Was it the "Nice Decade"?

LillyJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

I have never travelled. It can't be fun alone I bet. I'd need to be travelling with somebody because I would expect to experience problems understanding other cultures and getting by.

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It can be great fun alone! It depends on your personality though and if you find social situations difficult anyway it would be harder.

I travelled for 3 months alone in South Africa and have also "done" Zambia, Morocco, Australia and New Zealand at various times alone. (I used to work my bum off in rubbish jobs when I was younger then go travelling as much as I could, getting bar work etc when I was out there).

In all that time that I was "alone" I spent barely any of it by myself, there were so many others travelling alone that we just sort of formed little groups, carried on our journey for a bit then went our separate ways. It wasn't just 20 somethings either, I spent about 3 weeks travelling round Zambia with a 42 year old Canadian lady!

I love travelling so much, I plan to have a year career break with my boyfriend (luckily both our jobs allow sabaticals) and just travel, once we have saved up enough (just spent a lot of savings on house deposit!) and before we have kids.

It barely costs anything in most of Africa (accomodation in backpackers hostel about $2 in Zambia, or $6 for a private room!).

In fact, I have found travelling with my boyfriend less sociable as we had each other and weren't "forced" to talk to people!

I do understand it isn't for everyone though.

oldMcDonald

LillyJ wrote: »

I love travelling so much, I plan to have a year career break with my boyfriend (luckily both our jobs allow sabaticals) and just travel, once we have saved up enough (just spent a lot of savings on house deposit!) and before we have kids.

Make sure you do this Lilly. I never had a go at travelling when I was younger, always thinking that I may 'go somewhere next year'....before I knew it I was 24, married and pregnant! Never got to travel further than Camden / Bath / Brighton (I am on the south coast, draw an imaginary line from those locations to each other and you will see my 'travelling' is pretty pathetic!). I've never even been abroad (unless you count the Isle of Wight - it did involve a ferry!).

Once kids come it will never be so easy to travel like that.

PasturesNew

Phirefly wrote: »

If I were you (here we go) and I was going to continue living & working as you are for the time being, I'd get my backside over to Jersey, Guernsey or preferably the Isles of Scilly. Its still UK, so the rules and regs are all the same, only the weather is infinitely better, the community is closer and you'd not struggle to find similar living accomodation to your existing... Life on Scilly can be like a permanent holiday... plus theres a ridiculous male-to-female ratio. You can't NOT find someone!! (not that I'm implying you're looking)

It's funny you should say that. The original plan was to go to Jersey as I've got family there I've not seen since 1963!! eek!

I'd completely forgotten!

mitchaa

I think it all depends on your current age.

I suspect if you are under the age of 25/30 the last decade will have been a nightmare for the vast majority in respects to high borrowing/purchasing property.

MissMoneypenny

My son just got back from traveling and will be going again in a few months time. This time he will be traveling with people he met while traveling last time.:D

You have bags of personality PasturesNew, so you would find meeting new people really easy. Just get a good backpackers travel insurance and read all the small print before you go.

LillyJ

mitchaa wrote: »

I think it all depends on your current age.

I suspect if you are under the age of 25/30 the last decade will have been a nightmare for the vast majority in respects to high borrowing/purchasing property.

That might be true, but for people under the age of 25, the last ten years included school and being a teenager so money issues were less of a problem, it was just about saving as much as possible to get a head start. Low unemployment helped as it meant there were plenty of saturday jobs for me to get!

Unfortunately for the under 25 age group, university costs went up with the abolition of bursarys and introduction fees.

Also for the under 25 age group, this crash may help things in terms of buying a home, although it may be too late for some 25-30s.

I also don't understand your comment about "high borrowing". Borrowing was cheap as chips in the last decade, which has led to most of the issues we are facing now!

All in all though the last 10 years for me have been fine, but then they have only included 1 year of full time work as I did 6th form then 6 years at uni! I am glad I did not get in to the trap of cheap debt though.

That said I have a fair bit of student debt but to be honest I don't really notice it as it is based on % of income and taken out before I even get my pay check. Without it I know I wouldn't be earning nearly as much!

clobber_2

It's been difficult for me, racked up loads of debt at university (unavoidable, it wasn't all down to me being crap with money), overstretched myself on a mortgage and got caught up in a massive employment upheaval in my profession.

More settled now. STR due to circumstances and that looks like it worked out in my favour. Luck rather than judgement, but there we go.

As for travelling - you do not have to be young - my mum has been backpacking round NZ and SA in the past few years and she's in her sixties. I have admitted to myself I don't really enjoy travelling that much, I'm too uptight. Maybe I'll feel differently when I'm older.

PasturesNew

clobber wrote: »

I have admitted to myself I don't really enjoy travelling that much, I'm too uptight. Maybe I'll feel differently when I'm older.

I've never been abroad/holidayed. I've rarely holidayed in the UK.
I wouldn't say I am uptight.
But I am very, very scared and nervous.

LillyJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've never been abroad/holidayed. I've rarely holidayed in the UK.
I wouldn't say I am uptight.
But I am very, very scared and nervous.

In that case, maybe you could try going somewhere closer to home with an organised group? It may sound stupid but there are coach trips that my nan goes on and she said there are people of most ages there (bar the very young - but 30 upwards). She is widowed and she loves these trips, they allow you to see places but you have the back-up of the guide, and the other people on the trip are often single as well. She goes in the UK and places like Austria. You can even opt to share a room with another single female if you don't want to be alone.

Alternatively (and almost the opposite), you could try renting a cottage somewhere beautiful like the Lake District and taking a walking holiday, or go horse riding or something. It may just get you used to holidays in general?

I just think there is so much to see in the world (even in this country!) that it would be a shame to miss out due to fear.

Phirefly

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's funny you should say that.

People say that to me a lot...