Simply, there is no “right/perfect/correct” life-style; it’s all relative to individual needs and for those that chose the 9-5 secure, sedentary life, it maybe very difficult to understand the life of a wanderer on the road …

Regards – Michael Robert Powell
- AKA the candy trail … a nomad across the planet, since 1988

Why did it make me feel like this slowly turn into one of those Stay-At-Home mom VS Work-at-home mom thing.

I am one of those 9-to-5 people who still loves to travel. But I have no problem with RTW or long-term travel peeps. I love your blog and others because it allows me to live vicariously through you. Go travel around the world and explore so I can read about them too.

Do what you love and who care what you do!

I gotta go out there though and say that long term travel has opened my eyes to the world. I think that the longer you’re away from the steady 9 to 5 normality, the easier it is to realize whats important to you. But having said that, I have friends and family that think travel is just a waste of time, and find joy in work and routines.

To each their own though. I’m just glad to see that there are people defending both sides. If everyone quit their jobs to travel long term we’d all be shit out of luck.

So, “long-term travel is superior to traditional holidays”??? Wow! you just brought it! (but yes, I do agree)

“regard it as part of mainstream—just another market segment along with baby boomers or empty-nesters, etc. And that’s a good thing, right?”
Good for who? For travel marketing companies that can make money off of us?
Yes it is great.

I agree with you than long term travel can be VERY special. We are going on our 5th year of non-stop, open ended travel as a family and it’s truly been extraordinary. It IS a dream come true and better than we ever imagined it, so we will continue it as long as it works for us.

Perpetual travel is not really new ( we have 4 friends who have been doing it for over 25 years) but the internet & new economy has encouraged more people to do it ( especially since 2008 after the 4HWW & crash).

It will always be the minority position as most people like routine and sameness, but for those who love freedom, it’s a great time to be alive.

It’s not just about travel, it’s also about “thinking differently” and trailblazing a new way of being.

I think one important thing to remember as a long-term traveller is humility. Sometimes this is real tough, as there are so many exciting stories to tell, or adventures we are dying to experience. But long-term travel is a luxury not afforded to everyone, and we should be grateful that we can do this, not judgmental of those who cannot.

Generally, these posts do not come across as elitist, but this is something to be aware of whether you are blogging or simply speaking to people who are not particularly involved in the travel community.

I do agree that there are millions of people who are “going through the motions” of living their lives, working alomost on autopilot. However, there are also millions of “9-to-5ers” who have great careers, incredible families, are involved in their community, and are getting all they need out of life with minimal travelling. There is a distinct difference.

And on the other hand, sometimes people just like to complain, and there really isn’t anything you can do about that. I work in marketing at a radio station, and you have no idea how many complaints we get from people when we right ads which are not vanilla. It’s ridiculous!

At the end of the day, if you wish to travel and can travel, then travel…but don’t evanglize it as “the only way”. If you can travel but do not want to travel, then stay awesome and keep doing what you are doing….but don’t judge those who do travel as time-wasters or aimless nomads. If you cannot travel, but would like to travel, well, this is the toughest situation to be in. Sometimes people seem to be unfairly dealt a bad hand. Often, travel in some capacity is still possible and there are tons of links around on how to save, plan long-term etc…be patient and keep the faith people!

For us (my wife and I), travelling is something we are super excited about. We have each done a little travel on our own, and are in the midst of planning our own RTW, leaving May-June 2011 (about the same time as you guys!!!) It is unlikely that we will travel for multiple years, as we are interested in starting a family, and we are both career oriented people as well. So we will realize this dream whilst we are overseas, and also come home with aspirations to become incredibly successful in the business world upon our return.

On a much more casual note: have you guys decided which direction you are travelling yet?? I think we are ruling out East, but are undecided as to whether we start by heading west (to Australia) or South (likely starting in El Salvador or Belize). Hopefully we can end up meeting along the way…

Cheers,

Skott