Machka 

1. We are involved in randonneuring/audax cycling. In this part of Australia very few of the events are really close to where we live, so we pick events in different parts of the state, and make a weekend of it ... drive up stay a couple nights, and do the event on the day in between. Although we aren't cycletouring, we are travelling and cycling and seeing different parts of the state. Our most recent event was in the Gippsland area (sort of south east of Melbourne) two weeks ago (end of Oct) ... we live in the mountains and the ride was rather coastal so we got to see the ocean, plus we went back out to the ocean on the day after as well.

In addition to this, we do several hub-and-spoke tours throughout the year where we drive to an area, set up our headquarters there, and then cycle out in several different directions. It's a great way to get to know an area and to cycle on roads, and see things and places we may not have seen before. Our most recent one of these was in mid-Oct up to a nearby small city in a very flat fruit growing area of the state. Rowan was getting his heavy rigid truck driving licence, and while he was doing that, I was cycling here, there, and everywhere. We rode together on the weekend and in the evenings.

In addition to this, we "train" for our randonneuring/audax events by cycling fairly long distances most weekends. We spent quite a bit of time cycling around our immediate area, and we still cycle here now and then because there is some good cycling (one of the biggest lakes in the area, mountains, etc. ... it is a tourist destination here, so we play the part of tourists some weekends), but we've purchases a very detailed map of some of the outlying aeas and have started picking destinations just beyond our immediate local area. We might drive 20-50 km or so with the bicycles, and then cycle from there.

These things give us a chance to see new things and to explore which takes away the burning desire to tour ... because it is almost like we are on a tour just about every weekend.


2, 3 & 4. In 2004, I gave up my full-time permanent job which I could have held for many more years, got rid of half my stuff (tossed, given away, sold), packed up the remaining things and moved it all 2 provinces over to go into storage in/near my parents place. Then I boarded a plane for Australia and toured here for 3 months (cycling).

When I returned, I lived in a very tiny suite, and went back to University to get my Bachelor of Education degree. I had very little in the way of living expenses, which was good because most of my money went to my education. But in the few months before my classes started, I signed up with temp agencies and got a temp job. I continued to use temp agencies throughout my years in University, and I highly recommend them.

With a temp agency, you can choose when you want to work, and when you don't want to work. My school year was from early September to the end of April, so I arranged to get a job from the beginning of May to the end of July ... leaving me August to go tour the US, Europe, etc. And temp agencies pay as well or better than you'd get paid if you were a "normal" employee. Also many businesses don't hire full-time permanent employees anymore ... they hire temps, and if the temps work out, then they might make them full-time permanent.

Going the temp route, you may indeed be able to work 6 months and travel 6 months.

You may also want to look at being a contractor. Where I work here in Australia (a job I got through a temp agency), several of my coworkers are contractor. One in particular works for a while, and when he gets a bit tired of that, he travels for an extended period of time, then he comes back and looks for contract work again.

Over here in Australia (which, incidentally, doesn't have as much of that "living the American way: living for work" going on), many people quit their office jobs and go to work following the harvest trail. I met a number of these at my first job here in Australia, working in a cherry packing plant. They are called "grey nomads" although some of them are fairly young. They live in caravans (or tents if they are just starting out) and start in northern Australia early in the season and travel south as things come ripe. If they feel like taking a break from the picking or packing life, they jet off to other parts of Australia, Asia, Europe, or other parts of the world for a while, and then come back after several months and resume what they were doing.

5. See above. First get a really good, detailed map of the areas 100 km or more around where you live, and start exploring. Second, check into what it would take to become a contractor and/or what temporary agencies in your area are looking for.

One other comment ... is a 10-day tour the longest you've done? There can be quite a difference between that and a tour that lasts a month, 6 weeks, or several months. You might want to see about using your 6 week vacation to go on a fairly extended tour, and see how you like that before you make any firm commitments to a life change.