I agree largely with what this Taiwanese traveller says about travel - how one prioritise travel vis-a-vis other things - this determines whether anyone in any developed country can embark on long term travel. So don't say you envy people who leaves work to travel:
http://www.tedchang.freesurf.fr/FAQ/index.html:
How can you afford to do this?
I worked and I saved money. $10000 per year is more than enough to budget a comfortable round the world trip, and I'm spending considerably less than that. The keys are to avoid spending too much time in expensive countries, to drink in moderation, to omit unnecessary purchases, to walk whenever possible (the whole essence of backpacking in my opinion; if you need a taxi to get 1 km from the bus station to your hostel, why not just haul around a Samsonite suitcase?) and to be careful not to be cheated too badly. The truth is that almost anybody living in the developed world can easily do a round the world trip, no matter how much they may sigh ruefully about how they wish they could do it. The real obstacle, as I've told so many people, are the relative priorities in your life, whether it be career, family, friends, and lifestyle issues. If you really want to do it, you can do it and it's probably much easier and cheaper than you suspect. I've met countless teenage Europeans who work a year as a waittress in London or flipping schnitzels in Munich and then have enough money to go around the world. As with almost all important decisions in life, the hinge points lie not "out there" but within yourself.
Other parts of his website:
http://www.tedchang.freesurf.fr/
http://www.tedchang.freesurf.fr/FAQ/index.html:
How can you afford to do this?
I worked and I saved money. $10000 per year is more than enough to budget a comfortable round the world trip, and I'm spending considerably less than that. The keys are to avoid spending too much time in expensive countries, to drink in moderation, to omit unnecessary purchases, to walk whenever possible (the whole essence of backpacking in my opinion; if you need a taxi to get 1 km from the bus station to your hostel, why not just haul around a Samsonite suitcase?) and to be careful not to be cheated too badly. The truth is that almost anybody living in the developed world can easily do a round the world trip, no matter how much they may sigh ruefully about how they wish they could do it. The real obstacle, as I've told so many people, are the relative priorities in your life, whether it be career, family, friends, and lifestyle issues. If you really want to do it, you can do it and it's probably much easier and cheaper than you suspect. I've met countless teenage Europeans who work a year as a waittress in London or flipping schnitzels in Munich and then have enough money to go around the world. As with almost all important decisions in life, the hinge points lie not "out there" but within yourself.
Other parts of his website:
http://www.tedchang.freesurf.fr/
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