sjarelkwint wrote:

Murph1 wrote:sjarelkwint:
Where do you plan to go if you can come up with the money?

All european HPs in one push

You are really ambitious! Hope you can pull it off!

The last time I went on an expedition I sold my car to finance the trip.

kevin trieu wrote:1. be single
2. work a lot
3. live very cheap and save
4. quit
5. do epic shit

I think that says it all. Works for me.

For the time part:

I don't have a job!

However, I am busy with college stuff and am looking forward to work. But in the mean time... mountain climbing!

You're Irish, you said. Means you have decent amount of vacation days each year, that ought to be least of your problems to be able to travel.
It's also a matter of priorities, how to spend the money one has. As said before, there are different ways to travel, and being out in the nature is usually a cheap vacation.

USA a non-expensive place to vacation, the dollar is low and the nature is fantastic. I've been to Yosemite once a year the last 4 years. Really, really beautiful place. But one of the most memorable places was Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Park. That's EXOTIC! One buys a pass which lets one in into all the National Parks. One can combine such a trip with both family and getting out in the nature. Back & forth Copenhagen-San Francisco is € 652, Copenhagen - LAX is € 572.

€ 553 to Bangkok, from there one can travel local. To Bishkek, Kirgistan it's € 351. That's a place for expeditions. It's much a matter of will.

Lolli wrote:You're Irish, you said. Means you have decent amount of vacation days each year, that ought to be least of your problems to be able to travel.
It's also a matter of priorities, how to spend the money one has. As said before, there are different ways to travel, and being out in the nature is usually a cheap vacation.

USA a non-expensive place to vacation, the dollar is low and the nature is fantastic. I've been to Yosemite once a year the last 4 years. Really, really beautiful place. But one of the most memorable places was Bumpass Hell in Lassen National Park. That's EXOTIC! One buys a pass which lets one in into all the National Parks. One can combine such a trip with both family and getting out in the nature. Back & forth Copenhagen-San Francisco is € 652, Copenhagen - LAX is € 572.

€ 553 to Bangkok, from there one can travel local. To Bishkek, Kirgistan it's € 351. That's a place for expeditions. It's much a matter of will.

...I think the OP also discussed being retired and he lives in the nicer part of Fresno, California (near the Sierra, Yosemite, SEKI), but some of the rest is good perspective.

Oh, I missed that.
:-) well, then that part of USA being beautiful isn't a very useful suggestion

Lolli wrote:Oh, I missed that.
well, then that part of USA being beautiful isn't a very useful suggestion

Yes and No. It was partly a philosophical thread and readers are worldwide. I tend to remember that those of us in the western U.S.A. (Irish or not) have great stuff nearby. People who only focus on famous world places are missing out and have motives and preferences I don't share. My grandparents were Irish immigrants to San Francisco, but I grew up less than an hour away from Lassen NP, Mt. Shasta, and other great places that are less famous. I now am relatively near the Sierra, Death Valley, and very near great redwoods, wildlife, and beaches. However, I do dream of and visit far off places sometimes. Cheers!

Working a 4 week on / 4 week off schedule or 5/5 certainly helps.

kevin trieu wrote:1. be single
2. work a lot
3. live very cheap and save
4. quit
5. do epic shit

+1

A few months' worth of accrued savings was enough to fund a few months of traveling for me before I needed to go back to work. If you're not materialistic and you only need to support yourself, low wages can really go a long way.

I think everyone should go on a good expedition at least once in their life. I went on several over the years. I don't think it is that impossible to do. I worked full time, was married, owned a home and still was able to go on two Himalayan trips, three South American adventures, three Alaska climbs and six Canadian Rockies and Coastal Ranges outings...

Our Himalayan adventure in 1994 was two and half months long, out of the eight climbers, I was the only one who quit my job (the only time I had to do that), all others were able to get leave of absence. We sold t-shirts, hundreds of them, we gave slide shows of previous trips in exchange for donations, we pleaded with manufacturers for gear. The planning took two years but in the end, we paid $3,900 per person. That included peak fee for 8,000 meter peak, airfare, all gear,food and clothing, tranportation and cost of 25 porters who carried our gear to the BC.

Trips like this ( no frills, no sherpa or guide support, no oxygen) were done then and can be done now. One needs to have a dream and a group of climber friends who will stop at nothing to make that dream a reality. That's all...

BTW We put 10th,11th 12th and 13th American on top of the 6th or 7th (depending on who you ask) tallest peak on earth.

Despite the success of Alois' Himalayan trip (ungodly jealous by the way), I would think that it is somewhat atypical. I personally don't know anyone, anyone, who would be able to take a two and a half month leave of absence with their employer, at least not in this economy, and still have his or her job waiting when they returned. I know such individuals do exist, to me, they're like a yeti or bigfoot; just never crossed paths with one. I am self employed but unfortunately am not in a profession where I can just check out for a long period of time and expect my clients to understand. Random 3 or 4 day weekends, no problem given some adjustments to my workload. Three or four weeks, no way.

Also, if you are married and have children, you also have to weigh the impact your absence will have on your family when we're talking more than a couple of weeks. While I always thought I would want to take trips like that after I married and had kids, I miss them terrifically even if I go on a four day trip into the Sierra. You have to factor in the loss of income, possible resentment from your spouse and maybe even your kids, let alone the risk. Also, any maybe because my kids are young, I find that I can no longer justify the risk of some types of climbing. I felt incredibly guilty soloing peaks in the backcountry though climbing at the Needles felt OK.

All of this is a personal decision though. Some lucky folks are able to strike a balance and take trips I only dream about. I envy them. However, I do know alot of climbers who made climbing a priority over their families and no longer have them. Sometime it just sucks being a grownup.

Put away 10US/day and in 5 years time go play anywhere.

I think it's more a matter of will than anything. There's always ways, if one really wants it.