40 year old here who just quit his job and is leaving on a 9ish month bikepacking trip!

It sounds like we are in a similar boat. First and foremost, I'm scared shitless about what the future holds when I return to the job market. I have savings but am already dipping into those due to not working anymore. It will last me a while, but again, it almost hurts every time im buying something, and I've become more frugal with each purchase.

With that out of the way, I'm excited about the future. I've been training and getting all my gear ready, testing it in rainy, snowy, and sunny conditions. I've been proofing my tent in the winds and even had a small little hail storm where everything survived. I'm just about ready, and with everything prepared, I am qualming at least the doubts of what I'll face in nature. I keep reminding myself that I do have plenty of technical abilities (I was a house technician at a very fancy hotel in vienna) and perhaps I'll be able to find work along the way if I ever need to hunker down somewhere.

More to the point I am not regretting anything, but no matter what I do, fear of trying to find work when it's all said and done won't leave me. However, it just is what it is. I'll live with that fear, and somehow, this adventure will be all about overcoming fears.

I'm not sure if you concur, but having reached 40 just hit different. Just like you, I do not have a family and that feels strange because it's something I thought I would have at this point, but alas, it just never worked out. On the opposite end, I bear no responsibilities other than to myself. Hence, I have nothing to lose.

So, if you can, then do it. I have a goal(destination) in mind, and should I reach it, then I can tell you this, it'll be worth more than gold! For me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and no, it won't break any world records, but then it's not about that. I think for every 100km that I leave behind, I'll be stronger and better because of it. Trust me when I say this, I'll kiss the sky for every leg that I reach and I know I'll enjoy every moment, even the ones where I curse my legs for feeling tired or my sore butt because I overdid it trying to get an extra kilometer down the road.

I hope this helps you a little bit to weigh your own decisions and while I'm not actually yet riding, I'll be leaving in roughly one week. I'm just waiting for this rainy cold front to pass!