Awaiting Adventure

Let's clear this up.

2011-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a few comments about "hating America" or "not being patriotic", and I just want to clear this up.

Ladies and gentlemen, The United States of America is the best country in the world. Think about what we've overcome in the short 250-ish years we've been here! Simply put, no: I do not hate America. Unless anything major changes in the fundamentals of this country, I don't think I ever will hate America.

I hate the American Dream.
I hate normality.
I hate the status quo.
I hate that "going with the flow" is our brain's default function.

And I've done some thinking on this. Do I hate these things just to be different, or do I actually want a change? Far too many times, I think people switch things up for the pure purpose of change--that's all. I myself am a victim of this at times. I did that switching schools last semester, actually. But am I falling into the same trap here? Do I just want to travel and live my life wandering the earth just for the hell of it?

The more I think about it, the more I know I want this, and the more committed I become. No doubt, the thought of travelling on a below-average income and not really having any sort of retirement--yeah, it's scary. But I'm personally a fan of the old saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Going back to the American Dream. . .I think everyone has this backwards. Because here in Normalville, the saying and motto of life seems to be backwards. Where there's a way, a will can be generated.

Blaze your own trails people.
Create it for yourself, and not for people to follow.
Keep things in rational perspective.

An idea worth considering for mobile income.

2011-05-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Once again I stopped by Rick's blog (I swear I'm there almost every day looking for new posts), and he had a big post on how to obtain a mobile income. One such idea was freelance writing. Now I, being the young person that I am, had no idea what this was all about. I googled it.

After researching about an hour, I think I have a pretty good idea about it, and might even try to land a few freelance jobs sometime in the near future to just try it out. Basically, companies need various things written for them on a consistent basis. Everyone knows about magazine and newspaper articles, but is that the limit of freelancing? Absolutely not!

From the looks of things--a lot of places need writers for things such as sales promotions, copy writers, and even ghostwriting (doing someone's writing for them, but signing it publicly under their name). I read through a few writers' blogs, and it seems the best way to get good paying freelance opportunities is to contact companies directly, and not just browse the internet job postings (because people are ALL OVER those sites. . .too much competition)

I've always enjoyed writing--and I've always been pretty good at it as well. I'll look into this, and see where it takes me. Most likely, it's not going to be a huge chunk of change, as I read that only 17% of writers who call themselves "freelance writers" make over $30K annually.

That's about 1 in every 6.
If you incorporate this with low costs of living, helpx, workaway, and other things. . .that could be enough.

Not ONLY that, but freelancing doesn't have to be a main source of income. You, me, or my mother could engage in the writing just as a hobby. I write this blog for kicks and giggles, why not get paid to write as well and make a little bit of a side-income?

Pretty interesting stuff. If you want more freelance writing tips or advice, definitely check out all the websites out there. The most interesting one I found was www.parttimewriter.com

Hope you're having an adventure,
Joel S.

I had the talk. . .

2011-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

I had the talk with my parents this weekend, on Mother's Day--of all times.

I'm actually very happy with how it went. I brought up the two websites I'd been looking at (HelpX and WorkAway) and the numerous travel blogs I'd been reading. My mother actually used the word "exciting" when reacting to the HelpX website. Obviously, my parents and other family aren't going to be behind me pushing me, and saying, "Go! Go! Go!" None of them want me to go, but I'm greatly encouraged that they weren't judgmental of my travel aspirations. I was planning on them being against the whole plan. What a pleasant surprise. :)

That's all I really have for today.
Remember: YOU need to find YOUR adventures. They aren't going to find you.

Where it began. . .

2011-05-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

It's in everyone's nature to travel

Why? Why are people constantly seeking to move around the globe?

There's really two main reasons that push MOST people to travel, and here they are. First off, they want to break free of something at home. This could be a job, a broken relationship, a death in the family, or some other uncomfortable or mundane circumstance. No matter what this is--they want to get away from it and relax. When people enter a new environment, they don't worry much about what's happening in their old one. Second, America has put traveling the world on a pedestal. If someone were to say "I'm going to Rome!" you would probably immediately feel a little bit of jealousy, because traveling is associated with things such as prestige and wealth.

Why do I want to travel?

I don't really like making a big deal of myself, or saying how much different I am than everyone else, but--in this case I think I'm allowed to. I don't want to travel to simply get away (even though that's a definite plus). And no, I don't want to travel to live a luxurious life because to be honest, I don't think the luxurious life is for me.

No. I want to travel because I have a deep love for people and being social. Culture is also an interest of mine. It completely fascinates me how people in various areas react differently to things or events. How people celebrate, the diversity in music, and how people go about everyday life is appealing to me. I think I'm like this because I hate the word "normal." Cliche as it is, "variety is the spice of life."

It's not reckless or stupid--even without much money

Travelling can be very affordable! Again, this goes back to how you want to travel. If you're looking to stay in hotels every night, sightsee, and consistently pay for passes to the local museums, then yes, you're going to be spending a lot of money. Save up.

But if you're going to adopt my method, get ready for an actual adventure. This is the kind of adventure where you aren't totally sure what's going to happen beforehand. You don't have your whole plan laid out in black and white. In fact, you might not have much of it planned at all!

Now, I don't know a whole lot about this. I'm a newbie to the travel business. I've only been outside of the US twice, and that was only to Mexico and Canada--so don't take my word for it. Check out these two blogs if you'd like a few words from people who have been there, done that.

www.AlmostFearless.com
This is a blog written by a couple with a small child. They travel the world and work remotely from their computers. The option of working remotely is probably the safest way to go, and some of their pictures and stories are incredible. Check them out!

www.LivingBueno.com
This is Rick. I actually only discovered his blog about a week ago, and it has TOTALLY changed my perspective on travel. I am not even going to attempt to explain how he does it, because I really don't know. However, he referred me to two sites that are going to be my bread and butter when it comes to world travel. . .at least until I get used to the flow of things.

www.helpx.net

www.workaway.info

Both these places have a small membership fee, but it is totally worth it if you'd like to travel across the globe, across the country, or just across your own state. The hosts on these sites have work that needs done; you give up four, five, or sometimes 8 hours of your day, and they'll provide you with shelter and food (check with each host on the exact accommodations).

Rick also has some tips on getting cheaper plane tickets and such. VERY good blog. I encourage everyone to check out his blog as well. He has some great stories.

My Decision

I'm no LeBron James, so I'm not going to make you wait an hour to tell you what my plans are.

I have decided that I am going to finish schooling, which will be two or three more years, but next summer or over winter break I will take one of these trips. My first one probably won't be outside the states, and if it is, it most likely wont be very far away. I'm thinking Mexico or Canada--again, until I get the hang of this travelling business.

That's about it for now. I'd love to hear feedback from all of you. Comments. Advice from anyone who's done this before. Anything is appreciated, with the exception of spam and haters :)

Thanks for reading!
-Joel S