When in doubt, choose change. Lily Leung (exploreforayer.com) @lilyleung
Enroute - When in doubt, choose change
Aug 07, 2015
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
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?
Why should I change now?
Choosing the safe path lead to unhappiness
==> try a new in approach (follow my heart)
Why should I change now?
Time will pass no matter what I do.
Why should I change now?
If I pursue something I enjoy, I should be at least as successful as doing something I didn’t enjoy.
Why should I change now?
Experience of extended, solo travel
So I took the leap of faith...
Timeline - in the beginning...
Timeline - in the beginning...
Feb 2010 - Resignation notice (no plan B)
Timeline - in the beginning...
Feb 2010 - Resignation notice (no plan B)
April 1, 2010 - Last day of work (not an April Fools’ Joke)
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
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
May 17 - August - Web design classes
Timeline - the fun begins...
Timeline - the fun begins...
October 11, 2010 - Started selling my furniture on Craigslist - Lease ending that month
Timeline - the fun begins...
October 11, 2010 - Started selling my furniture on Craigslist - Lease ending that month
Timeline - the fun begins...
October 13, 2010 - Got my renewed passport
Nov 8, 2010 - Got my visa for India
Timeline - the fun begins...
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)
Timeline - the fun begins...
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 1 - India (Dec 2010)
Month 2 - Thailand/Vietnam
Month 3 - Cambodia/Thailand
Month 4 - Malaysia/Singapore
Next 7 months of travel...
Month 1 - India (Dec 2010)
Month 2 - Thailand/Vietnam
Month 3 - Cambodia/Thailand
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?
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
1. How much does travel cost?
Resources:
Lonely Planet “Shoestring” guides ($25 on Amazon, free at your library)
G Adventures, Intrepid travel (tour prices, itinerary inspiration)
1. How much does travel cost?
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)
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
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
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
Related Documents
