. 30yo is a magic number for working odd jobs in other countries. You have no degree.
You’ve missed one window, you haven’t reached the other one.
I’m glad that you’ve reached a point where you have a little freedom. Going overseas and working odd jobs hasn’t worked out for you, so use your new freedom to try something else.
Personally, if I were considering something like this, I’d test the waters by going on a trip somewhere for a week (or longer if you can). See how you feel after that.
OK, I wish you would talk more about school.
What degree are you going for? How many credits have you finished?
You act like you’re going to get in a lot of debt. If you’ve only taken one class per year for seven years, that’s still 42 credit hours, almost two years of school. I assume you’ve on occasion taken more.
That means you’ll be coming in as a junior, so your debt should not be too crushing.
I vote in favor of adventure. I’ve done shorter term versions of the same, but when I younger than you are now. It was great, and one of the few things I don’t regret.
I agree with the folks who say not to count on finding jobs. All of Even Sven’s advice is good, as is that of the person suggesting a TEFL certificate. Though teaching English isn’t a lucrative as it used to be – it seems as if most places have their own English teachers by now, and, in Europe, British English is preferred over American.
Don’t expect a total makeover of your personality, or enlightenment. You will have times when you are tired, or lonely, or depressed, but hell, you’ll have times like that even if you stay at home. Just go with open eyes and open mind and open heart.
“The test of an adventure is that when you’re in the middle of it, you say to yourself, ‘Oh now I’ve got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home.’ And the sign that something’s wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure.”
― Thornton Wilder, The Matchmaker
