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Booking a one way ticket and starting a new life?

BlakeIC

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Tonight the idea of booking a one way ticket and starting a new life seemed like possibly a good option for me

I have a few tabs as of right now open, reading stories/experiences of others

For people here who have done so,

Do you wish you had planned more?

Were you ever homeless?

What was your end goal?
 
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Josh

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I did this. About a year ago I flew to Asia with virtually no plan. Failed a lot, flopped around and wasted a lot of time. Blew through 40k+.

In the end I came out of it with a very profitable business. But man, there were some dark times and I came very close to running out of cash.

The anxiety of not having a steady income can be crippling. You won't know the feeling until you experience it.

Would I recommend this path to anyone? No
Would I do the same thing again if I could turn back the clock? I'm not sure...
 
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MattR82

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Both times in my life I had made the decision to buy a one way ticket and move have been the best things to ever happen to me. Leaving my home town at 23 to a capital city, and then again at age 30 in 2013 moving from Australia to Sweden with my then long term girlfriend (if you have ever seen that tv show that came out last year, welcome to Sweden, well that was like my life for awhile! no shit. My ex and I laughed pretty hard about it when it came out).

The move when I was younger was a no brainer. More jobs, bigger variety of jobs, more bars etc. But the move to Sweden was a tough choice. I went from an 80k (AUD) a year job to a place where I knew the best I could do was maybe working in an irish bar for a few hundred a week. So I used the chance to work on myself, and travel a bit around Europe having my cheap place in Sweden as a base. Opened up a whole other world for me, and have never looked at life the same way again. Ended up getting the dream job I was after at the time too.

Obviously if it's something you do every 6 months or a year, maybe you need to look at yourself for the problem, but if it's a genuine move for change, JUST DO IT! (Just don't leave your kids behind like I have seen some others do, sheesh..)

With my new job I am able to travel every month, but it means not having my own place. Obviously you don't need to go to this extent, but what it has made me realise is that you are definitely not as tethered to a place as you think.

Sorry, to answer your questions though, it's not a bad idea to have a plan. Or know why you want to move. What you are planning to do there. I suppose I am lucky in that it would have been easy for me to go back and stay with friends etc for a few weeks until I found a job.
I've never been homeless. Couldn't imagine how hard that would be. To be honest I've been lucky enough that it would never really be a possibility to consider. If it is for you though, then I don't know if my advice is the best.
 
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MattR82

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That's what I thought! But I deleted that comment when I realised he was getting involved in entrepreneurial projects, hence the 40k.

As we speak I am only paying 20 USD a night for a rather big room at a nice hotel in asia. And could get about 30 percent cheaper at my usual (but wanted a bigger room for a change). Gotta love Asia :p
 
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Josh

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You blew through $40k in Asia in a year?

40k aud. Like 30k USD.

Some of it was spent on a failed business. I was rolling with wealthy friends a lot which upped my living expenses. It paid off in the end though as the knowledge and contacts they shared with me were invaluable. I tried to maintain an abundance mindset and just assumed things would work out. Like i said i am not recommending this path to anyone.
 

liquidglass

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I'm actually in the process of doing this myself, moving to SF. Just bought my plane ticket and I'm gone a week from today. I have two choices once I land. 1) work and make things happen 2) fail then work more to make things happen. Failure is an option but giving up is not.

Good luck, I'd say go for it but that's not based on my own experience yet.
 
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JamesSJ

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Booked a ticket to Hong Kong in 2010, been in Asia ever since.

Saved enough money to last me 3 months before I went. Back then I wouldn't even have dreamed of setting up a business. I was looking for a job/visa.

End goal - I'm not sure I even had one, but I knew I had to get out! But I can tell you it was the best thing I ever did.

I still think about those few months building up to leaving and the initial few months of getting there - a whole new start. It was scary, exciting... really it was living life. Amazing time.

If you have any doubts just remember you can always go back... but you probably won't!
 
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Jake

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As we speak I am only paying 20 USD a night for a rather big room at a nice hotel in asia. And could get about 30 percent cheaper at my usual (but wanted a bigger room for a change). Gotta love Asia :p

Way to be specific. Asia only makes up 1/3rd of the landmass on earth :woot:


Pretty easy to do - Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan... some of the most expensive places in the world. Pretty easy to blow a couple thousand a month even in Thailand.
Very easy to do..even 3x that.

We still need to meet up one of these nights. Maybe aim for the middle of next month?
 
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Ninjakid

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Haven't hit enough of a mental breakdown for me to make that move yet, but I've definitely entertained the idea. Almost moved to Tokyo two years ago, but ultimately backed out. Who knows, maybe someday.

Way to be specific. Asia only makes up 1/3rd of the landmass on earth :woot:
To be fair, just about everyone who's commented has only said "Asia"

Pretty easy to do - Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan... some of the most expensive places in the world. Pretty easy to blow a couple thousand a month even in Thailand.
In fact, Hong Kong's real estate is the most expensive in the world. Singapore and some cities in Japan aren't very far behind.
 

MattR82

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True, but as mentioned above by ninja kid I didn't think people were getting too specific, but yes you are right, the costs vary greatly.

If you were in Singapore 40k would last you about 3 days :p

Anyway, I fear I am taking an off topic thread even more off topic. Hopefully Blake you make the call and it works out for you - it always has for me.
 
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Vigilante

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Way to be specific. Asia only makes up 1/3rd of the landmass on earth :woot:


Very easy to do..even 3x that.

We still need to meet up one of these nights. Maybe aim for the middle of next month?

I blew several grand one night in Asia. Hong Kong to be more precise. Very memorable.
 
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Jake

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I blew several grand one night in Asia. Hong Kong to be more precise. Very memorable.
Happened to me in Singapore. Expensive room, expensive drinks, very expensive black jack table :headbanger:

True, but as mentioned above by ninja kid I didn't think people were getting too specific,

Was just having fun. There are some horribly run down cities in this region and there's also the greatest (imo) and most expensive cities in the world as well. I find it funny when people say "Asia is cheap"

Try buying any car in Singapore or an imported car in Thailand and tell me it's cheap...or cheese for that matter lol
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Fox

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I have done it four times.

- New Zealand at 17. Decided I didn't need University and would do it my own way. Lasted a year doing over 15 random jobs. My favorite was driving a scooter around town with an advertisement trailer attracted. I crashed several times in one week and flipped the bike twice.
- London at 18. Right off the back of NZ I left again to start work in the big city. Parents got my older brother to send me home after two weeks to work on the Uncles farm and save for Uni.
- Canada at 24. No contacts, no job, little funds. Worked out great.
- South America. Booked this week ;)

It scares there shit out of you but that's the point. You are forced to adjust, grow and evolve. Starting from scratch allows to remove old limitations. The first three I did above I had less then $4,000. This time around my funds are higher but I will still be just as frugal until I have a sure way of making money.

Best of luck!
 
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AndrewNC

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Haven't hit enough of a mental breakdown for me to make that move yet,
I just got my passport and haven't had any international experience yet...Is having a mental breakdown a part of the visa process? Or could you choose to go anytime you want?

To the OP:
In 2009 I packed my car and drove from new york to north carolina - I regretted that decision I made for a while....but I later to came to learn is that it's the actions (or lack-there-of) I took AFTER I made that move which made the difference, and not the move itself.

2012- $250 to my name, packed my car and moved to Arizona (best decision ever)
2014 - Quit my job in Arizona, packed my car, and moved to Colorado (best decision ever)
Plus a few other moves....Seattle, NC again, Arizona again,

Now I'm going to buy a one way ticket to Thailand for january (made the decision before this thread), I'll let you know how it turns out....or you could find out firsthand :)
 

Mark396

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March- Met 2 other members for 2 days and only spoke to them a few times. We all agreed to move in together.
2 Weeks later- Signed our 6-month lease.
2 Months later- Moved across the country to live with them.

Best decision of my life thus far. Change of environment was everything.

Fortunately, we all got along.

I wish I got rid of my air bed sooner. That didn't help my spine issues I had.

I can't wait until I'm homeless(nomadic)...
 
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TooSlow

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I did something similar a decade ago, but had a return flight booked for 1 year later. And it was specifically to teach in Thailand. At $500-$1000/mo living expenses, it's not hard to get by there so homelessness shouldn't be a concern. There's always the option of doing private English lessons (or a specific subject in English, at high school or university level) as a fallback plan, or just for extra income. The visa can be a hassle if you don't have official employment, but doable.

When I went, I had arranged a job ahead of time, which as it turned out was totally not needed. Just showing up with a resume, native English accent, and "western" looks would have been enough to get work. I also way over-packed, clothes and all can be had for much cheaper over there. Looking back, I should have researched the various cities more and based my decision on that, rather than where I happened to get offers.

End goal, didn't really have one. I was unemployed and still with my parents, needed to just get away. I didn't extent my time there because I wanted to get on with a career, saving for a house and retirement, and more experience as an unqualified teacher wasn't going to help with that. I wanted to succeed in what I now see as the slowlane life.
 

Andy Black

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12 years ago my plan was to work my way round the world doing 6-18 month IT contracts.

Backpacking and slumming it had no appeal. I wanted to work with the locals and get to know the city like a local.

My first destination outside the UK was Dublin as it was a very easy first step.

I fell in love with Dublin and Ireland.

Met a girl. Got married. Sold the motorbikes and Porsche (sigh). And have 3 great kids and stepson.

So my work my way round the world idea only got me as far as Ireland.

So much for plans eh? :)
 

Ninjakid

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I just got my passport and haven't had any international experience yet...Is having a mental breakdown a part of the visa process? Or could you choose to go anytime you want?
Nah man, you'll be fine. The world is a fun place, be an adventurer until you take an arrow to the knee.
 
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liquidglass

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Yikes, I hear you can rent a nice tent in an alley for only $2,900/mo, as long as you don't mind shitting in a backyard bucket.

Actually got a great deal on a refrigerator box in a downtown alley, just $1000 in rent and $500 for power. :D

- Going to live in a hostel type situation while I start my business to keep costs reasonable.
But I did have a plan to drive out there and live in my car as long as needed to get things going, was going to park on corporate lots with free wifi, camp in golden gate park, and use local gym showers. So to the OP, what's your excuse?
 

Andy Black

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