Is the age of adventures and explorations over?

[reagen]

Hello, everybody.

 

My name is Reagen, and I’m new to this forum. I just turned 25 this year. And in those years I’ve meet great people, and did some very cool stuff. If I may say so myself.

 

I’ve studied and have a degree in Comic art and Graphic Design.

I’ve done some odd and regular jobs. Stuntman for Samurai movies (The guys who got cut by the sword, or fell off horses), tour guides, cleaning services (From washing dishes in a restaurant, to washing blood and guts off the street after accidents), counting people (To determine how many people use a facility/pass it in a period of time), Corpse make-up (I don’t exactly know what it is called, it’s that job that make sure dead people look presentable for the ceremonial stuff), road construction, and part-time bartender.

 

Especially in the last 7 years, I have did everything that ever came at me.
 

And not just work, I’m also playing hard. On weekends, I rode bike from province to province. On summer, I would buy some discount train tickets and see places as far as I can get. At nights, I would drink any alcohol I can find, and flirt with some of the beautiful girls in Japan (Or so I always thought, we never know with all that alcohol!). I enjoyed life as the Gods gave it to me, and yes, it is beautiful.

 

Last year, however. A friend told me he would start a business and need my help. Answering the call of friendship (and possibly a great amount of gold and riches XD), I made the decision, and went back home. Now a year later, well….long story short it didn’t quite work out.

 

But you know, it happens. Especially when you try to make a business. So I’m not whining about that. What’s more important, is that I
realize that my life has change a great deal since then.

 

For a year now, I have been mostly at home. I don’t work out anymore.
My diet has deteriorate greatly, I’ve gained an extra 10 Kgs, and I’m very-very un-happy most of the time, my mentality also took a
turn for the worse. I’ve grown to be a shut-in, I tend to rely and blame others for everything, I’m bored most of the time, but I feel
SO lazy to do anything to change it, my emotion is mostly dead, and the worst is slowly but surely, I’m losing my sense of humor!

 

I have no difficulity living, sure. I got enough money to spend on hobbies and food and stuff, but still…I feel nothing.

My life as it is now, is one big endless circle of the dull and it leads me downward every day.

 

Is this it? Am I going to be like this forever? Be ordinary? After the fall, will I just stay down until the end of time? With the new year,
I’ve found myself asking the question over and over again.

 

That was when I accidentally found this website. And read about these great people doing stuff worth living for, people struggling to
better their life everyday no matter their situation, and those who believe that they are entitled to better life than what they have now
(That’s YOU!!!). Those looking to level up their life now and forever!!

 

And just like that, Hope finds me again (Thanks to you all!).

OK, so I’m not happy sitting at home all the time. Not satisfied with life behind the table. Let’s go and change that!! Let’s go out!
Let's broaden my view. Let’s forget about money and gold. So, I took all the cash that I have left (Not much, Around $4000), and now
I’m planning a back-packing trip across the American continent. I don’t even know if that is enough for anything, but what the hell…

I’m prepared to live...poor, but happy and fulfilled. It is how I lived for those glorious 7 years anyway.

 

Yes, I have decided that staying in one place and do normal work in search of riches will not do me any good! I'd rather see the world and have enough to get by everyday.

 

Now that’s that. As a new start, it is good and all. But thinking about the long term, the question remains: Is the age of adventures and
explorations over? I don’t wanna go back after that trip around America to the life behind the table again.
 

I’ve read it, I’ve heard of it before. People who simply walk to the Harbor and ask the guy in charge if he can work on the boat in
exchange for him going to some other continent and see the world. Or the men who go and brace the natural dangers of the Antartic. But today, what do we have? Can that still be done? What can a man do today to see the world with little to no money?

 

Of course. There’s that Travel hacking thing. But that’d requires at least a 6 months or year before you can go? And right now, I’m
tired of staying and working in 1 place. So what other choice do we have? What other profession a man can do that let him see the world?
At this point, I don’t really care about gaining big money anymore, what I want is new experiences and adventures. But is that really
possible anymore? Now, in this day and age?

 

That (After the long and boring introduction that I’m really sorry about, but I think will provide better explanation of what I want to
ask here), is what I want to ask to all of you guys (Who are probably more experienced and have much more knowledge and wisdom than me). I tried to keep it positive, because just like Travel Hacking (Which I only know about some minutes ago) I’m sure there are other things I do not know about, that can make it happen. This is also one of the
reason I decided to travel again, too meet new people, see new things, and perhaps...find an answer to this question.

 

Do you guys have any idea? Or in this so-called free day and age, we are truly bordered by Visas, and the amount of Money we have? Is the age of adventure and exploration, truly over? Are men of this peaceful age truly are condemned to one place most of the times of his life?

 

Dearest reader, my fellow men, anybody. Please, I beg you. Prove me wrong….

Please tell an upstart and stupid 25 year old that there is a way, that what he dreamed about can still be achieved.

 

I await your most delightful answer.

Thank you for reading, and have a great day/night ahead!

 

REAGEN

[Blaidd]

Hey Reagen,

One travel hack that's not going to take 6 months to a year, is couch surfing - it saves on accommodation and you get to meet new people wherever you go.  That's one way to do it.  There's a website too! It's a great start and tons of nice people.  My friends and I have all occassionally hosted couch surfers over the years.  It's great fun too

Good luck.

[paul119]

1. Hitch hike

2. Couchsurf

3. Work on WWOOF - basically volunteer your work on a farm for free food and accommodation

4. If you have any type of cool skill, you could busk in big cities (like play an instrument, juggle, dress up in a weird costume and stand really still for hours).

 

There are lots more options on how to reduce spending while traveling, but the above are absolutely free.

[TheOxfordComma]

Hey Reagen. First of all, awesome name, it's one I've always liked.

 

Second, pick up "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts. It will answer your question about the possibility of traveling without being defined by your wallet in more depth and will also give you a lot of great resources for figuring out how and where you want to travel. But, for the sake of this post, the short answer is, "HELL YES YOU CAN."

 

I'm planning on shipping out to East Asia around August to live in (hopefully) Taiwan for a year (although I'm also looking at other countries in the area, keeping my options open). Right now, I only have about $3500 to my name, so it's not like I'm super rich and can afford to fly off somewhere and not work. BUT, there is currently a lot of demand for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in East Asia right now, and getting certified to teach EFL is relatively non-time consuming and inexpensive. Online programs like i-to-i, BridgeTEFL, and ITTT all offer online 100+ hour TEFL certification courses and job placement assistance, plus forums where you can consult with other teachers of EFL to both improve your lessons and get an insiders view on what living and teaching in another country is really like. Dave's ESL Cafe is also a great TEFL resource.

 

If teaching isn't your bag, there are still plenty of other ways. Couchsurfing is definitely one, though it can be intimidating if you don't know where to start. WWOOF is also a really great choice as it will allow you to not have to worry about food or lodging. Travel costs are usually not included in WWOOF though so you should have a budget prepared for travel costs and other amenities.

 

If you're just looking to travel and not to entirely uproot your life, or if you want to get USED to traveling before you uproot your life, MegaBus is really freaking comfortable and also really freaking cheap to a lot of places, and a lot of large cities have backpacking hostels which only cost $20-$30 a night. Also, safer than hitchhiking-- yeah, I mean, there's the spider theory about "they're just as scared of you as you are of them" and that's probably true most of the time, but I'm female, and so I have always been warned and conditioned to take extra precautions when traveling on my own. Sometimes it's unnecessary, because hey, not everyone's a jackass-- but sometimes it's been very, very necessary.

 

In general, though, the hardest part about traveling is the actual leaving. Not a lot of people can actually leave behind all of their stuff, all of their appointments, their "responsibilities" to work and family and friends-- but when you travel, you have to be light on the baggage, both physical and emotional. Make sure anything you don't want to outright sell is put in storage or left with someone you trust (selling is preferable IMHO because it can translate to start-up cash), that you've let your bosses, friends and family know you're taking a leave of absence (or if you aren't intending to come back for a while, seriously, just quit your job, they won't collapse if you're gone), have an idea of where you're going to sleep that night if not even the next night, and--

 

Just go. Really, those last two words are the best advice I can give you.

[reagen]

Hey, people actually responds...

 

Thanks for all the input guys, really great stuff!!

I myself, have recently met people who opened up 1 new method to do this. That method is called cycling. Apparently, there are A LOT of people who cycles around the world. They would stop in cheap hotels, or other cyclist' home and then go again. This people even got some famous 'Routes' that they would gladly recommend to me if I ever want to start and some of them will take a year or so to complete. And 1 year on the road? Adventure is a guarantee, I guess.

And what is more wonderful, VISA is never a problem for these people. As they told me of this beautiful thing called 'Border VISA'. In which every country will give you some 2-3 weeks to pass by that said country, and on to another.

 

So, the possibilities expands...and I am looking forward for it to expand even more as I am now sure I can find more and more ways to make this possible.

Let me know if you guys find anything new. Thanks. For now, I will be picking up "Vagabonding" on Amazon, and try looking up Couchsurfing.

 

Thanks again, guys and girls!!

 

P.S.: If you guys ever decide to stop buy Indonesia. Tell me!!

[Ataraxia]

I can relate.  Here's some encouragement!

 

1.  Even if it's all been done before, you haven't done it all before.

2.  Any amount of time out of the house will help, it doesn't have to be 6 months.  Just don't bring a computer.

3.  Slow down to find yourself revelling in small things.

 

Good luck!

[JeffyB]

One organization to look at is the International Volkssport Association (http://www.ivv-web.org/home.en.php

); they have walks all over the world; some events in the US (and probably other countries) are biking, rowing, or cross-country skiing.

 

Under the IVV Events tab, they have a listing of the major international events, and under the IVV tab, then "National Members" is a by-country listing of contact info and web addresses to find events in the local or other country areas.

 

I started doing the walks while stationed in Germany, and had a great time checking out the local communities that I may not have gone to normally.

[JeffyB]

One organization to look at is the International Volkssport Association (http://www.ivv-web.org/home.en.php

); they have walks all over the world; some events in the US (and probably other countries) are biking, rowing, or cross-country skiing.

 

Under the IVV Events tab, they have a listing of the major international events, and under the IVV tab, then "National Members" is a by-country listing of contact info and web addresses to find events in the local or other country areas.

 

I started doing the walks while stationed in Germany, and had a great time checking out the local communities that I may not have gone to normally.

[JeffyB]

One organization to look at is the International Volkssport Association (http://www.ivv-web.org/home.en.php

); they have walks all over the world; some events in the US (and probably other countries) are biking, rowing, or cross-country skiing.

 

Under the IVV Events tab, they have a listing of the major international events, and under the IVV tab, then "National Members" is a by-country listing of contact info and web addresses to find events in the local or other country areas.

 

I started doing the walks while stationed in Germany, and had a great time checking out the local communities that I may not have gone to normally.

[Xerla]

Heyy it's me from the accountabilibuddy group

 

Just curious that you've mentioned Indonesia.. Are you by any chance in Indonesia now?

I live here in Indonesia. Haha XD

[reagen]

Hey, Xerla. Yes, I was in Indonesia. I will be leaving for a trip this week though.... XD

Where are you in Indonesia, by the by?

 

As for the thread, all these Volunteering and cheap accomodations and all is great. Still looking for more, though...

Especially about 'Life At Sea'...we kinda cover land, but I can't seem to find much information on living and working on a boat or the qualifications needed.

[Xerla]

Wow that's quite a surprise! Hahaha XD

I live in the capital city, Jakarta.

Where are you in Indonesia?

And where's your next trip? I'm always excited with traveling hahaha XD

[kaelvan]

You are describing the modern nomad right there. I've read so many blogs on it. Many of them tell you just get up and leave (but make sure to get visa and have passport of course...few bucks doesn't hurt). You have to be willing to work really hard making ends meet. Lot of them recommend starting in Asia since there more opportunities to make money there is live off. Just have to get creative.