Anyone ever say "&%$! IT!" and Move away?

[Ben]

Hey gang, this sort of falls into three separate parts of the forum (Careers, Travel and Finance) but this is probably the most applicable. I'm looking for people who have done something similar, and gone totally against the norm.

I've just dropped everything I have in Calgary and am moving away. I grew tired of the daily grind so to speak. The Commute, the rat race, the whole idea that is Calgary. It seems over the past few years that even with how hard I've worked, I'm no further ahead due to the massive growth this city has seen. The 250k house I began saving for back in 2002 is no longer attainable, and I just feel there is more to life than just having a pulse. As a born and raised Calgarian, I'm looking for a change as I'm not especially keen on the direction of this city or my direction in life.

I'm leaving behind a lot of friends, a great job and a safe well known surrounding that I have grown up in for the past 25 years. I have no real obligations right now. No mortgage/kids etc etc.

People always say that if you're not happy, change it. Well, thats my plan.

Anyone ever just up and left, decided to travel for a year or 5 or forever and see the world? Keep going till you found what you were looking for? I suppose I wont have a lot of people answering yes to that last one, as Calgary (the large membership base here) wouldn't be anywhere near my top 10 in places I'd like to live and raise a family et al. But I could be wrong

First Stop is Banff for the winter, to collect my thoughts, adjust to being on my own, unwind, catch up on some skiing, and see how living with the GF works out. Should all things go well, and we can actually stand being around each other all the time, next stop is New Zealand. I've done a lot of "soul searching" based on months and months of research, and many books, consultations and a couple a few bottles of Belvedere, its where I'd like to sample first. I'd also like to rekindle my love for photography, which I have been contributing ZERO photos as of late as I just haven't been inspired. Maybe go to school somewhere else and learn something new, work interesting jobs, meet interesting people. I'm hooked on traveling, I love it, be it the Caribbean, other cities in Canada, the US, Mexico, I'd like to see more.

There is more to life than money in my opinion, spent a long time working for it and haven't really accomplished much, and so perhaps going a little minimalist and seeing what else is out there is what I really need. I'd rather drive an old assed jeep on a beach with the palm trees than roll in my Porsche stuck in traffic working for the weekend. Take what I've saved and stretch it out for a while. Those who know me know the long long long strain of bad "luck" I've gone through with various things, and recent news in my life reinforces that we're not on this earth for ever. We only go around this crazy Merry-Go-Round once. I just don't want to look back and say "%^* I wish I did that, took that risk, saw those places, did those things." I have a few regrets, and I want to make the best of the rest. After all, today is the first day of the rest of your lives.



Discuss.

All advice is valued and appreciated. The butterfly's are making themselves known.

[lewdvig]

I can`t even articulate how jealous I am.

New Zealand would be high on my list. If I were going to live in Canada, I would look at Montreal and Halifax, the former has some great real estate values.

[ca18det240sx]

Sounds like you have the right idea man. I would love to do the same thing....i remember when i was saving for that 180,000$ house or somewhere around that...now the only house you can find for that is probably schedualed for destruction a week after you buy it. I cant stand this boomtown bullshit, too much traffic, too many idiots in general. Go with it man, wish you the best of luck....wish i could do it right now, but i have 2 years of welding left before im red seal =(

[icecreamvan]

I agree with you...my &%# IT date is scheduled for 2017.

[theken]

gl on your adventures man, i wish i could, i am planning to move to southern states, but i am not skilled and debt keeps me from leaving, at least for a while.
Also the wife doesn't want to move, i want to, i haven't done much traveling but my fuck it date would be right now if i didn't buy my house my car and have a wife.

Good luck man, keep in touch, send me some booze and nudy shots from zealand

[Darkane]

oh man cool stuff, Hope to god your girlfriend is on the same page. Might get serious and she'll make you stay.

[Jlude]

Good luck with your travels man... keep us posted with everything.

You're embarking on quite the adventure that most wish they could go on. Or even have the balls to just do it.

+1 on being jealous right now!

[TomcoPDR]

Yo good read dude, you spoke my mind but I just never had the balls to up and leave myself; that's why working on the road would by my second opinion to up and leaving. Good luck with your future endevours.

Hope you find what you're looking for.

[rc2002]

I know exactly how you feel. Being born and raised here really makes me see how much Calgary has changed and how much worse off we are now with this latest boom.

This makes me wonder how people who moved here from elsewhere feel. They uproot and leave everything that they know (family, friends, social networks) just to take the risk of making a couple bucks more in a different city. But then they get here and end up no further ahead - just more frustrated and stressed out because of their huge mortgage, traffic line ups, hospital waits, lack of service, etc.

Calgary =

Good for you. I wish I had the balls to do what you're doing.

[KRyn]

Wow you have balls my friend! Glad to hear about a story like this first hand! You should keep a sorta blog going on Beyond or something. Would be cool to see what kind of trouble you get into!

[Weapon_R]

Wow, good read.

I wish I had the same kind of drive. But having been raised in Calgary all my life, there is also too much to walk away from. Friends, family, and the hope that things will eventually come back to normal in the foreseeable keep me grounded here

[ninjak84]

Those are some expensive ideas!
Great plans though ... I think anyone who isn't happy with what they're doing needs to make a change. Definitely keep your web page updated with recent events, so we can see what you've been doing once in a while.

[SikAssR1]

I'm leaving this city too. Moving to the Okanagan and ENJOY life rather stress over it. You said it yourself, "you rather drive a beat up jeep and hang on the beach then drive a porshe stuck in traffic." Life is made to live and enjoy to the fullest. I am taking a huge risk as well, but I know I will be happy. Think about the positive things that will come out of your experience instead of negative ones. Good luck with your adventure!

[pepschnops]

If somethings not worth it why sit around and be unhappy with your surroundings. Great read, enjoy your trip. I'm sure the scenery in NZ will fuel your passion of photography. Im envious that I can't ski all winter. An opportunity to explore is something that so many people talk about but few people rarely do.
Heres a quote I've had for a while, cheesy but true.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away
from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Discover."

Best of luck in your travels.

[finboy]

calgary blows now, get the fuck out while you can

[idriveabox]

If it wasn't for student loan debt, I'd leave Calgary asap.

Have fun man.

[spikerS]

i totally understand how you feel. while not born here (sudbury, ont.), i was raised in and around the calgary area. been here for 27 years. I keep nagging on the wife to move, but she does not want to leave her family.

[infected]

If you have money I don't see why not. I want to apply for an internship just to move somewhere else for school like Egypt.
Really though, it sounds like a lot of fun.

[b_t]

I'm really tempted to leave all the time. Can't afford it just yet though.

[adam c]

i wish i could leave sometimes.. but debt is holding me back...

then theres other times where i couldn't imagine living anywhere else, away from my gf, friends and family