A little note with some tips and a big thank you to cool works!

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Comment by Dallas on February 2, 2009 at 12:08pm

Thanks Stephanie. Ive had those feelings and it's so hard haveing to wait to hit the road! But on the flip side it does give you a lot of time to investigate where you want to go next. It's never to early to take a look around. Im happy that my blog was able to provide some inspiration and I love helping people so feel free to write me back any time. Good luck and hang in there!

Comment by Stephanie on February 2, 2009 at 11:53am

Wow. It's like this blog was meant for me today! I'm getting the traveling blues from staying in one place too long. But Ill finish school this year! Soooo I know I can do it. thanks for writing this it was very inspiring and so cool that you find yourself being a mentor in this. I'll be contacting you when this starts again for me:) love and light - stefanie

Comment by Dallas on February 1, 2009 at 11:29am

Thanks for the comments and Im glad you guys understand what I was tryin to say. Its not about what you own but more about your experiences. For example....right now Im donating over 75% of what I own because all that I really need to travel with is a backpack full of stuff and my camping gear. (I end up having to do this every year or so)
Most of my family has also been very supportive for me on the road. (emotionally not financially) And it's always nice to have someone to share your excitement with, about your new adventures.

Comment by Jason Kemple on February 1, 2009 at 10:51am

I am very lucky to have such a supportive family and group of friends who are fascinated with the things I have done in life so far (such as moving 1200 miles away for college, for example) and while I dont come across people who too often who think i'm nuts (give it time, this is my first seasonal job this summer lol), i will tell them that at least they can go somewhere beautiful to visit!

But like Carol said, about watching the person on tv explain how they have to make ends meet... When life becomes all about money, you might as well be dead. And while you wont make $50,000 or more a year doing seasonal work, the rewards are much more fulfilling and enriching than any job could ever be. And its amazing how nice it is to live with less.

Comment by Carol on February 1, 2009 at 10:20am

My mantra, Dallas? Sure!
I was watching someone on t-v explain why they needed two jobs: just to make ends meet. I try to keep my ends close together so it doesn't take much money to make them meet.
"How many a poor immortal soul have I met well nigh crushed and smothered under its load, creeping down the road of life, pushing before it a barn seventy-five feet by forty....The portionless, who struggle with no such unnecessary inherited encumbrances, find it labor enough to subdue and cultivate a few cubic feet of flesh."--H.D. Thoreau
One of my favorite quotes.
I'm with you on the more important things in life, not money but experiences and adventures.

best wishes as you navigate the maze

Comment by Dallas on January 31, 2009 at 10:45am

Hey Kimberly,
I think you've got the right idea! There is never a "perfect" time to go. Of course there are some times that are better leave than others though. And the spring and summer are two of them! A lot of people can't understand why we can travel so far away, to work at a job where we almost make the equivalent of a fast food worker! They don't see the fact that living in such a beautiful place, meeting so many new and exciting people, and doing totally foreign things......is our biggest payoff of all! Don't get me wrong, because everyone needs money to survive, but there is just A LOT more important things in our lives that are more fun and rewarding than making lots of money!
Follow your heart and do what YOU want to do.....but make sure to still keep your family and friends close to you while your on the road. Good luck!

Comment by Dallas on January 31, 2009 at 10:34am

I like that a lot! Do you mind if I use that lol?
I wish you the best of luck on your travels. There isn't a lot of us that feel this way, so usually when we first get these feelings of "needing to see something", it's really hard to figure out what to do about it. But once I found this site I was supplied with like-minded people that had already started their journey. And four years later, I still find new people every week to talk to and share our ideas, and experiences.
So thank you for your comments and keep them coming!

Comment by Kimberly Barnes on January 31, 2009 at 10:31am

My family thinks I'm crazy to give up my "GOOD" job and go trekking across the country to earn minimum wage at some national park. lol But I feel like doing this is like having a baby there never will be a PERFECT time. So I just have to jump off the proverbial cliff and go for it!

Comment by Carol on January 31, 2009 at 7:28am

A rabbit can handle a cage, a lion cannot.
Thats my new mantra. I'm about to quit my amazingly secure job in this crazy recession, to take up the seasonal lifestyle. I've always wondered why I can't seem to settle down like everyone else, till my friend offered that insight.
Thanks for the blog, Dallas, and comments. Cool Works is the best resource to make this happen!

Comment by Dallas on January 29, 2009 at 7:27pm

Hey Kevin thanks for the comment. I love hearing back from everyone. When I first wrote the post I had just moved back home for a month (the first time back in over 3 years) and everyone will "say" they want to leave and they think it is cool but their is very few of us that can gather up the courage to pack all of our stuff into a backpack or car and head off to some far off, unkown place. And that s why I love Cool Works, because I never feel quite so alone about the way I live my life. And when you work these seasonal jobs you get to meet people that feel the same way (and act on it), plus you're living in places that are incredibly beautiful, motivating, and unknown....those are just a few of the benefits we reap.
Keep writing everyone cause I love hearing your thoughts. Have fun and keep living
"the dream"

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