I quit my job in March, 2009. Traveled all throughout Southeast Asia for four months.
A month after I returned the CTO at my old job contacted me and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. How about that.
I like a lot of things about the job/company/people. I think I just needed to get that out of my system. Although, I would like to do more trips in the future.
My life has returned to normal in some ways, but I'm much wiser and more mature than before, and also making more (and saving more).
I can't think of any negatives about the experience. Although, yeah, quitting was tough--including all the stuff you need to wrap up (i.e. moving out, into storage, canceling subscriptions, selling car or other stuff you won't need, breaking the news to your parents, etc).
I'm quitting my job in March next year to travel from Thailand to Mongolia for 4-5 months (via Cambodia, Vietnam, China, South Korea). I will be leaving with the smallest rucksack possible, no computer.
Not sure what I'll do after that yet, but high up on the list is to spend some time with my family who live abroad.
Funny. I am doing exactly the same thing in October. If I'm not going to be working for a while why should I pay U.S. prices to see the same old things when I could be seeing the world and saving money at the same time?
I do plan to take a laptop though because my primary goal is to use this as an intense personal study period.
I want time away from the computer altogether.
I think I'll take my iPhone 3G though, for GPS waypoints tracking, and occasional email and Wordpress blog updates.
A month after I returned the CTO at my old job contacted me and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. How about that.
I like a lot of things about the job/company/people. I think I just needed to get that out of my system. Although, I would like to do more trips in the future.
My life has returned to normal in some ways, but I'm much wiser and more mature than before, and also making more (and saving more).
I can't think of any negatives about the experience. Although, yeah, quitting was tough--including all the stuff you need to wrap up (i.e. moving out, into storage, canceling subscriptions, selling car or other stuff you won't need, breaking the news to your parents, etc).
I kept a travel blog, if you want to get inspired: http://bp321.com/travels
And my top 100 photos from the trip (in random order): http://billpaetzke.smugmug.com/Travel/Best-of-Southeast-Asia...
Do it.