Comments on: When long term travel turns into retirement http://www.vagablogging.net/when-long-term-travel-turns-into-retirement.html Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:10:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: John Bardos http://www.vagablogging.net/when-long-term-travel-turns-into-retirement.html/comment-page-1#comment-9467 John Bardos Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:55:40 +0000 http://www.vagablogging.net/?p=3977#comment-9467 Thanks for the link to my post. There are a couple key issues that I think are worth expanding on here. 1. Life is short. I have seen far too many people postpone their dreams until next year, or until they have a little more money, until (fill in with your favorite excuse). People spend their whole livings waiting for the perfect moment only to find that it is too late. Illnesses, layoffs, old-age and a host of other problems are the only real barriers to living your dreams. Now is the best time. If not now then when? 2. The Age of Leisure. Consider the fact that in 1850 two-thirds of Americans worked in agriculture and now it is about 2.5%. Technology has also routed manufacturing industries and it is moving into office work. Science fiction writers of the early 20th century envisioned a time of affluence and leisure because automation was replacing most labor. The problem of course is that we learned to consume much, much more instead of working less. I think we need to realize that we can consume less, work less and live more. In my post, I mentioned that the goal for me isn't really retirement. I want to keep working on projects that excite me. But then again, I don't really count that as work. It is more like entertainment. Thanks for the link to my post.

There are a couple key issues that I think are worth expanding on here.

1. Life is short. I have seen far too many people postpone their dreams until next year, or until they have a little more money, until (fill in with your favorite excuse). People spend their whole livings waiting for the perfect moment only to find that it is too late. Illnesses, layoffs, old-age and a host of other problems are the only real barriers to living your dreams. Now is the best time. If not now then when?

2. The Age of Leisure. Consider the fact that in 1850 two-thirds of Americans worked in agriculture and now it is about 2.5%. Technology has also routed manufacturing industries and it is moving into office work. Science fiction writers of the early 20th century envisioned a time of affluence and leisure because automation was replacing most labor. The problem of course is that we learned to consume much, much more instead of working less. I think we need to realize that we can consume less, work less and live more.

In my post, I mentioned that the goal for me isn’t really retirement. I want to keep working on projects that excite me. But then again, I don’t really count that as work. It is more like entertainment.

]]> By: Kim http://www.vagablogging.net/when-long-term-travel-turns-into-retirement.html/comment-page-1#comment-9454 Kim Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:22:31 +0000 http://www.vagablogging.net/?p=3977#comment-9454 Sorry, I only just noticed this blog is written by numerous people, not just Rolf, in fact maybe not even Rolf! Oh well... Sorry, I only just noticed this blog is written by numerous people, not just Rolf, in fact maybe not even Rolf! Oh well…

]]> By: Kim http://www.vagablogging.net/when-long-term-travel-turns-into-retirement.html/comment-page-1#comment-9453 Kim Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:15:48 +0000 http://www.vagablogging.net/?p=3977#comment-9453 Retirement as we think of it in North America is a funny idea, don't you think? We're supposed to sacrifice everything for work and material and social achievement for a few decades and then come to a complete stop, be totally non-productive, until I suppose we get shipped off to some form of warehousing for old people. There are ways to live that are less about money and being time-starved and yet involve the satisfaction of spending one's time making a contribution to the world in some way. How, with all the "wealth" in North America, did we lose sight of that possibility? I think Benjamin Franklin would know exactly what I was talking about :-) Having fried myself with workaholism in my youth I somehow came to my senses in mid-life, so my husband and I are spending a year travelling in a little camper van (starting in a matter of weeks), as a way to de-tox and refresh, mentally, physically and spiritually, before re-designing our life from the ground up so we can spend much more of our time making art and much less of it on unsatisfying (but socially sanctioned) busy-work. We are awaiting delivery of your book Vagabonding, since travel will figure significantly in this new life, and are already enjoying the feeling as we let go of more and more things and outside expectations. While I wish that we'd been smart like you and realized all this while we were young, I also realize that you can't waste your life in regret, and the second best time is always now! Thanks for being an important voice of sanity in the wilderness :-) P.S. My mother has spent the past 25 years living and working in Australia, East Asia, the Middle East, and now Turkish Cyprus, as a professional librarian (I can see the recruiting posters now, lol!). She hit 40, left Canada and barely looked back. There are many roads to Rome... Retirement as we think of it in North America is a funny idea, don’t you think? We’re supposed to sacrifice everything for work and material and social achievement for a few decades and then come to a complete stop, be totally non-productive, until I suppose we get shipped off to some form of warehousing for old people.
There are ways to live that are less about money and being time-starved and yet involve the satisfaction of spending one’s time making a contribution to the world in some way. How, with all the “wealth” in North America, did we lose sight of that possibility? I think Benjamin Franklin would know exactly what I was talking about :-)
Having fried myself with workaholism in my youth I somehow came to my senses in mid-life, so my husband and I are spending a year travelling in a little camper van (starting in a matter of weeks), as a way to de-tox and refresh, mentally, physically and spiritually, before re-designing our life from the ground up so we can spend much more of our time making art and much less of it on unsatisfying (but socially sanctioned) busy-work. We are awaiting delivery of your book Vagabonding, since travel will figure significantly in this new life, and are already enjoying the feeling as we let go of more and more things and outside expectations.
While I wish that we’d been smart like you and realized all this while we were young, I also realize that you can’t waste your life in regret, and the second best time is always now! Thanks for being an important voice of sanity in the wilderness :-) P.S. My mother has spent the past 25 years living and working in Australia, East Asia, the Middle East, and now Turkish Cyprus, as a professional librarian (I can see the recruiting posters now, lol!). She hit 40, left Canada and barely looked back. There are many roads to Rome…

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