Comments on: It’s All a Crap Shoot Really

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:11:00 +0000

“People tend to ask my advice a lot. I think that is great but it also perplexes me. I’m twenty-five, single, I don’t like my job and I sleep in my childhood bedroom. Does that sound like someone who has it all figured out? In reality I am just a girl with a tirelessly upbeat attitude, a lot of big ideas and either enough luck, willpower or blind stupidity to make them work.”

That pretty much sums up my experience as well. People ask me for advice all the time and talk about how they’d love to live the life I do, but…I guess I never really see it that way. I’m 26 with a crap resume, no car, about $5k of debt, and a job picking up dog poo. Yes, I’ve done cool things in the past, and I will continue to do cool things in the future, but it always kind of boggles my mind when someone asks me how they can “be more like [me]“.
Kelsey´s last blog ..Laptop Death!

By: Inspiring Travel Monthly Roundup – Romance Edition | Sharing Travel Experiences: Travel More | Travel Concierge Services, Experiences, Recommendations, and Inspirational Stories

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:49:55 +0000

[...] Something Travel is having a serious discussion over on her site about not knowing how things are going to turn out. I think she pretty much sums it up perfectly with this line: The only things I can justify doing [...]

By: Earth Pilgrim | Sunday-Lifestyle | February 2010

Earth Pilgrim | Sunday-Lifestyle | February 2010 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:36:44 +0000

[...] talks about her 25 year old angst! My advice is, and I know she has heard it before, just do it! It’s All a Crap Shoot Really posted at Twenty-Something [...]

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:05:04 +0000

It’s a paradox. You want to be well prepared (financially, emotionally, whatever) but there’s also that, totally valid, fear that if you keep putting it off it will never happen. I had a really hard time with that when I decided to postpone my travels for a year to save for money (I still have 9 months to go, which sucks). But I think if you keep working towards the goal, and putting money away, it’s possible to stay on track.

Thanks for posting Christine!

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:27:12 +0000

I feel the exact same way! I graduated college in May and spent a few weeks backpacking through Europe this summer, but came back to a serious boyfriend and a great job in my field. Now that I’m single, I dream of quitting my job, putting my stuff in storage and moving to Paris (or Sydney, or Munich, or Tokyo…) and blogging. But I feel like I can’t do that for another year or so–I’m not sure why exactly, but I feel some sense of obligation. Still, I feel like if I don’t do it now (or, at least, soon!), I never will.
I’m hoping that reading your blog will give me the inspiration and the resources to motivate me to buy a one-way plane ticket and start living. Thanks for this post–it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:44:05 +0000

Thanks for adding your perspective Jodi! I really like that “it isn’t running when you have nothing to run from.” I try to be really honest with myself about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, which is part of why I’m confident everything is going to work out as it should.

By: Legal Nomads

Legal Nomads — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:37:47 +0000

Hi Steph, I missed this thoughtful post as I was enroute to Thailand. Glad you started this discussion, and the comments are all insightful. I worked for in a traditional career (as a corporate lawyer) for 6 years and then quit to travel, and I turned 30 on the road this year. Though some family and friends thought I was running away, or wondered when “this travel thing will be out of your system”, as the months bled into a year and now into almost 2, they’ve come to see the personal value in what I chose to do, and how it has made me a more multi-faceted, happier and calmer person. Also? They’re jealous of all the good food I’m eating on the road.

The bottom line is, as others have said, that people will judge because (sadly) it’s what people tend to do, especially when they are not similarly inclined to give it all up. If you know that travel will fulfill something in you that your current situation does not, then go for it. It isn’t running when you have nothing to run from.

By: Steph

Steph — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:36:36 +0000

You know, I think people travel for a lot of different reasons and one of them is escape. But I think that most long term travelers have realized that you really can’t run away from your problems, at least not for very long. Your emotions and issues follow you wherever you go, so it ends up not being a terribly satisfying motive.

For many of the traveler’s I’ve met traveling has been more about self-discovery than escape.

I guess what I’m saying is that people whose primary motivation is to escape, either end up going home to face their problems, or their motivation ultimatly changes. For a long time travel was a really useful way for me to put off figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Now, as you can see from the column above, I inadvertently figured out that what I want to do with my life IS travel.

Anyone else have any input?

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Thought-provoking post, Stephanie. To play a little devil’s advocate and to pose something that I’ve been thinking about once in a while, don’t you guys think some of us travelers are, gulp, running away? Don’t get me wrong, sometimes “running away” is not a bad thing; it leads to a broader understanding of the world, unique experiences, unexpected friendships, but other times it leads to drifting, drifting, drifting…and avoiding. A British lady I met in Argentina asked me point-blank, “What are you running away from?” She said it jokingly, but I soon learned that she was running away from a marriage gone awry and a job lost. What do you guys think of the whole notion of “running away?” If you’re not guilty of it, have you met fellow travelers who are?

-Alex
Alex´s last blog ..Teaching English and Living in Bundang, South Korea- Your FAQ Answered!

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:21:00 +0000

We’ve got PLENTY of time before we are 30 still.

I do tend to think that the people most antagonistic to the idea are the ones who don’t have the guts to do it themselves. If you’re content with your life choices then you don’t need to judge others.

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:19:10 +0000

I’ll be turning 26 abroad as well next fall- not sure where yet!

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:18:06 +0000

Yeah I think it’s way too easy to get settled into the routine of life and let oppurtunities pass you by because you are “comfortable.”

By: Candice

Candice — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:12:20 +0000

Ugh, so true. My family doesn’t understand my urge to hit the road at all. I’m afraid that by the time I do hit my 30s, my priorities will be completely different and I’ll want to be more settled. I don’t want to look back later and wonder wtf I didn’t get out there and MOVE.
Candice´s last blog ..The Weirdest Christmas Tradition Ever

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:46:24 +0000

I think we need a club for 25 year old travel bloggers. Seems to be a lot of us!

The older I get the less I care what people thing, it’s pretty liberating.

I will be checking out those books, thanks!

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:45:29 +0000

I think the fact that I don’t have any particular career field I’m really dedicated to has helped me put the whole thing off.

Don’t worry, I’ve been 25 for two months now and it’s not so bad…

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:17:13 +0000

I have definitely gone through and am going through similar questions. (I’m turning 25 in two weeks-hello mid-twenties!)

In the past 6 months I’ve completely transformed my life. Many people have thought I’m crazy, I’m sure. I finally realized that it truly didn’t matter what others thought. I would say that to myself before, but now I really believe it. We all have to do what resonates with us, what keeps pulling at us. It’s kind of a life jacket scenario. We can’t help other people until we put on our own. The same is true for our lives. We can’t fully connect until we’ve gone and done what it is we want to do. I don’t think it’s crazy at all that you want to travel. Some of my favorite advice has come from Martha Beck (books) and Christine Kane (christinekane.com/blog)

Go towards your passion. You can’t go wrong with that.
Nancy´s last blog ..The Best and Worst: A Week in Argentina.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:59:40 +0000

I left on my first extended trip overseas shortly after getting my BA. I was terrified at that time of settling down and working 8-5 for the rest of my life. I was only 22. During that time abroad, those feelings only intensified. Now, at 24 (soon to be 25, yikes), I still feel I’m too young to be committed to a career. I can’t imagine anyplace else in life I’d rather be. Great post, really enjoyed it.
Matt´s last blog ..Experience Abel Tasman In a Day

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:33:05 +0000

it’s great that you’ve got an early start!

By: Shannon OD

Shannon OD — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:32:11 +0000

Argh! Steph – don’t say that we’re that close to 30 – I know it’s just a number, but I’d like to think that I still have some good long time left before I reach that milestone (I turn 26 in two weeks…let’s not talk about that

But as for the rest – I think that people ask your opinion while others point fingers at your plans because you’re so sure and secure with your choice and you’re not asking for their permission to travel – that’s intimidating to people who are more trapped in the mentality that they just have to merge in with that classic career/home/kids plan. And for the record – I’ll be crashing tonight in my childhood bed, and it’s cozy and warm and gets me one step closer to traveling next month, so I’m ok w/that!
Shannon OD´s last blog ..A Little Reflection…Vipassana Meditation Six Months Later

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:31:04 +0000

Taking things as they come is a great philosophy. I think people often get really caught up in their long term plans and forget to assess what makes them happy.