I went bankrupt after a lay off (no college debt, stupid amounts of credit card debt accrued before I was even 20), so I had no debt, then at my next job, compu

I went bankrupt after a lay off (no college debt, stupid amounts of credit card debt accrued before I was even 20), so I had no debt, then at my next job, compulsively saved money because I was afraid of getting in debt again and getting laid off again, that job was a disaster that I hated every day. Saved up a few thousand dollars, finished my lease on my apartment, put my stuff in storage, parked my car at my parents house, and bought a one way ticket to Guatemala with no plan. You can do it _fairly_ cheaply if you have no debt, are healthy, have no obligations, and have a place to crash for a while when you get back and you have useful job skills so are relatively assured of finding a job quickly. I think I spent $5000 in 3 months including plane tickets there and back, and with me not particularly making an effort to save money (some nights staying at nicer hotels and hostels, paying for nicer buses, going out to eat a lot). I probably could have done it for half that if I really pushed it and stayed at cheaper hostels and made more of my own food (keeping in mind this was 2012.) and could have really extended the trip if I worked. I had a friend who stayed on the backpacker circuit for 2 years taking jobs at random hostels and farms.