This Economy Gets Me Thinking

5k lasted me 30 days with no steady income (southern california). Its now been like 55 days and my total expense is still 5k. I started working the 30th day i flew in to san diego and have gotten 2 - $1,000 paychecks since..

 

Go.Travel. Leave the USA for anywhere else in the world. It will broaden your mind. You may come back a better person and appreciate all we have here. Although, if you choose Rincon It very Americanized year round but it might be a good buffer to ease into world travel. It does gets really good surf too. As far as 5K. That could last as long as you want it too... If your there for the surf and not the rock star life probably 3 months with no job and no partying but if you get a waiter/bartender job with a few drinks maybe 6 months or more. Steve Fitzpatrick, photographer moved there from Jersey 25 years ago and never left. But I reiterate 5K can last you as long as you want it too. In Indo you could live like a God with that for 3 months. My buddy Ian Battrick lived in Iceland (one of the most expensixe places in the world) in a van on oatmeal, coffee and water for 4 months and spent almost nothing! It's all relative my friend. Safe travels. Do it, now is your time in life. You will not regret it.

 

i think you could make that last you 3 months if you live tight.\r\n\r\nFigure you can get a place for 500 month? maybe.\r\nyou could easily spend 500 on food a month and live well. (This is if you cook your own food and know where to shop) \r\n\r\ntickets to PR are cheap flew jet blue round trip for 200 from JFK.\r\n\r\nLearn to be resourceful and only live with your NEEDS and not wants. That is the hardest part for most people, but for surfers it seams to be a little easier.\r\n\r\nps Generally when I was there if you eat at the local PR owned spots its cheaper then the gringo own shops. The americans charge you american prices.

 

I graduated with the same degree into the early-mid 90s recession and subsequent "jobless recovery" and I did something similar to your plans. Best move I ever made.

 

Do you speak spanish fluently? If not then you should definitely devote the next few months to studying the language. You will need to speak spanish if you want a decent chance at finding a job there.

Like others said you can make your $ last there, just find a cheap place to live, cook your own food and dont spend on any unnecessary things. Dont forget the need for a car but you can buy a beater for cheap that will get the job done.

Good luck man, Ive been to PR four times and if I could just pick up and move I would go there in a second. Plus, the food and women are awesome!

 

If Costa Rica is an option, Witch's Rock in Tamarindo is hiring... They need a restaurant manager. I just got the email and they are currently accepting resumes.

 

If you just want to travel and make the most of your money without working head to El Salvador. Get yourself to Playa el tunco near la libertad. you can stay nicely at La Guitarra for $250/month and food is cheap. Your on the beach with a killer break and many more close. If you get bored jump the bus and start a southward journey through central america you will always find other surfers to travel with. El tunco is a great starting point or place to just not leave. There are also other hostals cheaper than la guitarra but it is the best value, private room/bath, personal patio with hammock and right on beach. Good Luck.

 

I'd say go for it BUT I should point out that in this dismal job market, experience is everything and even 'mediocre' jobs are going to give you that. If you bail to surf for half a year, that blank time on your resume isn't going to impress anyone reviewing your qualifications. Just food for though.

 

Yeah bro, do it! I have met some long term travelers in central america and that is certainly the way to do it. If after a couple weeks I was in with the local crowd, imagine the lucrative situations that you could stumble into. Learn the language, as mentioned above, but also look for american run businesses down there. I met a guy from Jersey had been working at the Tamarindo best western for over a year with free room and board! The world is your oyster, my friend. Forget about the dead spot on your resume, travel is often respected and admired. The next time I'm between jobs my plan is to head south for a couple months and spend that unemployment in colones or pesos!

 

I would value someone with the balls and hustle who uprooted himself went to a foreign country and lived by his wits for a while then someone who rode out a bad economy by toiling in some crap low-level position or worse, hiding in law/business school, and I know plenty of heavy hitters in the marketing field who feel the exact same way. PM me when you get back, I own a marketing firm - we are a block from the beach

 

I respectfully disagree with those who say they would give you credit for traveling. Although it does take courage to do something like that. If it came down to it, and you were interviewing next to someone who has been doing the grunt work (waitering or something) I would hire that person over someone who just took a 6 month vacation.

That's just my opinion. I do think you should take advantage of this opportunity but definitely consider what you are going to say when your potential employer says "where did you work for the first year out of school?"

 

After I graduated in 98, I save money and backpacked Europe for 9 month, ended up getting a temp job in London at the Financials times, which I was able to put on my resume, and fund my trip longer than I had planned. Do it. I am 35 now and have a fine marketing job. Everyone I talk to my age who never traveled says it's the one thing they regret. I got lucky witht he FT as well, it was a boring ass job with no real skills learned, but I got paid cash under the table and it sits on my resume. You can put travel on your resume even if you don't get a job. Anyone you would want to work for will admire you for getting up and seeing the world at the one time in your life you can. Go for it and send reports back. Also while traveling you'll meet the best people around. I still keep in touch with people I met while traveling.

 

its about safety/stability vs. proactiveness/risk-tolerance. If you want to work for the gov't or for a giant corporation, then yes that may look bad but if you want to work in marketing or for a company in a dynamic industry they look for those with a different approach

 

I took the Summer of 2004 off from working. I went to the Outer Banks and lived off my tax return (would've been nice to go somewhere cooler like P.R but the waves were really good that Summer so it was worth it). Point being, now I'm an IT Consultant and I have had to answer why I was unemployed for that period of time. I just told, employers, background investigators, etc., that I was surfing and lived off my tax return. Nobody has ever had a problem with that answer.

 

Do not camp out! Your stuff will be robbed when you are surfing cutting your trip VERY short. Maybe you could stay in the hostel in Rincon for a week or two until you bumped into someone with a spare room or similiar circumstance and could find a cheap apartment together. If you do stay in a hostel make sure your passport/ids and cash are all locked up in a safe. Those are my only concerns when travelling. That and having the right stick for the wave height! Again good luck!

 

i moved to puerto rico in april. trooper cost 2000, house is beachfront 3 bedroom in isabela and thats costing me a grand a month, but i think im down grading to a apartment at jobos. if ur really thinking about moving here try some of the smaller towns around this area. rent varies greatly and if ur looking for a website go to classificados.online.com that or craigslist. milk and bread are also jacked up milk is like 6 bux so u can guess about everything else. and if u smoke weed... god. i have had the best time of my life and i dont know if im ever going to leave i mite be a bum for life. as far as cash goes, if u dont have a way to bring it in when u get here i would plan on doing alot of sacrifice when u get here cuz its hard as **** to get a job though ive heard about them being available at the airport. and most importantly do alot of research into your home of choice cuz im gettin ripped, people here are really proud of what they have and you will learn to be as well. but unfortunately they like to raise the price and claim something they dont have. like my beachfront house... i can see all the way to jobos and all the way to quebradillas but it takes 30 minutes to walk to the beach. and it was advertise as walking distance. i could talk to you all day about the lessons learned when i moved but i aint cuz sun is comin up and theres surf so hit me up if you got questions or maybe need a cheap or maybe free place to stay when u come down, all depends on how much food u bring

 

just remember the first few months of summer are usually dead flat for most of PR