Quit your job, travel the world !

Written by Romain on Wednesday, 17 of September 2008 at 15:18

It’s always easier to say rather than doing it for real ! Few months ago, I started to follow Christine’s adventures through her blog Almost Fearless. As a former journalist, she decided to quit her job in order to live her dream. Since this moment, she’s spending her time travelling with her husband and their two dogs. They are living the perfect dream and are free to decide when and where they want to stop ! They both were in Paris few weeks ago but we finally couldn’t meet. Here is her interview…

Christine, your blog Almostfearless is a very good place for travelers who are looking for travel tips, writing, photography and…philosophy. What’s your travel philosophy and how would you describe your passion for traveling ?

Thank you!  I’ve tried to make my blog something I would want to read– an honest account of life as a full-time traveler.  My travel philosophy is somewhere between a backpacker, a flashpacker and an expat.  I have an apartment in Madrid.  I have learned Spanish, made Spanish friends, and I’ve become very comfortable in this city.  On the other hand, I still travel, taking shorter 4-5 day trips around Europe.  I arrive with what I can carry, stay in hostels and generally stick to a budget.  I’m not spending 40 euros to take a tour bus; I’m walking the city instead.  That’s not to say I don’t splurge once in a while.  In Croatia, I spent 50 euros for a rental car and was able to explore the islands around Split in a way I couldn’t have on foot.

I’m primarily interested in learning about another culture.  I want to see everything, of course, but I want high quality experiences…. the time to get to know a place, to get past the tourist trail and find a deeper connection.  I’m not travel purist, against do anything “touristy” or spending any money.  I think there can be a balance.  Besides, who’s to say that observing German tourists in Spain isn’t a learning experience as well?

In the very recent past, you worked as a corporate manager…You decided to “quit your job to travel the world”, and then realize your dream. I’m really impressed about people like you who never stop trying to realize their dreams. But it’s not always easy to give it a go…From this famous night when you stayed up to look for a job to the moment you left the USA, how much time did it take ?

From that night, it was about 6 months.  But in hindsight, I think I’ve been planning or dreaming about doing this for many years.  About a year before this trip, I changed my relationship with money.  I began living very thrifty and was able to save over 50% of my income during that time.  I realized how much “owning” things was dominating my life, and when I considered living abroad the first objections I had were, “How will I pay for my house, my car?  Where will I put my stuff?”  I had created financial barriers to traveling, and it took some time to undo them.  At the time, I was changing my lifestyle because I wanted to live simpler.  Looking back, I can see this was the beginning of freeing myself to travel.

You are defining yourself as a “Homeless Vagabond”. I will also experience this feeling during my one year trip around the world. What would be the best advice you would give me to enjoy my trip as much as possible ?

Take everything as a learning experience.  Things will go wrong– you will get stuck in a train terminal for 6 hours or your hostel will lock you out (both have happened to me).  Just relax and take it in stride.  These mishaps will be your best stories, so treat them as the little gifts that they are.  Your attitude will determine how much you enjoy your trip more than anything else.

Also, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to see and do everything.  Spend more time in fewer destinations.  You’ll enjoy it more and get a better feel for a place.

You are also travelling with your husband and your two dogs. How do you see you and them in ten years ? Still travelling ?

Our style of traveling allows us to continue as long we like.  We spend less than we earn, so there’s no need to stop.  In ten years, I would love to still be traveling.  By that time, perhaps we will have permanent homes where we split our time between 2 countries.  And our dogs?   They love traveling.  In Spain, they get so much attention and love just for walking down the street. “Que Bonitas!” they say.  I think our dogs would be more disappointed than us if we stopped traveling.

What about writing a book telling your story? I guess it’s already planned for the future ?

I would love to write a book.  Right now, it’s hard to imagine, as I’m traveling constantly, and just enjoying the experience.  I have so many stories that don’t make it to the pages of my blog.  There isn’t enough room for them!  But I like the idea of being able to share more about what it’s really like to escape the cubical farm for the open road.  That’s a book I would have devoured in my corporate life.  I would love to be able create a bridge for people thinking of doing the same thing– a road map that says, “You can do it too!  Here’s how…”

We were supposed to meet recently in Paris but finally we couldn’t. Maybe somewhere else in this world ?

Absolutely.  If you’re ever on my side of the world, we’d love to have you as our guest.

Finally, would you have anything to add for you family and friends watching the interview at this moment ?

Yes– I promise I will call more, I swear.

Other posts you can read

• The blog’s vietnamese version !
• Interview of two globetrotters from Argentina
• Press review #2
• Romain World Tour on Adwords
• Business card

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