The Escape Plan: Take Your Time
Posted on Sep 24, 2012 | 12 comments
It's something special to think about traveling for life. It's a wild, freeing feeling.
Can you imagine waking up and being able to go and do whatever you want?
Of course you can. It's easy. It's what so many of us dream of. But you've got to be careful. Dreams like those of endless travel don't come cheap. You've got to plan. You've got to work. You've got to be flexible. And you definitely have to be patient.
Patience is the key to successfully escaping the grind and hitting the road. Rome couldn't be built in a day, and your travel lifestyle can't be either. No matter how much you want it now, you've got to find a way to give yourself time to put the pieces of your magic puzzle together.
We all have obstacles to overcome and loose ends to tie up before we make the big move. There's a tendency to rush the dream. To say, Just GO, and figure it all out later. Well, it's great to leap. But it's also great to peak over the edge of the cliff and take a look at what you're leaping into. It doesn't hurt to plan, or study, or save, or sell, or wait. It's smart to proofread your work. It's a good idea to let that wine age a bit longer. And it's wise to make sure you and yours are ready for the big day. There's nothing wrong with preparing. The world isn't going anywhere.
For all of those who have succeeded there are 10 people who haven't. There are people who didn't think ahead. There are people who rushed the dream. And there are those who just didn't want to work for the rewards this lifestyle offers. To achieve successful outcomes, we have to work for them. They don't just materialize. Dreams don't just come true - they are earned. And earning our dreams takes time.
Stick to your goals. Don't quit on your dream. Work daily. And don't feel bad about taking your time. You'll be ready when you're ready.
Our 1-year plan turned into a 3-year plan - and we're really glad it did. Our dream is playing out much better because of it.
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Inevitably, if you do manage to stay the course and earn those travel dreams, someone will come along and recite to you the following:
You travel for a living? Wow! You're so lucky. I mean, why not? I guess if you have the means to live that kind of life, then you might as well do it. Good for you!
And to this you will certainly reply:
I know, right! I can't get over my luck. One night I had a few beers and went to bed thinking about cruising the Mediterranean with my wife and kids. When I woke up the next morning, we were on the beach in Cyprus! Can you believe that? It's so easy! You should do it!
And then your guest will come back with a smirk:
Oh you, you're just being silly. It had to be harder than that?
And you will say with all sincerity:
Well . . . it wasn't all that easy (smile). Actually, it was the hardest thing I have done in my life. Yeah, I guess I got a little lucky. But the truth is I worked everyday for years to get this point. I was careful. I studied. I sacrificed. I was patient. And now here I am.
And then your new friend will buy you a beer.
This is Tip #1 of 30 of the Escape Plan. The Escape Plan is a series of posts designed to help motivate and prepare those of you who are looking to break free from your daily routine and make big things happen.
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There are defintly two sides to this debate. I tend to err on the side of preparation like you because I think really planning something can enhance an experience in a lot of ways. On the other hand, spontaneity is really important too. I think like you said, once you plan and get on the road "you can wake up and do whatever you want" then. So it's all about thinking about the big picture.
You must be able to find a good balance between patience and intiative though. If you have a dream, planning is good, even great, in order to achieve it but be sure that you fully intend to implement your plan. Don't plan and dream and plan and dream and never accomplish what you want. At a certain point a little leaping is required. You will never be 100% prepared for anything. Life is full of the unexpected, just expect that and adapt.
I was really fortunate to have the brilliant Atul Gawande as a commencement speaker and he really put it well. Everyone fails but it's how you resuce and recover. Be ready to fail. Key word READY not FAIL. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/06/atul-gawande-failure-and-rescue.html
Kyle recently posted..Why Traveling Makes You Do Crazy Things You Never Would’ve Otherwise
Totally agree. You certainly have to leap.
I don't know man, spontaneity on such a big leap seems like an unwise decision. Why be spontaneous? Why not lay out a plan and go for it? Especially if you have a family like I do. You can never predict if you will fail or succeed, but certainly you can give yourself a greater chance of success.
To not fulfill your plan is just wasted time. Achieving the dream goes without saying. I think part of the point of this article is to say that so many rush the dream and when it doesn't play out as they imagined, or it is much harder to achieve than they imagined, they quit. They focus so hard on the goal, they forget about the process of getting to the goal. And that process takes time.
Good thoughts Kyle! Thanks for the insight.
love love LOVE this post. I am happy to see a travel blogger finally putting the truths out.
I feel like there are too many travelers that sell the dream and tell their readers to just GO, that everything will take care of itself on the road. While this could be the case, I don't think so when it comes to long-term travel.
Sure, you could figure it out on the way, but it will be way more stressful and, honestly? Not even worth it! Prep while still at home, where you still have many more safety nets in comparison to abroad.
Plan plan plan plan ahead.
It comes down to simply being a responsible adult, you know? I like to take what I call call calculated risks. I throw myself, I chase my dreams fiercely. However, I plan accordingly. Always have a plan--albeit a flexible one!
People underestimate how important this is. So glad you talked about it again
- Maria Alexandra
Nomadic Translator @latinAbroad recently posted..San Juan Puerto Rico nightlife tips: A local weighs in (photos)
People do underestimate it. I know many, many people and families that have completely burnt it out because they didn't plan ahead. Now, there is something to be said about going for it and adventure. You can't control everything. But, it can't hurt to think ahead.
There is an initial excitement to this travel idea. It's like Christmas. I think a lot of people (myself included) get all excited and start buying luggage and booking tickets and then . . .
It only helps to plan ahead.
Back when I was starting college, my dad left me with some words of wisdom: "You can suffer now, and have fun later, or have fun now, and suffer later."
While I wouldn't exactly equate college with "suffering", it did teach me the important lesson of defining your goals and working like mad to make them happen so you can reap the consequences in the future.
Now that you've done 3 years of prep work, you'll be able to enjoy your time during your travels, rather than stressing about money, food, lodging...you know, all the small stuff;-) Kudos to you, and happy trails!
Jess @UsedYorkCity recently posted..America’s Last Steamboat: The Belle Of Louisville
"You can suffer now, and have fun later, or have fun now, and suffer later."
That's about it. Although I suppose we are cashing in all our savings for this adventure and lifestyle switch. We will see!
Thanks, Jess! Big words here.
I guess there are as many paths as there are people and as long as your way gels with the people you are travelling with than that's all that really matters. I know for sure that I am a planner--I need at least an outline. I need to have the basics and know what some of my options are before I go and than I am willing to fill in the blanks as we go.
We are currently visiting sunny Southern California from our home in Western Canada and I can tell you that we wouldn't have even survived our two weeks here without alot of preparation. We have a seven year old and one year old twins. We thought we were going on "holiday" well...we thought wrong. With three kids and two just 13 months old, this is work...and we are only gone for two weeks.
And yet, this is what we must do if we want to do the things we want to do...like take our son boogey boarding in the ocean, and take the girls on their first trip to the beach, walk the pier in Oceanside, build a robot in legoland while one of our youngest takes her first steps, and tomorrow the botanical gardens. Nope, no way would I have just hopped on the airplane and just showed up. Now in my twenties, just me, I did just that several times.
Love reading all about your journey and can relate to your boyscout approach to travel.
It's funny, when I travel I am pretty loose. We just go with it. But what we are planning on doing is building a lifestyle of travel. Once we go we are in it. But for now, I feel it is best to fight off the urges as much as possible and take our time. It is harder, but I hope it will pay off big in the end.
Absolutely! Patience is a tremendous virtue when it comes to achieving a travel lifestyle. Monica and I built a life of our dreams once before, but it was largely built on debt and consumerism. Getting to where we want to be this time is taking longer but because it's sustainable it's worth it!
Clark Vandeventer recently posted..The best of times and the worst of times
Perfect point! Perfect!
Completely agree. The more patience you have when it comes to your trip, the better it will be most likely.
Wisdom
Patience
Love
All we need.
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