Career or Travel? - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Canadian Bacon** · 01-15-2009, 01:01 PM

Tpunks - I'm faced with the ability to consolidate my career gains, and actually have a stable and upward looking career. This is something that I have been extremely lucky and am thankful for.

But no matter how good a job is, or how much you get to travel for work (which isn't really 'travelling' if you ask me), its not the same as what some of you tpunks do... which is work from place to place and live in many countries at once. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing the boat, since this kind of lifestyle is better when you're young and are not tied down... basically live a life of travel. And lets face it, career requires commitment.

Is it better to have a career and not a 'travel life' or have a travel life but not a great career?

**marc873** · 01-15-2009, 03:54 PM

And please let me know as well!!!

Thetraveler · 01-15-2009, 04:26 PM

That is a hard one. I do shift work so I can still travel because of it. Usually get one good sized trip in a year and a smaller one or two. So I am lucky.

But I do think it depends on what you want out of life. Everyone obviously wants to succeed but it depends on what a person defines success in their life as. I absolutely adore traveling but I would eventually like to go into business which would definitely cut into my travel time. But for me work is essential, amuch as I love traveling I also enjoy coming back to a job and a steady rise in a bank account. So I would cut down on the amount of traveling I currently do if I got into a position I really enjoyed.

I do however think that while a person is young they should get in as much traveling as possible, to experience new things and become a more well rounded person. Then when things like a job, families, mortgages come into play one doesn't feel like they missed out on a great thing.

**mermaidnz** · 01-15-2009, 04:52 PM

ive spent too long debating this one. and the jury is still out.

we took the plunge and started backpacking (after 5 years seriously considering it and going backwards and forwards- property/stability/career/the responsible one OR travel/do whatever,wherever.... and still not 100% sure we made the right choice, no matter how much i enjoy travel, ill always question the opportunity cost.

the only way to know for YOU, is to give it a go. besides, when your 80 and looking back on your life, what will you remember more fondly? the big house and career, or the crazy times spent doing odd random jobs around the world?

wakingside · 01-15-2009, 04:57 PM

I will never define personal success in my life with a career, thats how I see things in my life. I don't have any more outlooks on a serious career. I had the opportunity in the Navy to work six years and then get out and start civilian work with starting pay being 100k+/year. It didn't work for me. I didn't care about the big house, porsche, and flat screen tv.

Personally, I don't like the idea of selling irreplaceable hours of my life if it's making someone else rich. Right now for me, I'm going to travel, I'll work what I need to do at organic farms, which are awesome btw, and just live my life free as possible.

In the end, if I don't live to be super old, so be it. As Abraham Lincoln said, "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

What it comes down to for me at least, is that I know it wont make me happy to work a career and make alot of money, so I won't do it, the last year of my life I've been with less money than ever and I haven't been more happy with what I've done.

If you think you need a career, just ask yourself why? Why do you want a career? What makes you think you need a career? and What are you working for?

Best of luck

**pinknic38** · 01-15-2009, 05:01 PM

I think the answer really depends on the person. For some people, the career is more important and the stability, and using the little vacation time they get each year to travel. For others they'd rather not be tied down and rather be on the road having crazy times.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting the career - especially if your career is contributing to the greater good or even if it isn't - as long as you're happy. I know I'm always going to want to travel more than what I do but sometimes it isn't always possible or reasonable.

For me, uncertianty drives me insane and I can't even have a good time. If I were out traveling country to country, not knowing how I am going to make ends meet, sleeping on the couch of random strangers and whatever else - that's not a good time to me while it's a great time to others. I'd choose the career and then travel being somewhat financially secure and having no worries. I'm a worrier by nature, and when I travel, I want nooooo worries.... no more than I will already have anyway.

So it comes down to your personality, I think.

**mbo108** · 01-16-2009, 03:58 AM

Well even though I constantly question my decision I'll throw my two cents in here.

I basically chose the career path. I actually didnt give it much thought. I had an internship at my company before my senior year of college, was offered to come back full time once I graduated (the joy of NOT attending career fairs my senior year was incredible) and knew I was going to start making good money. I also knew that I'd basically have to be at home for awhile due to some family things so it was never an option to take off for months on end.

So here I am 6 years later, own a home, got a wife, have a senior role at work, etc. I get 4 weeks of vacation a year (yeah, its pretty nice) and always use 2 of them (when combined with weekends and other holidays you can really stretch this out) and get as much traveling in as I can.

Sure sometimes I would love to be free of these committments (the job and mortgage - not my wife) and take off for parts unseen but at the same time I really like other aspects of my current situation. I know I can start planning for a family soon, I have the financial stability to make that easier.

I will always love travel - hell I'm on here everyday talking about it! I read travel literature, plan vacations I know I'll never take. All that kinda stuff. But I guess its not the only thing in my life, so thats okay. It has an important part but not the dominant one. Its a balance that overall works for me (though sometimes I have to remind myself this when I've been sitting in my cubicle for 50 hours). Would I like to escape the rat race and travel from place to place for a year. YES. But to me I'd be missing too many other things to really do it so I dont regret the fact that I've never taken that plunge.

Long story short - the grass is always greener. Just find a balance that works for you. And no matter what, its never too late to change your mind.

yourfacehxc · 01-16-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon

Tpunks - I'm faced with the ability to consolidate my career gains, and actually have a stable and upward looking career. This is something that I have been extremely lucky and am thankful for.

But no matter how good a job is, or how much you get to travel for work (which isn't really 'travelling' if you ask me), its not the same as what some of you tpunks do... which is work from place to place and live in many countries at once. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing the boat, since this kind of lifestyle is better when you're young and are not tied down... basically live a life of travel. And lets face it, career requires commitment.

Is it better to have a career and not a 'travel life' or have a travel life but not a great career?

man, i feel you on this one. i tour full-time with bands and often feel the same way. coincidentally i'm doing some non-tour traveling in about a week and a half overseas since it's kind of the off season for tours. late last year i went to six different countries but didn't have much freedom to really see and do what i wished mostly because of the reasons you brought up. the conclusion i've come to (at least for now) is that we're very fortunate to be able to travel for work and get compensated for it...especially with how things are in the world. at the same time, how much are we really seeing and experiencing? i think the bottom line is that every job you take will have it's drawbacks and if you're truly passionate you will make it work. as tom hanks said in a league of their own, if it weren't hard, everyone would do it. truly. without knowing what line of work youre in or how much you get paid it's difficult for me to say whether it's worth it or not but i know many many people who struggle with this same dilemma. for now i will continue to tour as much as i can and building my repertoire. afterall, most people will never see such opportunities and i feel a responsibility to take advantage. especially since i've been at home for two months now! i say keep hustling! but then again i'm money grubbing and young. so who knows. :D

**Canadian Bacon** · 01-19-2009, 08:57 AM

Again, I am humbled by the wisdom of the tpunk community. Thanks guys.

Yeah I think I realise that I'm not the type to endlessly wander the world, that I need a home base, and that I need to strike a balance - which is basically what I've always done. I need at least some constant in my life... maybe I can take a leave without pay and travel the world and come back to my job after... or something like that.

(Actually, commenting on the other thread that augustiner started helped me clarify my thoughts about myself too. I've never been the pick up and just leave type of person.)

**Canadian Bacon** · 01-19-2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbo108

Long story short - the grass is always greener. Just find a balance that works for you. And no matter what, its never too late to change your mind.

well said

**Esterina** · 01-19-2009, 10:21 AM

As much as I love travelling and discovering the world, it is too much of a self-centered experience in the end to want to live like this forever. It'd be like being an eternul student of life.

I need to produce, to give to society also, and that's why it's so important to have a meaningful job.

I agree, if one's not too materialistic and do not fear a lack of income for some time, take months/years off to live thoroughly your dream then come back to work is a good solution. That can be repeated every decade or so...

**worldwidemike** · 01-19-2009, 05:42 PM

I agree that you must find the balance that works for you. For some, it is to be a nomad for years on end. For others, the community of friends and family are too important to sever all attachments and wander.

Yeah, I'd like to be a millionaire and be able to take off for a month or so as often as I'd like, but still have a home and family to return to. I just know it isn't likely to happen...course, I still play the Lottery (never can tell)!

Anyway, I think that only for a small percentage of us is it truly an all or nothing, career vs. travel thing. Most of us fall on the continuum, somewhere in between...

worldwidemike

**expatben** · 01-19-2009, 06:04 PM

My manager at work is a career guy, been with the company for like 13 years but is still a traveler he even wears these beads that he got somewhere and never takes off, perhaps to remind him of his traveling life. You can really do both its just finding the balance.

**joe7f** · 01-19-2009, 06:06 PM

I met a guy on my most recent trip that was essentially a permanent traveler. He backpacked his way from the states to Australia settled for a couple of years while traveling around. Every few months he heads off. The dude has been to 100+ countries and is planning an Eritrea trip.

Yeah...Eritrea. As in Djibouti, Somalia, and... Eritrea. I admire him for choosing to live his dream but I know that is just not a lifestyle for me. I think I have two more long trips in me and I will be lucky to get one more. If I get none, I have seen a lot of the world (as have you Jason) and I'll try to make good use of my two weeks over the next few years to travel around a bit.

If you get an opportunity to move up, see if you can combine that with a month off if you need to go off again. It is usually to easier to do this before starting a job than while you are employed there.

--Joey

**mooloo** · 01-20-2009, 10:38 PM

Personally I would love to do the travel thing for a couple or few years, but I also want to settle down, get married have kids yadda yadda so I guess it is a bit of preference - in an ideal world we could all work for 6 months, travel for 6 months - not so likely though!

By the way do you guys in the states only get 2 weeks holidays + stats??

Move to NZ we get 4 weeks + stats as a standard!

**joe7f** · 01-21-2009, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooloo

By the way do you guys in the states only get 2 weeks holidays + stats??

Move to NZ we get 4 weeks + stats as a standard!

I am not sure what "stats" is but...probably. We usually get 2 weeks of vacation, a set of standard holidays (Christmas, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving etc) and then a few optional holidays to start with. After we have been with a company for a period of time 1-5 years you get 3 weeks off.

The official amount of time you have is not necessarily the problem. It is being able to actually take the time off. If you have projects at work, you may not be able to take a week off. If you are trying to do this with your wife and her work, the kids and their school, man, it is really tough.

Also, during down times (like now) people are reluctant to take long vacations. If they can survive without ya for 2-3 weeks, maybe they will realize they can survive without you permanently.

--Joey

**pinknic38** · 01-21-2009, 03:54 AM

it also depends on your job and how long you've been there. my mom is a nurse and when she just started out at the hospital she's at 10 years ago, she got 2 weeks, has worked her way up to 3, and will be 4 soon.

in the military you get 4 weeks paid vacay no matter what. if my mom went to a VA hospital to work (which she's considering right nw) she would get 5 weeks vacation a year.

but it just depends. I ask my friends from college who all have jobs in the public relations field, and they say they get 10 days plus a certain amount of sick days. but people stretch those 10 days like starting their vacation on a weekend or a holiday weekend so you get 10 days.

but overall it's pretty shitty. I heard there are some countries out there who get like 6 weeks of vacay a year!!!

**mbo108** · 01-21-2009, 05:56 AM

My employer is pretty good about vacation. I automatically get 6 days off every year: New Years Day, Memorial, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If those days fall on a Saturday we get the friday before. If they fall on a Sunday we get the Monday after off.

I also get 10 vacation hours every month I work (so in a year I get 120 hours = 3 weeks). I can take it by the hour too so if I have a bunch of vacation time and want to leave early one day I do. We also "charge" all of our time to one contract or another so I enter my time into a computerized system everyday.

Finally, we dont get any sick time per se. If I'm sick,I dont come to work. I "charge" Personal Illness. So if I'm sick and only work 4 days (32 hours) one week, I'm expected to work overtime to get those 8 hours back. Does any of that make sense?

**mooloo** · 01-21-2009, 04:17 PM

Sorry for stats I meant statutory days so yea we get christmas, boxing day, new years, day after new years, ANZAC day, our regions public holiday, queens birthday, easter Monday easter Friday, labour day + if your lucky enough (or not lucky – I think its lucky for the extra days but not many other reasons!) to be an accountant or lawyer we get 2 extra days throughout the year paid. And if any of these fall on a weekend we take them the following Monday. The US system confuses me, so much easier when its just a given – but then again I guess you guys are used to it.

But yea I get what you mean Joe about the timing of your holidays with other family members etc and the whole ‘recession’ thing, I guess since it hasn’t hit us as hard YET over here I always forget to consider it! Maybe its not such a bad time to go back to school and be a student? (That is if you guys get student loans etc to be able to pay your way – but that’s a whole different conversation that is proberly completely different right?!)

**BedtimeontheMoon** · 01-22-2009, 09:20 PM

In the U.S. employers have no legal obligation to offer their employees paid time off. The only requirement by law is FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) in which an employee can take an unpaid leave for up to 3 months and still have their position held if they have been employed with the company for at least 1 year. Otherwise, you are screwed and they replace you.

Vacation time in the U.S. is considered more of a "perk" or "privilege" rather than a must. Of coarse, providing time off for their employees improves morale and such reducing turnover. But I've worked at a place where the employee only gets 1 week of vacation (including sick days). I've also worked for a place where I got 4 weeks vacation (paid time off really since it included sick time) the first year I was working there.

It is all dependent on the employer and what they want their policies on paid leave to be. It's not like in the EU where most countries have a law requiring a certain amount of vacation weeks to be allowed to employees. (outside of whatever additional corporate benefit the company wants to provide)

*Sorry the Human Resources Pro in me just had to share our ridiculous work system*

Americans are workaholics. It is refreshing when I find a traveller at work. They are few and far between. Some people just can't get away from work even when they are on vacation.

It really must be some type of balance between the two if travel is a passion you have in life. I mean if you have no money, how are you going to travel?
The best some can hope for is bunching up their vacation days if allowed to go for longer periods of time; or traveling extendedly between jobs as others have mentioned here. (That's what I did).

Find a balance that will fulfill your needs and wants for your future and a job that gives lots of vacation

hehe