When In Bangkok…

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I’m writing this from a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand.

Wow, these past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I didn’t think I would take three weeks off from this site but things got busy! Ha ha. The last time I published a post, I was in the midst of attending the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX. All day was filled with attending panels and doing activities. There is so much great stuff to do while going to SXSW.

Just a few days after SXSW was over, I went to Portland, Oregon. The state is so freaking beautiful. Oh my gosh. There’s so many breathtaking hikes and views to see. Definitely put Oregon on your list of places to visit for your next getaway.

I was supposed to meet up with another personal finance blogger, Melanie from Dear Debt, while up there, but unfortunately schedules conflicted. Next time!

Just two days after getting back from Oregon, I hopped on a 14+4 hour flights and headed to Bangkok. I’m going to be in Bangkok for the next six months, teaching English. Woo!

Yeah it’s weird and something slightly unexpected. I decided on it back in January of this year. I was driving to work, to a job I was less than happy about, and wondering how to get out. I job searched for a bit but came up frustrated. (finding a decent paying job, that has benefits and is satisfying is like hitting the jackpot).

While job searching, my mind kept trailing back to a TESOL program I had heard about from a travel blogger a while back. I kept thinking about it and eventually applied, thinking “What the heck, it’s not like I’m actually going to do it.”

I had a conversation with one of the coordinators and then put it to the back of my mind. A week later, after another morning of waking up and wondering what was next, it hit me: this is it. Do it. 

And I did.

I applied and got my passport, got a visa to enter Thailand, gathered my documents, bought a one-way ticket, and set off.

Being here now feels weird (in a good way). You see, I was never one of those people who studied abroad or got to spout off all the places they’ve been. Studying abroad was never an option for me. I was always focused on working to pay my bills and get through school.

I would always roll my eyes whenever I would hear other people talking about how studying abroad was a “must” and to “just do it and not worry about the money”. Yeah, right. The study abroad programs were always out of reach for me financially.

When I graduated college and started a full-time job, I thought my time for extended travel was over. I was okay with that. Taking one week trips to places isn’t so bad.

Now, I’m getting to be in a new, unfamiliar, exciting place for six months. Something I never thought was possible. It’s crazy to me that I’m still even able to be here. Yesterday I was looking at inexpensive flights to India, Hong Kong, and other places…and it’s actually a possibility for me to take them!

I’m not some world traveler now. I do have a job teaching English, making a micro-salary (that I’m actually able to somewhat live on). Although, I will have breaks from school and do plan to take as many trips as I can.

In comes this site. I’m going to back at posting financial stuff next week. (back to the routine, yo!). I’m still pondering how I’m going to incorporate my life abroad into the mix. I really want to address some of the financial stuff of traveling and already have some ideas.

Now I just gotta get started!

This post is kinda choppy since I’m writing it at 8am in the morning before I got to training. Starting to carve out a time for writing, though! I look forward to getting back to the routine! 

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Colin // RebelwithaPlan

Colin Ashby is the writer behind Rebel with a Plan, a website dedicated to people who choose to rebel against the norm of living in debt and feeling financially unenlightened. He believes everyone has an eccentric quality to embrace and that lattes are sometimes a necessity (despite what the personal finance community tells you).

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