Typecora

I am a 23 year old who recently lost his job. However I am being given 6 months severance and am able to break my housing contract with only losing a small deposit. Essentially I have 6 months of pay (minus taxes of course) with no wife, no kids, and no obligations. My first thought was to either rock climb in Thailand for a few months, try to teach English somewhere, or just go around the world.

What would you do? If tomorrow you had no obligations with the time and money to travel just about anywhere...

Doc Savage

Is your job in a field where you are likely to be able to be quickly rehired after a 6 month work free period? Some employers want an explanation for such long breaks.

If you feel you will be easily rehired, then go for it and enjoy some travel. At your age, hostels are still fun, and you could do a lot on relatively little money.

keloutwest

Do it, but don't make the mistake of not being prepared following the 6 months. Meaning, enjoy the 6 months off and travel, but spend time during your vacation lining up a new job that starts right when you get back.

I have a friend who did this but only started looking for a job when they got back. 4 months later and they finally found one.

BusTrav8yrs

I did the exact same thing at about your age. but after the 6 mth it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to find a job. in the end I started work with literally 10 dollars in my pocket and had to ask for and advance to eat.

it took me 5 yrs to financially recover and put me at least 10 yrs behind in my retirement savings.

I don't regret tne memories I had but looking back would have planned it differently.

Adam1222

do you have an additional six months of savings you're prepared to live off of at the end of your travel? it's not really a golden opportunity. 6 months of severance is given because it takes 3 to 9 months for most people to find a new job.
is there a way you can travel while applying for work back "home"?

BERbound

Don't be in a hurry to settle down. Go travel and enjoy yourself.

Typecora

Very responsible people posting on this thread! Haha. I was only planning on spending ~20% of the severance on this trip and going for 2 months at the maximum. I feel at the age of 23 you can travel very cheap and still be reasonably comfortable.

I'm more worried that I will just get a job and not take the time to do something incredible when I have this opportunity.

Mr. Breakfast

At age 20 I lost my job but had another lined up. I took off on a 3 1/2 week, 7000 mile motorcycle trip, all by myself. I still think about it, and I'm 64. (I sold my last motorcycle, a Gold Wing, and replaced it with a scooter, since I live in the heart of Chicago. I only wish I could ride it year round).

It started me on a life long passion for travel. I owned a travel agency for 14 years in the 70's and 80's, I've been to almost all of the states, and 50+ countries. So be responsible, plan ahead, and go for it!

FirstInFlight

When I was 23 I would have spent the money and enjoyed life. I'm well past 23 and now that idea seems akin to eating your seed corn. I wish I were 23 and carefree again.

Have fun. Life is a journey not a race to the final destination.

krazykanuck

I'm 26 and I say go enjoy the time and opportunity. Before you know it, you'll be back to prescribed vacation time limits and all that crap.

Kagehitokiri

if you could line up job (quickly) first, you would know how much you can spend

might keep housing depending on monthly cost and length of trip youre considering

nomadic.relief

Go. Grab that adventure.

If done right, it will provide memories that will fuel you for a lifetime - either driving the urge to see more/do more, or satisfying that itch so you don't spend the rest of your life wondering 'what if'.

They say it's the things you don't do that you regret, well my mom died last week and the only thing she regretted was not retiring earlier and traveling to Greece. Later doesn't always happen and it's the coulda-shoulda-wouldas that haunt you in the end.

Go. Climb those Thai cliffs, but be open to changes in the plan. Who knows, the best adventure might be in Bhutan instead, or maybe you decide after 4 weeks this adventure was more than you bargained for and you happily head home knowing you tried something different.

travelinmanS

23 and people are advising him to worry about a job? You've got 40 years of work in front of you. Go out and spend that money while you can enjoy it! Travel, sleep with lots of fellow travelers, climb mountains and make memories that will last forever. Their is no glory in being a responsible desk jockey.

SwissCircle

I don't know where you're from, but mixing rock climbing in Thailand with a working holiday visa for let's say Australia or New Zealand, gives you the opportunity to enjoy your life and make some money on the side as well.

I did that along time ago and it worked out great.

You're 23 years younger, don't worry too much about future for any savings for retirement, that will be plenty of time to do that

oenophilist

Should you do something adventurous? YES! Absolutely.

Make sure you have at least 2/3rds of your severance left at the end, no matter how long you take.

But also see if you can combine it with something educational. If you can have an adventure that also improves your job prospects, all the better!