I am 22, and have nearly finished uni. by june 2010 ill have enough money to go travelling for 3 or 4 months.
I was in your baot in 2006, same age just about to finish Uni around the same time as turning 23. My girlfriend and I discussed travelling together. She was adamant that she would travel.
At the same time as contemplating travel, or working for a 8-12 months to save up for it at least, I was also looking at the job market.
Apart from summer work and part-time term-time jobs I hadn't worked properly. I didn't have a car either. So when I was offered a graduate role in my field I decided to take it. I felt like I'd been living the easy student life too long and needed to hit the grind. I've worked with the same company since and last month handed in my notice and I will travel in February for 4/5 months.
In many ways I wish I would have done it earlier. I would have struggled to save up enough money in 12 months in reality anyway in a normal job, in fact it seems to have taken me this long to have saved up enough in a graduate job. My ex-gf did it though by living at home, working long hours in a good temp job and not spending a penny. And I mean not a penny. She also had a couple of grand given to her by family members. I admire how she stopped spending anything but I don't think I am capable of doing it. Or should I say I don't want to do.
I'm rambling now so I'll finish off by saying go with your gut instinct. My situation seems to have worked out for me.
Write a list of the pros and cons.
Well I am 27 years old and I have some perspective on your situation....
TRAVEL RIGHT NOW!!!
Now that, that is taken care of.. When I graduated from Uni I had only a few thousand USD saved. I hoped on a flight and went to OZ and NZ for 5 weeks. It was the longest I could stay with the saved money I had. Well I came back and worked a few jobs and travelled when I could. A year ago I decided to quite my job and just go and travel, see the places I needed to see. So I left for 4 months and went to Italy, Nepal, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.. It was a great trip. Anyway 10 days after I got home I settled into a career. I can travel now but only short clips at a time...
The reason I bring this is up is that your young and go when you can.. You dont know what job you will go or how your situation may change.. Also you have about 16 months to plan your trip and saved even more money.. Take another job and start saving a bit more... Without having a trip in mind or even planning it how do you know where you can go and long you can be there for. Also depending on where you want to go you can always pick up a job at a hostel and put a few bucks in your pocket.. The worst thing is that you go away for 5 months, you come home and get a job, you save more money and take off for another few months..
Just go.. There will always be reasons not to travel, just dont let them get in the way..
I suggest you save enough money for a round trip flight, and bring a some extra money on the side for things like food, accomidations, and what not...get a WHV for a centralized country, so that you can go to start work in case your funds start to run low...That's what i'm doing soon after graduation with some friends. We're going to be backpacking all over the world for a very long time. we have a couple WHV's just to be safe, and I've talked to some people that have done this before for a couple years, and we got some good information.
You're never to young to start traveling my first time i went over seas, i was 12, but i have been traveling ever since i was a child. I'm going back over seas again in 2 months and 5 days with my school....and me and my mates are currently planning to go back shortly, probably in november or so. I loved it and can't wait to go back, this time will be more then just a trip it will be a lifestyle, because we'll be living there for quite some time.
Long story short i say do it, the experience it self is awesome!
I'd say go for it now. While you are never too old to travel, it is different when you are older and especially more difficult if you find yourself in a stable life situation (married, kids, pets, or good job with benefits?). I think it's also easier to travel young since people are more apt to want to talk with you, help you out, etc. You also wouldn't stand out in hostels.
Go see the world, go get some worldly experience. If you are serious about getting a "career" job you may not get a lot of vacation/holidays starting out. I would advise checking out the prospective companies policies on "leave of absensce". This might be a good compromise, as you'd get a job, but still have a plan for some long term travel. Some companies are good about it, some are not, it depends on the job, and what you'll be doing.
If it was me, I'd take the trip!
Good luck, and happy travels.
I know exactly what you are saying. We all would obviously say "do it now" especially when you are at an age where you ought to be mature enough to travel and yet young enough to begin a career without a couple of months hindering your future.
Some people have travelled first, then worked. Others have taken it the other way. And many are still wandering between the two, utterly infected by the travellers bug... People travel at all ages, even younger than you are now - so I definitely dont think you are too young!
You got to do what feels right for you. Listen to your gut feeling is what I would advise, because many factors come into place and its not an easy decision, despite the fact that travelling is almost impossible to say no to!
Do what you feel is right and remember that nothing is ever set in stone forever, so whatever decision you take will influence your future (obviously as every second of your day does) but in no way will it limit you or put you to a disadvantage. Whatever you choose to do will be the right thing. There are no bad or wrong choices. So do as you wish and dont look back! The world is your oyster, enjoy it!
Go for it NOW! The younger you are, the cheaper you can travel, and the more fun you can have. Us seniors need the added expense of comfort in our travels, and are restricted in many ways (I can no longer enjoy the beach that I love due to sun and skin problems). Not to mention that you need the education that travel gives to build your character and common sense. Just don't go off the deep end and get involved with sex in third world countries where STD's are not understood!
If you are a UK citizen look into getting a Working Holiday Visa for either Australia or New Zealand. You could start out there and then go to SEA afterwards. Would give you some working experience too if you can get a job in your field.
I always wanted to go and do exactly that trip, but for various reasons it never happened. In the beginning I put it off (I was 21, I had until I was 30, so no hurry there) and later I had responsibilities that prevented me from going. I just turned 31 a few weeks ago - and consequently I had to bury the dream of a WHV in Oz. I am also now living with the restrictions of having only 14 days off two times a year.
So unless somebody offers you your dream job go now.
I feel compelled to add that international travel goes a long way to beefing up a resume even if you didn't work during that time. It just makes you more interesting. If you are really concerned about career, etc. Maybe there are some related experiences you could seek out while travelling such as volunteer work or part-time/temporary gigs.
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