Reddit reviews Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

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Hey there! Early 30s here, and have run the gamut of failures and successes, from overcoming divorce to losing 60 pounds. Here are a few keys:

• You are totally normal in your goals for where you're at in life. You're in the phase of wanting increased independence and adventure, and you have limited time to do that. That's a great place to be.
  
  
• Listen to what you said: "I secretly hate the type of personality that will be required of me to do well there." You've made an assumption that in order to make a living, you have to be a corporate lemming or a tool. There are a zillion different ways to make money, so go with your gut and avoid something that doesn't sound fulfilling. Did you know you can be get free room and board while working on a goat farm in France? Now you do. More on that below.
  
  
• When I was in my early and mid-20s, I was paralyzed by the number of things I wanted to accomplish, and ultimately did nothing about them because it was too overwhelming. It was only when I picked one thing at a time and worked toward it that things started happening. First, that was changing careers. Second, it was finally getting my health together.
  
  
• Don't take life too seriously! Have fun with this! Your goals will change over time. I guarantee you in a decade you will look back and chuckle about some of the things you want right now compared to then. That's good! That's okay!
  
  On a practical level, here's my advice:
  
  
• Go read the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts to learn about long term travel.
  
  
• Go look at the site Nomadic Matt to learn about travel hacking. I highly recommend the community forum. Tons of people want to help you travel.
  
  
• Go look at sites like HelpX and WorkAway to learn about how you could take time to travel while also working.
  
  Bottom line: You can do whatever you want. Pick something - I suggest travel - and make it happen. Stay true to who you are, don't become a corporate stooge for the money. In 20 years you will wake up and realize you wasted your youth and freedom.
  
  Keep us posted.
  
  Sam
  

This is the book for you...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FBFMKM/

You don't need to be rich to travel. A lot of places can be cheaper than where you're from.

Depends on what kind of travel you prefer but these are a few I've read and heartily recommend:

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

• My bible for motivation and the reasons why I travel. Lots of information about why you should prioritise travel in your life.
  
  
  A Short Ride in the Jungle by Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent
  
  
• A young british women rides the original Ho Chi Minh trail, well written with a great amount of history thrown in.
  
  
  Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle
  
  
• Not your standard travel book, Guy draws daily life in the countries he's living with his wife. This book is all about his time in Burma (Myanmar)
  
  
  Jupiters Travels by Ted Simon
  
  
• Another motorcycle adventure book, Ted rode around the world on a Triumph back in 1973. Great example of don't fret about things outside your control.
  
   
  
  If anybody has any similar recommendations based on the above I'd love to hear them too :)
  

I was in electrical/computer engineering, so I think I can relate. Just graduated 2 months ago.

• The workload seems intimidating, but it's really not that bad. Professors and other students alike will tell you that you guys "are in for a ride" and that you're "sacrificing for the future" - you do have more work than others but that doesn't mean it has to be your life. This kind of notion spreads because 1) it makes the program seem challenging from the outside and inside, and 2) it makes students feel like academic juggernauts. Realize that it's not that bad - tons of people do it every year.
  
  
• Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." IE - don't feel bad about procrastinating. Accept it, and spend your time having fun instead of worrying. You'll quickly learn the "bare minimum time needed" to get shit done.
  
  
• Talk to girls. Lots of them. Go to the dining hall, sit down, and just chat. Freshman year is one of the best times to experiment with your social skills; everyone's re-integrating.
  
  
• Don't buy books. I didn't buy any books my last two years in college; chances are you can find an old edition of the text online or just borrow from a friend that has rich parents.
  
  
• Make friends in your classes and learn to help each other. If you realize that university is more of a business than an education, you won't feel so bad about cooperating so that you can spend your time developing as a person, and not as a slave.
  
  
• Exams test you on the basics of the material. I'm not saying you should do this, but I didn't go to many classes at all during my last two years and I did just fine. I talked to the TAs, went to the review sessions, did the homeworks, and studied with friends. Sitting down and listening to someone drone on while you scramble to record everything does nothing for your education; reading books, studying independently, and engaging in one-on-one review is way more effective, for me anyways.
  
  
• Start a business now. Something small and unrelated to your discipline is fine. My current employer didn't even look at my GPA - they saw that I started a business, was involved with extracurriculars, and started a photography club. Extra-academic initiative says way more than following the lockstep of a cookie-cutter curriculum. Worst-case scenario, you spend time developing tons of skills (well, I suppose you could always die). Best-case, you don't need a job.
  
  
  
• Get a motorcycle. It's incredibly fun, not only for you, but for the girls that you meet that have never been on one before. Getting someone else's adrenaline pumping is almost as exhilarating as getting your own pumping :). Of course, take the MSF course before you put anyone on the back.
  
  
• Don't worry about having a super high GPA. I graduated with a 3.0/4.0 yet I had multiple job offers; it's more about the personality and initiative. GPA's a re a convenient way to filter through thousands of online applications; a smile and a solid handshake will pull ahead of a GPA in any personal engagement, at least in my experience.
  
  
• Go to career fairs. Even as a freshman. I noticed that anyone who got an internship freshman year had internships every year, and job offers lined up before everyone else.
  
  
• Work out regularly. Endorphins are a hell of a drug.
  
  
• These books had a HUGE impact on me. Wish I'd read them freshman year:
  
  Don't let school get in the way of your education.
  
  Learn about human sexuality.
  
  Learn how to outsource, but be very skeptical about some of the philosophy in this book.
  
  Travel.
  
  
  
• and finally, don't do any hard drugs
  
  My 2cents. Have fun :)
  

https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel-ebook/dp/B000FBFMKM

Read this book, imo.