Travel the world
Thinking that i might want to solo travel for 6 months after my analyst stint. For those who have done something similar or gone on long travel trips, how much of my nest egg should i expect to shell out? Asking this because it will help me decide on how much to save between now and then.
Destinations in mind will likely be Asia/SE Asia and South America to get the best bang/buck for new experiences. Europe should be easier to hit up for shorter trips across the years and I’m not sure about soloing Africa.
I've been to 23 countries and have lived across the world. You can do it on a shoestring. Stay at hostels and it will be a lot of fun.
What would you do at hostels/ how would you pick your hostels? I’ve done a couple, but have not found consistency in finding good ones.
Nowadays, probably by reviews at hostels.com. I used to travel on Lonely Planet books.
So a few years ago I quit my grad job and already had a trip to Iran booked for later that year. I pushed out the return flight and basically hitchhiked west for a few months. Went to Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea before making a (in hindsight) hilariously long and complicated return journey.
Whole thing cost maybe $5000, including staying at decent-ish hotels where possible (emphasis on possible). I warn you that Africa is the biggest rip off in terms of accommodation etc unless you're willing to travel like a local (again, something in hindsight you'll laugh and tell stories about but at the time is pretty rough). That said, if you're looking for "new experiences" I think you're far more likely to get authentic ones there than in most parts of Asia.
At the time I was really anxious about coming back and finding a job, but now that everything worked out I find myself wondering if those few months will be the only part of my 20s I actually really enjoyed.
Good story. Weren't Iraq/Sudan a bit dangerous?
Iraq depends on where you are. Kurdistan is extremely safe, the urban centre + shiite south are ~ok if you keep your wits about you and ideally stay with a local, and I'd recommend hiring a local fixer for the north and west. The situation might have changed since I was there.
Sudan is 100% safe.
> Went to Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea before making a (in hindsight) hilariously long and complicated return journey.
Uhh.... are you seriously recommending Iraq as a tourist destination?
Did you end up going to Iran? I'm considering visiting with a buddy this summer and am still on the fence about going.
Yeah spent almost a month there and would definitely rate it the best country I've ever been to. The people are great - I travelled solo and had random people asking me to have dinner with their family, asking to hang out with them and their friends, even to stay with them and let them be my personal tour guide and they literally refused to take any form of payment or anything. They're also extremely western, despite the impression their government might give you. I'd recommend it to anyone: history buffs, hikers, foodie people, families, solo travelers (even women). It's also pretty comfortable travel: lots of cheap, decent hotels, while trains/buses between cities cost next to nothing and are up to western standards of comfort.
Only caveat is I was travelling on a non-US passport; I think US travelers can only get a visa as part of a tour group, which would pretty much take away all the human interaction.
Traveled the world, have been to every continent except Australia. Some of it was using public transportation and overland bus trips (Asia). The more expensive journeys were rental car based road trips in the US (>15K $US per trip just for me).
Wish I'd done even more trips, but had to start my career at some point and stick to it.
I was thinking of trying to go to Australia this Dec/Jan but tickets for economy are like $20,000 right now due to entry restrictions.
Depends on the level of luxury you want and where you’re gonna eat etc but assuming you stay in hostels, eat locally and cook every now and then in SE Asia and most of South America (Brazil and Argentina a little more expensive) you can do a backpacker trip on a basic budget of about £30 a day plus travel and high ticket activities extra. Obviously if you’re gonna be doing South America on the local high grade you gotta add some to that budget.
I have done both continents and would highly recommend a lengthy trip in either, although definitely wait till everything is properly open again. I would recommend booking your first hostel based on hostelworld reviews, and then asking for recommendations for all your hostels after that from other people you meet on the way.
I traveled for a couple months through SE Asia and have spent some time traveling in Southern Europe as well. I agree with what some of the posters above have said. I spent two and a half months in Thailand and Vietnam and spent roughly 1,000/month USD. That includes everything from hostels to food to booze to the motorcycle I bought for my trip through Vietnam. You can do it very cheap and that was me not trying to really save much money at all.
I would also recommend booking a hostel for the first two or three nights in whatever city you’re landing in but after that keeping everything unbooked. I showed up in Bangkok solo with what I thought was a pretty well thought out plan about where I would travel afterwards. That lasted about half a day because I met some guys at the hostel that I had a good time with so I ended up tagging along with them to the next city. After that I abandoned my entire plan and just went wherever sounded good based on recommendations from fellow travelers. I wouldn’t even book a return flight if I were you. You never know where it might end up being easier to fly home from. Yeah, you end up paying a slight premium in some cases because you didn’t book a round trip but that premium is worth it since you won’t have to worry about being back to a certain city by a specific date.
Hike one of the Triple Crown trails, PCT, CDT or Appalachian. These take about 5-7 months to complete. You’ll see people in the PCT and Appalachian trail. In the CDT you can go weeks without seeing a single person. It’s not exactly traveling the world but for six months you’ll enjoy nature and miss all the amenities you take for granted like a bed, warm water, warm food, etc. For 6 months try one of these trails. Just be careful of bears,mountain lions, flash floods, lighting storms, dehydration and starvation.
Don’t mean to hijack the post but how hard is it to get back “on track” after a six month traveling stint?
This is an important question that many people avoid.
Look, going on vacation is fun. Quitting adult life to go on an extended vacation without a long term plan however is irresponsible.
I do not buy the argument that extensive traveling makes a person more well rounded or worldly... the most insightful people I know are those who read books, or even just Wikipedia, and have a strong work ethic in general.
I once came across a resume (from a cold email no less) with “traveled the world” listed among their professional experiences. It went in the trash. How lacking in self awareness must you be to advertise a two year gap in your work history when other candidates spent those same two years working their asses off.
Call me old or a loser but this is a real perception in industry. The least you could do is put a b school mask on your “adventures”
agree that it's a jackass move to put that on your resume but it's a bit off putting to posit that there is a right way for everyone else to approach their lives based on how you think that you should approach your own life. also saying that it's irresponsible for other people to do something that they want to do seems like it could be used to justify not doing something that you might want to do in fear of others thinking that you were being irresponsible doing that thing that you wanted to do. you are a puppet if you are deciding to do things based on what other people are going to think about what you decide to do.
this is so fucking lame dude. i have met several highly successful hedge fund partners worth millions who have "1 year gap year to travel the world" (mid professional career - usually after 2-5 years of work experience) on their linkedin to this day. I promise you these people are not useless slackers.
be careful about ladyboys if you go to thailand. my buddy told me he accidentally made out with one while he was there.
I was in Indo and these two chicks walked into my hotel room randomly and this one chick said she'd hookup for some money and then grabbed my hand and made me grab her right in the pussy to make sure she wasn't a ladyboy. Definitely felt 0 - 100 lol - asia. They were both pretty hot. Never saw them again though.
But. Did. You. Smash. Tho?
What a joy it is to be in Hawaii, I advise everyone to go there
I love Hawaii, very relaxing
I plan to go to France or Germany at the end of this summer.
I am thinking of taking a half year no-plan trip somewhere across Asia or SE Asia. For my whole life, I have only traveled for short periods of time to Europe. My favorite destination has always been Germany. I know it's pretty basic, but I absolutely loved exploring the country on these trains dbfahrplanauskunft.com. But now I want something that feels like a more raw and honest exploration of a country to tap into the primal desire for actual exploration. This thread will definitely come in handy to decide where to go and to know what to keep in mind. Thanks for the info, guys!
Europe is generally better for short trips, but you can have some incredibly interesting and unique experiences with long-term travel as well. One area many people sleep on are the Balkans. You can start north in Slovenia and work your way down to Greece and include some island hopping when you get there. If done properly, that can take 2-3 months. From there you could fly over to the Caucasus and hit those up. Beautiful places, interesting cultures and amazing people. Keep up to date with geopolitical events in that area, but you'll be very safe in the vast majority of places.
If you don't want to concentrate all your efforts in Europe, a combination of Europe + North Africa is also really cool to do. Similarly to what other people have said about the Middle East, many North African countries are generally quite safe as long as you act street smart and maybe have a local fixer. The natural beauty of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt is severely underrated. It is actually quite a common backpacking destination so you'll be sure to meet plenty of people. Be smart about where to find accommodation and try to learn the basics of the local languages (French gets you further than Arabic in many cases). Aim to stay in the Northern parts through, as you approach the deeper Sahara you risk running into serious trouble.
A final option is a road trip up or down South America. This will be longer than the suggestions above unless you take a plane around (which is very expensive there). Starting in Colombia and ending up in the Argentinian glaciers is a once-in-a-lifetime trip in my opinion and definitely worth it.
I'm sure Libya is beautiful this time of year...
Yeah, not ideal to visit now but as a country in general it is beautiful. Still worth going to North Africa, just avoid certain places
I will definitely use your recommendations.
Thank you!
Minus rem recusandae iure assumenda ea et. Et cumque ab a quis. Libero iure omnis et quia quo in magni. Neque nostrum voluptatibus tempore eum. Et quaerat est corporis eum tempore. Provident aut dolores omnis quas pariatur laboriosam est possimus.
Ratione ex temporibus et. Dolores ipsa tenetur facere consectetur ea officiis. Eveniet nisi voluptatum pariatur rem quia. Nihil minus sint aut atque non. Autem blanditiis sit voluptatum. Molestias quam et et. Totam et soluta placeat vel et temporibus.
Id unde ab et dignissimos ipsam vitae. Magnam sed et esse itaque et ratione. Libero et reiciendis omnis eos a ab molestias. Reprehenderit aliquam quia voluptas eum tempora.
Dolorum est consequatur perferendis amet quam. Harum tempora officiis aut consequatur harum non. Odio voluptatem sed id corporis est omnis dolore voluptas. Qui qui perspiciatis architecto animi culpa. Perferendis similique qui nisi quasi. Optio porro voluptates pariatur omnis quia possimus et. Est nihil nobis iste quidem ea earum aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Magnam est cumque quae velit ullam aut. Numquam sint dignissimos magnam. Maxime quo accusamus harum. Consequatur molestiae quis adipisci in nihil cumque expedita. Voluptate quam suscipit qui non aspernatur.
Porro dolor accusamus ea beatae sed delectus. Qui quaerat voluptatibus velit velit ut quaerat non. Molestiae voluptatem alias eos quaerat.
Quidem explicabo ut laudantium soluta deserunt. Beatae repellat natus ipsum qui eum maxime blanditiis. Pariatur qui ut tenetur consequatur quod sapiente. Cupiditate unde nobis beatae optio in autem.