What are the chances of successfully returning from a homeless hiatus back to the daily grind?

Question

I am a successful college graduate, but cannot get the thought of taking a year long hiatus out of my head. I want to sell my house, my truck and most of my possessions, buy a small eco-car, and travel the country and live out of a tent. Not quite inspired but definitely encouraged by the book "Into the Wild." What I want to know is what are my chances of returning to the normal life unscathed by my temporary vagabond lifestyle?

Answer 1

i think you should go for it. anyone ambitious enough to take on that journey and risk won't have that much trouble finding the path back to normalcy. imagine the freedom.

it wouldn't hurt to leave a modest sum in a savings or investment  account on the off chance your previous lifestyle is hard to regain when you try to settle down again. also this money would accumulate interest while your on your hiatus.

Answer 2

think twice

Answer 3

I like fifi's thoughts, life is as simple or as difficult as you want to make it. one year away is not even long enough to count in the long run. if you become a professional doc, lawer, painter, mechanic at 50, you could work for 20 to 30 years. Heck, drive a cab in NY or San Fran. for a couple months. work the ski lifts in colorado or utah or wy., or mont., work a fishing boat in alaska or maine or san diego. work the off shore oil rigs in la., or tx.,. One year doesn't matter. people teach for 5-10 years then go write speeches for PR firms in the city. jobs will always be there, but i tell you that if you do this, you will become more independent and self reliant and won't want to work for anyone, eventually you'll become an entrepreneur.  There's a 31 year old in my town who started mowing lawns at 10, he's filthy rich.

Answer 4

It sounds like a day dream that we all would like to do at times but in reality, it is like falling off of a cliff in to nowhere. Even if you did do this, you would never return and if you did return, you would never be the same. You would have severe regrets.

Answer 5

im not sure...but i think you should do it. you would probably learn a lot about yourself and life in general.

Answer 6

Saying you want to return "unscathed" implies that you think there may be negative consequences to  your modern day spirit walk. If you go into it with that attitude, it's going to be an uphill battle. My opinion is you can't return from such an experience "untouched".  You are likely to have some positive experiences on your journey.  Just make sure you are living and not just sight-seeing.

The other things is, you've read "Into the Wild". Are you looking for a similar experience? Maybe you need to find a different path.  Why be in a cover band? Sing your own song.

Answer 7

nearly impossible, i'm joining the military because of doing nearly that, basically i was always one my own, took some time off, blewall my money, the, had a crazy ex girlfriend who got rid of every single thing i owned while i was away visiting family, i came back to find the shirt on my back was the only possession i now own.  so jobless, she took my last 8k, and so on, here i am barley getting by, it's nearly impossible to go to a job interview because i have noo change of clothes, my family and i don't talk so i'm staying with a friend, ti's ruff.  

so if you're smart you can do it, but for now, i haven't had cash in my pocket for weeks.

and by the way i'm a college grad with a masters in engineering :D

Answer 8

A year sounds an awful lot longer than it actually is. I'm wondering about all the new experiences you will have, great places visited, interesting people met, a taste of the free and thinking will you come back reluctantly or refreshed. Will you want to come back at all, or will you have found a special place where you can start the rest of your life. It sounds to me that you will 'make it' wherever you are. Happy traveling and welcome back if / when that time comes.

Answer 9

Unscathed, maybe.  Unchanged, no.

Answer 10

i think we all have that idea sometime in our life. if you do it, do it before you have any obligations ie. kids, wife,etc. i think you sound like a strong enough person to be welcomed back. do it and good luck!

Answer 11

Well personally.... No I wouldn't that... if you didn't have much to begin with then I would say go for it... but selling your home and your car and everything else you have is basically making start from scratch..... I wouldn't do it... but that's me.

Answer 12

I think your chances would be better if you did something during the experience that could be placed on a resume.  You see these people that bike across America to raise money for a charity.  They have a blog to document their journey.  Something like that could go on the resume because you can say you raised x amount of dollars for a charity.

Answer 13

Make sure you have something to come back to(parents or friends to stay with while you get back on your feet) .. then go take the hiatus .. It will probably be the best time of your life .

Answer 14

Unless you plan on writing a book about your hiatus, i would seriously think about first. It may pan out, but i doubt it. Plans within plans within plans is what i see.

Answer 15

This a really good question. For some reason, it's not done so much here in the US, but in other countries, many people take time off after high school or college to go backpacking around the world. It's a good time to do it before you settle into the grind. On the other hand, it's not uncommon for people to quit their jobs and go on a sabbatical for some months before returning to work. A couple of decades ago this may have been frowned upon, but many modern companies seem to value people who are adventurous or creative in this fashion (within reason, of course). Some companies may even allow you to go on sabbatical for a few months (likely without pay) and then return to your old job.

Just one thing: don't follow McCandless's example from Into the Wild too closely. Remember what happened to him! I somewhat admire what he did, too, but he erred on the side of recklessness, I think.

Anyway, I admire people who do this sort of thing, and I've done it on a small scale (one month away from work) myself. Good luck!

P.S. If it's adventure you want, there are ways to travel the world and make some money at the same time. I taught English in Korea for 9 months and it was a fascinating period in my life.

Answer 16

It sounds like you have done well for yourself. You have  a house, truck and a degree - congratulations! Do you have good friends? Are you close with your family? Remember the most satisfying thing in life are good relationships. You should not run away from problems. But if you feel you will be a better person by traveling around the country, go ahead and do it. The real key is appreciation for your daily life and your relationships. By traveling you will develop new relationships and that will be enriching.

You can handle it - if you want to.

Answer 17

it would be difficult at best, but i agree you would definitely learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses more than someone without the experience. "Getting back" is all relative though.