Year out at 30
Discussion
oldbanger said:
I am planning on doing a runner when the kids grow up. I'd like to spend at least 3-6 months traveling if not longer. I'll be in my 50s by then.
Me too, when the kids leave home I'm going to pack in work for a year and travel. The mrs is planning on retiring, I'll go back to working contract if we get back home! I'm 40 this year, so that will be in about 15 years!Out of my mates, one went travelling in our late 20's, the rest of us bought houses, we've all got decent 4 bed houses, the lad who went travelling missed the boat with the housing boom and now lives in a 3 bed terrace. Don't get me wrong, we're all happy, all married, all got kids, he's got world experience, I've got a bigger house.
A note that for the Australian Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) you must be under 30 so if you want to take that route then don't leave it until you are 30 
Also it's never too late - my parents' friends are a bit crazy -(they must have moved house more than a dozen times in 40 or so years they have known them), and about 10 years ago decided to emigrate to New Zealand. They moved there, and in the 6-7 years renovated and moved house, then decided it was too far from their children and grandchildren (who were back here) then moved back, bought a house here as a bolthole, renovated it, then rented it out and bought a house in Spain!
Also it's never too late - my parents' friends are a bit crazy -(they must have moved house more than a dozen times in 40 or so years they have known them), and about 10 years ago decided to emigrate to New Zealand. They moved there, and in the 6-7 years renovated and moved house, then decided it was too far from their children and grandchildren (who were back here) then moved back, bought a house here as a bolthole, renovated it, then rented it out and bought a house in Spain!
Gareth79 said:
A note that for the Australian Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) you must be under 30 so if you want to take that route then don't leave it until you are 30
You need to enter the country before your 31st birthday.Also, the bloke above; who do you think is richer? Your mate who went travelling, or you with the bigger house?
Not at 30 and not for a year but as mentioned earlier in the thread I closed down my business, rented out my flat and set off on my bike in March 2012 to cycle around the world and am still going 2 1/2 years later and don't expect to be home until Christmas next year making the whole trip around 3 years 9 months.
So far I've ridden 34,000km through 34 countries and it's by far the best thing I've ever done with my life and not once do I think I'd rather be sat in an office looking at a computer screen even when it's so hot I have to take a shower with my clothes on before setting off in the morning just for 10 minutes of cold (Cambodia) or when it's so cold the water in my bottles freezes during the day (Bolivia).
My advice is don't put it off and spend forever procrastinating and just go for it. At 30 there's plenty of time to work after a year out (if you want to go back to a career that is).
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So far I've ridden 34,000km through 34 countries and it's by far the best thing I've ever done with my life and not once do I think I'd rather be sat in an office looking at a computer screen even when it's so hot I have to take a shower with my clothes on before setting off in the morning just for 10 minutes of cold (Cambodia) or when it's so cold the water in my bottles freezes during the day (Bolivia).
My advice is don't put it off and spend forever procrastinating and just go for it. At 30 there's plenty of time to work after a year out (if you want to go back to a career that is).
My blog
Condi said:
You need to enter the country before your 31st birthday.
Also, the bloke above; who do you think is richer? Your mate who went travelling, or you with the bigger house?
I regret not going with him, I couldn't afford it when he went, but he was buggered financially for years. But now he knows people all over the world and has a hundred and one tales from his travels, I haven't!Also, the bloke above; who do you think is richer? Your mate who went travelling, or you with the bigger house?
I'd find it hard to tell anyone not to do it, but it's by no means a 'no brainer' at least with France you're only ever a few hours from heading home.
I did it at 22, left a crappy school leavers job I'd held too long, sold all my possessions (for what they amounted to) and buggered off down to Oz with the WHV - I had a fantastic time and even now 15 years later I still think back to it a lot - but equally it was really tough - sometimes you'd be down to eating super noodles 3 times a day and sneaking in and out of dodgy hostels trying to avoid being caught by the landlord skipping out at midnight because you couldn't pay your rent. Evan living like a monk will cost you £1000 a month at least, but if you're working day and night just to pay for your keep and staying in watching awful Aussie TV every night you really start to question the point of it all.
I could handle all that, plus the shared rooms, the menial jobs and abuse from dodgy employers, the lack of stability and just missing sitting on your arse and watching TV at 22, at 30 I'm not so sure I could - now at 37 I still reminisce about backpacking - but there's not a chance I'd do it again.
I think if I needed to 'find myself' again, I'd take a month out and spend a bit more, if you can't do it in a month, you can't do it.
I did it at 22, left a crappy school leavers job I'd held too long, sold all my possessions (for what they amounted to) and buggered off down to Oz with the WHV - I had a fantastic time and even now 15 years later I still think back to it a lot - but equally it was really tough - sometimes you'd be down to eating super noodles 3 times a day and sneaking in and out of dodgy hostels trying to avoid being caught by the landlord skipping out at midnight because you couldn't pay your rent. Evan living like a monk will cost you £1000 a month at least, but if you're working day and night just to pay for your keep and staying in watching awful Aussie TV every night you really start to question the point of it all.
I could handle all that, plus the shared rooms, the menial jobs and abuse from dodgy employers, the lack of stability and just missing sitting on your arse and watching TV at 22, at 30 I'm not so sure I could - now at 37 I still reminisce about backpacking - but there's not a chance I'd do it again.
I think if I needed to 'find myself' again, I'd take a month out and spend a bit more, if you can't do it in a month, you can't do it.
Troubleatmill said:
OzzyR1 said:
just do it if you have no ties, you won't regret it and you're a long time dead.
^ This. No one on their deathbed says "I wish I spent more time in the office."Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
monthefish said:
but there are plenty that think "I wish I'd made a bit more of my life".
Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
I saw a joke in my early 20s. A personal manager was saying to a pimply faced youth, "You'll like our retirement plan John. We retire you from 30 to 40, then you come back & work till you die." Made sense to me.Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
It depends what making more of your life really is, & when you can actually do things.
I went sailing when I could comfortable single hand a 40 Ft yacht, including reefing in a gale, anchoring, & slipping for maintenance etc. Although I was still doing it at 45, I could not have developed the fitness required, if I had come from an office at that age.
If the things you really want to do in life require youth, waiting until you are rich, may not be an option.
Hasbeen said:
monthefish said:
but there are plenty that think "I wish I'd made a bit more of my life".
Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
I saw a joke in my early 20s. A personal manager was saying to a pimply faced youth, "You'll like our retirement plan John. We retire you from 30 to 40, then you come back & work till you die." Made sense to me.Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
It depends what making more of your life really is, & when you can actually do things.
I went sailing when I could comfortable single hand a 40 Ft yacht, including reefing in a gale, anchoring, & slipping for maintenance etc. Although I was still doing it at 45, I could not have developed the fitness required, if I had come from an office at that age.
If the things you really want to do in life require youth, waiting until you are rich, may not be an option.
Getting to a stage where you can single handedly skipper a 40ft yacht takes money. Purchasing, or even getting the use of, a 40ft yacht takes money. The kit required to skipper a yacht, I'm sure, takes money.
My cousin is now 30 and announced he is off to Asia for a year. He has only been in paid work for a year after failing and finally passing his exams since the age of 18. Given he has travelled well in between exam attempts this seems to be the time he should be getting a few years under his belt. Running off again says the chosen career is not what he really wants to do.
monthefish said:
Hasbeen said:
monthefish said:
but there are plenty that think "I wish I'd made a bit more of my life".
Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
I saw a joke in my early 20s. A personal manager was saying to a pimply faced youth, "You'll like our retirement plan John. We retire you from 30 to 40, then you come back & work till you die." Made sense to me.Work hard to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do in life.
It depends what making more of your life really is, & when you can actually do things.
I went sailing when I could comfortable single hand a 40 Ft yacht, including reefing in a gale, anchoring, & slipping for maintenance etc. Although I was still doing it at 45, I could not have developed the fitness required, if I had come from an office at that age.
If the things you really want to do in life require youth, waiting until you are rich, may not be an option.
Getting to a stage where you can single handedly skipper a 40ft yacht takes money. Purchasing, or even getting the use of, a 40ft yacht takes money. The kit required to skipper a yacht, I'm sure, takes money.
I certainly never struggled for money when working in Sydney or in Korea and was never getting an amazing salary by any means.
I think the fact you've taken the choice to leave your normal life and do something different focuses you to not waste money as you have specific things you want to see/experience in whatever cool place you're in that you need the money for.
I think the fact you've taken the choice to leave your normal life and do something different focuses you to not waste money as you have specific things you want to see/experience in whatever cool place you're in that you need the money for.
I know one bloke who had had 2 gap years by the time he was 30. He didn't bother selling his house, just changed it to a BTL mortgage, and went.
My cousin and her husband and 2 primary kids went on a European tour for 24 months. No idea how they funded it, but he family are probably Greek mafia.
then there was my mate Ian Jones, who 19 years ago went on a year out and I'm still waiting for a postcard.
My cousin and her husband and 2 primary kids went on a European tour for 24 months. No idea how they funded it, but he family are probably Greek mafia.
then there was my mate Ian Jones, who 19 years ago went on a year out and I'm still waiting for a postcard.
Thinking about this, I did mention to both my kids that if they thought I'd fund a gap year for them, then No. Me and their mother would leave them with the dog and cat and washing up and send them the odd post card.
That's the reason we don't p
s off for 6 months now the kids are both at university. Their pets !!!!
That's the reason we don't p
s off for 6 months now the kids are both at university. Their pets !!!! Not quite the same as the OP is proposing, but in the last five years I've had two years where I've not worked, and just "done my own thing". The most recent year was spent mostly tinkering with cars - buying/building my race car, restoring my M5, taking a B+E test, getting my ARDS licence etc etc.
It's actually quite hard to go from working full-time to not having to get up at all - at least, I find it hard - so it took me quite a few months to adapt.
If you can do it, do it. With regards to getting back to work, I didn't find the gap caused any issues in job interviews.
It's actually quite hard to go from working full-time to not having to get up at all - at least, I find it hard - so it took me quite a few months to adapt.
If you can do it, do it. With regards to getting back to work, I didn't find the gap caused any issues in job interviews.
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