Comment by betwixthewires | Hacker News Reader

Comment by betwixthewires | Hacker News Reader

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I did it, years be for covid. I could afford it if I significantly reduced my lifestyle, so I did. I have wanted to see how much I can reduce my lifestyle anyway as a sort of getting to know yourself, endurance experiment.

I wasn't burned out. I liked my job and my work. It wasn't the most consequential work, I was writing code for some product I didn't really believe in, but I enjoyed it. But my boss was insufferable. I think he was bipolar or something. So one day after the 100th time of toying with me to prove to himself who's in charge, I just quit, right there, on the spot, turned in my security keys to the building and left. I wasn't planning on it, I just realized that this man is never going to just let me contribute what I have to offer and enjoy my job and it was not going to get better, so I was not going to give him one more second of my life.

I have worked an odd job or two since and did a little bit of freelance coding. I've drifted quite a bit. It gets boring, but I am also much more at ease. I want to do something but I need to call my own shots. I have built some skills and hobbies I have wanted to build in my free time, and I have found my minimum lifestyle that I am happy with, there are a few ways I want to try to reduce further, and also I have put off lots of things I thought I wanted to do, and things I still think I want to do, but I think I'll figure out how to do them or whether I really want to eventually.

I followed a very similar path, but to stave off boredom, I spent two years driving from Alaska to Argentina through 17 countries, then three years driving all the way around Africa through 35 countries.

They cost about the same per month as living in a city and going to work, so it's really not a big deal, financially.

I do some freelance writing for magazines, I've written a few books, I do speaking engagements. I have less money than when I was slinging code, and I'm about 9000 times happier and can hardly remember work stress as a thing.

I'm just about to set off on my next major expedition, and at age 39 I couldn't be happier I decided to quit the rate race when I did! I wouldn't go back for all the money in the world.

The other day it struck me that we live in a literal fairy tale, with real monsters, fantasmal lands and people and creatures, and unthinkable, magical phenomena. Most people choose mundanity (even when not constrained by socio-economics) and they set themselves up in a bubble where they "forget" there's a fairy tale outside. Somehow people like you reject mundanity, and I find this all fascinating.

Edit: This reminds me of the concept of "social integration" in sociology. Some works of fiction cast it as "conformity".

Don’t you feel the need to set down roots of some kind? I would want a regular group of friends to see, a relationship, community… Doing something like this seems like it would prevent any kind of close relationships.

As I get older that is becoming more of a thing, yes.

My long term plan going forward is that I'll likely stay at a "home base" for a year or three so I can have all those things you mention, then hit the road for a year or so before coming back to that same home base.

It's a tough thing to balance, but on the whole I know I wouldn't be happy if i just stayed in one place indefinitely.

what was your vehicle of choice for the expedition?

Also, what was your most memorable place you've seen in the Americas? Africa?

Bad bosses are just intolerable. In fact, it often takes some sort of psychological disfunction to rise up the corporate ladder. Or you are endowed with such a personality due to cultural integration.

What do you do for money though? I know you mentioned odd job or two but my biggest concern is long term sustainability. Surely one needs to pay the bills somehow after the honeymoon period is over.

The trick for me was to reduce the bills. It isn't easy for most people. You'll find that you don't need 99% of the things you think you do need, and there are things that are free that you need that you aren't getting because you've got no time to pursue them. And things that are free that are just more rewarding.

I don't live in a city. I doubt I ever will again. There's nothing there for human beings, they're hostile to us, they're sirens on sharp rocks.

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