What would you do with a year of free time and unlimited money? Need suggestions.
Being in my late 20s now, it dawn(s)(ed) on me that staring at a bunch of stock tickers/excel spreadsheets won't be something I think nostalgically about on my deathbed. I've found someone to essentially babysit a (small) portfolio for me for the next year or two.
Any thoughts? I'm an extremely outdoorsy person, and have climbed Mont Blanc, Pikes Peak, etc by foot. Multiple Ironmans, etc. Thinking to check off a few more peaks in Africa / South America. I've looked into Mars-One, but it doesn't seem to be ready for civilians yet (not to mention, it's likely one way so I'll need to wait until I'm much older).
And please no ignorant comments about the "unlimited money" aspect - I'm no billionaire. I just want to hear every and all possibilities, so humor me. My grandpa once said, "you can always make more money, but you can never make more time." He died a few days later, and I'll never forget what he said.
A lot of you guys are much older and have far more crazy experiences than I.
Thanks in advance.
That's a great question. I just asked my buddy this, "I'd travel the world and have sex with an escort from every country within the year" ;P.
That's an ambitious task, and I imagine a bit daunting. Not to mention it comes with a tight timelines and a near year long series of red eye flights :)
I would go to a country where I don't speak the language and try to get a easy minimum wage job where you get to meet people and learn about a whole different way of life. Like a ice cream scooper in Germany for a few months or a door man in Asia or something idk. Sounded better before I typed it out
A lot of people from south of the border do that already
No responsibilities with unlimited resources, and your dream is to move to Germany and work at a fucking Baskin-Robbins?
This is going to be my new favorite interview question
with unlimited money, wouldn't I have done all the normal vacations already?
It is a good interview question.
I'm not really that outdoorsy but perhaps something along the lines of the 7 summits could be a very interesting goal. Not sure if that's even feasible but something like that could be an exceptional experience, even if you just check off the first couple.
Go on several hunting and fishing trips. Go skiing and camping many times around the world. These activities alone should eat up about 3 months.
With the rest of my time, I'd go on cross-country road trips in expensive super cars, buy a luxurious home and nice clothes, and do a lot of blow. I'd also try my hand at opening up a distillery and get box seats at the World Series. I'd love to go watch the Masters, the Winter Olympics, and the Rugby World Cup.
I'd travel to Scotland, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Cuba, Spain, China, Mexico, and Russia.
I'd also learn an instrument and spend a lot of time working on my squash game.
Spend a few months living on an island in Thailand and learning to do some intense scuba diving,. I think I heard a lot of people do this in Koh Tao. Plus once you get there, it's relatively cheap and like living in paradise.
I'd get a good touring motorcycle and ride from Alaska to the tip of Argentina. That would probably take a few months reasomably and would be the adventure of a lifetime. Alternatively, you could to the same across Europe, Asia etc.
Seconded. There's just no way to describe how much more you see/do when you travel directly by roads (or what passes for roads in some places).
I rode from Key West to the Arctic Circle last year and back again. Overall, about 19,000 miles and took ~90 days including stops for R&R along the way.
I will absolutely, posilutely 100% do it again and want to do it in on other continents in the future if my money tree ever sprouts.
Koh Tao is great for scuba diving. I'd recommend staying on Koh Phangan. The island is a lot bigger than Koh Tao and you have more accommodation, restaurant and night life options. If you just want to dive, then stay somewhere on the west side of the island. Additionally, the Koh Tao dive spots can be reached quite easily by boat from Koh Phangan. Shoot me a PM if you are ever there or are planning to go.
Pick up a 4x4 in South Africa w/ a rooftop tent and drive through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Stopping to camp in the national parks on the way. Would take a few months.
Bang the best looking women in each country and make a scrapbook named Broads Abroad about it. Kill two birds with one stone, get to travel and relax while getting your nut.
LMAO. SB to you sir!
4 int'l trips with 4 continental trips in between. most of mine would be around surfing and doing cool shit instead of culture. I'd take month long breaks in between 2 month long international trips in order to recharge batteries, change up packing, see family, etc.
first two months: LatAm. land in Panama City, ensure I hit Colombia, maccu pichu, galapagos, chile, tierra del fuego, and easter island. perhaps see the Amazon & brazil, but that's not as high on my list.
first month break: chill, see lots of sports live, visit old friends. ideally see something I've never seen before like the Masters, Super Bowl, or World Series
second int'l: Africa. land in Senegal, work my way around, hitting sierra leone, namibia, ZAF, mozambique, tanzania, zanzibar, and finishing at victoria falls, maybe make friends with a lowland gorilla.
second month break: maybe take a vacation with wifey to the caribbean or something, go ball out in vegas on a drug fueled bender, rent out 5 tables at LIV and see if I can bang a model. probably have a boys week hitting a bunch of golf courses or something
third int'l: european odds & ends. bordeaux in france, make my way around basque country all the way around the iberian peninsula to alicante, monaco, nice, etc. catch a quick flight to israel to see the religious sights then gtfo before the west bank blows up again. or, if it's sketchy in israel at the time, do a bunch of drugs in the netherlands.
third break: national parks
fourth int'l: asia pacific. start in thailand, see chiang mai, buddhist temples, all that shit, spend some time in vietnam, laos, singapore, and maybe burma before hitting bali, fiji, tahiti, and then ending in hawaii
last break: sleep.
it's fun to dream!
Bookmarked.
I was earlier considering joining a Buddhist monastery in Thailand for three years. Or do the Kaihogyo Marathon when I'm older.
While this sounds great in theory, I definitely don't think that this is a great plan for everybody. I have done quite a few things that you mentioned and some of them are just overrated or outright stereotypes. Some are fucking awesome as well though. People need to figure out what kind of person they are. Luckily, the OP clearly knows who he is and what he does/doesn't enjoy.
I'm curious, which parts are overrated/stereotypes?
If the suggestions above are overrated/stereotypical then how can you hand on heart suggest Koh Tao or Koh Phangan.. great places to go if you're 18-21, around University on a gap year or during a summer off, but there are a million better places to dive if that's your thing, that aren't filled with neon vest wearing teenagers... (Perhentian Isles in Malaysia for example)
But as you say - personal preference is everything. I loved Koh Tao/Phangan at 19, hated it at 22.
For me - I'd go on long driving type holiday, through Argentina/Chile etc, if you've got the time then driving around a place like that would be amazing. Great food, wine and the opportunity to stumble upon all sorts. Off the beaten track.
second this. Eastern Europe is great and pretty under the radar, not a lot of people think to visit but it's really cheap and the culture is great, plus the people are warm if you learn a few words in their language.
Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, is a very hectic place and the cultural diversity, along with the food there is amazing. Lived for a couple years in Nepal and it was truly breathtaking (no pun intended with the Himalayas).
I'd pay Virgin Galactic to take me on a private journey to Mars and back. Space has always been a big draw for me so I understand this might be a little too niche. Renting a super yacht, crew and a rotating harem of supermodels (not to mention a bunch of mercs to fight off pirates) and travel all around the world would be another. Hell, even spending a year at a quiet beach in the Caribbean drinking rum and plowing drunk tourist chicks sounds good to me. :)
the caribbean is nice, but it gets old fast
Mont Blanc, eh? Did you by any chance happen to get with one of those ridiculously insane Australian guides out of Chamonix? I grew up in Boulder so am the crazy outdoors/hiking type. 30's are right around the corner so hitting the ground running. I don't know if you've tried it already, but I did Torres del Paine in Patagonia a few years back and it was SUPER awesome. The peaks and hiking are out of this world there. I'd do all the parks if i could.
The big one for me, though, is hiking Bhutan. It's one of the most exotic Himalayan hiking getaways out there (24,000 ft above sea level) , complete with cave-dwelling Tibetian monks and super-preserved distinct cultural heritage.
Another one is Sabi Sands in South Africa. The safari literally comes to you when you're sipping your morning coffee and the accommodations are rather luxurious. Plus lots of hiking opportunity outside the reserve.
Not a millionaire myself but definitely willing to spend the paycheck on building unique cultural experiences. Yolo, right?
Having climbed Kilimanjaro (19K feet and change) the above sounds awful. I felt absolutely horrible at 19K- even with several days of acclimatization- so I can't even imagine what 24K feels like.
If you are in Monaco, this may be less interesting, but I would move to a small village in Italy (maybe S. Tyrol?) for a year or two. I'd drink a ton of wine and read a lot. I'd garden, cook and learn German/Italian. That seems like heaven for me for a short period of time.
I'll be boarding a 40 foot sailboat in a couple of weeks, to cross the Atlantic. Life long dream of mine. The trip from Gran Canaria -> Cap Verde -> St. Lucia -> Martinique will probably take about 10 weeks, so there's plenty of time to do something else if you insist on taking a full year off.
If you enjoy cooking. Go to Italy to learn how to make pasta like Dev in Master of None.
Probably travel to various countries and play golf at award winning courses, followed up by dinner at award-winning restaurants.
I'm a simple man.
At this point in my life, I would probably travel to Spain where it's more/less safe to play visitor to a foreign country. I would fully learn Spanish and possibly earn a wage on the side teaching english. I would do other things I could only think about from stories in books, like learning to sail. I would literally be 50% of one of those fat, ultra tanned, lazy aristocrats we all hate, and 50% of that douchebag from limitless, just learning and being awesome.
First, congrats...! @MonacoMonkey
Traveling is an incredibly important part of self discovery/actualization. You'll meet people and gain perspective not possible from an office cube. A list of high priority places is below.
IMO, the most important part of a year off is personal growth (not just travel). The best way to grow is learning new skills and being exposed to new thoughts processes. Before you start, spend a week understanding your flaws, passions, and curiosities. Write these down and treat this seriously. I found the Keirsey Temperament Sorter a good starting point. Jordan Peterson's self authoring program is great too. Load your phone with books on history, philosophy and self improvement. Strive to balance yourself. If you've done ironmans, try powerlifting / weightlifting. If you're an athiest, learn the tenants of major religious philosophies. If you're irrationally afraid of something, conquer it. Etc.
Approach this time constructively with a clear plan THEN adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities as you see fit.
Worth Visiting (in order of westernization) : Norway, New Zealand/Aust, England,Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, China, UAE, Jordan, Nepal, Ethiopia .
Worth reading: Tao Te Ching, Ray Dalio, Jordan Peterson, Rousseau, Sitchin, Cicero, Ben Greenfield, Michael Langan, Nassim Haramein, Nikola Tesla,
FYI, I've been to 50 countries and served in Air Force. Parts of my life have been extremely unconventional and I'm a better man for it. PM me if you need specific tips. Good luck!
+1 for Jordan Peterson's self authoring program. Its actually pretty difficult to get through it all. "Sort yourself out Bucko"
That's easy. Formula 1 Racing. Get a driving coach hire a team buy a car etc. Race like I'm chasing the devil and when its all over, party like I'm dying. That's at least 400 million though :(
Great quote from your grandpa, so true.
If you haven't traveled much this is of course an easy start (and by travel I do not mean the usual airport-taxi-Hilton-taxi-restaurant-Hilton-office-taxi-airport. I mean like backpacking or similar, getting yourself into some tricky but rewarding situations).
Otherwise I'd recommend two things:
First: Set an ambitious goal and work hard to accomplish it. I assume the feeling of completing your first Ironman was pretty awesome, partly because it was the payoff from a lot of planning and hard work. Repeat that feeling.
Learn something new. Pick up a new skill that you can enjoy for the rest of your life. Be it moving to Guatemala for a year to learn Spanish, doing some volunteering on the side, or doing an Idris Elba and giving yourself one year to go a pro kickboxing match (see "Idris Elba - Fighter" documentary), or as someone suggested, doing the 7summits etc. Create something, be it a house or an app or whatever. Write a book. Set a Guinness World Record of some sort.
Second: spend time with your family. Take your dad on a roadtrip across the country. Go with your mom to whatever she likes. They won't be getting younger and this is one thing you might regret when you get older if never getting around to it.
As for outdoorsy things there are just so many, from horseback riding with nomads in Kyrgyzstan, hiking to Everest Basecamp, heli-skiing Kamchatka, powderboarding Japan, snowman trek in Bhutan or Patagonia (as mentioned). Biking the silk road from Istanbul to Xi'an, driving Cape to Cape and on and on.
Have fun!
You should adopt a VEGAN LIFESTYLE. Then you will have INCREASED MENTAL CLARITY and LOWER TESTOSTERONE.
First of all, I don't know why you would want lower testosterone. Secondly, I don't think a vegan diet necessarily determines a testosterone level.
MEN are a CANCER TO SOCIETY! Fuck the PATRIARCHY!
Us millenials have the desire to always travel but at the same time the work side of us consistently thinks of saving. In honest thought, and to keep sanity, if you have the ability, do both. Im in my mid 20s and was able to go to europe with my girlfriend and it was what we both needed (she works industry too). Helps destress the mind and helps your relationship. Importantly it helps you not burn out from work. Keep a consistent amount to put away and then go away
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