Travel or Buy a house ?

[salisbury]

Basically Ive been working as a designer for two years now since graduating from Preston......it can be very boring and demeaning at times as I usually get the jobs the senior designers don't fancy : )

I sometimes feel that after two years I should have moved up a level, I get the odd enjoyable job but my boss is a printer and he doesnt care much for design so basically we knock out a lot of bread and butter jobs.

Thing is I know the areas in which I neeed to improve, communication, organization, decision making and building relationships with clients. I have heard that travelling does a lot of this for you........and that people thrown into the workplace straight from uni are sometimes lacking these qualities.

The thing is I have just inherited �3,000 and I am not used to that kind of money........I am very tempted to go travelling but if i took a year out, would that affect my employability?? thats my big worry.

I am stuck between going travelling and gaining qualities that might help me in my future life, or putting it in a high savings accoutnt and trying to get a house around here

Im not on massive money and it is not an amazing job, but Im just worried that if i take a year out, the 2 years of industry work i have built up will be wasted.


Any advice would be REALLY APPRECIATED : )

[Dassie]

Well if I were in your position I'd put the �3000 in an ISA and concentrate on your job. If you watch the news then you'll see all about loss of jobs and downturns in sales and I dont think taking a year out would do your prospects any good at the moment. If you are only in your early twenties there is plenty of time to travel and you might just need that �3000 for a rainy day or yes, if you can find a property that you afford, then an investment in property is always a good bet in the long run.

[JK2]

It is a difficult question to answer. I was a fashion designer and scared of taking a break to travel - in the 60's - as I had no money and was terrified if I left my job I wouldn't get one when I returned. My parents had no money to help me either. I'll never know if I was right but I always wished I had travelled and now I'm semi retired I take about 4 trips a year - Borneo, Ecuador etc etc. - trying to catch up before I'm too old.

My nephew went off for 2 years around the world & worked a bit in New Zealand & Australia before returning via the Far East. He loved it and it certainly widened his horizons. He's since created a very successful company.

My niece gave up teaching to do the same thing - was away for 6 months and had a very difficult time getting a full time teaching job in her area on her return. She's had to work as a supply teacher for 2 years - no pay during the holidays - and has just managed to get back in to a full time teaching job.

So what the answer is I don't know but I suspect that the travel will add to your experiences and if you can also work - in any kind of jobs - whilst travelling it will add to your CV.

Good luck!

[mancmo]

I worked in a job I really loved a few years ago, then my friend decided that she wanted to go travelling for 12 months. I really wasnt interested, I wanted to stay at my job ! But after talking it through with work colleagues and family, I decided to go, big step for someone who wanted to buy a house, new car etc.

I was 24 at the time, and decided, lifes too short, go out and do it !!!

Anyway, cut a long story very short, I actually travelled for 18 months, the majority of that time was working and travelling around Australia. And can certainly say, it was the best time of my life.

I have never looked back and regretted any moment of it. I still look back at photos to this day and can't believe that I have been to so many places.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that, you have the money, your still young, get out there and see the world, if you dont do it now, you will regret it.

think of all the job experiences you will benefit from, I did so much agency work, my CV was 6 pages long when i came back.!

You can still buy your house and still have a career when you get back, I did !!! Ive got a gorgeous house, car etc. there is no age limit to this ! but seeing the world while your still in your early 20s is a must - trust me on this !!!!

Good Luck !!!!

[sunflower71]

You dont say how old you are BUT

Get that backpack ready and get out there....travelling will open doors that you never knew were there...

[spudqueen]

Travel - you won't regret it.

[Memore]

travel every time but �3000 wont last long if your ticket is coming out of that - there will be jobs houses and all the usual rubbish when you come back I have dumped jobs 3 times to go travelling and I am a professional person and just walked straight back into work i now have a house but would love to go off travelling again you can always rent houses out as well? so might do that now DO IT

[Pomp]

I had been working for 8 years after leaving university, before I decided to go travelling. I had never had the inclination to do it when I left university. Work offered me a 12 month sabbatical, so I knew that I had a job to come back to. I don't think that the work experience that you have built up will be wasted if you go travelling. Going travelling gives you whole load of different experiences which you would never get if you stayed at work.

I spoke to a lot of people before I left, and not one person regretted going travelling. I got to a point where if I didn't do it when I did, I would probably be unable to do it. I looked at that I would look back, and wish that I had done it.

I would say that �3k is not going to subsidise a very long trip, especially if you are buying air tickets. If you want to make the most of the �3k, I would head to SE Asia, as it is cheap there. Countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Lao, Vietnam, Indonesia and India, will make your money go further.

I would advise going travelling