[fapjacks]

I'd just like to add something to put this out there for anyone in this position: Traveling the world is a lot easier when you are young, and you can travel the world a lot more cheaply than you think. The first because one of the byproducts of being a human being is taking on obligations of various kinds as you spend time in a place, which add up and behave as a form of gravity for your time and money. Also because most people think of traveling in a kind of "expedition" style (staying in hotels, eating at restaurants every day, flying to destination cities) when they should be thinking of traveling in a kind of "alpine" style (staying in hoStels, eating from the market, taking the train or hitchhiking, finding a temporary job).

Also -- and this is never a popular suggestion, but it's a great suggestion -- you can travel the world with a steady paycheck and have your room and board paid for by joining the military. Many Western militaries have personnel stationed on bases (or ships) all over the place, and some offer programs for members to travel at a discount or for free. Even if you never travel anywhere at all in the military, you could save a lot of your pay and pick up a few useful life skills and experiences while you're at it. Perhaps even gain an appreciation for the many various modern-day miracles that most people take for granted (useful for traveling the world in the alpine style, btw).