After I leave Jakarta and Indonesia, I’m going to Taiwan and taking a break from traveling. Because I’m tired of backpacking, tired of traveling. I’ve been going strong for six months now, but now I need a breather. It might seem odd, to say that you’re tired of backpacking and traveling; after all, isn’t it just one long vacation? How is that possible, getting tired of being on vacation? Have I simply run out of money?

Firstly, no, I have not run out of money. Checking my finances, I’m actually in amazing shape; I have traveled longer and spent less than I had originally planned (details in a follow-up post). But just like you can get tired of eating bacon for every meal (admittedly, it might take a very long time), you can get tired of constant travel. And as outlined in an earlier post, the problem with traveling Southeast Asia is never knowing who or what to trust. So right now, what I really want to do is to find somewhere quiet, somewhere I can settle into a routine, somewhere I can let my guard down and not think about if I’m getting ripped off.

Secondly, half a year and a lifetime ago, I put together a travel manifesto, on why I’m traveling the world. In short, I wanted to challenge myself, and now is the best time. Of course, things have certainly gone differently than I had originally planned. Instead of traveling through 10 countries in three months, I’ve gone through 6 countries in six months. Instead of circumnavigating around the world, I’ve only visited countries in Southeast Asia. No plan survives first contact with reality. But I’ve completed my original challenge to myself. So it’s time to move on to the next challenge.

Finally, I need to think about getting on with my life. Originally, I had planned on travelling for three months going back to making money – either rejoining the labor force and getting a job, or striking out on my own. After traveling and intermittently reflecting on my life for six months, I know for sure that I don’t want to go back to a 9-5 job working for The Man. So what are my options instead? To start something on my own. And the only way I can do that, is to take a break from traveling, and get to work on my projects.

So, what does this mean, this break from traveling?

1) Travel-related postings will slow, but not stop. I will still be exploring Taiwan!
2) Business analysis and projects related postings will increase!
3) Website redesign! Woohoo! (eventually)