Enroute - When in doubt, choose change

When in doubt, choose change.

Lily Leung (exploreforayer.com) @lilyleung

I’ll be unemployable

My boss won’t be happy (=> bad reference for next job)

Colleagues and peers will think I’m crazy

Bad financial decision ($25,000 + opportunity cost)

Being alone, lonely

Fears, problems, challenges...

Why should I change now?


Choosing the safe path lead to unhappiness

==> try a new in approach (follow my heart)


Time will pass no matter what I do.


If I pursue something I enjoy, I should be at least as successful as doing something I didn’t enjoy.


Experience of extended, solo travel

So I took the leap of faith...

Timeline - in the beginning...


Feb 2010 - Resignation notice (no plan B)



April 1, 2010 - Last day of work (not an April Fools’ Joke)




April 2 - mid May - London, UK




April 2 - mid May - London, UK

May 17 - August - Web design classes

Timeline - the fun begins...


October 11, 2010 - Started selling my furniture on Craigslist - Lease ending that month


October 13, 2010 - Got my renewed passport

Nov 8, 2010 - Got my visa for India


Nov 12, 2010 - Booked a one-way flight to India... to leave in 11 days - Booked a tour with G Adventures (to ease into travel)


Nov 23, 2010, 6:50pm - Flight to Delhi (via Kiev), VV142

Month 1 - India (Dec 2010)

Month 4 - Malaysia/Singapore (Mar 2011)

Month 3 - Cambodia/Thailand

Month 2 - Thailand/Vietnam

Next 4 months...

Reality sets in...

One year is almost up (April 1, 2011)

4 months of travel is ending

Travel budget finished

But... going home = a sinking feeling

10 day no-talking (“Vipassana”)

Meditation course

Epiphany: Life is difficult, no matter what

path you choose.

Going home to look for a job...DIFFICULT

Trying to travel long...also DIFFICULT.

Take an inventory of “assets”

Tools: MacBook and DSLR

Skills: marketing, web design, Photoshop

Connections: Friends and family

Finances: check my accounts

Social media: blog, Twitter, Facebook

Etc...

Worst case: $2,000 x 7 months

Better case: reduce costs, make $ on the side

Follow my heart again.Continue traveling. Go big. 1 year.




Month 4 - Malaysia/Singapore

Next 7 months of travel...




Month 4 - Malaysia/Singapore

Month 7-11 - East/West Europe

Month 5 - Thailand (April 2011)

Month 6 - Turkey

Month 12 - Egypt/Jordan

Month 13 - Thailand (Dec 2011)

Next 7 months of travel...

In the end:13 months, 26 countries

82,000 km

Price: $25,200 (incl $4,520 for 19 flights)

Best year of my life.

Things I learned while travelling

Things I learned while travelling

How to use social media, blog

Educational: attended TEDx Budapest, diving certification, better photos

World: history, geography, issues (Middle East)

Personal growth: confidence, feeling whole, faith in mankind

5 travel questions everyone asks...

High level estimate:

Flights: $800 for each continent change

Best value: Southeast Asia, Central America ($1,000/month)

Worst value: Western Europe, Australia ($3,000+/month)

1. How much does travel cost?

Sample itinerary for 4 months, $8,100:

Toronto > Bangkok > Istanbul > Berlin > Toronto

Flights: $1000 + $700 + $200 + $900 = $2,800

Southeast Asia: $1,000/month x 3 = $3,000

Turkey: $800/2 weeks = $800

Europe: $1,500/2 weeks = $1,500


Resources:

Lonely Planet “Shoestring” guides ($25 on Amazon, free at your library)

G Adventures, Intrepid travel (tour prices, itinerary inspiration)


2. How do I save for a trip?

Automatic savings plan

Every dollar counts (esp. geo-arbitraging)4 Starbucks lattes: => Taj Mahal, 750 rupees = $15=> Colosseum, 15 euros = $20 => Pyramids, 50 EGP = $10

3. How do I book flights?

Aggregators expedia.com, vayama.com, kayak.com (also, kayak.com/explore)

Regional, low cost airlines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_low-cost_airlines

My 19 flights: http://bit.ly/zDHeUD (spreadsheet)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_low-cost_airlines




http://bit.ly/zDHeUD

http://bit.ly/zDHeUD

4. Where do I stay?

Hostels > Hotels - cheaper, meet more people, friendlier staff

hostelworld.com, hostelbookers.com

Look for: good reviews, clean, lockers, wifi

5. Is travel safe?

Travel advisories http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

“Avoid all travel” or “Avoid non-essential travel” (insurance may not cover you)

The world is safer, friendlier than you may think

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

What happens after a 21 month career (13 month travel) break?

The adventure continues...

Came back Dec 20, 2011

Started working at a mobile start-up in Feb 2012 (fears about being unemployable != true)

1+ years since I’ve been back

Can’t imagine not taking my career break

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man

could invent.”

~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

A few more quotes to think about...

“By changing nothing, nothing changes.”

~ Tony Robbins

“Everything will be okay in the end.

If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

“One day your life will 0lash before your eyes.

Make sure it’s worth watching.”

~ Gerard Way

Questions?

Lily Leung @[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

It’s okay if you can’t make a big change right now...

In the meantime...

Explore options (not quitting) - Talk to your boss/HR - Unpaid vacation - Work may pay for courses

Don’t quit unless you know what you’ll do with your time off

In the meantime...

“10% time” - Pursue your interests, meet people - Grow your identity outside of work - 5 hours/week: course, events, hobby

Resources: - eventbrite.ca - meetup.com - georgebrown.ca (or other colleges)

In the meantime...

Read, learn, grow - ted.com (“ideas worth spreading”) - coursera.org (courses from Stanford + others) - alltop.com (directory of sites by topic)

Productivity blogs - stevepavlina.com/blog (see left sidebar) - thinksimplenow.com, bakadesuyo.com - also: quora.com

Books - 4 Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss

Enroute - When in doubt, choose change

Travel

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