World travel - long term

[Masson2]

Hi all,

I'm looking to hear peoples experience with long term kiting travel, are there may people that have lived the nomad life traveling the world for years at a time?
I'm taking as serious look at this possibly starting next year and would like to know anyone's experiences.

Thanks.

[Adventure Logs]

I did a 10 month motorcycle trip from the USA to Argentina on a motorcycle and brought a full setup with me(split twintip and hydrofoil, 2 kites, etc). What kind of travel and for how long are you considering?

[Masson2]

I would plan to go to 3 or four locations a year spread out over the year and return home in between for maybe a months work at a time to top up to funds.
Essentially I would stay for 3 - 4 month in each location or travel short distances within the area in that time.
If I can do this for the next 5 years or so then I'll be happy.

There must be a few people around that live this lifestyle?

[Barryg101]

I've been living and traveling for 8 years now and never looked back I've plenty of freedom and free time to enjoy what matters, I started doing odd jobs around by finding work I line and then found kiting divested some money in gear and after a while became an instructor now I work 6montths and take off 6 months.


I encourage everyone to at least try it, if you have free time good wind and nice people around money seems to have less importance. When funds are low I just teach again

[elguapo]

i tried.
i technically "retired" before 40 and occupied my time by sailing around the carrbbean for a couple seasons.
i'd store the boat on the hard and kited full time during hurricane seasons...

the biggest problem for me was if you were type-a or a workaholic before...you're going to continue to be that same person.
that doesnt really change just because you sell a business and decide to stop working....
i didnt do a very good of sitting around and doing "nothing"... and fighting that need to be "productive" all the times was a much much bigger battle than expected.
once i got thru my reading list, binged watched game of thrones, learned every inch of my boat and how to repair everything..and then perfecting my "game" on colombianas...i got crazy bored.

i ended up starting up another business while still cruising..soon got rid of the boat and did a new start up in a different city...
i tried to set up operations so it wouldnt really matter if i were there or not (with fast internet everywhere and wifi robots nowadays...you can "be there" whenever u need to be...even when half the world away)

in recent years i'd take a 3-4 months off to travel (primarily kite trips) to keep myself from burning myself out again (and also give my staff a break too).
this year...i'll probably be closer to 6 months.
i personally wasnt ready mentally to walk away 100% when i did...
but i think what i'm doing right now is sustainable longer term

i'll problably buy and refit another catamaran pretty soon...but the plan would to simply cruise part time and continue managing remotely from boat. (ie not sell everything and "retire" this time)

[Eduardo]

this is super individualized. so many factors including your budget, life style, attention span and need for new challenges, both kiting and intellectual. elguapo even got bored with the Colombianas! I suggest you test the waters. take your longest previous travel trip and increase it by 3-4 times and see what it feels like. I take about 4 trips a year up to 1 month. By a month, I am quite beat up from kiting 4-5 hours/day and am actually very happy when I get back to have a restful office life where I don't get all the beatings that the ocean can give. but after another few weeks, I'm rested and recovered and ready to go again and leave as soon as the budget allows.

[omg]

just out of curiosity, what kind of businesses do you set up?

[Masson2]

Yeah I had considered the fact that maybe too much kitesurfing may take the fun out of it eventually? Though I still think the other travel activities would be enough to keep me wanting to progress. Also periods of work in between should be enough to remind me how much working all the time sucks haha.

Is becoming an instructor really worth it I seem to read mixed opinions on if it actually is. Some people say that after working as an instructor you lose some interest in kiting and it doesn't pay very well too.

Also does anyone have any typical budgets for year, I have heard that $20K should be enough but if you base that on 365 days a year your only allowing $55ish dollars a day which to me seems a bit light,

[Hugh2]

Masson, sounds like you've not done a trial run like Eduardo suggests. I spend 2-3 months kiting in South Africa each year (I share a flat with my sister there), and love every day of it (part of the secret there is not to ride just at kite beach all the time, do various downwinders and go to other beaches far and wide, plus inland, etc), plus several more weeks in Cape Hatteras (sleeping in my van for nearly nothing), as well as every windy day at home in Illinois, and so I had a good idea that I would be fine retiring and kiting and sailing full-time. I'm 8 months into it now and loving it, just now in process of getting the sailboat. Had two months in California (slept in my van every night), two in Cape Town, and now two in the PNW (albeit mostly crashing with friends). People said I was a type-A personality during my 40-year career, but seems no problem to step away from it all at age 63. If anything I waited a little too long to retire.

[Masson2]

I've taken 3 months off before to just travel but not for kitesurfing. who wouldn't like not working for 3 months and having fun??
Really i guess I'm just trying to work out the cost per year, i know this will change hugely depending on where you go.

I'll have to do some more research i thinks.