What have you given up to go travelling?

I'm off to India in October and I am giving up my job (in I.T.) and I'm leaving my 2 [doggy]'s with my mother. Apart from that I'm ready to go. Will miss my dogs but leaving work will just leave me with a nagging feeling of having to do the whole thing again when i get back.

Have any of you given up anything to go to India or anywhere else for that fact?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^maz1979^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^

Thats my girlfriend and its her first ever thread!!!!!

She is a woman to walk the mountains with and thats good because that is where we are going

The first time in India I gave up my job too.... I was young.

Lobo and Maz: did you met here at IM?

Serena,

No we never, we met in the stunning surroundings of a pub on the Holloway Rd.

Let me see now what have I given up.
Well there's a career, I've never had one preffering to travel instead.

A car, the logistics of financing my travelling lifetstyle mean that the expense of a car is out of the question.

Owning a house, same story being a motgage holder is just too dang expensive, which gets in the way of travelling!

Children, we decided to be selfish and put our travelling before haveing kids, never regretted it.

Jobs, I've given up more jobs than I care to remember.

As well as all this we gladly put up with all the crap thrown at us by various people because we are not properly "in the system" so for institutions like the tax, health insurence etc etc we don't fall into any catagory their familier with and then the fun begins. You wouldn't believe some of the conversations I've had with beaurocrats who just didn't understand where we were coming from, the reasoning seems to be that we don't play by the rules so they've every right to be awkward.
These days I'm quite a expert at navigating my way through the various systems!!
So don't worry about the job etc there are others and it's suprisingly easy to get everything back to normal when you put your mind to it

Live every day like it's your last, cause one day it will be!!

Happy Traveling

OLD FRIENDS

i find that the more and the farther i travel the more distant i become from my old friends... we have less and less of common experiences and increasingly diverging interests. of course you'll say true friends will always remain friend and i agree (i still can turn up unexpected at midnight at a friend's place in another city and we'll spend the rest of the night chatting and catching up on news) but... there is less and less urge to do that. so there is less and less "face contact" and more and more "see my photos" type of email

is anyone familiar with that problem?

of course there are NEW FRIENDS that you acquire along the way (mostly from distant parts of the world and the contact is again mostly by email... although i now have invitations from Australia etc ) but it's just not the same!!! you know what i mean... Aggghhh...

may be it's not travel but just life...

For my upcoming trip I will be giving up my flat of three years (which I really like -- I have "given" it to a friend), and one of my two cats. I can find a home for one for my three-month excursion, but not both. Currently trying to find a new home for Timmy Jr.

V_V, I know what you mean, once you are away from friends for extended periods, the times when you do catch up are never the same again. You feel as though you have moved on, so it's kind of strangeand not comfortable like it once was.

im off to india in november for 4-6 months
i will be giving up my job in IT too
cant wait to get out....i have done it before but this is the first time in 5 years that i have given up a job to go travelling...its a bit scary but very exciting at the same time!
i have also given up my time too...i have a 2nd part time job at blockbuster video to get me some extra cash...u know so i can buy things like travel insurance etc...
im working 7 days a week at the mo but it will mean i can take 6 months off in november ! a good deal i reckon!

x

Im lucky i can return to my job ,I am taking a 6 month career break and we are leaving mid october to go to india (mcleod ganj, amristar, rikishesh etc etc) probaly return late dec to see family etc.
Plans ater that are sketchy i am trying to convice maz to go back after a couple of weeks and have a another month or two in goa before returning in march to look for a job. Could stay out there longer but we will miss our dofs and families over xmas.

What's the name of your avatar? Is it a great dane?

Cheers for the reassurance guys, whilst i'd like to come home and have everything go back to normal i also fear it. It's like when you first get off the plane back home after a long trip somewhere like India, you look at people and sort of want to shout at them "I've just been to India for 6 months". It feels like you have changed so much and nothing at home has happened................ does anyone else get that?

Serena,

It's a dalmation crossed with a bull terrier and his name is Dante. We also have his brother Midnight.

I gave up a lucrative career as a photographer. When I got back I then went to university to study India, and next month I start a research degree. Being a student means that you get long holidays to do more travelling! I think that I also gave up my sanity!

Me again. I think that pubs on the Holloway Road would drive me to travel............! Maybe as far as Wood Green, perhaps all the way to Enfield............

Retirement, but hopefully not my kid's 4 years at Caltech (36k/yr++). I never wanted to sit on my rear anyway and I love what I do. In any case there is no way I'll ever vest..

Just sold my apartment in NY -- ready to take leave of the job and a freelance gig. It is scary to let it all go and replace it with uncertainty, but with each piece of furniture I give away I feel lighter. It is amazingly peaceful.