How to Quit Your Job, Travel, and Work on What You Want
(this was the initial writing outline for all chapters)
Chapter Names
00 Is This For Me (and by me I mean you, the reader me)?
01 Life, Interrupted
02 Freedom, Bubbling
03 Freedom, But at What Cost?
04 Freedom, Almost
05 Freedom, In Bullet Time
06 Sell ALL THE THINGS
07 Queens, Danes, and Leprechauns
08 Palest Guy In Barcelona, Summer of 29
09 Seattle, you can’t trick me
10 Here We Go Again, Now With Electrolytes
11 Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A
12 The Best Things In Life Are Complicated
13 Summer of Freedom, Summer of 30
14 Slow down, you’re going to pull something
15 A guy, a macbook pro, and a markdown editor
Mild outline
0 Is This For Me (and by me I mean you, the reader me)?
1 Life, Interrupted
- what prompted action
- stuck, rut, bored, depressed, sucks
2 Freedom, Bubbling
- what if i cut off old life and moved? oh, the places you’ll go.
- everybody is always happier, healthier, more successful tomorrow. tomorrow.
3 Freedom, But at What Cost?
- how much do I need to become income free? runway = spend / cash
4 Freedom, Almost
- quit, what now?
5 Freedom, In Bullet Time
- oh, move around
6 Sell ALL THE THINGS
7 Queens, Danes, and Leprechauns
- First Leg, First Two
8 Palest Guy In Barcelona, Summer of 29
- First Leg, First Stop
9 Seattle, you can’t trick me
- Second Leg, Second Stop
10 Here We Go Again, Now With Electrolytes
- Third Leg, Ongoing
11 Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A
- Fourth Leg, Third Stop
12 The Best Things In Life Are Complicated
- Fifth Leg, No Stops
13 Summer of Freedom, Summer of 30
14 Slow down, you’re going to pull something
- Slowing to a Stop
15 A guy, a macbook pro, and a markdown editor
- Here we are
Chapter flesh
00-preface
- Do you have what it takes?
01-step one: have a vague ideas
02-step two: do something about it
- My Path
- job for thee years, going no where. needed more.
- no good jobs. applied for a few, either too cheap or denied.
- so, move. the world is big. explore.
03-step three: no turning back
- goal: financially sufficient for eight months to a year.
- paid off cards, earlier in the year paid off car, save save save
- ended up with 30k saved, sold car for 10k, took 10k off card
Do it do it do it
- week before quitting, downloaded a BBC show. Decided to go to the UK.
- got passport January 2, 2012 (office closed Jan 1).
- there is no concrete travel plans
work on own projects, enjoy a stable routine.
while not having concrete plans, an offer.
04-sell-move
- so, with plan in hand, gotta get rid of apartment. sell car.
- craigslist most expensive/nice things (total blender, bike trainer, free netbook, etc)
- craigslist car
- car gone within a week.
- craigslist selling goes slower. some things don’t sell. get storage unit.
05-first-tiny-jump
- Five Jumps
- sfo -> atl -> lhr -> dub -> bcn -> sea …
06-land-to-rest
- First two travel cities, then stop in third travel city for three months.
07-jumpers
- Seattle
08-almost-landing
- Seattle No Go. More Travel Plans. Sea -> Atl -> NYC -> Dub -> LHR -> Austin
09-jump-jump
- Detail NYC, Dublin, LHR, Austin experiences. … below?
10-a-new-hope
- NYC, first time
11-ponding
- Dublin, London, second time
12-halloween
- Austin, San Francisco
13-a-new-home
- New York II
14-nope
- Six months there, nope.
15-move-move-move
- A Summer of Warmth. Miami, Puerto Viejo Costa Rica, San Diego, LA, Road trip to Atlanta and back, LA, Santa Monica, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, amtrak to Dallas, Houston, New York, Boston.
16-a-hard-landing
- Imminent Job.
17-almost
- Almost made it, but money ran out.
18-unexpecteds
- Few plans, let unexpected happen, catalog of top unexpected things.
19-endings-of-beginnings
- So here we are, a year and a half later, and everything is fine.