Hey guys, I'm trying to come up with what I'm going to do in the future. It's not about which university or which job or even which city to live in, but pretty much anything. I have a blank slate and lots of options, which makes it extremely hard.
Short background on me: I'm a German cyclist/traveller and been touring around the world for 8 years, sustained by the passive income from renting out a house + other things. I'm finally selling said house, which also requires me to get rid of most (95%) of my belongings, since I don't intend to buy a new one in Germany, but instead remain nomadic to a certain degree for a while. This is a big chance for me, since I always planned 1 tour, did it, came back home, rested, planned the next tour, rinse and repeat. Now I'd be operating without safety net, so to speak.
The house has to be emptied till the 01.01.2016, while I'm currently in Taiwan and still have to get to Germany till then, which will take 4-6 months.
Here my ideas. (I did not write this text with bay12 in mind, but for my personal use, but might as well post it here)
#0: Cycle the silkroad. (Current tour, must be finished before starting more projects)
Cost: ~15€ per day, min. 1800€.
Time: Summer/Autumn
Duration: ~120 days
Equipment: Got everything.
Why: Fun, seeing new countries, adding more countries to my list.
Goal(s): Visit Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Usbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Aserbaidschan, Armenia and Georgia. (9 countries, bringing my total up to 132)
Notes: Currently I'm in Taiwan, fly to Hongkong on the 30.05.2015, apply for the Chinese visa, cross China by bus/bike within 30 days along the Urumqi road to Kazakhstan, get 2 weeks free visa, apply in Almaty for the Usbeki double-entry visa, cycle to Bishkek in Kyrgystan, which has free visa for EU citizens, cycle back into Kazahkstan on my way to Shymkent, then into Usbekistan. Apply for Iranian and Tajiki visa in Tashkent, cycle a detour to Dushanbe before returning with the second-entry to Usbekistan. Apply for Turkmeni visa in Samarkand. (?) (Maybe I can get the Irani in HK and get the Turkmeni in Tashkent, or I use my double-passports to apply for 2 visas at once. Might cause confusion on one border crossing. Cant be done with Turkmeni/Irani). Apply for Aserbaidschani visa online, about 6 weeks before I get there. Cycle across Turkmenistan in the 5-days the transit visa allows me, visit Iran, head to Aserbaidschan, Georgia, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey. Check for independant regions that I might take detours to. Climb Mt. Nemrud and see Cappadocia, hop into a bus to Istanbul and fly/bus home. Should be around September/October 2015.
List of things to do: Not much, besides cycling 10k+ km and applying for all the pesky visas.
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#1: Ride a bicycle to the Southpole; bonus points for a detour to climb Mt.Vinson.
Cost: Rough to estimate, I'd certainly need sponsors. Expenditures would be in the 5-figures.
Time: Decemeber/January, the only good travel season in Antarctica.
Duration: ~1month
Equipment: A fatbike/trike, more winter gear, especially heavy-duty camping gear and communication/satellite phone. Rest I should have.
Why: It's a good challenge and not many people have done it. I'd finally cross the Antarctic circle too and visit my 7nd continent. I might be able to add a expedition to Mt.Visnon too, working towards my long-term goal of climbing the 7-summits.
Goal(s): Reach the Southpole by bike, visit Antarctica, the last continent I've been missing; maybe summit Mt.Vinson.
Notes: I'd start south at the Ross iceshelf at the US McMurdo base, following the McMurdo "highway" to the Southpole. I need to do a lot more research and talk to people that work there and do supported expeditions, as this is terra incognita for me.
List of things to do: Lots. Mostly talking to people and companies about support and PR.
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#2: Buy better photography gear and learn how to use it.
Cost: ~1000€, cost can be much higher, but I have to set a limit.
Time: Any time, the earlier the better.
Duration: Continuous, also done while travelling.
Equipment: DLSR camera, min. 2x memory cards, min. 2x lenses, 1 tripod, 1 camera bag.
Why: My pictures have gotten better over the years, but I'm still envious when I see proper pictures by proper photographers and say to myself: I should be able to do that too. It will also increase the quality of my blog and social-media posts, because I will be able to present higher-quality pictures.
Goal(s): Be featured in an art gallery; win a photo-contest.
Notes: This one should be easy. I sell one of my bikes to get the funds needed to buy the camera gear, but also send a couple of emails to manufacturers to see if it's possible by sponsorships, similar to my GoPro. The internet has enough resources to teach me all the skills needed.
List of things to do: Read reviews of cameras and decide on what to buy, find art galleries and write them, make a list of photo-contests I could join, talk to photographers about their best tips and how they approached galleries in the past.
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#3: Design a training plan I can do while travelling and train; if needed buy equipment.
Cost: Probably 0€. Maybe some recurring cost for supplements, if available.
Time: Any time, the earlier the better.
Duration: Continuous, also done while travelling.
Equipment: Probably next to nothing; maybe a sling-trainer or resistance rubber band.
Why: Physical training is always good, I lost upper-body strength over the years of cycling/hiking, it's a great help for future expeditions, especially the mountaineering and rafting.
Goal(s): Continuous, reach a milestone, set a new one. Will make the first, once I have a training plan.
Notes: Ask Diana for advice and design the plan together. The biggest issue will be finding the time, space and motivation when travelling. Keeping a regular training schedule when seditary is easy enough, but not mixed with 150km+ cycling, climbing, night-busses and camping; especially considering the extra calorie/supplement requirements.
List of things to do: Read up on BWE exercises, write Diana, weight/measure the training gear, test out of a few exercises while on the silkroad tour to see how it goes. Start easy with 2-3 a week.
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#4: Read a new book, play a new game, listen to a new album and watch a new movie every week; keep logs/comments about them.
Cost: Not much, considering Amazon/Steam.
Time: Any time, the earlier the better.
Duration: As long as each individual item takes. ~1h per 100pages book, ~Xh per game, ~2h per album, ~2h per movie.
Equipment: Got everything, but better quality headphones and better laptop would be nice, especially for gaming.
Why: Because I like new stuff and noticed that I started listening to the same albums all over again; while travelling gaming is impossible, because I do not posses a gaming laptop and I've fallen behind in the numbers of books I'm reading. That can't continue.
Goal(s): Read 52 books, play 52 games, watch 52 movies, listen to 52 albums a year. Minimum. Write a few sentences about each, rate it, post about it, if the blog exists by that time.
Notes: Should be easy enough to do, even when travelling. Some multi-media device is needed, but a tablet or netbook is more than enough. A proper gaming laptop would be nicer for videos/games, but I can manage. There is an obvious problem with very long games and weeks that I have no access to electricity, but I can easily reclaim the lost time the coming week after that.
List of things to do: Make a list of games; Make a list of movies; Make a list of albums; Make a list of books; Start downloading.
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#5: Achieve the Triple Crown in hiking: Thru-hike the Appalachian trail, the Pacific Crest trail and the Continental Divide trail, obviously starting with a single one to learn about long-term hiking; bonus points for breaking speed records or doing it off-season.
Cost: ~10€ per day + initial investement in gear + transport to start/from end destination.
Time: End of spring, summer, early autumn.
Duration: 3-8 months, depending on hiking speed and route.
Equipment: Got everything needed, but there are a lot of better alternatives, especially US-made ultralight gear.
Why: Learn a new skill, long-distance-hiking, spend time in nature, earn money (costs less than I earn), and increase my public profile by adding a new "big-thing" I did. I also want to see how fast I can be on foot.
Goal(s): Thru-Hike the AT; Thru-Hike the PCT; Thru-Hike the CDT. (Maybe combine the last two)
Notes: This is more or less a backup plan if I run out of other ideas. It's not high on my personal list, because walking in the US/Canada is super easy and not very challenging, nor is it exotic, nor does it add new countries to my list. But it's a nice, vacation-like activity that most likely allows me to save up money, while at the same time keeping me relatively close to civilization and internet to do digital projects. I'd try to do the trails quickly, with ultralight gear, most likely sponsored gear too.
List of things to do: Download maps for all three trails; read up on start/end dates; make a kit-list of items I already have; make a best-case kit-list of items; make a list of companies producing these items. No sponsoring emails yet, because I don't know if or when I'm doing this tour.
ALTERNATIVE #5: Do a four-figure km hike somewhere in the world. Honestly sounds more interesting than the well-travelled and known trails in the US; bonus points for doing it in a remote country/countries I've never visited before. Probably teaches me more skills too. Madagascar(?).
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#6: Do a longer (min. 30 days) packraft tour to learn about paddling, rafting, live on a river, etc; bonus points if done in previously unvisited countries.
Cost: ~10€ per day + initial investment in more gear + transport to start/from end destination.
Time: Summer.
Duration: min. 1 month, but depends on tour. Probably not much longer, since there are only so-long rivers.
Equipment: Not much more needed. Drybags, helmet(?), ropes/carabines.
Why: Because I invested money in my packraft and have barely used it. I'd also learn a new skill and travel in a previously unknown fashion, reaching fairly remote areas on the way. It's also cheap and most likely allows me to safe money while doing so.
Goal(s): Boat one long river; finally do something with the packraft.
Notes: A remote river would be perfect, for example the Niger or the Congo river, both of which running through countries that I've never visited so far and are not overly used by boats nor highly developed and blocked with dams and floodgates. Other options are rivers in China, Southeastasia or India, for the same reasons. They are probably safer, both considering crocodiles and the human element.
List of things to do: Make a list of boat-able rivers; Talk to people that have done similar tours; Train shoulders/arms.
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#7: Climb all 4000m peaks (82) of the European alps in one go.
Cost: ~15€ per day + initial investment into gear + transport to start/from end destination.
Time: Summer.
Duration: ~100 days, probably slightly longer.
Equipment: Lots needed. I got basic mountaineering gear, but nothing for self-securing and self-rescue.
Why: Fun and challenging and I'd learn some new skills. I'd also see some pretty impressive sights and increase my portfolio and become more interesting as a adventurer, because I can finally add the title "mountaineer" to it, without feeling like a scam.
Goal(s): Summit all the 4000+m peaks of the alps. That's it.
Notes: It has been done before, so it's certainly possible. Research is easy enough to do, with the European Alps being well documented in all regards. I'd need more gear, find sponsors for it too, which should be easy, considering the scope of the project. The only issue is the lack of skill, I might require more training, for which I need proper mountains in the first place. If I live in the tropics soon, that might prove difficult. I need to make sure that I'm properly prepared, because this is a more difficult project.
List of things to do: Make a list of all mountain peaks with position and routes; Check the highest and average difficulty level of the normal routes; Make a kit-list of things I already have; Make a best-case kit list; Make a list of companies that produce these items; Write people that have done similar tours; Join the DAV; check the length of the route.
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#8: Learn to speak enough French to communicate while travelling; mostly aimed at a future Africa tour.
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: ~1 year, continuous.
Equipment: Got everything, only needs a netbook and headphones, pen and paper.
Why: Because (West/Central-) Africa is difficult enough to travel as is, no need to add a language barrier to it.
Goal(s): Be able to communicate in French.
Notes: All I need is to learn some basics and be able to make myself understood. Not aiming for a fluent approach. The main problem is that I either do it now and forget part of it, when I need it; OR I have to start just before a tour and need to know beforehand when it is needed. Probably should start sooner rather than later.
List of things to do: Look around the web for some good programs; Download them; Talk with french-sub-reddit users.
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#9: Write a blog about my travels, photography and life in general to enhance my public profile; bonus points for reaching 10k followers after 1 year.
Cost: 0€ + Server/Domaincost of about 50€ per year.
Time: Any time, the earlier the better.
Duration: Continuous, once started it never stops.
Equipment: Netbook, but a proper laptop would be nicer.
Why: To raise my public profile and make it easier to get sponsorships for future projects. It might also generate income and serves as platform of all my projects I did or might be doing in future.
Goal(s): Once started, reach 10k followers within 1 year; Get enough income through it to pay the Server/Domaincosts; write at least 3 entries every week.
Notes: A, yeah, the blog. I wanted to do one for years now, but never really go started. Netbook too small, Internet not fast enough, too many other projects, too much work to write about my previous projects of the last 8 years, yadda, yadda, lazy excuses. I'd probably use wordpress, like so many others and use it both for my worldbicyclist.com site and my other travel-related projects.
List of things to do: Decide if I keep worldbicyclist.com as main domain or take a new one; Install wordpress and learn it; Start writing.
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#10: Write and publish a book; most likely a travel/life guide, as this is the most requested.
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: ~6-12 months (?)
Equipment: Got everything, only a netbook is needed.
Why: Because I promised it and I keep my word. It also raises my profile as an "professional adventurer" and maybe creates some income, besides teaching me the skill of a more coherent writing style. It also is literally productive, with me creating a product, which is a thought I like.
Goal(s): Write at least 3 times a week on it; finished book should have at least 150 pages; Self-publish on website/Amazon.
Notes: This project is easily combined with other digital projects, due to the same requirements. Doing multiple different ones at the same time also saves me from routine/boredom of working only on one thing. I'd honestly rather see if I can write a good story, aka sci-fi or fantasy, but must admit that it makes sense to start with something I know a lot about: Travelling and bike-touring. It also fits much better into my blog/portfolio; and is easier to write, because 150 pages are easier to fill if it's lists, quotes and recommendations, instead of only text.
List of things to do: Read up on self-publishing rules on Amazon; download a program to create Mobi/Epubs; Make an outline of the chapters and goal the book should have; Write a few fellow travellers about interviews; Start writing.
ALTERNATIVE: Crowdfund a book with Kickstarter or crowdfund a regular Travel-Advice series with Patreon. Either way get something published.
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#11: Create a web-comic, linked to a Patreon: LegendOfUrist.com
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: Continuous, at least 6 months to try it out.
Equipment: Got everything I need, a netbook. Large laptop would be better though.
Why: Because I want to create something and try out more different digital projects; I already got somewhat of a name in the DF community and do like to read web-comics myself. It might also generate income.
Goal(s): Produce a high-quality web-comic; see how the feedback is after 6 months; generate enough income to cover my expenses. All in all do 3 releases per week.
Notes: Dwarf Fortress related web-comic, based upon the fact that I already have a few people that follow my content on bay12 anyway. Link it to a Patreon, which is also responsible for more mods to be written.
List of things to do: Write an overarching storyline; design the characters; Buy a domain and upload a wordpress site that hosts the comic, a blog and an about-page; test out creating tileset-based art with different programs (ingame, workshops draw, df previews and photoshop); create 10 test panels to see how long I take for it and how well this form of storytelling works.
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#12: Write and curate more Dwarf Fortress mods, linked to a Patreon: MasterworkDF.com
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: Continuous, at least 6 months.
Equipment: Got everything I need, a netbook, although a proper laptop would be better.
Why: Because I like the community around the game and already have a following and I start to feel guilty for not writing more, while at the same time feeling guilty about spending too much time on it, when I work on DF exclusively. Might also be a source of income and gives me an introduction into crowdfunding.
Goal(s): Release the mod for 40.24; earn at least enough money to cover my living expenses; release minor mods or run the mod orphranage: All in all do 3 releases a week.
Notes: Continue supporting and updateing the MasterworkDF mod, write many smaller requested mods, maybe start a second large mod, update and curate otherwise abandoned mods... aka what I've been doing, but more professional, maybe with it's own website.
List of things to do: Write posts on Bay12 about it; Add polls to find out which projects are most interesting to the community; Make a list of abandoned mods I think are good enough to merit the time; Make a list of minor mods I'd be interested to write; Make a list of major mods I'd be interested to write.
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#13: Move to India for min. 6 months and visit the surrounding previously unvisited countries; bonus points for spending less than I earn, since this break from the first-world should enable me to save money for future trips; bonus bonus points for taking a folding bike with me.
Cost: Impossible to estimate, too many factors. ~10€ per day + flights + visas + ... (?)
Time: Start most likely 01.01.2016
Duration: 6 months minimum, maybe 12 months.
Equipment: Got everything needed, but will buy a larger/faster laptop to make all digital projects easier.
Why: My place in Germany is being sold and I need a place to stay for a while, and a tropical, cheap country with good food and a 6.month visa is as good a place as any. Can work on digital projects, while saving up money and planning future tours.
Goal(s): Live in India while spending less than I earn; Visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, Buthan, Bangladesch, Sri Lanka, Seychellen and the Maledives (or at least whichever are easily reachable within the time/money I can put aside); have a solid plan for the coming 6-12 months after India; have the equipment sponsored/bought for these tours already.
Notes: Main decision is yet to be made: Goa/Coastline for niceness/remoteness or New Dheli/Mumbai for access to services and closer int. airport. (?)
List of things to do: Apply for Indian visa; Scout out locations and check the prices; Check flights/trains/busses to the locations I want to visit; Check visa regulations for each country, currency exchange rate, etc, the usual stuff.
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#14: Visit every country in the Caribbean region; bonus points for sailing as much as I can, to learn about life on the ocean and on islands; bonus bonus points for starting in Cape Verde and crossing the Atlantic ocean first.
Cost: Hard to guess without doing more research first.
Time: June to November is hurricane season; probably some other time of year would be preferable.
Duration: ~3-6 months minimum, I heard hitching on boats can take a while.
Equipment: None needed, got everything. Maybe get SCUBA gear(?).
Why: To learn more about living on boats and islands; add more countries to my list; learn a new skill: Sailing; Fun and because it increases my portfolio as adventurer.
Goal(s): Visit Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dom. Republic, Dominica, St. Knitts & Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadies, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia, Grenada and Barbuda & Antigua; maybe Cape Verde.
Notes: A longer tour with open-end, because it's incredibly hard to guess at times it will take when hitchhiking on yachts. An alternatives is to bolster the schedule with a couple of flights. Overall it should be relatively easy though expensive and I might have to find a solution to seasickness.
List of things to do: Do research to make an estimation of the costs; Write a couple of people that have done similar tours; Read sailing blogs; Do another sailing course or hitch somewhere else on yachts to get some more experience before doing this tour.
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#15: Design and publish a photo-ebook; a collection of the 50-100 best travel pictures I made, offer it as pay-what-you-want download on my website, starting at $0.
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: ~100h I guess.
Equipment: Got everything, a netbook, although a larger laptop would be better.
Why: To learn photo editing and a first try at publishing a form of book; to create a larger portfolio especially in consideration to sponsored camera gear; to increase the quality of my website; possible source of income.
Goal(s): Collect 50 best pics; edit them; add description; create pdf file and offer it for free download; try again with the next 50 pics and note the difference in work-duration and quality of the end product.
Notes: I got tons of pictures, several ten-thousands, it's time I start doing something with them, instead of just having them lie around on a HDD and facebook. Best to do this project before I start asking sponsors for camera gear, aka 3-4 months before I start the photography project. Mh... guess I'll prepare the pics and descriptions while on the silkroad, do this first thing when I'm back in Germany and include a link in the sponsorship emails.
List of things to do: Sort out 250 pics; Write descriptions; Pick the better ones; Convert and publish. (Currently no access to high-res version, which are stored in Germany)
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#16: Find more companies to sponsor me, closely linked to the above-mentioned trips of rafting, hiking, mountaineering, sailing, cycling and backpacking; bonus points for a close partnership/ambassadorial position that is actually paid.
Cost: 0€
Time: Any time.
Duration: Continuous, not much, can be done on the side.
Equipment: Got everything needed, a netbook.
Why: Free gear is always nice; I require more gear for specialized tours and it would be nice to at some point be actually paid for doing what I do, or at least get a company to pay for it, especially true for expeditions and more difficult/remote tours.
Goal(s): Get gear for one tour; Get an ambassadorial position; Get a tour paid for.
Notes: Been doing this or a while and it's reasonable to assume that I get some gear for future tours too, if I prepare them well enough and have an interesting theme; for example the mountaineering project. No idea about the paid positions though, need to talk to more people that have gotten one.
List of things to do: Write a thank-you email to previous sponsors, inquiring if they'd be interesting in supporting future tours; Write an email to companies that produce gear for future tours I planned once I know what I do next; Write emails to other adventurers that got a paid position or did supported tours. Especially the details on supported tours are of interest.
My current plan, the best combination I could come up with is this: Cycle the silkroad as planned, since I have sponsors for this tour and I don't want to betray their trust. It will take 4-6 months, which means I have 1-3 months in Germany to clear out my house and prepare anything else. While cycling I already prepare the photo-book, the webcomic and the mods as best as possible and do research on the ideas that require more information, like the Caribbean tour, since I know fairly little about hitchhiking on boats.
I come back home and finish the photo-book, release it and start asking camera-manufacturers for possible sponsorships, expecting honestly not much in return. Bike and outdoor gear, yes, but electronics I'm not famous enough for. It doesnt hurt to try though.
I'll sell most of my stuff, mostly keeping adventuring gear in boxes ready to be picked up if I do a specific tour that requires them. The sales should give me enough funds for photography gear and a gaming with large screen laptop. These items ease the amount of work I have to do for all digital projects.
I fly to India and stay there for 6-12 months, because it's cheap and warm and has reasonable internet. I work on 4 projects: The blog, the book, the comic and the mods, sustaining myself (hopefully) with the Patreon, while my other passive income is safed for future tours. On average I tour to one nearby country a month if possible; doing 6 new countries a year would be a minimum for me. I got 132 by then, still 63 to go, at some point I have to finish ^^
I use the time in India to do preparation and research on the next 1 or 2 travel-related ideas, the sailing, the rafting, the hiking, the mountaineering and the bicycling. Since by that time I already have the blog online, I can use my website, the photobook and the blog as a better portfolio to find more sponsors for gear. After 6-12 months in India, I embark on my next journey.
For reference, this is the map of the countries I've already been (black) and will do on the silkroad (dark-grey). The countries around India I hope to do when I'm there, and any other future tour would be in the so far unmarked countries.
So... yeah. Don't know of bay12 is the best place to post that. It's mostly personal opinion anyway, but if you guys have better ideas, projects that I can add to the list, or know something about doing any of the things I plan to do, feel free to share. I think my plan is pretty good, but I know how resourceful the people here are and lots of minds are always better than just one.
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Topic: Life decisions - big time edition (Read 1973 times)