Making the decision to become a full time traveler is something that I’m sure thousands of people dream of, but never actually take the leap out of their comfort zone to make it a reality. For the ones that do, you are part of a community of other people with the same mind set as you. You also become part of a community of people who do not care what others think of you, no matter how crazy some of the stuff is that you find yourself doing.
Although becoming this type of person and developing this mind set my take some time, there are always certain questions that you are asked by others, never fails. People who don’t have this kind of lifestyle are, confused, nosey, or jealous, so I’ve come to realize in my experience anyway. The following are the top 5 questions that I’ve grown to, along with other backpackers of the world, hate
1. When are you going to get a real job?
You went to high school, and graduated. You went to university, and graduated. Whats next? This is the time when people start looking for a ‘real’ job, a starting point in their career maybe, or continue their education with an MA or PhD. But what about those people who aren’t quite ready for that yet, or have a different view of life than the average graduate? There is another option that’s becoming quite popular among younger graduates, taking a gap year. After going to school for 17 years straight, I don’t blame people one bit for taking a break. People need a break, school can be exhausting, I know I’ve been there. My gap year however, turned into 2, and then into 3, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon to be honest. To make this a reality though, I’ve obviously had to find jobs overseas. Which is a crazy concept for a lot of foreigners that an American would come to, Romania for example, to find work.
I don’t want to spend my life working and doing something that I hate. I don’t think that the only way to live, is to get a job, and work your life away. I may not be using my degree, that I paid thousands and thousands of dollars for, but I do have a ‘real’ job. A traveling freelance worker may not be ideal, but it’s very real. And it works, Im living proof.
2. Why aren’t you going back to school?
This question is along the lines of the first; why are you not going back to university after graduating with an undergraduate degree? There are various reasons for this. For starters, 17 straight years of school is a long time, I was burnt out by the time I finished university. Even had I of went back to school, I don’t think I would have succeeded and I would have really struggled.
In case there is someone who isn’t aware of how university works in the United States, I’m here to tell you that it is freakin’ expensive. Like, ridiculous expensive. I am one of the lucky Americans who managed to get an undergraduate degree and have NO STUDENTS LOANS. I am debt free, I have no money to pay back and for that I am very grateful. However, I also have a degree that can’t really be used, without having a Masters degree. I love psychology and I will never regret picking that at the subject to major in, it’s helped me a lot while traveling. However, I cant use it, and even if I could, I’m still not exactly sure what I want to do with it. Until I figure that out, I see no reason to go back to school, and waste thousands of dollars, to get a degree that I don’t even want.
3. Where do you get all the money to travel full time?
I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail here, mainly because I think that peoples finances are their own business and other people shouldn’t be concerned. What people don’t realize though is that traveling isn’t as expensive as one would think. It’s not cheap, but it’s doable. I knew for a long time that this is something I was determined to do after I graduated from university, so I started preparing early. I researched for a good year, on ways to save money on traveling abroad, how to find cheap flights, and various other tricks, so I had a general idea of how much money I needed to have saved before I left. So, when I was in university full time, I worked 4 JOBS. Yes you read that right, 4 jobs, and I’m still constantly working and I NEVER have just one stream of income.
Now, I’m not saying that I’ve never had help, because I have. I didn’t start out as a ‘professional’ and I made a lot of mistakes that cost me a lot of money, but luckily I had a supportive family to help me out when I needed it.
4. Aren’t foreign countries dangerous?
In case people aren’t aware that we are in the 21st century, all countries are dangerous. When I am home, I live in Ohio, USA. Ohio, right now, is the top state in the country for human trafficking, and one of the top 5 worst states in drug trade and trafficking. Now, it may not be as dangerous as say, Chicago or LA, but as a whole, the United States really isn’t all the safe of a country. But just as dangerous as a country is, you can always find a safe place, no matter how far away that place is from your home.
I think a lot of people view other countries as ‘dangerous’ because they’ve never experienced any country other than their own. Well yeah, that’s going to be a little scary at first, arriving in a new land, not being able to read the language, being unaware of certain customs. I think a lot of people mistake a place as being dangerous, when in all reality they are just nervous and afraid and not use to something new.
I’m not saying there aren’t dangerous countries in the world, because there are. I also know that there are certain places in the world, that really is too dangerous for me to be traveling to alone, especially as a woman. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to go to these places, I do, and someday I will. I just have to take a different approach when traveling to these countries, do my research, and see the difference in perspective.
5. When are you going to stop and settle down?
This is a controversial question. I know tons of people my age that are married, have their own house, have become parents, and are settled down into little families and I am SO HAPPY FOR THEM. If that’s what you want to do with your life and if that is what makes you happy, you go for it! More power to you, but that’s not the only way to do it, and I have no desire to live an ordinary life and be settled down by the time I’m like, 30. No thank you. Would I like to get married one day? Well yeah, sure I would. But, Ive just recently found me a boyfriend, the first one in 5 years might I add. It’s not so easy trying to maintain a relationship when you’re apart for months at a time. So I don’t see myself getting married anytime soon, and that’s completely okay.
There are hundreds of families, that are developed later in life, and hundreds of families that still aren’t ‘settled.’ Life isn’t a race, and I think a lot of people don’t get that. They see all their friends getting married and having babies, that they take the first chance they get. Then 5 years down the road, their settled, but they’re also miserable. I don’t want to be like this. When and if the time ever comes for me to settle down, I’ll do it on my own time, in a way that makes me happy.
I don’t think that this kind of lifestyle will ever be fully understood and excepted by the world. I think it’s getting better, but it’s never going to be a concept that is normal and not questioned. But that’s okay, I’m not normal. I’ve always been a little different, and I always knew I would end up doing something different than everyone else. I didn’t, however, realize I’d be living a life of my dreams and challenging the status quo everyday. Funny how things end up working out like you never could have expected.