Every now and then, I will get a question like, How can you swing these trips?
My answer generally includes: good fortune, seizing opportunities, luck, curiosity, generous friends and family, time, money, just love to travel.
I tend to tell people, especially if they are younger, first get the time. You want to live overseas? Carve out six months, or even better, a year. You want to take a vacation, and you're going to Asia? You need three weeks minimum. So always I focus on the time first. Getting the time is often the most challenging bit. Then to the biggest stumbling block for many: money. What I tell people is that, if you are educated and you speak English as your native language, and you have a bit of drive and determination, you can get a job teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in many countries in the world, and the contract you sign should give you the income to live a decent life and save money for your flight back home. It's at least a break-even proposition. Once time and money are handled, then often the conversation turns to the most challenging hurdle: F-E-A-R. The thought of actually travelling overseas, much less moving to a strange land, paralyzes many people. This fear keeps people from acting. Sad, but true. For those not overwhelmed by fear, all the other intangibles can make it happen - the ones I listed above. You have to want it. You have to do some research. Your curiosity has to be off the charts.
My answer generally includes: good fortune, seizing opportunities, luck, curiosity, generous friends and family, time, money, just love to travel.
I tend to tell people, especially if they are younger, first get the time. You want to live overseas? Carve out six months, or even better, a year. You want to take a vacation, and you're going to Asia? You need three weeks minimum. So always I focus on the time first. Getting the time is often the most challenging bit. Then to the biggest stumbling block for many: money. What I tell people is that, if you are educated and you speak English as your native language, and you have a bit of drive and determination, you can get a job teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) in many countries in the world, and the contract you sign should give you the income to live a decent life and save money for your flight back home. It's at least a break-even proposition. Once time and money are handled, then often the conversation turns to the most challenging hurdle: F-E-A-R. The thought of actually travelling overseas, much less moving to a strange land, paralyzes many people. This fear keeps people from acting. Sad, but true. For those not overwhelmed by fear, all the other intangibles can make it happen - the ones I listed above. You have to want it. You have to do some research. Your curiosity has to be off the charts.
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