This seems a bit specious. I've done things along this line, and it was great, but I had some support infrastructure and a tiny bit of money to actually pay for shit. You're going to need to also build the ability to support yourself for realsies (financially) as well when you return or during, otherwise you're just another idiot who flew to Thailand with $0 in the hopes random ppl will fund your vacation. With some savings, and some ability to work jobs that you'd find anywhere, then ya go make what you can of it, but this isn't that case... yet

Not a thought that would have crossed my mind. My mental model was more along the lines of Paul Erdős showing up on famous mathematicians doorsteps asking for a place to live. I don't think anyone accused him of being some loafer trying to hitch a free ride. I mean if you backpack and people don't even want you around for free then how on earth are you ever going to get that faang cash money.

I feel like we might just have different ideas of backpacking. People wouldn't want you around for free if you are net negative, but if you're suggesting what is basically an unpaid internship for strangers, then I just didn't interpret backpacking to mean that.

I'm suggesting that, if you're unemployed, you can literally do anything. With or without money you have the power to change the world. So what you choose to do with that freedom says something about who you are as a person.

I always talk about my time traveling and riding trains and going to antarctica in interviews. Most of the time it breaks up the monotonous interview process and allows me to stand out in the crowd.

Anyone with time travel experience should have no problem getting a job :)