Get Your Ass On A Plane: Why Getting Laid Off From Your Job Could Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened

May 13th, 2008 by Pia Taylor

Thailand - click to view original photoEver needed an excuse to travel? Probably not, but have you gone beyond dreaming about saddling up your trusty backpack, and actually managed to hit the open road?

Ah, there’s the rub. For there be dragons (aka bills to pay, things to buy, future to secure, blah blah blah…).

In the words of Jason Kester, author of Code on the Road:

“When you get right down to it, you’ll probably find a way to talk yourself out of taking that dream trip. You’ll come up with some pretty believable excuses, but really it will come down to the fact that you’re scared.

That’s cool. Travel is pretty scary when you look at it from the outside. But here’s the thing. It stops being scary the moment your feet hit the pavement on Ko San Road in Bangkok. You’re going to get blasted by 100 degree heat, power-wafted by smells of the most amazing street food one minute and an open sewer the next, assaulted with music from a thousand bars, and crammed into a tiny room overlooking it all with a fan that doesn’t work. And you won’t be able to wipe the silly grin off your face.

Book the flight today, because every day you delay it is one more day wasted on the couch, and one more day to come up with lame excuses for why you shouldn’t go.”


Rock on! If you’re laid off from work, all the better – use the opportunity to book a flight, and head for South East Asia (unless it’s May). It’s cheap, it’s cheerful, and you’ll be so happy ‘you won’t be able to wipe the silly grin off your face’.

Doubts? We all have ‘em, but sometimes you have to just grab the bull by the horns and get out there. The rest will take care of itself. Seriously, read Jason’s post, cover to cover, and then “Get your ass on a plane.”

Posted in Destinations, General Travel, Travel Tips & Planning