The Off Topic Topic

[Grey Fox]

You've been travelling for years!

[Liep]

Not necessarily, every Danish middle-class (probably lower income too, but Japan is somewhat pricey) kid could take a year off travelling the world if they put their minds to it. Get a job in high school and couple that with educational support from the state after they hit 18.

[Admiral Yi]

You  can use state provided education money to dick around in Japan for 9 months? 

[Liep]

You  can use state provided education money to dick around in Japan for 9 months? 

Yes, sure. Education is free, and on top of that you get some money which you can save up (so that students from the poorest families can buy materials, papers, a printer or whatever (but everyone can get it for some reason)). It's not much when you're only in high school, but with a job on the side you can save up enough for extensive low-budget travelling since most at this age live for free with their parents.

[Josquius]

You've been travelling for years!

I have a job in Japan and in Sweden I was way below the poverty line, didn't travel much from there.

[Grey Fox]

You've been travelling for years!

I have a job in Japan and in Sweden I was way below the poverty line, didn't travel much from there.

You are from England. That's travelling.

[Ideologue]

My ancestors went across an ocean so I wouldn't have to.

[Caliga]

You are from England. That's travelling.

Is he a: megatraveller.

[Josquius]

You are from England. That's travelling.

That's living abroad.
Travelling is going on an extended holiday, moving around a lot. Work kept down to a month or two in any one place maximum before moving onto the next place.

[Caliga]

Not necessarily, every Danish middle-class (probably lower income too, but Japan is somewhat pricey) kid could take a year off travelling the world if they put their minds to it. Get a job in high school and couple that with educational support from the state after they hit 18.

Is that what it was back in the 8th century when they started travelling to England?

[Barrister]

You are from England. That's travelling.

Is he a: megatraveller.

[Ed Anger]

At least he wasn't the New Era.

[Grey Fox]

You are from England. That's travelling.

That's living abroad.
Travelling is going on an extended holiday, moving around a lot. Work kept down to a month or two in any one place maximum before moving onto the next place.

So, you could travel?

[Jacob]

My cousin - who is a single mother and has access to exactly zero family wealth of any kind - spent half a year traveling in South America (with her young son) while she finished her degree. She'd arranged it so she only had one course or something, and could submit the work remotely. Between the low cost of living there and student grants (and the lack of tuition costs) it wasn't too big a stretch (weird as it may seem to those of us in places with less support for students).

Her degree was in some sort of Latin American studies, though, so it was completely frivolous (though I don't think that impacted the planning of the trip much, other than providing a motivation to go).

[The Minsky Moment]

This was posted today on the Becker-Posner blog:

In memoriam: Gary S. Becker, 1930-2014.

The Becker-Posner blog is terminated.

Richard A. Posner