Anyone ever regret giving up their career for an adventure ride?

Without providing too many specifics...Four years ago I married by wife. I was 20 years old making just over minimum wage, and fed up with my work situation. I had been riding motorcycles since high school, and always browsed advrider, dreaming of being able to have the funds to do a big trip.

I decided to go to school, and obtained a respectable career.

I worked for this place for three years, upgrading my wage to just over $21/hr. I did not make any significant purchases such as cars or new bikes. I strictly stayed out of debt. I realized I was giving up too much of my free time/youth for money I did not necessarily need. I was spending time at work realizing I would rather be experiencing life.

Most of my friends started having kids, having no time to do anything, and did not have any spare money to even go to the movies. I was sick of the area and situation again.

With my career, I knew I could relocate and make a significant amount of money for my age. I made the decision to do this. I am now 24, have a base salary of 84k, and nobody at the job makes under 100k due to overtime.

I seem to be in a vicious cycle. I am now trading slightly more time, for even more money. I have the same vehicles, bikes, and no debt. I am now living in a much cooler area however.

I seem to be driving myself crazy. People around me are talking about retirement and how they are close to it. Meanwhile I have 26 years in this career before I could retire, and even then, my youth is gone, and turning 50 years old isn't guaranteed. I haven't even lived 26 years on this earth.

This brings me back to how I was feeling four years ago. Drop everything and go for it. Except now I could realistically save up a sizable amount of cash in a year. My wife is on board...

Has anyone ever quit their careers, went for the adventure, and regretted it?

Anyone wanna shed some wisdom or advice?

Tough call. Twice in the seventy's I quit, and spent the summer on the road. But I didnt have much to begin with, and finding another job just as good when I returned was not a problem.
I own a house now, and have a better job than I'd ever get if I had to start over. I would not trade that for a big trip. Those can wait till retirement, which for this ff ain't far off.
You can have a lot of fun on a two week trip, and home looks pretty damn sweet when you return. Coming home with nothing but a clapped out bike and a job you'll like even less sounds like a big price to pay for a bike trip. If I was younger, maby I'd think different. Big trips is mostly bragging right's anyway. Not every mile is going to be epic.

Start small. Go on a two week ride. You have to do shakedown rides, figure out what you need to carry. Figure out how much you're going to spend.

My last trip I ended up buying new tires, dropping my cellphone at 60mph, unable to find cheap place to stay or camp, and the $$$ just flew out the window.

Or go with an organized tour.

I can tell you already you ARE goig to go. You've got the wanderlust. Your life will never be happy or fulfilled UNTIL you go. Youll sit in the retirement home in diapers sying "If I had only gone when I had the chance, had my health"

But LEARN how to ride, where to ride, how to save $, and how to enjoy your rides by starting small.

Start announcing it. Tell your friends, your employers, and yourself --- I am going. You must convince YOURSELF more than anyone else. I am leaving on this date. Tell your emmployer you need the time off -- or need to quit.

Once you go once, you'll go over and over and over. And find jobs / ways that allow you to continue your new lifestyel.

I know I will be old and sick one day. Unable to ride. But at least I will have the memories of an adventurous life and stories to tell.

There are those who live an adventurous life that leaves them with stories to tell, including breaking down, going broke, losing jobs, and those who played it safe.

I would give up the career and stability for the adventure anytime in a heartbeat... Lots of poor sobs who lost everything at 40 or older in recent years. The only sure thing is what you are doing today.

What kinds/duration of trips have you done so far? If you have not been out for 1-2 weeks before, then I would start there with wife in tow and see how y'all like it. She may succumb to the dreaded "helmet hair" in a couple of days and call it quits.

After a few days on the road you may decide it's not quite what you expected. I have done many trips over the years and found that 1-2 weeks is about right for me. Plus, I got a little burned out after doing it several years in a row.

Like the prior posts, I suggest start small, keep the job, make sure the wife is 100%, then go for it in a few years if it still seems like the thing to do. You are still a youngster (no disrespect from this 59 y.o.) and have plenty of time to figure it out! A big part of the fun is planning and dreaming!

You are officially the smartest person I've encountered. There's little I can offer you in the way of advice. But, if you've got the adventure bug, try a motorcycle trip in Africa or South America. Plenty of companies that can get you what you need.

Money is replaceable: time is not.

another saying "Time is like Money, you can only spend them once."

I agree try two weeks off and see how it goes.

I'm a believer in having a plan for your life. Without a plan it is too easy to just follow the next thing that comes along. A plan requires you to sit down and really think about what you want out of life. It also helps avoid regrets when you get older.
Having a plan doesn't mean that you can't take advantage of great opportunities or alter your objectives due to uncontrollable events. Life plans can and should be evaluated on a routine basis and adjusted if/when appropriate.
Most people spend their time thinking about meaningless short-term activities. As a result, it's not uncommon for them to be disappointed when they end up where they didn't want to go.:eek1 A life plan helps avoid this situation.

I didn't go adventuring,however I worked 7 days a week for 11 years,made a crap load of money and spent almost all of it.Overtime was something I never turned down,missed most of my kids growing up and was never home.New cars,decent house and some nice vacations.

Three years ago I dropped back to 40 hrs a week and maybe the occasional overtime during winter.You won't see the damage all that OT does to your body until you get to around 50 or so.I enjoy life so much more now that I cut back and still have my career.

As has been said,don't miss out on your life but I would keep the job and take weekend trips just messing around.Couple times a year go on something longer and see if your wife enjoys it as much as you.Your kind of a team in this so you need to be on the same page.I wish you the best of luck with your decision.

Some really sage advice in here.

Riches aren't measured by money, they are measured by time.

i think its a bad thing that we see our work only as a way to make money. so often i hear friends talk about how they need a vacation to get away from work and everything. i´m lucky, i love my job on our farm and i don´t NEED to get away, but i want to see as much of the whole world as possible. we spend a lot of time working, even only 40h a week can be long if its something you don´t really want to do.
career vs adventure trip, i say go for it. if you´re smart guy and you´re good at your job, you´ll find another one. maybe you loose a few steps on your career ladder, but who cares. do it before kids are on their way.

ask yourself, what would you regret more in a few years. not making a career or not taking an epic trip.

I had 14 years in at the same company, 25 paid annual vacation days, OK salary, profit sharing, the whole 9.

Chucked it (at 38 years old) for a RTW ride and have zero regrets.

Now I'm back in the real world, paying dues at a new job, making less money...but I have awesome stories to tell, forever.

First big trip, I was 24. After two years in the Army and six months in a factory, I was ready.
Did I need it? You bet your ass. Was it mostly good? Sure. Am I glad I did it? For the most part. I learned a lot.
But when you take a flagship tour because you need to "bust out", it will never be as good as you hoped. Not saying you shouldn't, just realize your mind is going to play tricks with you.
At any rate, as other posters have pointed out, you need to start small, learn your trade, and make sure you really want it. Big trip's come with big price's. When I bailed, I had a bike, knew how to ride it, and was 100% dead sure that's where I wanted to be.
Wait till your a week's ride from home, it's raining, and you got to catch a ferry. That's enough adventure for a lot of us.

Did something similar a few decades ago, spent 18 months sailing around. Follow your heart but remember to use your brain.

My advice would be to work hard, stay debt free, focus on an early retirement plan - a proper one - based on needs rather than wants. That's what I wish I'd done.

You could be scot free in 20 years (maybe even less with some wise/lucky investments) and doing what you want...

You can't do it the other way around - or at least it's a hell of a lot harder.

After, I think, 27 years with a company I was called to the office. I went home with a severance package, but no job. After a hostile take over and a weekly layoff, it ended the concern of will it be me this Friday.
I got a Sunday paper mailed resume's spent the night with my girlfriend and left. On Friday night or Saturday, I checked the mail to see if I'd been hired. This went on for a while.
The money couldn't last forever and when a job offer came, I took it.
With payments including child support and a house that owned me, I did not see my way clear to hitting the road for a full year.
After retirement, my wife suggested doing just that. A check of the weather forecast for Flamingo, Fl showed low thirties for a low the next night. I rethought the trip.
Price the cost of traveling. For us with two bikes and camping 90% of the time, eating one meal a day on the road and cooking the other at a campsite and traveling an average of 300 miles a day, the cost came to about $100.00 per day. Could it be done cheaper? Of course, but some night, the tent will be too small, too hot or cold, you will want to eat better or something. The cheap campground will be closed or full, it will be pouring rain and no free camping nearby. Tires wear out and other unforseen expenses will come up. I figured the expenses high, but was probably low for a long trip.
Sounds like a great idea, but I agree try a couple of weeks on the road first.
Bob

i'm always reminded of the old adage..."Travelers never return."

those that have traveled know exactly what it means.

also, if you think you're going to entertain everyone with your stories about far away places, forget it, the only ones that will be the least interested are others who have also been out there under similar circumstances and conditions. adventure travelers understand other adventure travelers, the rest of world doesn't.

if your heart rate doesn't shoot through the roof when you turn the key, or you're easily dissuaded and deterred, stay home. there are rewards out there, but they're earned, some the hard way.

Its so funny... Not a single friend actually had any interest in my trip, none. The only thing that made me do was to reconsider my friends.

or soon to be /hope to be someday/ wannabes like me

Here's something I think I just made up: Money and Time, only a very lucky person has both when they are useful.

I can remember having dinner with another young couple also recently married. My wife and I gushed about our exotic travel plans for our near future
.... a week later we were expecting our first baby ... her younger sister just finished law school last month. They have both traveled more than their parents have

I'm retired one month from today at 55 and headed for the CDT!
I've had a lifetime of mini-adventures and that's been fine but after changing careers the vacation time just wasn't enough to keep me from retiring regardless ... I have money, just running out of time

Good luck!