Hitting the road

In February I became another victim of the economic downturn as the startup I was with cut back on its staff and I was laid off. This was a first for me in my 13 year professional career and it was initially pretty tough to take.

My first instinct was to find another job as quickly as possible. I have an expensive mortgage to pay on my San Francisco loft. Many predict the economy is going to get worse before it gets better and the bay area job market is likely going to be flooded with overqualified tech talent soon.

However, after thinking on it a while and talking with friends I decided instead to just take a break. I hadn't taken as much as a 3 week vacation since I left business school -- why not see this as an opportunity? I decided to take a few months off and do some of the traveling I've always wanted to do. I found some nice folks to rent my place and look after my cats, renovated my loft to add new storage space for my stuff, booked some flights, and hit the road April 1. Why live in fear? If there aren't jobs available when I get back, I will deal with that then.

The trip kicks off with a drive up the coast to Seattle and Vancouver BC to visit friends and relatives. Future destinations include Big Sur, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Vegas, Costa Rica, Mexico, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Its exciting and a little scary leaving your home and your life for 3-4 months, but here goes!