The decision

Some people say there are certain things you have to do before you turn 30. Of course, I wouldn't dare to disagree with these random people.

So what does this mean for my girlfriend and me as the big 30 is drawing closer? The only sensible thing would be to do a tour around the world. And that is exactly what we are doing.

Reaching that decision was actually easier than we had thought. There were several factors to consider, all of which pointed into the one direction:

• Money: the money was there - accumulated over years working at the spearhead of global capitalism. Plus, backpacking in developing countries is not that expensive. Taking into account positive tax effects etc. the net impact on our savings was likely to be manageable.
  
• Jobs: Our jobs, well, while interesting, they certainly couldn't compete with the prospects of travelling. There would (hopefully) always be the opportunity to go back to our previous employers - or go for something completely different. If all else failed, there would always be the closely-knit net of German social security - finally, a return on all the taxes paid.
  
• Family and friends: that certainly was the hardest part, but hey, we'll come back.
• Personal health and safety: while Bogota might be slightly more dangerous than rural Germany, you can get hit by a ten-ton truck anywhere. And if you pay attention, risks can at least be reduced significantly. On the positive side, travelling would enable us to get back in shape rather than spending most of our life in front of a screen.
  

To summarise, the decision itself was actually quite straightforward. The question then was how to detail and implement it.