Plans for time between end of school and Residency?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
B

Bevo

Radiology, R1
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
1,630
Reaction score
2
Points
4,551
Age
48
Location
in hell
  1. Resident [Any Field]
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
I just got my trip to europe! April to May, backpacking.

Long time no vacation for me. 11 days of work left too till I'm done
 
What is the whole attraction with backpacking anyway? I feel like I'm the only person under 35 who has no desire to go backpacking through a foreign country. I realize it's a nice cheap way to travel and everything, but to me that wouldn't really be a vacation.

For me, between end of school and residency I had to move and uproot my life. that's probably what most people do.
 
You're not.

Although I'm no longer under 35, I never had the desire to go backpacking, anywhere. Traveling through foreign countries I enjoy but I would rather stay home than stay in hostels, walk great lengths, take buses everywhere, etc. Ick...
 
you are not alone yaah.
 
did the whole backpacking thing..it was Great!
I'll be spending my time with a new dog! YEAH!
 
going to ghana africa... don't think i'll be backpacking per se, but would definitely be all over that if i were going to europe!
 
Kimberli Cox said:
You're not.

Although I'm no longer under 35, I never had the desire to go backpacking, anywhere. Traveling through foreign countries I enjoy but I would rather stay home than stay in hostels, walk great lengths, take buses everywhere, etc. Ick...
Click to expand...

I would have said under 30 but that doesn't apply to me anymore 😉

I hear stories about people going to some foreign countries and getting mugged repeatedly, or feeling that their life was in danger, or getting cheated out of money, having to pay bribes, getting some violent diarrheal or catarrhic illness, getting stuck in huge crowds of people...To me that's not a vacation. To each his/her own, I guess.

To me, staying home is often a fantastic vacation. You can read, listen to music, catch up with things, see friends/family, etc. During my breaks in 4th year of med school when I wasn't interviewing, I didn't take any significant trips except the ones related to moving. It was extraordinarily relaxing, fun, educational, and exciting. I recommend it. (that's not sarcasm, by the way).
 
Going to the Costa Del Sol in southwestern Spain!! 😀 I will be kicking it in a condo overlooking the beach with a drink sporting a stupid little umbrella!!!👍

Then back to reality two weeks later👎
 
i'll be likely uprooting my life and moving. selling my house. getting a new one.

i'll also likely be getting some sort of interim job - depending on how much my house sells for - because financial aid runs out at the end of may and the 1st paycheck doesn't come until mid-july, at the earliest. gots ta pay da billzzz, unfortunately.
 
Bevo said:
I just got my trip to europe! April to May, backpacking.

Long time no vacation for me. 11 days of work left too till I'm done
Click to expand...

Go to Holland(Amsterdam). They will treat you good... real good.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
yaah said:
I would have said under 30 but that doesn't apply to me anymore 😉

I hear stories about people going to some foreign countries and getting mugged repeatedly, or feeling that their life was in danger, or getting cheated out of money, having to pay bribes, getting some violent diarrheal or catarrhic illness, getting stuck in huge crowds of people...To me that's not a vacation. To each his/her own, I guess.
Click to expand...

I do enjoy going to foreign countries and was able to travel to Morocco, Turkey and a few other places during my residency with my ex. I can't say I enjoyed the crowds in Asia (but I felt safe there) or the urine and offal soaked streets in the medinas in Africa and the Middle East. But I wouldn't change those experiences for the world - besides, we went home at night to beautiful rooms in renovated palaces, B&Bs, etc. Never had a problem with eating the street food either, but the "toilets" in central Anatolia and other remote places left something to be desired. 😉

Staying home is nice as well...it can be exhausting to travel and its hard to find someone who you travel well with. It was one of the things my ex and I did really well together - same wants, schedules, etc. I haven't taken any vacation this year largely because I enjoy work and its better than hanging out at home...plus my schedule is so easy compared to residency that I'm getting plenty of rest.
 
I'm headed to South America for 3 months. For me, travel has always been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. For the most part, I've been backpacking, through europe, africa, australia, central america.

I know it's not always everyone's cup of tea. However, I find something very stimulating about being out of my element and being immersed in another culture. The process of taking public transportation, staying in modest accommodations and allowing yourself to become somewhat vulnerable to your surroundings are all part and parcel of this immersion and adventure. I also find it fascinating to meet other travellers from all over the world and local people in whatever country I'm in. Also, part of the backpacking approach is that it is more financially sustainable over an extended period of time (months as opposed to a week or two).

I love it, and I always feel as though I've significantly enriched my life when I return from a trip. I have many memories, adventures and stories that will last a lifetime. I intend to make travel a part of who I am for the rest of my life. I would highly encourage anyone to take a trip abroad during the end of fourth year. This will likely be your last opportunity for a long time.
 
I'm headin' out to Israel for a week to check out all the Biblical sites. Very excited!
 
I'm leaving the day after graduation for Puerto Vallarta. Then most likely uprooting and moving.

Then hopefully enought time to get even more stupid than I have during 4th year playing some video games! :laugh:
 
I think not liking backpacking in a foreign country is as a telltale sign of old age as any😀 I'm hoping to plan a backpacking trip myself in that glorious strech of irresponsibility.
 
I've never gone and quite honestly if I didnt go backpacking I dont think I could afford to see half of what I plan to.

3 weeks in europe, touring the eastern coast of italy (rome, florence, venice) then to vienna, prague, munich, berlin and who knows what else while we are there.


I'd love to travel and stay in 4 star hotels, but its gonna have to wait till I'm out of residency.
 
turkleton said:
I think not liking backpacking in a foreign country is as a telltale sign of old age as any😀 I'm hoping to plan a backpacking trip myself in that glorious strech of irresponsibility.
Click to expand...

It's not old age, it's simply maturity. 🙂

Of course, ten years ago I still wouldn't have wanted to go backpacking, but that's beside the point.
 
yaah said:
It's not old age, it's simply maturity. 🙂

Of course, ten years ago I still wouldn't have wanted to go backpacking, but that's beside the point.
Click to expand...


Its not really maturity in my case, but rather a love for a clean bed of my own and thick bath towels.

Heck, even in HS or college I would not have wanted to go backpacking, so while it may be a sign of growing older, in our case, its simply enjoying the finer things in life.

And you don't necessarily have to put off nice trips until after residency - you can get some good deals if you go off season, share a room and save some money during residency.
 
once my rotations are done in april, i'll be selling the playstation 3 and riding a motorcycle across the US; plan on doing quite a bit of national park hopping through CO, NM, UT, etc. I did a similar, but more rushed, trip at the beginning of 4th year last Sept, and felt it was one of the best travel experiences of my life.

unfortunately, i lack the nerve to go through central/ south america Che-style
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
07match said:
once my rotations are done in april, i'll be selling the playstation 3 and riding a motorcycle across the US;
Click to expand...

Have you signed your organ donor card?😀
 
res-2007 said:
Have you signed your organ donor card?😀
Click to expand...

yeah, actually i had the whole hells angels chapter i belong to all sign up together before a pillaging and looting run 👍
 
Instead of hopping from city to city in Europe, its better to stick to just a few and really enjoy them. Traveling around like that is exhausting and you dont have time to experience anything properly. My $0.02 at least.
 
Bevo said:
I just got my trip to europe! April to May, backpacking.

Long time no vacation for me. 11 days of work left too till I'm done
Click to expand...

Maybe we'll run into you in Germany! We're just going for 10 days, trying to focus our travels a bit...we've both been to/lived in Europe several times, so it's not new.

But a month of country hopping is a great way to start (don't listen to the Euros, they all look down their noses at country hopping, but then, to them, many Americans' normal daily commute of 45 min-1 hour is a ridiculously long trip reserved only for their 6 weeks of paid vacation/year 😉 )! You can then go back to places you really liked and spend more time in the future, living it up at those 4 star hotels....
 
yaah said:
What is the whole attraction with backpacking anyway? I feel like I'm the only person under 35 who has no desire to go backpacking through a foreign country. I realize it's a nice cheap way to travel and everything, but to me that wouldn't really be a vacation.

For me, between end of school and residency I had to move and uproot my life. that's probably what most people do.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't do it for 1 million. Cool for those who love it though, I guess. It really doesn't take much to entertain me, and I enjoy leading an uneventful life, as boring as it may sound.
 
Going to Australia for a couple weeks (Cairns and Darwin) and then to the Cook Islands for a week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
J1 Visa Gap between residency and fellowship
Replies
3
Views
3K
Giovanotto
Giovanotto
GolDRoger
Help me decide between Ortho and IM/Cardiology
Replies
17
Views
5K
gutonc
gutonc
T
What medical specialty has the least amount of "office politics" in residency and attending?
Replies
12
Views
4K
Neuronix
Neuronix
T
  • Locked
Residency Predicament - Advice?
Replies
3
Views
393
chilly_md
chilly_md
samac
Culture of medicine and time off
Replies
21
Views
4K
fellow12321
F
Top Bottom