500 quid a day then - can still save a lot on that....

I knew guys earning that kind of cash when I lived in the UK.

I'd rather eat out of the bin than go back to working behind a desk at a computer again.

Made me suicidal.... I could literally feel my life wasting away from under me.

I put it in the same category as call centre work which I managed for about a month before I was comtemplating burning the place down in my dinner break

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Probably not for you then, Ted, I would suggest.

Problem is, all jobs are shit - that's why it is called 'work'. It's just a question of how much one can put up with to earn the money [=freedom] one needs/wants.

Personally, I go for the highest income/free time ratio I can in a position so I might not earn that much but I do have a fair amount of freedom to enjoy what I do earn.

Check your maths, *less* than 50% of the figure, *less* expenses, *less* tax. And... I don't work every day. But yes, it does help with living expenses, added to no mortgage and no employer telling me what to do I (hopefully) get to travel more. Over the next 12 months I will out of the work game for at least 6 months.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

I don't sit behind a desk, I very rarely work for long in 1 place, I sometimes get to work from. I "consult", design and implement systems. Sometimes I am in datacentres, sometimes in customer offices.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

You're one of the lucky ones...

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

There is NO way you are going to convince me that 500 quid a day gross is not a LOT of money. If you choose to work part time, more power to you. Everyone pays tax and expenses and most people could save a very considerable sum earning that kind of money even part time.

You should appreciate what you have.

The short answer IMO - you can't - long term travel costs money.

You want to go travelling on the bike you either have to have an awesome skill that you can take with you, that transcends language barriers, or you have to hang around and save up the cash. There are no freebies, just like there aren't really 6 minute abs, you can't learn to speak a language in less than 30 days using this one crazy trick and you don't really have a long lost relative that happens to be a Sudanese prince that will give you $1.5 Million dollars if you just send through your bank details.

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www.thegreatgallivant.com - video blog of my current year long trip around Europe on the F650GS Twin

Ouch.

Harsh - but fair.

I don't think it is harsh; it is more a case of telling it the way it is. I've been waiting for someone to point out this universal truth.
The thread title is a dichotomy (have I got that word right?) - there is no such thing as a free lunch.

I have travelled for free, in much the same way that the hobos of the USA used to ride the trains, for free (until they were caught and thrown under the train wheels) - in my case it was back in the days of hitch hiking and I managed it for a few weeks rather than months or years - I guess the latter could still be done in some parts of the world, but not in the UK these days.

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Dave

And they said the world was flat and man could never walk on the moon !!

There are ways and means. I've just yet to find them... Or at least the ones that work for me !!

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

When I decided to become self employed I thought it was a great way to gain more time to travel and make an above average income.

To put it simple, it did not work out as planned. Any fabrication biz is not a good idea IMO.

Maybe you could do well as a one-man show as a consultant or psychotherapist ... or do gigs as a contractor for a PMC.

Don´t employ people and don´t invest into hardware, it will not go as you planned. If you enjoy exploiting yourself to no end, then by all means start a business.

Depending on your marketable skills you could move to a country with a higher rate of employment, like the Netherlands, Germany or the Scandinavian countries ....

Are you being thick ? Which bit of *less* than 50% are you missing ?

I never said nor intimated £500/day.

On the note of those earning £1000/day, if you really know or knew people earning that then they are very good at a specific thing, or bullshitters.

It is not always about choosing when to work, it is often about the availability of work. So a "day rate" is a bad price point.

I have weeks without work, so (using your figure of £500/day) one days work out of 30 is actually £16.66/day. You can't save much on that.

Yes, I choose to work this way, and many cannot understand it. I choose not to take long term contracts (I'm with Ted about the siting behind a desk thing). But *don't* assume it is all good times and good money. If I don't put effort in to find work then there is none.

So, suggesting someone should go out and earn £1000/day doing IT work (as you did) was just short of ridiculous. Unless you were offering him that job ?

Oh, and I do appreciate what I have, it is a life, not tied down by an employer (other than myself).

__________________
--

http://www.ytc1.co.uk

Come on guys.... Let's not deviate too much off topic here.

The sun is shining, the weekend is almost here.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

A pal of mine returned from travelling and started a small business: "no job too small just call Paul". Basically he's a handyman doing small jobs that other tradesman dont want to do and that people for lots of reasons dont want to or cant do themselves. He only describes himself as moderately handy and wont take on anything too technical. He has a small van, the basic tools and charges about £10 an hour. Most work come word of mouth although he very ocassionaly advertises in the local paper and he has some sign work on his van. He seems to do OK and could drop it all at any minute to go off travelling again (but I think he has got it out his system now).

Back to the OP though, handyman work doesnt fund travel while travelling, but may be a way of getting some capital to start. To fund travel while travelling one needs to have a skill in demand worldwide. Teaching english seems common based on what others report, but I always thought something that humans always need on a regular basis is best. SO: haircutting, cooking food, medical/nurse/first aid skills, tailoring/seamstress skills, the ability to fix the unfixable (electronics has got to be a good one here), and other stuff like that have always seemed to me to be things where work is always in demand everywhere, or that could be easily and quickly established almost anywhere. Local competition will be an inhibitor of course.

Just my thoughts. I have none of those skills, sit behind a desk all day (in an interesting job though) and like to have more than enough money to travel with. Living on a shoestring is not my or my wife's style.

Good luck with it all Ted.