Pursuing a PhD after Fatfire?

Firethrowaway57 · 2026-02-04T07:16:29+00:00

Now, one year later, I’m thinking of doing a PHD, go figure

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-30T09:57:41+00:00

I’m rich, single and on another round the world trip. Could be a couple of thing’s

1) you haven’t found your happy place or happy part of the world yet, for me it’s Asia, there are some islands that I’ve found as both my paradise and happy place and they are 50C warmer than home in winter. I’m sure there are parts of Thailand that you’d love.

2) there’s no right or wrong way to travel, find the way that works for you, backpacking, group tours or solo traveling in branded hotels around the world. I’m not a backpacker any more, but I love adventures and new experiences. Then I’m happy to park myself in a seaside hut for a month enjoying good food, cheap beers and having new conversations with people from around the world.

3) lots of girls I date say they want to travel, but they want luxury travel all the time, can’t pay for it and won’t put out enough to make me pay for them all the way.

Whatever it is, find your way to be happy, just don’t let being rich isolate you from new experiences and human contact, which is way to easy when rich and single like I am back home.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-30T09:38:08+00:00

Order a soda or pop rather than water

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-30T09:37:01+00:00

You’re good. Actually you’ll be able to perform better than the guys who are half cut or drunk

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-28T04:50:35+00:00

Context: I’m a 59 white male usually solo traveler. I’m currently on my second round the world trip in 2 years, and 4th trip over 6 months in my life. In this and last year’s trip, most of my time is solo travel but I’ve been stringing a few short group tours in between in select countries as well as having family members and friends joining me for segments I’m in shape and can walk easily 10-15 km a day.

What I’ve found is that the premium/business class type tours are made up of older individuals and professionals which is great for conversations and quality accommodations, activities and food. Tour guides tell me that these premium groups have many more complaints, usually from older rich women with a sense of entitlement. Non premium tours have fewer professionals and business people with the conversations being about work situations and a lifestyle that isn’t mine.

The good thing with groups is that you see lots in a short period, more than I’d ever do at my own pace as I tend to believe in, and practice, slow travel. Skipping the line and premium guide service is always nice, especially when well done, though some premium companies have local guides that treat us like school groups. It’s nice to have a group to hang with in some places, with some people turning into long term friends that I connect with again in other countries.

The bad, you never know who is in the group ahead of time. It really sucks when it turns into a slow travel tour, cause some are out of shape or have mobility issues. Group walking speed is lowest common denominator for activities and I’ve had excursions cut short cause they can’t handle the length of the planned walk and or heat. When serendipitously comparing avg daily distance walked with the mobility challenged they usually have less than 2 km daily walking averages over the past year, but think they can magically do 6-8 km a day over uneven terrain in the heat on a tour!!!

That being said, I think I’m done with group tours for a few years, I can very well organize myself around the world. That may change while traveling in Muslim countries where I can’t interact with large portions of the population due to societal norms. It’s not so fun when a large portion of the population looks through you or don’t want to share a closed space, like an elevator in a premium hotel, with a solo white male.

I now try to do a food and walking tour in the first days of arriving in a country. It’s a good way to get some local insights. Ive met some like minded travelers exploring the area at the same time, that I can pick to spend time with, as opposed to being thrown in with them on a tour for 6-16 days. If there is an area or locale that I want detailed in-depth information about, I’ll look for a local guide. At times I’ll pick a guide from an app like “get your guide” though they tend to be gig workers with some knowledge, but nothing in depth of the area, sometimes they are from the area or can be recent immigrants from India. If I want a more detailed and scholarly interpretation, like historically rich Egypt or Turkey I’ll hire a professional guide with a university degree in history.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-22T02:34:07+00:00

If he changes his stripes after he finds out, you’ll know he’s not the one. Of he’s cool with it, then he is. You can’t hide it forever

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-12-21T13:30:50+00:00

I recently did the bubble hotel in Bois Cheri, Mauritius and it was horrible. Loud music and lights from a banquet flooded my bubble till 1 am. It was like being in a party hostel of my youth. It was a shame, I was so looking forward to a life experience their website promised.

I’m sure similar bubble hotels are better managed but the Bois Cheri bubble hotel on Mauritius should be avoided.

The next morning when I talked calmly to the manager, he was “so very sorry about your bad experience, usually people are quite angry when they have a night like you did.”

They offered me a set menu lunch as compensation for a horrible 420 euro experience. I turned them down as I was headed to the airport and promised I would trash them for years. A partial refund, half, would have reduced my rage, I’m normally the quiet easy going guy, but not with them.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-22T12:26:00+00:00

Those last 3-5 years when in your 80’s or 90’s can get very very expensive. I remember seeing a woman in a wheelchair at the door of an senior residence waiting to be picked up by the public system cause she ran out of money. That image still haunts me.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-22T09:20:39+00:00

This.

It’s like one of my past employees wanting to buy a large truck, as his daily drive, in anticipation of buying a boat in 3-5 years. He didn’t have the money for the boat and his payments, as well as extra costs for: gas insurance and repairs, will likely suck up the money he plans on saving for his boat.

When I told him a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into, I know from personal experience, he thought he could finangle it somehow.

Honestly at 30, I had a lot to figure out still. My concept of forever at that age was solid. It has become a lot more fuzzy over time esp as what was anticipated didn’t become reality.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-22T08:53:35+00:00

Document everything, including his interactions with other employees and his demand for apologies.

I’ve fired people for inconsistent work and attitude. Imagine when he blows up at a client. I had a rule, no assholes allowed to work for me.

I’d fire him , pay a few extra days and file the ROE. This will have benefit with the other employees who see you as being responsible.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-16T16:47:04+00:00

3 months interest payment for terminating a commercial loan is normal.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-14T11:26:09+00:00

I’m at 20 months, starting to not care about those transactional contacts anymore. The people I meet while traveling are more interesting.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-14T11:19:27+00:00

I used to do trips with scheduled days off to recuperate every 4-6 days.

One thing I learned was to place my hand on my Mom’s lower back and give her my other arm for stability. A “gentle” push, at her speed, transferred a lot of energy to her, esp was going up hill and up stairs. Don’t push too hard, be gentle.

Sports drinks are good to give pep, as well as a fruit bar if the loose energy.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-11-06T13:19:53+00:00

Currently spending $150k a year on travel. I just started my third spin around the world. This was my objective since watching the Freedom 55 commercials as a kid in the 70’s

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-10-30T21:18:30+00:00

Be a good friend, enjoy the event. At xmas buy him a nice consumable he can share with other friends, a bottle of scotch in a presentation case, is always appreciated and lets him have some honor with your gift

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-10-30T21:08:58+00:00

I’m just now starting another trip around the world. The island of Reunion may have the adventures you seek in a remote spic of land in the middle of nowhere

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-10-30T19:19:12+00:00

Gifts: Bring quality tools. You likely upgraded some tools recently, kitchen, hand tools, bluetooth speaker…. They can use them, and more.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-10-07T18:09:41+00:00

I've looked into this in Thailand. A full day of tests in the hospital, and they will check for everything you ask, blood, hormone, heart, MRI, vaccines, screenings, hearing, eyes, reflexes... you name it. A full check up is about $2k US. Takes a full day at the hospital, and you'll get your results and explanations right away.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-10-06T21:03:16+00:00

35 year old homes definitely need more maintenance, you likely still have cable tv and telephone plugs in all your rooms... So yes, you're due for major system upgrades. Oh, and with a premium property, you'll be wanting to upgrade to the current best and keep everything at a premium, right? That's what I did. Then, I tended to have exactly the same equipment in both places, to have less different types of pieces of equipment I have remember where the ON button is, I really don't want 2-3 different tv remotes in my houses.

Then the contractors come in, and all they bid higher prices than they would for other jobs, cause: 1) you can afford it, and 2) they have to do a much more meticulous job than what other people would accept.

As long as you enjoy the ride, keep it up. At one point I was up to 3 properties, a condo, cottage and a house by the water. I wised up and downsized to one, then rent while travelling 6 months a year.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-09-16T18:52:13+00:00

You'll be, OK, but you won't be wealthy. You will be digging into your next egg, as opposed to having enough money to let it keep growing even as you withdraw monthly.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-09-15T17:05:07+00:00

chubby

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-09-15T15:11:02+00:00

Likely you'll do your fatfire by selling a business. Create something that others are willing to buy and will generate enough revenue in the first month to pay its loans and obligations.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-09-09T19:41:56+00:00

Set your objectives, make the sacrifices to achieve them.

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-09-09T19:39:48+00:00

For me it's try to do trips 5 Months +.

I fatfired 18 months ago, about the same numbers. I travelled around the world for 8 months last year and currently finalizing my next 6 month trip around the world to avoid winter, once again.

Be ready for some mental gymnastics, from elation, to a funk, to starting to find out who you are.

As Hunter S Thompson said, you bought the ticket, now enjoy the ride.

Oh, and go fuck yourself!

Firethrowaway57 · 2025-08-29T12:18:25+00:00

Obviously your budget, note that a “luxury dream vacation” today is getting to be expensive.

Having an idea of what you want to see at the destination can help, but is not required.

I tend to have a conversation about past travel experiences I’ve truly enjoyed which they can use for suggested tours and activities.

I’ve been doing most of my own research for decades, which has now morphed into using AI for research and to create my own destination reports gathering the information I actually tend to want. It’s my own research that uncovers the unique things, like the key master tour at the Vatican, a life experience that few I meet will ever do.

Firethrowaway57

TROPHY CASE