I'm absolutely loving it. I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week. At this point, I don't even consider it life.
Previously I drove Alaska to Argentina - 16 countries over 2 years and 40,000 miles. I also loved every second of that! [2]
I don't plan on cutting back yet, but I'd like to know for the future, since I've never actually met a career professional doing so.
> Portugal is the member state with the fifth longest period of paternity leave, with a potential of 21 weeks to care for their newborns. However, this report paints a different picture when it comes to the division of domestic chores. Here, Portugal joins Estonia, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey as among the countries where women put in three times more time on such tasks than their male counterparts.
That sounds in Portugal fathers are more expected to work/be a career man, and mothers stay home, than in the Netherlands.
They do most of the chores despite having jobs. We're a very patriarchal society still.
That answers your own question, does it not? That is, fathers don't take time off to spend more time with their babies because they are too poor to risk losing that job?
(This assumes that men tend to be paid more than women.)
That is, if only 10% take time off, and you only know 5 middle-class people who could afford it, then odds are that even at the Dutch level you wouldn't know anyone who does that.
I suppose it's possi ... okay, that was too easy. A search for "how many Dutch fathers parental leave" comes up with http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/06/just-one-in-fo... which says "Just one in four Dutch fathers takes parental leave".
I also read that in some of the European countries (I'm from the US) there is a right to part-time employment while on leave. I figured that mosselman was from one of those countries.
Searching now I found http://cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf from 10 years ago which says:
> Of the 21 countries studied here, ten allow parental leave to be taken on a part-time basis: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Portugal is notable in that it gives parents an incentive to choose part-time over full-time leave: parents have three months of full-time parental leave or 12 months of part-time leave.
Based on mosselman's followup, my guess was correct.
If you travel as a nomad and pass through places that serve as meeting points with nomads, you tend to find that while some blog their travels and recommend the lifestyle to everyone else, there are plenty of people quietly living the life, without any internet presence documenting it, and they might be very quiet and introverted people. It might be compared to vegetarianism/veganism, where some have the impression that “vegetarians/vegans always need to shout what they are doing”, but perhaps the majority of people with that diet are just quietly following it without making a big deal of it to others.
I’m a digital nomad, I work as translator. I’m currently traveling for the next several months in West Africa. I wouldn’t say that this life is any better than anyone else’s (I just know that it’s what works for me personally) and I’d consider it strange to try to advertise it to others who haven’t shown any inclination towards it. That said, if someone already feels wanderlust, then I’m always happy to give advice, as I have benefited greatly from that kind of travel skillsharing and I do my part to pay it forward.
"Look, I'm a founder! I put a web app up!"
"Sign up for my newletter, my blog, my instagram, my X, Y, Z so you can find out how to make the same ad revenue I do, off of people just like you! You don't have to be you forever..you can take advantage of the yous and become one of the mes!"
/s
.. sometimes telling people you’re vegan can help avoid awkward situations like when a friend got some cake they wanted to share.
When I have been in another place for a few months the differences I initially find refreshing soon melt away and I find some other stuff to get annoyed about.
In a way, it's great to know the grass is not always greener elsewhere and to accept that, yes, being a nomad doesn't suit everyone.
I didn't say it was for everyone, I just said it is for me.
I have lived both lives, and I know what I like and don't like. I'm certain I am the most qualified person to decided what kind of life is right for me.
I read many things in that direction.
"I made millions with real estate! I simply bought a flat, refurbished it and then either became a landlord or sold it for much more money! It's so simple even you can do it. I started with getting like 50000€ after an car accident..."
"I retired with 40 and you can do it to, you just need a job that makes you 100k a year..."
He retired early by having a high (but not sky high) income and saving like 50-70% of it.
Nothing he did is unbelievable, you can't apply everything but you can apply a lot and it really gives benefits, no matter if your goal is to retire early or not.
Plus he doesn't sell anything and doesn't fool anyone to earn money. :)
But the nomad style isn't for everyone, and its challenges are as unusual as everything else about it. Since Hacker News is at least tangential to those sections of the tech entrepreneur thoughtsphere where nomadism is extolled as the best and only thing, I think this is a conversation worth having here.
I also have the problem that my hobby-job revolves around making and tinkering with electronics, Tesla coils, radios machines etc. I would simply get bored without access to a well equipped electronics lab and mechanical workshop. So until I can afford a super yacht it is 9 - 5 for me.
Could you not just use hackerspaces wherever you went? Also, if that's your hobby, why not live somewhere with great electronics markets? Living on a boat that could sail in and around the East China Sea (Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, etc...) seems like it could be fun.
More importantly though, from the info he posted, it shows he spends about $1200 a month traveling mostly through South-America. Which isn't too crazy, gdp per capita in the continent is about $450, Africa is even 'easier', in that the gdp per capita is about $150 a month. So he's often spending a multiplier (2-7x) of the national average on a minimalistic 'sleep 500 days of my 650 day trip in a tent' lifestyle. Keeping this number low is key to everything, if you don't have kids it's doable to save for such a lifestyle.
He does mention he worked along the way, really curious as to what kind of jobs he landed and if that meant he stayed in any one place for longer periods of time!
I've got a few friends here and there who've got a few hundred thousand in equity sitting in their home and modest savings. At a 5% annual return, one could spend $15k a year of their $300k investment and live such lifestyle in perpetuity.
Gas is 5k.
The Africa trip is another jeep, the jeep itself didn't exist when he did his first 27k two year trip, and indeed he modified it a lot. Probably a lot more expensive but also not necessary. Where'd you find the 50k number?
I bought it used for $22,500 CAD.
I have a van I'm modding out and a roof rack and reinforced bumper alone is 6k.
The point is you have income from somewhere that allows you to be carefree with your time and money.
It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week."
Like it's a choice most people have.
It's like Donald Trump saying he's a great business man and you should take his advice...when he really inherited a ton of money.
This is all speculation on my part though and I really wish you the best no matter what your situation is.
Looks like an amazing trip! Stay safe!
And no, I don't have "income from somewhere".
I worked a 9-5 for 5 years and saved every penny I could, now I'm living on those savings. Yes, I'm trying to earn some money on the road, and it's currently covering about 25% of my monthly expenses.
> It feels a little disingenuous when people say "I will never go back to full time 9-5 5 days a week." Like it's a choice most people have.
I think it's sad you think like that. It is a choice, if you want it to be. It's hard work, and requires changing around your priorities, but it absolutely is a choice. I have met hundreds and hundreds of people doing it [1], including families with kids, including people from every walk of life you can image.
[1] I'm interviewing interesting people I meet living on the road - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNiCe5roBX1gdbLoAclKw...
I only drive about 60 miles on average per day. I have no electricity use. I don't buy "stuff" (clothes, TV, couch, furniture).