It all began as we were driving through New Jersey in I-80W in route to my small hometown in Missouri for Christmas 2011. Two friends of ours had just left on a round-the-world (RTW) trip and Yemi was jealous inspired. They would be the second couple of friends that we know to have done it. He'd always dreamed of taking a trip like this but figured it was too late since he was now finished with school and climbing the corporate ladder like a rock star.
"We should take a RTW trip," he said.
My stomach immediately knotted up and I bit my tongue as I tried to silence my 3,498 reasons why that was a silly idea. Over the next several months, we talked in depth about what we wanted out of life, where our careers were going and how this dream fit into those plans. I read a lot of RTW blogs and a funny thing happened - it became my dream, too. Ultimately, we knew we had to make it happen.
Now What?
Once you decide to take a RTW trip, the next logical step is to question yourself.
The first group will think you're joking and give you rational reasons why it's an insane idea. They'll bring up the obvious economic woes plaguing our country and the risk of quitting a cushy corporate job. They won't understand why you can't just be happy with your employer's world-class PTO policy.
The second group will encourage you. They love travel and understand what an incredible experience this will be. They know the ideal time to take this trip is before you settle down and have kids. They are your cheerleaders.
After you finish questioning yourself and realize that life is too short to let this dream pass, you'll start planning. You may be a wanderlust, but you want to be a responsible wanderlust!
"We should take a RTW trip," he said.
My stomach immediately knotted up and I bit my tongue as I tried to silence my 3,498 reasons why that was a silly idea. Over the next several months, we talked in depth about what we wanted out of life, where our careers were going and how this dream fit into those plans. I read a lot of RTW blogs and a funny thing happened - it became my dream, too. Ultimately, we knew we had to make it happen.
Now What?
Once you decide to take a RTW trip, the next logical step is to question yourself.
"Are we crazy?"Next, you'll share your plans with your rational friends and family. Everyone will fall into one of two groups:
"Can we afford this?"
"We ARE crazy!"
"What about <<insert excuses here>>?"
The first group will think you're joking and give you rational reasons why it's an insane idea. They'll bring up the obvious economic woes plaguing our country and the risk of quitting a cushy corporate job. They won't understand why you can't just be happy with your employer's world-class PTO policy.
The second group will encourage you. They love travel and understand what an incredible experience this will be. They know the ideal time to take this trip is before you settle down and have kids. They are your cheerleaders.
After you finish questioning yourself and realize that life is too short to let this dream pass, you'll start planning. You may be a wanderlust, but you want to be a responsible wanderlust!
Can you take a 6 month leave of absence instead of quitting? (Or do you plan on being longer than 6 months?)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I don't think that's an option for us given our plans upon returning. It would be comforting to have a job waiting when we return though, so it's something we haven't ruled out requesting.
DeleteJan