I might lose my job.
I say might because right now everything is up in the air, but it’s looking like I’ll be unemployed again starting the end of the January.
I’ve known since I started that this might happen. I was hired on as a seasonal (I.e, temporary), employee which means that I was only guaranteed employment until the beginning of 2010. My hope was that a permanent position would become available before my contract ended, but unfortunately (fortunately?) life has other plans for me.
What those plans are exactly, I’m not sure. I’ve been bouncing around some ideas the last few days, one of which involves moving to South America to teach English and study Spanish. When I was in Colombia a couple of months ago, I met this British guy who was taking a three-week intensive Spanish course for only $180 US and that included all of his meals and a discount on his hotel stay.
As part of my compensation for finishing my employment contract, I get four, free round trip tickets to anywhere my airline flies. So since my airline flies to South America, I’m thinking of taking the money I’ve been saving to buy a car and using it to fund a move to Chile or Argentina.
….What do you think? Should I move country again or try to find another airline job?
Hi, you just joined my volunteer group at Travel Blog Exchange, glad to have you. I was curious so I am checking out your blog. Nice, very nice. As for advice, I have some I will impart. I am older, 51, and missed out on traveling in my younger days because I got stuck in a government job with good benefits. I will be retiring soon and will finally start some traveling, but I was in better shape when young, memory was better, everything was better, so I say go traveling now while you can. When you are older you may be married with children and not able to go or sick, or anything that will slow you down or not be able to go at all. Enjoy it will you can really enjoy. Don’t be in a position that you may regret that you didn’t do it.
Thanks for the advice, Judy. I’ve always felt the same – That I should travel while I’m young…but I guess I don’t know when I should stop. I’ve been traveling and living abroad for almost 10 years and now I’m 27 and starting to worry that I’ll miss the boat on marriage and a career if I don’t stay put for a while. Constantly being on the go and moving around so much makes it hard to maintain relationship.
I guess I thought that the travel bug would eventually wear off and I’d just grow out of that intense desire to hit the road all the time. But so far that hasn’t happened yet…and maybe it never will?
I agree with that too. The advice ( 1st comment). My father has a case of wanderlust, but carried his family with him ^^ He still has it too. So you can still create and maintain a relationship. It’s really up to you emotionally. Some people find an excuse to run away from getting close to others. I hope you won’t twine this with traveling. The nice thing is if you meet people who like to travel, you may have a great relationship because you both like to travel? Anyways I have the wanderlust but I haven’t been able to wander and since I’ve been in one spot so long I kinda picked up a relationship where my partner doesn’t really like travel. He is working hard to be supportive of something he really doesn’t understand that much. It makes it a little harder for me, but I haven’t given up. I hope that things will open up enough where maybe I can coax him into traveling a little more( and we’ll have enough money to).. Maybe it’ll be exciting enough to entice him.. Anyways relationship is work and it’s all about a person putting in the work. If you want it bad enough then traveling isn’t an issue. Embrace who you are. Don’t fear not fitting the mold of ” settle down .” Some people feel that they have to do this and erase who they are deep down inside.
Aw, that’s awful your partner doesn’t like to travel! But maybe it’s just because he hasn’t done it much? Convince him to go on a month-long adventure somewhere, and I’m sure you’d change his mind. Everyone eventually catches the travel bug…it’s contagious!
So your dad traveled a lot when you were a kid and took you with him? How was that? I tend to think that when I have kids, that that’ll be the end of my travel stage and I’ll have to give it up and settle down for their sake. Kids need stability, right?
I think it’s hard to know where the line is between traveling for the love of travel and traveling as a form of escapism. I think that everyone can be guilty of using travel to run away from their problems…I guess the question is, is whether that’s a bad thing or not. Sometimes it’s good to get some distance, clear your head and escape for a little while, right?