Hello all, it is Abeox here!

( man, that guy hasn't been on in a loong time )

I know, I know. I had some thread friends on here for a while, so I may see some of you again!

But I am here to update you on a decision which I am considering.

Currently right now I am studying Germanic Languages and Literature (woohoo!) and I love it. I have my graduate school plans already considered, but I might hold myself back from attending a graduate program.

Lately I have been feeling very disenchanted from pursuing my education goals, studying past my undergraduate level. I am pooped from living here in the same city with the same people.

I come from a family of Armenian and Asturian ancestry, so I can speak Spanish (rather fluently (my dad is from a Spanish-speaking country as well, so many of us speak Spanish) and my Armenian is being worked on. I can speak German fairly well, and soon I hope to move into a more 'advanced' fluency, and I am conversationally adept in a few more languages. Right now I am learning Russian in my free time, and I expect to have a good foundation very soon! (incase anyone wants to know, I can speak (all to variably degrees) English, Spanish, Armenian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Old English (though this doesn't matter much today hehehe), Welsh, and now Russian)

I want to go one of my ancestral lands, Armenia, and then bum around for a while. I want to then find a 'meaning' (as some may say) and just go after it. I wish to visit so many countries, like Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Ukraine, Croatia (I have a half-Croat cousin who I can visit! (though I've never met him)) and my Russian will get me around.

Maybe then I will go further West and be in Northern Italy where I can speak German and try to communicate through my knowledge of Spanish to those who speak Italian. I would looove that! And then I could always go to Sweden and stay with my friend for a little bit... I could go to Norway for an evening and watch the midnight sun. Man...

Afterward I may go to Spain and see my relatives and live with them for a while. And my biggest fascination is that I have no idea how long I could be wandering!

This is what I truly wish to do, and I am adamant on pursuing it. I have the language skills to do just this, and I believe nothing would make me happier!
I want to live my life in a more abnormal way, but this lifestyle (the choices that come with it) are choices that will not go against who I am already.

I would give up almost anything I have now to be somewhere elsewhere from here right now, in a small town, or in a clearing, far from the lights, with a large group of people, just shouting and singing and playing along to music. I want to work small time jobs where I can live a simpler life and still be more then content.

I know it would be a challenge to adopt this change in lifestyles, but it is a style which I yearn for.


Thoughts, questions, and advice are all welcomed here!

Status Update: Abeox is currently jamming out at his desk to Roma/new age music while learning Russian. He is pretty darn happy with life.

You should do it man. Sounds like fun.

Maybe if you brush up on your writing and photography skills, you can make a blog about your travels. Travel blogs are popular, right?

Well, if you want to do that, you need one thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVNNhBtBbOs

I love languages. I think it would be very rewarding to travel and learn the languages and cultures of all those fun places you mentioned. One thing though...I would never be able to afford such an adventure. And when I get done with school, I'm going to have nothing but a thirst for adventure, but student loans.

I thought about this. I figure there are two ways to travel, when you're poor but young enough to deal with the hardship, or in middle age when you've got enough money to be a tourist. I think I know which I'd rather be.

One thing holding be back is language, but if you know English I imagine you can find someone almost anywhere who does speak it, and I should use that to my advantage, rather than be ashamed that I don't know many others. I do speak a little German, and of course anytime I went anywhere, learning at least some of the language would be my #1 priority. But I'm sure I wouldn't starve because no one understands what I'm saying. So we'll see.

You got the money to travel the world? Go for it.

That's the only thing holding me back. Money.

I feel you 100% percent brother. I complete my degree in may, and after that I plan to see the world, hitch-hiking, working odd jobs, panhandling. Living unchained and outside the box.

Not much advice I can give here. If you can do it, and you want to do it, I say go do it. Have you finished your schooling? Is money a problem? Are you ok being away from your family for a long time? If I could do it, I would do it as well. This is a once in a life time experiance, but brefore doing something like this, make sure all your affairs are in order. Don't quit school to do this, please finish it. Graduate. Do you need a job if not, that is great, just do give up a job to do this.

Make sure you have everything planned where you can sleep and eat. This will not be cheap. Don't surprise any family unannounced, make sure you are welcome there.

All in all, good luck, I wish you the best, I am sort of jealous.

FInish your education, other than that I disagree with all this. You really dont need money to pull this off. Ive picked up hitch hikers who had travelled 1000s of miles and tell awesome stories living in poverty (by choice usually).

Go travel! I can't wait to finish my degree and go some where and have no responsibilities for a while. I want to travel to figure out more about myself (and of the world). Journeys are always a great tool of enlightenment.

Check out "Thumbs up!" on VBS.tv to satiate some of your hitchhiking curiosities. I'm not recommending you do everything these guys do but check it out.

Yeah good luck throwing yourself to the wilds of Europa with not but a cent to your name.

Traveling your way in your country of origin, the USA, makes much more sense.

Doing that on a completely different continent doesn't.

:shrug:

Finish school first

Traveling might be fun at first and you may even do so for a great deal of time but what happens if and when you get tired of wandering around?

Ahh I was under the impression for some reason that the OP was a native European.



The journey begins with curiosity
And envolves into soul-felt questions
On the stones that we walk
And choose to make our path
Sometimes never knowing
Other times knowing too much

Filtering out the bad that holds us back...
Take hold of what is true to your hunger
A hunger that will not go away
Plans for tomorrow, they will remain

[Chorus:]
Won't you join me on the perennial quest
Reaching into the dark, retrieving light
Search for answers on the perennial quest
Where dreams are followed, and time is a test

No time for mental crutches
The maker has moved on
I will take it raw and be on my way

Those that stood beside me
I'm glad you understand

Behind these written words
I share the simple plan
To hang on to the way that we feel

From rivers of sorrow
To oceans deep with hope
I have traveled them
Now, there is no turning back
The limit, the sky
I ask my questions Why? What today?
When tomorrow?

Filtering out the bad that holds us back...
Take hold of what is true to your hunger
A hunger that will not go away
Plans for tomorrow, they will remain


-Chuck Schuldiner

First things first. money.

I kinda know how you feel, I dont really like my country, and wouldnt mind traveling a bit around Europe when I am older, ofc main issue is money, how exactly will you get it when you need more ? Unless you have plenty in the bank, if so I say do it, you have nothing to loose and will do more than most people ever will.

I dunno where he's from lol.... I was just sayin'. In yours or my case, just drifting around like a hobo would be best suited to do in the USA. And if you were European, then it'd be best to do it in Europe.

Truth

You strongly disagree with me, I strongly disagree with you, but at least we both agree, finish your education. :foodndrink:

For me, living in poverty especilaly by choice is not very romantic or nobel. This is suppose to be a journey for joy, fun and enlightment. Having an empty stomach will not make the journey joyful. Also living in poverty, you can have a hard time getting out of it, if not properly prepared. If this is how you choose it, fine, but for every successful story out there, being poor, hitchhiking your way around, there is 100 if not a 1000 failed stories. Going this route there could be a very strong chance that you will not enjoy your trip and instead of great memories, you will just have regret.

But it's up to you, not us on what or how you should take your journey.

The one thing almost all of us can agree, is to finish your schooling first, because it's so Hard to come back and complete what you have left off.

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar

The money question is accessory. However, you will very often discover that outside western world, your 'poverty' is not, you are a very rich person. I am presently in Accra and, last night, I met a dutch backpacker. The guy was "coolman, let me finish my joint (sorry moderator), I am a new generation hippy, I want to get in contact with local etc...". He was with 2 rastas on the beach. What he did not know: in one night he spent around 30 cedis, this is like 20 $. This is the salary of 1 week of a worker. Usually, scandinavian, dutch and german backpackers are like that.

I travelled a lot as back packer with nothing in the pocket when I was student. I went everywhere in Europe, I worked. To give an example: I left for Greece in 1986 with eq. 400 euros in my pocket on the mid july and came back to France with 200 euros end of september.
I still travel a lot, in funny and hazardous places but always interesting (do you know that Guinea Bissau is an awesome place, Sao Tome, one of the last tropical paradise, Ethiopia makes me cry because it is a magic place). I am not poor anymore but the relations with people is what is important.

Travelling is a spirit, not a question of money. It's to be open to the other, to the landscape, to the emotions and feelings, sometimes very odd (try and eat some nigerian food and you will understand).
Adventurer is a funny name because it is not existing. You can be geologist (like me), doctor, priest, truck driver, soldier etc... and be an adventurer. You can travel without having any "adventures" and just enjoy the landscape, the cities, the food. For me, this is just tourism.

From what you wrote, you want to be a tourist.

Note: if you are armenian origin and want to travel to Azerbaidjan, be ready for serious trouble. I am not even sure you will get the visa. They refused it to my friend

join couchsurfing.com

I've lodged with cool people in some amazing places around the world - 100% free

same! I personally would love to travel as much as possible.

Sounds like you already made up your mind. If it's something you really want to do then have fun and good luck. I spent a bit of time in Turkey and Kyrgyzstan. They're both very nice places but pretty underdeveloped. From what I saw most people don't own a car and walk everywhere. I recommend visiting them in the summer. Well, actually that goes for anywhere.

I would advise against traveling to the Middle East. And probably Russia, unless you refrain from doing anything that looks political. But, yeah, try to avoid politically unstable regions.Unless you hire armed body guards and travel in a group with other foreign adventurers/scientists/researchers, etc.

Bullplop.

If you don't understand traveling on a shoestring budget, don't act like you do, please.

Well I may not know of enjoying traveling on a shoestring budget, I know a bit about traveling when you don't have the money to do the things you want, and can't do because of no money. I am the opposite, I know of not traveling on a shoestring budget.

What I don't understand so maybe you can explain it, is why travel on a shoestring budget or with no money at all? I am perplexed by all this. I will admit, I don't understand it, and wouldn't want to do it.