“Thank God I have a job!” I exclaimed as I did my accounting in my room during my second night in Baguio. Months before this 9-day trip to Manila and Baguio, I made sure that a portion of my monthly salary went to my personal travel fund. It’s not that easy to be seeing the world without enough money to get you by each day, you know.
As I was listing my expenses, I let out a deep sigh. In spite of being mindful of my purchases that day, I couldn’t help but shake my head. No, I did not overspend. Everything was well within the budget, and though I was only a couple of days in on my adventure, I knew I wouldn’t run out in the days to come. I guess the reality that a serious amount of cash must be burned to experience certain things just got to me. I simmered on this thought for a minute. Then, my mind wandered off to other things, like the backpackers who quit their jobs to see the world.
It is not uncommon to hear and read about people who resign from their jobs and trot the globe for long intervals or for the rest of their lives even. Pictures of and articles about these adventurers who left work and home are sprawled all over the Internet, and they look quite happy. I have always wondered where they get the budget to get them by as they go on adventures each day. Where do they even get the cash to let them experience the rich bounty of a place they go to for days or weeks on end? Are they just filthy rich? Do they have trust funds they could rightfully use or families that financially support their pursuit of happiness? If they go somewhere with only a travel VISA, they are not allowed to work, right? So how come they don’t seem to run out?
Growing up, I have had all these questions swimming in my head. I cannot help but be in awe with these globe trotters who risk it all for the love of traveling. I honestly don’t know how they do it because well, I’ve never tried it myself. For a time, I wondered if this spoke of my character, “Does the inability to let go of my job so I could travel mean I’m a coward? Does this mean I’m not a risk-taker? Does this mean I have false security in money? Must I quit my job to see the world?”
Having these questions about myself and my character caused me to do some self-examination. After giving it much thought, I laughed at myself. No, I’m not a coward. Yes, I know how to take risks. And no, I don’t have a false sense of security in money. I keep my job not because I’m scared of not having a monthly income, but because I simply love it. I love teaching, so why must I resign from it just to do another thing that I love which is traveling? I teach because I love imparting what I know to others. I love being able to guide and coach children into learning more about themselves and their capabilities or talents. I travel because I love learning from others. It is through going to unfamiliar territory that I am able to be more in touch with this big world of ours. Through traveling, I am able to gain more sensitivity for the needs of others. Through conversations with strangers during my trips alone, I am able to see my position in this world. I get to see how else I could be of use to people beyond those I already have in my life. Every time I get home from a trip, I cannot help but spill over to my family, friends, workmates and pupils. This is my reality – I’m happy looking after my family at home, imparting what I know to my pupils in school, and getting to know a place and its people in whichever travel destination I may be in.
So, no, I’m not quitting my job to see the world.
