BootsnAll Travel Community

alright i posted this topic to get some advice from you fine folks on whether or not ive lost my mind.alright the reason im asking you this question is because im only 16 and have this deep thought implanted in my head that i just can't seem to get rid of and that thought is wanting to start my backpacking journey at my current age due to the fact that i just don't seem happy living out my everyday life within society anymore,its like im completly removed from society's state of mind nowadays.hope you guys can give me some advice on whether or not it's even possible to do this at my age and where a good place would be for me to stay in different country's other than canada such as youth hostels and so on.

look forward to your replies

Peacemaker,

Only you can decide what is best for yourself, and what route you want to take in life.

My only words are these: At 16, I, and I think many people, hated school, and at least for me, I totally didn't fit in and in fact disliked 90% of the people I went to school with. I simply couldn't relate to them. I guess what I'm saying is that just because you don't like it, or don't fit in, doesn't mean it is necessarily a good idea to just throw it all out the window (school, that is). A lot of people hate high school, but it can be important in many ways, longterm. I guess for me, yeah, it really really sucked at the time, but looking back, it's like...it's no big deal, in the big picture. It was kinda like a rite of passage, and I think I grew stronger as a person. I would say for 6 years (jr high and high school), I thought school totally sucked, but I plodded through it, and it's now totally behind me! So you could look at it as just getting it out of the way, and saying 'good riddance' once you're done w/ it!

I'll get off my soapbox now; like I said at the beginning, obviously only you can figure out what direction you really want to go in, and if you wanna just quit school and travel right now, then have a fabulous time!

16! Right on!...you are starting asking the big questions about when I did.

Good for you!

If you feel like the odd man out...that means you are really only wanting to find your place in life...so it is natural to feel, "if it ain't happening here...then it must be happening else where."

I hung in and finished high school...with a few "road trips" thrown in earlier...to test the waters.

Why not use the couple of years you have left as a minor, as a staging period...use it to research your future trips...work to build up a grub steak...read a bunch of books that will expand your horizon.

If your current life includes stuff like the rent, utilities, and food being covered by someone else...than be thankful for it, and start to amass your travel money now!

Do you need a few good books to get started on?

I read "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac at your age...there are several other suggestion on these boards as well.

Why not start a journal?

Check out the "Seekers" thread for assingments to work on at home.

...and you are not crazy...you are blessed...anyone who see's their life as different from the masses...is destined for individuality of expression, and finding their own uniqueness.

wow thanks for the great replies they really helped me to consider the situation from a wider perspective and i think ive come to the decision that ill finish off this school year then drop out and start my new way of life and see how it all works out.also thanks for the book refs oldhippy ive been wanting to pick up some reading material on the whole backpacking subject .

i guess the first thing to do will be to inform my parents of my decision and see how that goes, personally though i don't care what they say because i realise its my own life and as such i should have the final say about which direction im going with it.also aside from informing my parents on the situation ill be looking into where im gonna travel and where ill stay..etc.



*peace be with you all*

Am glad that you will be thinking this through. There are many ways to enrich your life while studying and traveling. Do stay in school as that is an experience you can have only once in life ..good and bad. Stick with it.We all felt like this at 16.Different that is.

I think traveling is a great education and also does wonders for personal growth but we also have to be a little practical about things. Staying in school and finishing high school should be your priority.Sorry if that is not what you want to hear.

Think it through before you sit down with parents and lay it down like an adult...make sure they understand where you are coming from. It might take one or more sessions ..don't loose calm.

Also make a plan for yourself..include college in there too as you see many of think College is a great idea too. See this thread http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/209091657/m/36600410216

When you present this to your parents after having thought through and making a rough plan I have a feeling they will be behind it 100%.

Good Luck!! I envy that you are 16 and have this great oppurtunity to find a great recipie for life with travel as a big part of it..make use of our experience here on the boards and learn from our mistakes and also our triumps and keep your self motivated to make a grand plan for yourself.

Cheers...(well not literally) but its habit I picked from my British friends while living in belguim.

hello peacemaker!

i have to agree with eowyn and madhu here about finishing school... it's so important, not so much in the book smarts arena but rather as lessons in life and growing up. i'm just guessing here (because i don't know you) but based on the people i know who dropped out, if you leave school early at some point in your life you'll regret it.

these feelings you're having right now truly are to your benefit, believe it or not. it's the people who feel like a "square peg" who end up becoming extraordinary human beings. i'm sure a lot of people on these boards can relate to your feelings of isolation, and are happy to help.

but it's the trials in life that make us stronger people with a better sense of ourselves... and trust me, 16 is simply one of those times regardless of who or where you are! my advise is this: endure the next 2 years of school with as much grace as you can muster. use that time to learn about the places you want to go, and to save up for them so you can truly enjoy the experience. use your present frustration as a motivation to push you towards a goal on the horizon.

good luck to you!

yeah i guess your right i could probably stand staying in school for another 2 years and just bike around my home country for a little while longer which i have been doing alot lately.actually im planning to bike to toronto ontario for an anime convention in about a month so that should be a fun trip which is about an 8 hour ride by bike.

also what ive been doing lately is taking a couple days off of school every once and a while to meditate and get more in touch with my spiritual side to help me get through these damn conformist years of my life.

by the way i think what probably makes it so hard for me to stick to going to school is the fact that i had previously dropped out for a year so im kinda out of the whole swing of things but im sure ill be able to stick it out if i put some effort into it.

thanks for the support brothers and sisters and may peace be with you all .