Life in an American suburb is a series of goalposts. Every few years, a new school. Then you go to college, find yourself, and discover that a career is more of the same: every few years, a new promotion/job/grant.
When I realized that, I figured that my joints and back would be at least as ageist as my future employers, and quit. Having watched a lot of Top Gear in school, I bought a dirt bike, modified an old pickup into a mini-RV, and went on a tour of the US' forests and national parks.
It was incredible. Exploring such an enormous and diverse area presents you with a lot of new perspectives. Of course, it was a terrible financial decision which I couldn't really afford, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
As I enter my 30s and start to see my peers get seriously hurt by activities like skiing and climbing, I find myself scaling back my "see the whole world" ambitions. Maybe I played things too safe, but I'm definitely glad that I didn't stay in my rut.
Anyways, it's nice to have a chance to contemplate your place in life and society while you're still spry enough to shurg off a few falls. Even my grandmother took an ill-advised teens-20s road trip across the iron curtain. A good walkabout should be a basic human right.
Then what? I like to imagine that if there is a secret to human happiness it must be something which was available to all the ~hundred billion humans who lived before air travel, boats, cars, cheap foreign holidays. Life would be awfully unfair otherwise.
https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/2019/08/14 I've also holidayed casually enough to know that me alone in a foreign city isn't as exciting as it seemed before leaving, and that the limitations are in me, not the city.
We might all benefit from a stipend to take a long leave for continuing education or travel every decade or so. Many innovations have sprung from the intersections of diverse cultures and fields of study.
Any chance you know any readings tackling this idea?
Yikes.
I would hope if you're planning to take an entire year off - you have AT LEAST $70k net wealth...
You need to invest in a company - but IIUC you could just buy ~$70k shares of Indonesia Telecom (i.e.), live there for 3 years, collect dividends, and then cash out when you're done.
Under normal conditions, I wouldn't want to invest ~$70k in some Indonesian large cap I know nothing about.
But if I wanted to live in Bali for a year, this is a pretty easy way to do it...
While you don't have any equity in stocks, you are also immune from loss there. It becomes a cost - you can form a PMA from 25-60 juta and do an investor kitas fro 18 juta (million.)
You also don't need to give up 70k liquidity, on the risk that it may not come back and for dividends which are 100% taxable in the country (about 23% AFAIK.) because you must report revenue annually.
70K in stocks w/ dividends OR form a corporate structure for about $3000.
The other alternative is b211a/social visa, which is 60 days and about 1 million a month after per renewal up to 6 months, meaning, 4 renewals at 4 juta/million IDR and then 3 million to apply - so 7 juta total every 6 months MAX. 14 annually.
If you need more info, feel free to reach out - surprised this topic was on HN .
You're investing in something easy to liquidate which has a history of not losing value.
You can setup a company here which entitles you to a KITAS.
It's not as hard as it sounds, and much easier than a foreigner staying in the USA, however it will vary a little depending on your country of citizenship.
Quality of life per dollar is also much better. It's common to eat out 3 times per day outside - and don't havd to be rich or willing to burn lots of money - many locals eat outside because it's good and cheap - 2-3 dollars for good quality even vegan meal.
Quality of medicine is also good and much much much cheaper than usa - actually many Indonesian fly to penang to get better quality medical service.
Cost of living even with family it will be probsbly like 1/3 of typical expenses in western world.
If you can work remotely to us or eu company and stay on business visa (mtep) or malaysia my second home visa (now unfortunately out of reach for most of people) them that's the best of 2 world.
Typed from a hammock on a tropical beach.
The news.yc crowd may not be all too different from your managers and co-workers. They are but a similar people in a different setting.
Jk, its the freedom from having to be present that makes retirement worthwhile. I still love tech and I still want to blog, read and talk about tech. I just don't want to waste my life on bullshit meetings and work that is meant to impress some management.
But, eating that food for an entire year would get old quickly, especially for young kids who are (presumably) groomed on American food.
I’ve f’in had enough. And that’s me, the wife and our two kids- not quite school age. No I haven’t FIREd. No I’m probably passing up a raise and a promo (or maybe not). Super linear growth requires super linear decision making. You either follow the sheeple or decide enough is enough and make some drastic change. Im not getting these years back and for the life of me can’t understand those who say, I’m gonna work till I’m 55 and then I’m done.
Anyways HN fam- I’m already done.
Here’s to 2022
See y’all in Penang.