How do you maintain a work-travel balance? Have you had to make any major sacrifices in one or the other? Are you happy with the decisions you've made, or would you do something different if you had the opportunity?
OP here, and not entirely happy with the decisions I've made, but also don't know how to change. During university I didn't do much travel except the occasional ski trip or interrailing trip, so after graduating I took a gap year. I did a volunteering placement in Africa, then spent a couple of months in central and southeast Europe, and had a great time. Then, at about this time last year, I travelled to Canada to work at a summer camp and had pretty much the best summer of my life. I've had on-off depression in the past and this was just the perfect cure - doing fun, fulfilling work during the week, and hanging out with a very cool bunch of international staff during weekends and time off. It was pretty much the perfect travel experience for me, and I still get super-nostalgic thinking about it.
However, all the time I was travelling I was aware of the temporary nature of each of my trips, and the need to eventually return to the 'real world'. So I applied for a master's degree, which I'm just coming to the end of now. The year's been comparatively pretty shit, and I'm pretty nervous about tieing myself down to a contract that will keep me working full-time 11 months per year. Entering the sensible adult world feels a bit like giving up on any sort of excitement, and I wonder if these brilliant travel experiences will now just be fond memories instead of things I can keep doing. On the other hand, I'm fed up of being poor, and I need to start paying off student debts instead of leeching off my family. So not sure if I've found the right balance, I guess that'll be determined over the next few years. Interested to hear from anyone who had a similar sort of trajectory, and what choices they made.
In my life there isn't really a balance desu, it all just boils down to 4 key times I know i'll be able to travel in my life, and trying to make the most of them. The rest of my holiday time is mostly about resting up and seeing family/friends.
>1. Gap year
Just out of school, it's a very socially acceptable time to take some time out to do shit. I personally did the classic thing of saving money while working for a few months, then travelling for a few.
>2. University Summers
Uni summers are really fucking long, so if you've had a job through the year or as in my case, some left over from my gap year you can go for 1-2 months for these years
>3. Mid-late 20s, between jobs and with nothing tying them down
One of the most common types of people you'll see abroad, people who have plenty of money from their first few years of work, but it didn't work out for whatever reason or they just needed to get out and do something while they have the chance. Easy enough to do when you have no kids and aren't so married to a career that you can't get away from it.
>4. Mid-50s to mid-60s
Again you see a lot of these, people whose careers are on the wind down or gone altogether, have tons of money from a life of work and nothing to do now their children are all adults, so they take advantage of the time left they have with good health to see the world.
And I think for most people that's realistically it. With a few exceptions (who you obviously meet a disproportionately large number of when travelling) you can't keep dropping your career for months at a time through your life because it looks bad, and even I could personally I'm not sure I'd want to. I love travel, but the things I do in my life at home are what I consider my actual 'life'. The travel is just a sidetrack.
>>1125413
So 30-55 will be the worst part of my life?
>>1125448
If you have children
>>1125448
Well only if you don't find your actual life fulfilling, which is something I'd recommend sorting if it isn't. Travel shouldn't be the thing you live for.
>>1125448
>>1125450
42 year old with two kids here. My travel life has changed, no question--lots of smaller, domestic trips, only one big international trip every year or two--but it is the best time of my life.
And traveling with kids is fascinating. Expensive and difficult, but fun. They love kids in Southeast Asia. And Mexico. And the Mediterranean. Walking around with two little blond boys makes a visitor almost anywhere outside the US extraordinarily popular.
I started working my first full time job just this month at 22 years. I traveled some in the past, did a semester abroad but never really had enough dosh to do it properly so I'm looking forward to have some decent money to spend on my 5 weeks holidays/year.
The job also has the perk that I get to do business trips 6-8 times/year, where I can usually just add 1-2 days on the weekend to see some cities so that's nice too. Maybe if I can save up some decent money in 10-20 years I might do some crazy long term trip as well
>>1125392
I definitely don't travel like I did when I was in college, I saved all year and travelled most of the summer. Now with a job and kid I only have three weeks of paid vacation in a year and a weeks worth of personal days. I have to use a lot of that time for doctors visits, special events for kid etc, but I wouldn't really say I resent that. I still get my one big international trip a year and now get to share my travel experiences with my wife and kid. Less travel, but maybe I appreciate it more.
22 y/o here.
Leaving for a 3 month trip in 4 days. Im ecstatic about this trip but it's also bitter sweet. I spent the last 3 years living at home working full time and going to school part time. I start paramedic school when I get back and I probably won't be able to travel for quite a long time. Paramedics don't make a ton of money and it's hard to get more than a few weeks off at a time in that line of work. Im hoping the opportunity for extended travel presents itself at least one more time before I turn 30.
>own my own business
>have great employees
>travel 3 months a year
I got lucky in life.
>>1125602
What is your business? Where did you find your employees?
I'm 25, have a good paying job, but it sucks because I only get 2 weeks of leave a year. So I take a week every 6 months.
I've decided to never get married and never have kids just so I can keep traveling.
I'm a teacher who only works 157 some odd days a year. Plenty of time to travel and affordable since I don't have kids or a my own house or a steady girl. I do have to save and forgo things like owning a home or having children... but, I'm 32. When I'm in my 40's I plan on marrying some goofy broad who's maybe 29 and can put up with shit.
I am self-employed so i can plan travels almost when i want. The only downside is that if some shit happens with my clients, i must get away from the bar or.the beach and fix dat shit.
>>1125916
Why do teachers strike all the time and complain how they get treated? It's clearly a fairly comfy job.
>>1126205
Because dem bourgeois want to turn it into a not-comfy job, basically.
>>1125413
>3. Mid-late 20s, between jobs and with nothing tying them down
>One of the most common types of people you'll see abroad, people who have plenty of money from their first few years of work, but it didn't work out for whatever reason or they just needed to get out and do something while they have the chance. Easy enough to do when you have no kids and aren't so married to a career that you can't get away from it.
22 here. Graduated in January. Just started working in order to do this. Save up money for a year or two, take off for a year or so. Rinse and repeat(?).
Besides, I'm working abroad now so I'm basically a tourist anyway.
Anyone itt have any experience of simply asking employers for a certain amount of unpaid leave each year? E.g. saying something like "Travel is an important aspect of my life, and I like to devote two months each year to it. If I could be on a contract that gives me that time off unpaid, you'd have a very happy employee who is willing to develop in this job, instead of wanting to take a sabbatical every few years" or something like that. Think you'd ever find employers who would go for it?
>>1126205
The pay is utterly shit. If you're a single guy in your 20s, sure it's enough to get by and even a little more. If you have a family and want to buy a house it's just not enough money, especially considering the amount of education required for the job. That's my opinion though
>>1126212
I'd say that highly depends on your bosses' philosophy, how specific your skillset is, how big your company is, how many colleagues are in your particular department, etc. Ranked from more important to less important, I guess.
I'm >>1126211. I almost certainly couldn't ask for it because I'm fresh out of university and I'm in an entry position that many people could fill. But if you've built up some rapport with your bosses, stuck around for a bit and showed you're a serious, hardworking, all-around swell dude of a guy, it couldn't hurt to put out some feelers.
