Vagabonding

[Mehdi]

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
Vagabonding blog => blog, forum, stories, etc.
http://www.vagabondinglife.com/
http://www.startbackpacking.com/

There's Mjh's story here & here, I wonder if anyone else has done something similar? Always had wanted to do this kind of stuff. The idea has been popping in my head more & more during the last months. I'm meeting people who have done similar things, meeting expats all the time, getting material on the topic, etc. This week I was thinking:" but where would I go" and then this article popped up.

Anyone has done this? Not looking for "should I do it or not", more curious about your experience.

[DaveT]

I guess I'm in my third phase of this in many respects.

1st Phase - My father worked for Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) and therfore we moved from one Asian country to the next every 2-3 years. So, as a child I lived in Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India and Dubai.

2nd Phase - when I was 19 and after completing the equivalent of High School, I decided to hitch hike to Greece to work for the summer. However, once there it became evident to me that I wasn't quite ready yet to return to the UK and go to uni. I ended up traveling across to Egypt, and backpacking down through Africa (Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa). I then crewed on a yacht across to the Turks and Caicos Islands, before going to Mexico, Peru and Chile. After nearly three years on the road, I finally decided to return to England and finish uni.

3rd Phase - during uni, I trained as a croupier (dealer in a casino) for extra work, and so after finishing, I went to work on cruise ships based in Miami for six months and therefore traveled around the Caribbean. I then returned to the UK, to do what all my friends were doing - "getting a proper job". After a few years working in IT for a large insurance company, I couldn't take it any longer and decided it was time to go abroad again. I have been working for the last 6 years as a teacher in Taiwan (similar to mjh) and thoroughly enjoyed it, although once again the itchy feet have struck once more, and in summer 2010, I will be moving to Perth in Australia to train as an electrician, as I believe there is a future in solar power. Who knows where this will take me in the future, but one things is for sure, it'll be sunny and hot, which seems to be a deciding factor for me to live in any country!

The way I see it, is that I have only one life and there is way too much to see in the world, but I can at least make an effort to experience as much of it as possible. I think I get this from my Dad, who has just returned from a trip searching for snow leopards in Kazakhstan at the age of 72!
Invariably, every time I visit the UK, I get the same comments from my old friends: "I wish I could be doing what you're doing. It must be great seeing all those things and experiencing all those different cultures." I used to ask them, "Why don't you?", but I have stopped now as I'm bored of hearing the excuses (in my mind, there are none - only the fear of the unknown), so I just nod happily. If you approach it with an open mind, willing to accept that wherever you go will be completely different to anything you know, that there maybe language barriers, cultural misunderstandings and weird food, then you'll be fine. My plan is to die with as few regrets as possible, and I feel I can only do this by doing as much 'crazy' stuff as possible!

Not looking for "should I do it or not", more curious about your experience.

I hope this 'rant' didn't come across as though I was trying to persuade anyone, it really is up to the individual in the end, but I think that you can only understand my experiences if you have some understanding of the 'why' behind them.

[Mehdi]

Thanks a lot for that DaveT.

I've seen a lot of spain, italy, morocco. Been to turkey, slovenia, sweden, etc. Haven't been much outside of europe/middeterian region though. Longest trip abroad has been 2months, and not the hotel based stuff, but really living with natives. Only thing is that I never travelled alone, but that wouldn't really be a problem, I like being alone and connect with people easily anyway.

Right now nothing is really a problem. I guess for most people money is an issue. I've done the math, I'll save money doing this. I don't fear the unknown or danger (I'm thinking of going to the middle east). What it really comes down to I feel is making the decision.

And I also like it sunny & hot, something that bothers me about belgium.

[DaveT]

You have definitely seen a lot more of Europe than I have (England, France, Spain, Belgium and Holland and then only on short trips).

And I also like it sunny & hot, something that bothers me about belgium.

It was staring at the grey skies out of an office window one January that prompted my latest move to Taiwan.

I guess for most people money is an issue.

When I was traveling for 3 years in my 20s, I always found some kind of work along the way. Backpacker hostels always need people on reception, bars need staff and a host of other things (measuring the impact of tourists on Lake Malawi, driving a truck across Kenya). I might not have been living like a king, but I always had three meals and somewhere to sleep (house sitting for people/looking after their pets while they went away on holiday - great way to get a nice place to stay for free!).

Only thing is that I never travelled alone, but that wouldn't really be a problem, I like being alone and connect with people easily anyway.

I've only ever traveled alone on longer trips. It's the only way to be really free to explore. You never have to think about what someone else wants to do. If you want to climb up a montain one morning, you just go and do it, without having to worry if a friend or partner wants to do it as well. You also meet a lot of people along the way, and sometimes I would travel with them for a while if they were heading in the same direction or doing something that seemed like a worthwhile detour, but then I could just leave them whenever I wanted. I know it sounds selfish, but I think you need to be when you want to really explore like that. (Or travel with someone who has the same attitude - not many of those! )

[Mehdi]

Myeah I've seen france, holland, germany, uk, etc too but I don't really call it travelling.

I know what you mean. I remember sitting in an office while it was 30°C outside, which we off course couldn't feel because the airco was running and you couldn't open 1 single window on the 22nd floor. One of the many reasons I quit.

Money => majority of people worldwide live on 2$ a day, something to think about. Thanks for the tips DaveT, appreciate it.

[DaveT]

If anyone is interested in teaching English then check out http://www.eslcafe.com/. It's a great place to start and will give you an idea where there are lots of jobs and what pay you can expect. Remember, what might sound a little in US/Europe terms, may well actually be a lot in the country you're living in. For example, I earn roughly US$ 2,500 a month, but then I only pay $350 a month in rent for a nice four bedroom apartment in the centre of town! I eat out, I go out for a few drinks, I go on holiday, I own a car and motorbike, and I'm still saving US$1,000 a month. As a teacher in Taiwan, I get 1.5x as much as a Taiwanese doctor with five years experience! Crazy, huh?

Here's my run down on Asia. Overall, you'll probably need to live in the big cities to get good, well paid work. You'll need to at least have graduated for most countries though. This is aimed at those who have no teaching degree and no experience. Obviously if you have one or both then there are a lot more options available.
I'll leave my perceptions of what's it like to live in each country out as everyone has a different experience, although places like Singapore and Hong Kong are easier due to their British influence, so there is less of a language barrier, whilst other places like Thailand are also used to dealing with tourists, so may be easier to live in.

Japan - high pay, but very expensive to live. Quite a lot of competition for jobs as people want to experience Japan.
S. Korea / Taiwan - good pay and cheaper living expenses (although they have started to rise). Slightly more off the beaten track, so easier to find work.
China - has been booming recently, but pay is lower than S. Korea and Taiwan, and the cost of living (especially rent in cities like Beijing and Shanghai) has risen fast with its economic boom.
Singapore and Hong Kong - medium salaries, but high costs of living. Very competitive, and you'll probably need extra qualifications/some experience to teach there.
Thailand - low pay, but low cost of living. There are always lots of backpackers stopping here for a few months, so teaching English is an easy way to make money. So lots of competition keeps wages low.
Vietnam - this is the latest boom country, with lots of people heading over there as it develops and people want to learn English. Good pay, and cheap living costs.
Cambodia - would like to be booming like its neighbor, Vietnam, but hasn't quite happened yet... watch this space
Malaysia - not many opportunities as everyone is taught English in school by local teachers.

This is only a brief overview of what I know through friends and some personal research. If you're interested then take the time to research thoroughly.

BTW - just to add to my last post. If you find someone you can travel with for more than six months, MARRY THEM! If your relationship can handle more than six months of backpacking through weird and wonderful countries, then you'll probably ready to handle anything else that life throws at the both of you.

[Jcraig]

Wow DaveT, thanks for sharing! As I sit here on my computer doing an office job I suddenly had the urge to quit and load up my backpack

[Davek]

If only I was twenty years younger! I taught high school for nine years here in NY, permanent certification too. Ya' know, anything is possible, even after retirement.

Thanks for the great posts. Very interesting.

[mjh]

great post DaveT. I've only had less than 2 years experience in ASia (Korea and Vietnam), but I'll add that teaching in Asia is what you make of it. If you expect the same work environment (this includes boss/employee relationships, contracts etc) as you get in a western country, you might have a rough ride. If you're not prepared to adapt to the local food and ways of life, you won't save as much. And if you don't have at least a little interest in teaching, you won't have a good time. This last one may sound weird, but there's plenty of teachers in Asia who see their students as obstacles in the way of their next drink.

And a caveat about websites and forums on esl... bear in mind that the most negative and bitter stories will come from bitter and negative people. Reading the forums can be enough to scare anyone off. Just keep in mind that the people enjoying their time are not likely to be sitting at home posting on forums.

enough esl talk... (sadly, Mehdi, ESL is not an option for you... and I don't know if there's much FSL or DSL action around the world). But another option is "wwoof"ing. This stands for WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms (or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, depending on who you ask). When you become a member you get a directory of farms around the world that invite backpackers to come stay and earn their room and board by doing some work on the farm. It's not just a cheap option for travel, you're expected to have an interest in organic farming and sustainable living. http://www.wwoof.org/

I have an old colleague who is building an eco-friendly house out in the bush near my home town (Ngaruawahia, for the kiwis). It's carved into the side of a hill and uses mud-filled tires as the walls. Woofers stay in a pre-fab hut on site and help with the labour.

Mehdi, if NZ figures in your plans, I'd avoid the cold and wet winter period (May-October). Summer (Christmas and New Year) is a good time because the weather is generally good, you can camp out and hit all the beaches, and there's a bunch of festivals and concerts on (some offer free entry if you volunteer to clean up after the event).

ps: at the moment the NZD is worth 50 US cents or 40 Euro cents... so if anyone has been considering NZ as a holiday destination, now is a good time to get a bargain.

[DaveT]

I think one of the most important things if you want to live a vagabond lifestyle is learning skills that are easily transferrable from one country to the next. Some ideas:

- If you're younger and thinking you'd like to go backpacking before or after college, spend a few summer vacations working in either hotels or restaurants (even if you don't need the money). For those of you living in countries where the legal drinking age is 18 not 21, then bar work can also be included in this list. You will never have trouble finding work wherever you might be in the world.
These jobs are also good when traveling, because they put you face to face with a lot of people and it's amazing what opportunities can come out of that.

- If you're considering a vagabond career, then transferability is even more important. If you're going to college, think about what you're going to study. Law is not very transferrable as for example, criminal law in the US will be very different from Indonesia. Things like teaching, medicine, engineering are much more transferrable. Learning a trade (electrician, plumber, joiner etc) can be good but will really depend on where you're planning to live. Most of the time you'll find that locals will do this job for a lot less money than you're willing to work for.

There are other careers, but quite often the opportunity to travel only arises after many years of experience in your home country, and you have to decide if you want to wait that long. This was the situation I found myself in. I was working for a large multinational insurance company with branches all over the world (the very reason I applied thinking it would provide me with my vagabond life), but I was told after a few years that it would probably be another few years before I would be transferred abroad. So I quit and became and English teacher instead!

[bluestreak]

Awesome post DaveT.

To elaborate on what mjh was discussing: many countries (i.e. NZ, Australia, Canada) have 'working holiday' visas. Some of these visas are meant to fill specific positions (i.e. picking fruit) but others allow you to do pretty much anything. I've known of many people that came here on Working Holiday visas and ended up staying.

As a tourist destination, I really like NZ because there's a lot to see, it's relatively compact and well catered for tourists and backpackers. I moved here a few years ago so many parts of NZ are still unexplored. Australia and the islands of the south pacific are also nearby (I've only been to Fiji so far).

And I also like it sunny & hot, something that bothers me about belgium.

I personally don't mind the cold but I despised the near-sunless days when it's dark when you leave for work and dark when you go home. Much sunnier over here. It's greatly improved my mood.

[marcovirtual]

Hey, guys, I've been thinking about vagabonding myself, so I really would like to hear more about the experiences you guys have had.

[TakeFive]

DaveT - great posts. Couple of questions though:

When I was traveling for 3 years in my 20s, I always found some kind of work along the way.

How do you keep from getting stuck in some job along the way? Like, do you ever think "I need the money this job provides, so I can't leave it"? And are you ever concerned about the health care you will receive in these countries, or how to pay for it?

I think these are some of the concerns that hold many back from pursuing a vagabond lifestyle, so I'm interested what your viewpoint is.

[Mehdi]

DaveT - great posts. Couple of questions though:

When I was traveling for 3 years in my 20s, I always found some kind of work along the way.

How do you keep from getting stuck in some job along the way? Like, do you ever think "I need the money this job provides, so I can't leave it"? And are you ever concerned about the health care you will receive in these countries, or how to pay for it?

I think these are some of the concerns that hold many back from pursuing a vagabond lifestyle, so I'm interested what your viewpoint is.

You don't need that much money. Unless you want to have the flashiest phone, car, etc. If you live frugal and buy stuff you need only, it's easy. One way to do it in vagabonding is to work 10 months, then go abroad for 2 months living on the money you saved (and remember cost of living is alot lower in south-america, middle east, asia, etc). Or work 1,5 year, then 6 months abroad, you get the idea. The point is to start in the country you live, by eliminating stuff and living frugal. This is the key to freedom. Quote from fight club:" the things you own end up owning you". Read also "walden" by thoreau or "into the wild".

And health care: how often are you sick really. People always fear stuff what never happens.

[mjh]

How do you keep from getting stuck in some job along the way? Like, do you ever think "I need the money this job provides, so I can't leave it"? And are you ever concerned about the health care you will receive in these countries, or how to pay for it?

If someone is thinking they can't leave the job because of the money, they're not managing their finances.If you want to try this kind of travel, save up for a year, being brutally frugal. Remind yourself that if you don't spend that $8 on a beer now, you can use it later to buy 6 beers, an awesome meal, and a novelty lighter that shows you a naked lady when you turn it upside down.

Same goes when you're travelling. Eat where the locals eat, rather than going for expensive and sub-standard western comfort food. Lower your expectations and standards about accomodation, transport, clothing etc. And bear in mind, that in places like SE Asia, even if you're down to your last $100, you're still $100 better off than a large proportion of the local population.

As for medical issues. Get some insurance that will rescue if something terrible happens. For minor illnesses and accidents, there are hospitals and clinics that cater to foreigners in most countries, and don't cost that much, so unless you're way out in the back-blocks you should be fine. Many people actually fly from the US to Thailand for medical procedures, stay in a resort for a week to recuperate, and still save a shitload of cash.