Touring - tour or stay home

Its been a while since I was out touring for extended times. 2001 was the last long ride. Ive been working in the cycling business and have a nice sweet job. i am retired so the job is more for fun and keeping mentally, physically and and socially active. i have a good manager to work for that goives me enough freedon to ruin the department as I see fit and can come and go as I please. 12 people work forme and we have a good working relationship going. The money is good the bennifits are ok and job satisfaction is good.

Sounds like a dream job right? it pretty much is other than I am having serious reopccuring thoughts of loading the touring rig ( see pic) and heading out for 3 or 4 months or longer of touring. The thoughts were only occasional at first but now there is rarley a day goes by I dont think about it. I am into my second year with this job and I like it but the road is calling me.......

The girlfriend thinks it is a great idea to go bicuycle touring as long as it is someone elsedoing the touring. but the road is calling me............ I will either give notince at work on June 1 or try to get this touring out of my mind and forget about it

catfish

Take the tour, dammit!

;)

Good to see you around, Catfish! Take the tour and keep another travelogue and let us know how things go for you.

Koffee

You'll regret it if you don't go. Of course, we all have some regrets to live with. Your call.

Perhaps you can go for 2 or 3 weeks instead of months to get your touring fix, and still keep the sweet job??

~Steve

Try and work something out with your present employer. If he's as reasonable as you say he is, and you are as happy as you are with the situation, I'd talk to him. If he rejects the idea, then I'd do what my heart desires, nay, demands. We only pass through this life once, my friend.

Two Latin phrases which are all too important:
Carpe diem: seize the day; Carpe vitam: get a life.
Which one will you choose?

Cheers

Act on instinct and do it. Just think of Wllie.

The way I've always gone about it is that I know I'll regret what I didn't do more than what I did do. I hate regrets more than appologies. Just my .02

Good luck.

I would go on tour. But if you work in a bike shop, isn't winter the slow season? If you could control the urges, stay at the shop until September. Then find somewhere where the weather is cooperative for your travels. You might have a job to come back to when reality sets in and you can't afford the cost or the loneliness of always being on tour. If the gf is not working, have her travel by car. She probably doesn't like to camp, though. If she is not working, she might be able to buy one of those little scooter bikes with max speed of 40mph and travel with you. We have a friend who tours with her husband that way. She travels up the road to the next shade tree or town on the scooter and waits for him. I wish touring was a choice in my immediate future. I'd like to quit my job but only have 8 more years till retirement.

Ask yourself this question: "Do I need the job?" if your answer is no, then first try to work it out with your boss and his preferred time frame, and if he ok's it then you won on both fronts. But if he says no, and you know you don't need the job then what have you lost? nothing because you don't need the job and you won yourself a well deserved tour. Obviously if you need the job then work out a plan with your boss that would be totally acceptable, such as maybe 2 weeks during the off season; then you would retain your position.

I don't know how old you are but the other question for you could be; "how much time to I have left to be able physically to ride a long tour like this?" This could be another factor you may want to consider which only you could answer.

Try and work something out with your present employer. If he's as reasonable as you say he is, and you are as happy as you are with the situation, I'd talk to him. If he rejects the idea, then I'd do what my heart desires, nay, demands. We only pass through this life once, my friend.

Two Latin phrases which are all too important:
Carpe diem: seize the day; Carpe vitam: get a life.
Which one will you choose?

Cheers
Carpe vitam would be more 'Seize life' than 'get a life'
And the whole phrase is Carpe diem, quam minimum credula posterus. meaning 'Seize the day, give little credit to the future' basicaly means do it now because the future is unknown. :beer:

You might consider your desires as your personal"wake up call"
Next time u pass a "retirement home", assisted care living facility", or warehouses for the old, as I call them think of all the forgotten dreams residing within
Jobs for skilled individuals are always there. I've changed careers 4 times in my life, never looked back and never regreted except one time when I waited a bit to long.
Explain to your companion the reasons why you want to go, and if its male menopause tell her that too.
I've seen several very close friends pass on in the last few years and in the future there will be others going. But damned if I'm going without a fight
On one of these forums I read the best sayin I've ever heard about living life to the fullest. It follows .....not mine but I wish it were

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming......

"WOW WHAT A RIDE"

Turn of your TV, stop reading the news(less) papers, and hit the road
Maybe I'll see you in Europe in August, September or October

Catfish,
You and I are in the same boat. I've got a tour all planned but now am getting yanked back by the idea that I should keep my good job with good benefits, a job that I really do like that happens to be in a city where I really really REALLY don't belong.
I live in dirty, crowded, polluted Seoul where the biking not only sucks, but is also just plain dangerous. I have a good job and the food in Korea is excellent. Good job. Good food. Is this what life has come to?
That being said, I've had enough. I have purchased my one-way ticket to Seattle, and am training for a ride to Alaska......and now, the second guessings about "the uncertain future" keep cropping up. People tell me (my conservative parents, for example), "you've lost your mind; you're being a foolish".
Foolish. Ha!
Foolish is sitting around wishing something would happen to you, especially when you know you can make it happen.
Reading the responses to your post has set me in stone.
Thanks for everyone's bike-lust.
I'm going on my bike trip!
I hope you go on your bike trip too!
Rock the world, Catfish!

People work to get good jobs so that they can eventualy do what they want. But when it becomes realized that they can now do what they want, they get hung up on the job that was originally only a vehicle to get them to the point of doing what they want. So do what you want, F the job the jobs only purpose was to get you here.
Unless the job is in its self your one burning desire, and this is the case for some people. Actors for example, or proctologists:D.

Hi and thanks for all the replies. I’ve lived life so far as an adventure ever since I can remember. i have very few regrets if any. The job id leave behind is a real dream job for me, Its cycling related and one sweet situation. i also am a liscensed coach and have some clients i need to set up with another coach while I am gone doing my own thing.

I don’t need the money from these jobs , just the personel satisfaction i get from what I do . I pretty much write my own ticket. I do not think this type of job will come along again it’s as good as it gets great boss, great co worlers, awesome clients.

I had a nice chat with the GM today and told her of my plans to Tour. Of course it was a bit of a surprise as no one had a clue I had rambling on my mind. I can set the department up to run itself with a little outside help while I am gone. The immediate response from the GM is “go and get it out of your system and come back!” That’s is as much as I know or even care to think about because coming back is so far away and it will of course all be changed or maybe it will be me that is changed.

When I am going is sort of set, I got a wedding on July 17 then I am free to go the next day or so. This is going to be “catfish on a bike” part 3 part 1 was in 2000 3 months of adventure and recorded on Bicycle Bob’s site which has since gone away however I did down load my travel log before that happened, part 2 I had parts of it on this site.

Thanks for taking an interest and expressing your thoughts for me to think about. I have a lot to do to get ready I do have most of the gear I need and the bicycle just needs some wrench work I may try a BOB but have always used panniers it could go either way.

I sent of a donation to Joe today for the site and will ask him to set me up a travel log here stop by and check in once in a while I ll do the same from public library’s computers I never did figure out how to post pictures though.
Catfish

If i were you i would ask for leave of absence to have the best of both worlds.
mike.
bicyclelane.com