- Round The World Trip in 2012
- Round The World Trip Initial Planning
- Round The World Trip Destination Wish #1: Trans-Siberian Railway
- Budgeting for a Round The World Trip
- First Item Purchased for Round The World Trip
- The Departure Year is Finally Here
- Round The World Trip Delayed for 1 Year
- Round The World Pre-Trip To Do List
- Crafting a Savings Plan for a Round The World Trip
- Leaving on a Round The World Trip in 2 Months
- Camera Equipment for My Round The World Trip
- Five Weeks Before Departure
- New Gear for Round The World Trip
- Cocktail of Travel Immunizations
- Change of Departure Date and Destination
- Itinerary for First Month of Round The World Trip
- Packing for a Round The World Trip
- The Departure Day is Finally Here
I have decided to delay my upcoming round the world trip for 1 year. I was planning on leaving around October/November of 2012, but that date has been moved to 2013. The main and only reason is my job.
My employer have known since the middle of 2011 that I was leaving at the end of 2012. Back in January 2012 they told me that they could offer me shares of the company if I decided to stay longer. At the time, I was so determined to leave this year that I didn’t really consider the offer. Later on in March, they reiterated the offer and this time I gave it some real hard thought. One of my concerns about going on a multi-year trip is the balancing between short and long term goals. And while I would never give up travelling for even the best job in the world (and how could it be the best job if it doesn’t allow travelling?), I was worried about coming home after the trip with almost an empty bank account and start anew.
After a couple of sleepless nights thinking about the pros and cons, I decided to stay at my job for 1 extra year. Logically, because of the offer they gave me, I think it was a no-brainer. Emotionally, however, I had this disgusting feeling inside me, almost like I had betrayed myself. I had structured almost every aspect of my life to make the trip happen this year, and now I was suddenly not leaving anymore.
Time have passed since March, and I’m very at peace now with the decision I’ve made. In the grand scheme of things, a 1 year delay doesn’t really make that much of a difference, but I know I made the best career and financial decision. I’m at an age now (34) where I can’t just plan month-to-month, even year-to-year. Although the company is not guaranteed to succeed, I know that not accepting the offer would have constantly bothered me while travelling. It would have been one of those “could have’s, should have’s”.
The paperwork for the offer is still being finalized right now, that is the reason why I haven’t been updating my blog with RTW stuff. There was uncertainty for a while and I still wasn’t sure if I would leave this year or the next. Things are looking good now, but worst case scenario, I still leave for the RTW this year.
In the meantime, I have planned a special trip to temporarily quench my wanderlust. More details about it the next post.
Comments (6)
qué bueno loco! es verdad eso de que te hubiese acompañado todo el viaje el pensamiento de si hiciste bien o no en rechazar una buena oferta, a mi me hubiese pasado eso seguramente. Además el viaje es algo que siempre va a estar ahí como posibilidad. Pero ojo! no lo descuides mucho! en el primer abrir y cerrar de ojos ya estás tenés 3 pibes y un huge crédito por pagar, y ahí olvidate de sacar el pasaporte a pasear… jajaj no, ya sé que estás convencido de hacerlo el año que viene. Mucha suerte Kuang, todo lo mejor.
Es exactamente eso Mono. Es muy facil de postergar y decir “bueh, lo hago el año que viene”. Siempre puede aparecer cosas impredecibles que te hagan decicir postergar algo asi: novia, hijos, laburo, enfermedad, etc. Es a eso que le tengo miedo.
Sorry to hear that. I leave Dec 8th for a year of backpacking around Asia. If we ever cross paths, would be cool to meet up.
Definitely Adam. Let’s try to keep in touch with each other through our blogs. I wish you a fantastic trip in Asia.
I’m contemplating on delaying my trip one year as well to save more money. There is a video of Bezos who share his framework for minimizing regrets you might find helpful to put things in perspective http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwG_qR6XmDQ
Thanks for the comment and link. Bezos makes a very good point. As much as I want to travel, I guess what I fear is that something else will come up that will postpone the trip once again next year. If could be the job, a relationsihp, etc. I’m someone who likes to have all the options open, and I always thought that the trip should happen first, and all the rest should happen after the trip. More time till departure date means that more potential things could come up that could derail the plan.