An Invitation to Follow my Lifestyle Transition

Traveling the world and exploring new places and new cultures has been a lifelong dream of mine. As a teenager, I fantasized about trekking through the jungles of South America and island hopping in the South Pacific. I dreamt of sailing on the ocean for weeks or months at a time, only returning to shore for supplies.

Now, a few months shy of my 28th birthday, I’m in the process of transitioning to that nomadic, location independent lifestyle that I have always dreamed of. I’m setting down my foot (actually, quite the opposite), taking action, and creating my dreams, rather than sitting back and waiting for them to happen (because if I do that, they probably never will).

Over the next few months I will go from driving a pickup truck and working a stable job as the Lead Support Engineer for a growing technology company in Cambridge Massachusetts, to living out of a backpack in a foreign country with only my feet for transportation and my laptop for connectivity. I will build online income streams and look for freelance work to support my travels.

I welcome you to join me as I document this journey into the unknown (at least ‘the unknown’ for me). I will be writing posts about what I did to get the process started and documenting any roadblocks I discover along the way as I transition into the new lifestyle. I’ll also be writing about any psychological effects or changes I recognize along the way (and I anticipate there will be many).

If you haven’t already subscribed to my RSS feed, now is a great time. You can expect between one and two posts a week. I absolutely love feedback and your opinions, suggestions, and comments are always welcome!

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12 Comments

  1. I’ll be there 😀 and here reading about your journey. Looking forward to it.
    DJT that said back in High School that he would never get on a plane and when I was 29ish I’ve traveled to Viet Nam and since then I’ve made 3 more trips. Love the area.

    And IF we don’t meet up in Viet Nam, I’ll at least give you some contacts just in case you need some assistance (Saigon and Hue areas).

    Almost wish I could go along to the other countries with you. But I’m stuck in that “sitting back and waiting for them to happen” lifestyle. First met you playing wolfenstien about 6 or 7 years ago and reading your blog from time to time, it’s been interesting to watch your lifestyle change from apartment owning, renovating a basement, getting a job to the nomadic lifestyle; Congratulations on your traveling dream.

    • Thanks DJT!

      You can achieve your dreams too! Start by setting some goals and then do something to work towards them every day!

      If we don’t end up meeting in Vietnam, I will definitely take you up on your offer for contacts! 🙂

  2. Congratulations Raam! This is a decision you will not regret. I’ve been out there living out of a backpack for ten years now and not a minute goes by that I am not thankful for making the decision to explore the world.

    I’ll definitely be following you and especially your trip to India…I’ve spent over 2 years in India and go back every year, there is no place in the world quite like it…

    • Thanks Earl!

      You sound like a seasoned backpacking veteran! It’s awesome to hear you’ve been to India… maybe you can give me some pointers!

      I enjoy reading your blog — your post titles are always fun and interesting. 😀

      • Thanks Raam, I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying my posts. Did you read my post on “Why Every Traveler Should Visit India”? http://www.wanderingearl.com/why-every-traveler-must-visit-india/

        I think the main thing to keep in mind with a trip to India is that you should take it slow and forget about a detailed itinerary. Definitely have a few places or regions in mind that you want to visit, but the experience is often so wild that you end up in places you would never have imagined. It is the kind of country where you should aim to maintain your freedom and not be restricted by a detailed plan….

        Are you flying into Delhi?

        • I hadn’t read that post until just now — thanks for pointing me to it!

          I definitely don’t have, and will not have, a detailed itinerary! I have another post coming up soon with my rough plans as they stand now, but they are very rough plans.

          I haven’t purchased the plane ticket yet, so I’m not exactly sure where I’ll be flying into, but I’ll be starting out in Bangalore where a friend of the family has relatives.

  3. I heard the news today; good for you! you are very correct in taking the big leap instead of waiting for something (or nothing) to happen. I’ll be following your journey right here. Best of luck!

    • Thanks Dan! I’ll be following your blog as well — your posts about doing business from a laptop are of extreme interest to me, since that’s exactly what I’ll be doing for the foreseeable future! 🙂

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