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[Balehead]

Reading these kinds of stories makes we want to just quit my job and travel the world with the money I've made so far. Instead I'll probably just watch Into The Wild once again.

Sounds pretty amazing that he managed to get a job everywhere he went, though.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Care to explain?

Everyone must own a house. It's their duty.

 

[Spokker]

If only I could afford to dismiss my responsibilites and travel for eight years.

This is his job. He made money by working in the countries he visits and writes about travel. He did not have an inheritance. He did not win the lottery. He was working the entire time.

 

[Concept17]

He forgets to mention that all of us likely have one major thing we want to do with our lives. In this case, his is travelling and meeting new people. I really want to travel around the world a bit at some point and experience new things, but I don't think I would become half as passionate about as he is. I completely agree with him that you need to make something of yourself, get off your ass, and experience things for yourself, but what these things are will vary from person to person.

Also, this guy reminds me of the book, The Alchemist.

 

[SmokyDave]

I read this in the voice of an irritating hippy I knew in college, and I wanted to punch someone the entire time. This guy would go on and on about stuff like the post above, like he was some great wise man for repeating things we were told in elementary school. "Life life to your fullest, love people, don't procrastinate on things, get to work". This guy would also rant about how parents "don't want to take the time to be parents anymore", and immediately afterward would complain about how troublesome his own kid was, and how she has to be put on Ritalin because she's uncontrollable. Oi.

Lots of people are 'told' lots of things. Few people understand what they're told.

I can't ever trust people who go out of their way to preach on about life like this, especially when they think that traveling is some form of criteria that makes your opinions respectable.

Travel broadens the mind. Cliché but 100% true.

 

[Spokker]

He forgets to mention that all of us likely have one major thing we want to do with our lives.

I have a feeling he wants to be a travel writer but is wrapping it up in a theme of self-discovery and cultural exploration.

I wonder if he made any attempts to secure a television deal. But I won't watch it because TV is a waste of time.

 

[BruiserBear]

I liked all of this guy's points, but one thought immediately crossed my mind after hearing of his world travels.


Damn, it must be nice to have the money to do that. I can't help but assume this guy has some money in his family, or something that is letting him live this life of travel. For the rest of us it's just not that easy.

 

[Anteater]

I'm starting to feel a bit more encouraged .. oh..

28. Love isn’t “all” you need, but if you don’t have it in some form, your life will be very empty

Foreveralone.jpg

 

[FreeMufasa]

I think this is what I'm going to do for the next few years.

 

[The Elite]

This is his job. He made money by working in the countries he visits and writes about travel. He did not have an inheritance. He did not win the lottery. He was working the entire time.

Responsibility doesn't necessarily just boil down to money. I have responsibilities in my life that keep me from being able to travel for eight years - not including work.

 

[Spokker]

I have responsibilities in my life that keep me from being able to travel for eight years - not including work.

He does not have those responsibilities hence he cannot dodge them.

 

[ThisWreckage]

Traveling is wonderful and I think a passport is something that everyone should invest in, but this guy's advice reads like a self-help book. Or common sense. I really hope he got more out of his travels than what he compiled in that list.

 

[BomberMouse]

Everyone must own a house. It's their duty.

Sarcasm?

 

[The Elite]

He does not have those responsibilities hence he cannot dodge them.

I didn't say he was.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Sarcasm?

Yeah, I thought it was kinda funny.

 

[Prine]

I can't ever trust people who go out of their way to preach on about life like this, especially when they think that traveling is some form of criteria that makes your opinions respectable.

Id say he earns respect for challenge and shaking his beliefs and understanding by traveling. So yes, its an admirable position to dispense information. Not about the world but about himself.

 

[TxdoHawk]

Yes yes, TV is the devil, the internet is a powerful tool that can also be abused, money can't buy you happiness, blah blah blah. Where have I heard half of this crap before? Oh yeah, from a bunch of other people who think their radical lifestyle changes give them a license to preach.

I mean, good on this guy. I'm sure a lot of us would like to travel the world and experience what he has. But I hope he realizes at the end of the day that many, many people (the people that house him, citizens of the towns he visits, workers of the airports he flies on, and so on) have to live comparatively mundane lives in order for him to successfully live out his nomadic hippie fantasies. Treating it all as some mystical path to enlightenment that we should all aspire to is silly.

 

[kelbear1]

Well, my life goal is to live happily with my family.

The advice of a traveling hobo doesn't really help me there.

Thankfully, I don't need his advice. I've already managed to get everything I really want.

 

[Pand]

Great article. Even more fun are responses in this thread, though. Here's my lesson: stop assuming the way you live your life is only valid way to do things. People saying he's "dodging responsibility" or whatever have no clue what they're talking about. I don't even know what it means.

It really irks me that some people are so set in their ways that it never even occurs to them that there may just be a different way. It might even be better for you, or it might not. Stop limiting yourself.

 

[The Elite]

9. More money will NEVER solve your problems

As long as you are not living in the street or going hungry, then you do not “need” more money. When you spend enough time with people who are actually living on next to nothing, but having a full life, then you will truly understand this. Everything that is wonderful about life doesn’t cost a penny, and the rest is way cheaper than you think it is.

So this eight year trip was done entirely for free? Even if he didn't pay for it himself, money, lots of money, changed hands in order for him to learn this particular life lesson. He needs to realize that.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

This guy lived my dream. I'd fucking love to do this.

 

[crimzonflame]

Is there a list of countries he's visited?

 

[Seraphinianus]

some good wisdom. Travel is very liberating...I always have these kinds of realizations, think about how I'm going to apply them to my life at home, then I get home and everything just goes back to how it was!

Well, my life goal is to live happily with my family.

The advice of a traveling hobo doesn't really help me there.

Thankfully, I don't need his advice. I've already managed to get everything I really want.

you really don't think any of this advice would help you at home with your family?

 

[TheNatural]

I don't disagree with his advice. And I do believe moderation is key in almost everything. Anything can be taken too far, even the good things. And it's not like I have been spending thousands of dollars either. I just find my self buying up movies that I liked but might never watch again. Part of is clearly my problem with impulse purchases but there is also this slight craving for something new, that next new gadget or that next new game.

I guess that's my drug of choice, I'll always have that slight craving to get some new stuff that I don't have.

I agree, I've been reading some clutter busting books lately, because it's not like I have a ton of stuff I don't use - but enough to annoy me. They pretty much echo a couple of the points this guy is saying. I mean if you own things and have a happy life and enjoy them, its not clutter or waste. But if you're sitting there in a mountain of crap that you aren't using and you wish you didn't even have and being unhappy, then its only adding to your clutter and should be got rid of. Hell, I've already gotten rid of a ton of old computer parts/computers to the e-recycling place, traded in a bunch of books, and given away a big ass DD game account I had because I didn't use it. If you feel crappy or held down by owning something, there's no reason to have it. Sell it or donate it, or just throw it away.

 

[Ulairi]

So this eight year trip was done entirely for free? Even if he didn't pay for it himself, money, lots of money, changed hands in order for him to learn this particular life lesson. He needs to realize that.

No he doesn't man! He was living without the need for money! Money is such a downer! I just want to chill in the cafe and work on my novel.

 

[SmokyDave]

Well, my life goal is to live happily with my family.

The advice of a traveling hobo doesn't really help me there.

Thankfully, I don't need his advice. I've already managed to get everything I really want.

That's a really cool attitude you've got there. I'm sure it will take you far.

The phrasing that I've bolded is bizarre. It's not a sign of weakness to take advice you know.

 

[twofold]

you really don't think any of this advice would help you at home with your family?

Do you honestly think he read the whole article? I get the feeling that most of the posters in this thread didn't read anything but the bolded parts.

 

[wind_steaker]

it took him 8 years to realise this stuff? I agree, but also half feel he might just be trying to show off.

 

[Spokker]

So this eight year trip was done entirely for free? Even if he didn't pay for it himself, money, lots of money, changed hands in order for him to learn this particular life lesson. He needs to realize that.

He wasn't flying first-class every week to a new country. He lived in Paris for nine months and was not putting himself up in 5-star hotels. A lot of money exchanged hands but he earned that money by working.

 

[BomberMouse]

Yes yes, TV is the devil, the internet is a powerful tool that can also be abused, money can't buy you happiness, blah blah blah. Where have I heard half of this crap before? Oh yeah, from a bunch of other people who think their radical lifestyle changes give them a license to preach.

I mean, good on this guy. I'm sure a lot of us would like to travel the world and experience what he has. But I hope he realizes at the end of the day that many, many people (the people that house him, citizens of the towns he visits, workers of the airports he flies on, and so on) have to live comparatively mundane lives in order for him to successfully live out his nomadic hippie fantasies. Treating it all as some mystical path to enlightenment that we should all aspire to is silly.

You are missing the point. I take it you didn't read the article, it never mentioned:

- You need to travel to be enlighted
- Ditching people living a normal life
- Beign against people who pursue a career

So this eight year trip was done entirely for free? Even if he didn't pay for it himself, money, lots of money, changed hands in order for him to learn this particular life lesson. He needs to realize that.

What? does he ever say that this trip is one of "the wonderful things in life"? Of course not. The point is, no matter where he was or how much money he had "the best things in life" were still available to him.

Well, my life goal is to live happily with my family.

The advice of a traveling hobo doesn't really help me there.

Thankfully, I don't need his advice. I've already managed to get everything I really want.

He is not advicing people to travel as a Hobo, he isn't even advicing people to travel in the first place.

 

[CrankyJay]

ITT: People take offense to being told they are living their lives incorrectly.

 

[The Elite]

He wasn't flying first-class every week to a new country. He lived in Paris for nine months and was not putting himself up in 5-star hotels. A lot of money exchanged hands but he earned that money by working.

My point. I didn't make a comment about his living conditions or where he stayed. I simply said money changed hands which supported his eight year long trip in which he learned the life lesson that money isn't important.

Thank about it.

 

[Seraphinianus]

Do you honestly think he read the whole article? I get the feeling that most of the posters in this thread didn't read anything but the bolded parts.

they just read the thread title and automatically find a million petty ways to poison the well. business as usual on the internet.

it's amazing how resistant people get when hearing advice...they take some general but sound advice about life and somehow twist it into a personal insult to the reader.

 

[F0NZ]

Akin and very similar to the song from the 90s by Baz Luhrmann.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

 

[Your Excellency]

I have this Barbour jacket. It costs £250, which is equivalent to about $400.

That money would have fed an African family of four, with three meals a day, for about 4 months.



I blame my poor behaviour on my stupid love of possessions. Besides, I got it on sale for £189, so it would only have sufficed for about 3 months anyway.

 

[SmokyDave]

My point. I didn't make a comment about his living conditions or were he stayed. I simply said money changed hands which supported his eight year long trip in which he learned the life lesson that money isn't important.

Thank about it.

Excess money then, as in, more than you need. That's certainly how I read it. Everybody knows you need something to barter with to get anywhere and money is the easiest unit to use. Would you feel differently if he'd had his wages paid in food, accomodation and travel tickets? That's kinda what happened in a convoluted way.

 

[Aquavelvaman]

Good insights but I think you would get a lot of the same advice from any thoughtful and reasonably experienced person. I was kind of hoping for some more travel-specific thoughts I guess.

 

[VelvetMouth]

I travelled around for 4 years living out of a backpack. I loved being out there experiencing new things and meeting new people but anybody who's spent some time living on couches and hostels can tell you that nothing in the world beats having a place of your own.

The best thing for me about settling down was living in my own home where I could do whatever I want. Walk around naked, don't do the dishes if you don't feel like it. Sit down on your comfy couch and watch a movie on your big screen tv. That to me is enjoyment and relaxation. Privacy is another big issue. When you travel you are surrounded by other people and the way he travels and couchsurfs always having to rely on other people and living your life in deference to them. It just doesn't appeal to me anymore. You can still travel but the nomad lifestyle just isn't realistic for most people.

 

[Spokker]

My point. I didn't make a comment about his living conditions or were he stayed. I simply said money changed hands which supported his eight year long trip in which he learned the life lesson that money isn't important.

He was talking about money beyond what you need to live a good life. Again, I said that he wasn't flying first-class and living in 5-star hotels. He took care of his basic needs for food and shelter, according to what he says about his lifestyle.

How much money do you actually think he was spending and making per year in this time?

 

[Biff]

With all this guy's lovey-dovey talk about relationships and love and the best things in life are free, he funnily skips over the impact of having children.

Why? Because in his current situation he will never be able to afford to bring one into the world.

--> Why? Because he doesn't own property and isn't working towards such a future.

-----> Why? Because he lives off next-to-nothing and spends what little money he makes on cheap living expenses.

--------> Why? Because he doesn't accept the responsibility that everyone else who wants to bring another life into this world has accepted. You need a stable job, a stable income and a safe home to raise a child in a way that will give him the opportunity and access to education and the chance to make a difference.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

My point. I didn't make a comment about his living conditions or were he stayed. I simply said money changed hands which supported his eight year long trip in which he learned the life lesson that money isn't important.

Thank about it.

Ok, so I'm thinking about it.

I think there is a difference between:

A.) Recognizing you need money to get what you want out of society, doing the work to get that money and then going on your merry way with whatever it is you wanted.

B.) Putting the majority of your self worth in the amount of money in your bank account, or your salary, or whatever.

Yeah, doing shit requires money. For sure, I don't think anyone would argue that money is anything but a necessity. However, it doesn't have to be the driving force behind the majority of your decisions. Which, for a lot of people I think is pretty common.


^ChefRamsay, not everyone wants kids. Simple as that, its not a sign of immaturity or lack of responsiblity. Some people just don't want kids, which means they have less restrictions in their life.

 

[Escape Goat]

Took this person 8 years and a shit ton of money to write what coffee table books have been saying for decades.

 

[Seraphinianus]

My point. I didn't make a comment about his living conditions or were he stayed. I simply said money changed hands which supported his eight year long trip in which he learned the life lesson that money isn't important.

Thank about it.

why would I think about your comment when it rests on a false assumption about the article. He never says money isn't important:

9. More money will NEVER solve your problems

As long as you are not living in the street or going hungry, then you do not “need” more money. When you spend enough time with people who are actually living on next to nothing, but having a full life, then you will truly understand this. Everything that is wonderful about life doesn’t cost a penny, and the rest is way cheaper than you think it is.

10. Possessions own you

Look at the real reason you want to buy more expensive crap and realise that it all comes down to validation from others in one way or another. You don’t really need any of it unless it’s directly related to essentials in how you work or survive.

The need to buy new crap dictates your life - it fixes you in one location with that house and furniture, and it governs how much money you need to earn. And it almost never actually enriches your life in any way. The less you own the better.

There is no general anti-money message in here. Just that money isn't a solution to problems if you've got your basic needs taken care of and that excessive consumerism isn't healthy. Hard to argue against those messages, though.

 

[Your Excellency]

With all this guy's lovey-dovey talk about relationships and love and the best things in life are free, he funnily skips over the impact of having children.

Why? Because in his current situation he will never be able to afford to bring one into the world.

--> Why? Because he doesn't own property and isn't working towards such a future.

-----> Why? Because he lives off next-to-nothing and spends what little money he makes on cheap living expenses.

--------> Why? Because he doesn't accept the responsibility that everyone else who wants to bring another life into this world has accepted. You need a stable job, a stable income and a safe home to raise a child in a way that will give him the opportunity and access to education and the chance to make a difference.

Maybe he's chosen not to have children. I mean, from an environmental perspective, it's the best thing you could ever do.

 

[SmokyDave]

With all this guy's lovey-dovey talk about relationships and love and the best things in life are free, he funnily skips over the impact of having children....

There are tons of people with children all over the world that haven't done any of the things in your post.

You're also assuming he wants children.

Took this person 8 years and a shit ton of money to write what coffee table books have been saying for decades.

No, I reckon it took him about 4 hours to write that. To live, learn and truly understand? Yeah, 8 years sounds cool.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

This person comes off as a superior Eat Pray Love type who thinks they're so spiritual because they went travelling.

pretty much this, not gonna say the advice as wrong but the way it comes off makes me = :/

 

[alex chilton]

lol so much hate

 

[prodystopian]

Good read, thanks OP.

Also, this:

lol so much hate

 

[Sai-kun]

22 is my favorite and i do it religiously.

 

[Verendus]

This:

Your limitations are not set by who you know, where you were born, what genes you have, how much money you have, how old you are right now, what you did before or other things that you can claim are your stamp of failure for life.

Made me laugh and I subsequently stopped reading. Most of the stuff before that point is generic help advice that you don't need to travel the world for 8 years to learn.

Seems like he has a lot of learning to do yet.

Experience is indeed something else though. And the 8 years of travelling will have helped him grow as an individual in other ways.