Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by michalstanko 2456 days ago
I have been working as a JS dev for the past 17 years, I'm now 40, and what you wrote resonates with me so much. Even though I like coding and learning and trying out new stuff, I've developed this love for Spain's coasts, I just wish I could be there discovering it every single minute, being outside, being physically active. And the older I get, the more I feel this urgency to stop wasting my life at the desk. On the other hand, I have 2 small/ish children and a wife I need to provide for, virtually no savings, living in a landlocked Central European country with dark, cold winters. I wonder if I'm ever going to be able to escape this somehow and really do what I love, or be where I want to be, before I turn into an old man unable to do any physical activity.

And the winter is coming...again. :-(

;-)

P.S. Will definitely buy your book, so I can daydream with you.

2 comments

You absolutely can do it. I met plenty of families living on the road, home schooling their kids, etc. etc.

For me, it all starts with savings. If you really, really want to break out of your current lifestyle, you have to start putting money away, and you have to start now. It might take 5+ years, but if you want it badly enough, you will find a way.

Keep in mind it's a lot (A LOT) cheaper than you think. Most people spend around $1500/mo for absolutely all expenses to drive around the entire world. [1] If you already have a place to live, it's really common to air b n b it out and live off the income from that while you're on the road.

We only get one life. Make sure you're doing what you want with it.

Good luck!

[1] http://theroadchoseme.com/the-price-of-adventure

I'm 47, and finally stopped daydreaming about a different life when I was around your age. You need to make the life you have better instead of fantasizing about escape. Work less, spend more time with your wife, spend more time with your friends. It worked for me