Okay, here's a proposition for you

[garote]

Please shoot holes in this idea.

I pack up my bicycle and begin trekking around the country, living from savings. Along the way I draft up and refine a bunch of presentations, about the geography, the history, and the politics I encounter along the road, as well as the technology I use for the trip.

As I pass from area to area, I call ahead to various school districts and contact the teachers of various subjects directly, and propose that I show up at their classroom and give a guest presentation on what I've seen. With practice, I can develop a stable of presentations for age groups ranging from middle school to community college, on various subjects.

I solicit no payment for the practice. ... the point is, to enjoy spreading my enthusiasm, compiling what I see, and testing whether I enjoy teaching enough to do it for a living.

Addendum, with some additional background:

The teaching idea came to me a little while ago while I was trying to figure out what was "missing" from a standalone bike adventure. Riding all over the place and seeing neat things and people is fun, but it does not MAKE anything. It does not CONTRIBUTE. To be happy I need to feed my urge to document, create, and build.

If I was developing a bunch of lectures, presentations, slide shows, et cetera, challenging my brain to find ways to communicate what I saw, then I would be more fully engaged during the journey. Plus I could accumulate a lot of material to, at some point, create my own curriculum for teaching. Or, lead people on similar tours. Or just tell a lot of stories.

It would also justify and leverage my knowledge of technology and modern communication methods.

It's true, it would not make me any money at all, but then again, when I began considering a long range bike tour, it was never meant to earn income. As far as I know, no one on earth is able to make money as a bike tourer. There are a handful of people who supplement their savings with donations and remote contract work, but they don't rise above the break-even point. There are others who have investments back home to fuel their travels, but I don't have anything like that, nor would I expect my potential travel companion(s) to.

The thing is, living in a sketchy part of Oakland with a housemate, and working where I do in Cupertino, I am able to save a ludicrous amount of money. My back-of-the-envelope calculations say that by the end of the year, I'd have enough to quit my job and go bicycling around the world for two entire years.

But is that what I would actually want? I don't know. I doubt it, actually.

So right now I'm looking at alternate ideas. Riding around the US for a few seasons, booking presentations? Quite compelling.

There are also other approaches/variations that I haven't even thought of yet, I'm sure...

Comments

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

If you're OK with depleting your savings without generating income or a marketable product, then I see no holes in this plan.

[lutin.livejournal.com]

I would talk to people with school connections now and get their response. I can imagine schools being ... wary of this. Community centers or libraries might dig it. (Again, assuming you want to deplete your savings like that.) OTOH you could keep a really awesome blog about it and then score a book deal. ;) Twice, if you make it about teaching, too.

[rudetuesday.livejournal.com]

Definitely connect with schools now, for security (loads of schools have lockdown procedures and safety concerns these days) and convenience reasons. Then you can really sort of sketch out your route, find out how much interest such a journey might generate. I think this would also help you start to define your level of enthusiasm. If things go well while you're gauging interest, maybe you'll want to do more than you'd initially planned. I like the idea of travels + stories. We always appreciated it when someone different would show up at our little school.

Would you be interested in blogging your experience as you go? If you wanted, you could chuck a couple of ad-building revenue-y things on, for a little money coming in. I admit this is mainly so I could see any photos from along the way.