new here...I want to just get up and go...

hey guys, I'm glad I found this site. i've been reading for a few days with great admiration and respect for everyone on here. I finally decided to get an account and ask a question. Feel free to answer or to simply point me in the correct direction of a blog/post that I may have missed.

Anyway, here goes...It seems that a lot of people plan their travel around their work or plan for a few weeks and get everything in order. Anyone out there ever just get up and go one day out of the blue? You just took your list of countries/places that you've always wanted to see, your backpack, bought the cheapest plane ticket you could find and flew to the closest destination on your list? How long was your trip? A month? A year? What was your route? What kind of hostels did you stay in? How hard was it to travel to your locations? Did you get a job? Did you ever come back from your trip or are you still on it? Does travel really require as much planning as people make it out to be or are there people who just wander, who just travel spontaneously and move wherever life takes them? Are there people out there who are just professional travelers who have never lived in more than one place for longer than a month? What's it like? How do you do it? Anyone ever leave the country to just make it their life's goal to never come back because there's too much of the world to see in one lifetime?

I want to hear people's stories. I'm in love with this world and want to see everything. Most of all, I want to just go. Help me out, guys! (sorry that wasn't one question, it was more like 30!) Reply to this

It seems that a lot of people plan their travel around their work or plan for a few weeks and get everything in order.

Anyone out there ever just get up and go one day out of the blue?

Yes

You just took your list of countries/places that you've always wanted to see, your backpack, bought the cheapest plane ticket you could find and flew to the closest destination on your list?

List of places hadn't been yet / cheap flights offered!
Not quite so simple as you really need to do some calculations - like this
Time to travel (week/ 4 weeks / year whatever)
Budget
Cost of living in standard you can accept

Then look at cost of flight + cost of living for your trip

So a more expensive flight to a low cost country is cheaper than a cheap flight to a higher cost country.
Europe & N. America are expensive, africa cheap


How long was your trip? A month? A year? What was your route?

Lifelong trip - tried to make a european driving holiday + longhaul + small breaks each year. Then left to run gites in France

What kind of hostels did you stay in? How hard was it to travel to your locations? Did you get a job? Did you ever come back from your trip or are you still on it?

Does travel really require as much planning as people make it out to be or are there people who just wander, who just travel spontaneously and move wherever life takes them?

As much planning as you want - but too much planning kills excitement.

Are there people out there who are just professional travelers who have never lived in more than one place for longer than a month? What's it like? How do you do it?
Anyone ever leave the country to just make it their life's goal to never come back because there's too much of the world to see in one lifetime?
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