The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd

Ervin Ling followed the default path as an actuary, passing test after test. After passing all the tests, he found himself working harder than he was ever working. As he stared at the television and saw his friends on TV during a weekend trip to the Final Four, he realized he didn't want to keep doing this. He declared (after a few drinks, nonetheless) to his friends, "If UConn wins the national championship, I'm going to quit my job."

As any good number-driven actuary would, he didn't quit his job immediately. He took about 18 months to plot his escape from the corporate world. During this time, he re-thought his relationship with money, his possessions and his relationships with friends and family. He ended up traveling around the world for 12 months. Here are some stats from his trip:

  • Total USD spent: $24,740
  • Total days on the road: 338
  • Total countries visited: 38 (including the USA)
  • Most days in a single country: 30 (Vietnam)
  • Total number of miles traveled: 68,307 (109,925 km) – equivalent to circling the earth 2.7 times
  • Air Travel: 51,044 mi (82,143 km)

After this trip, he still felt a pull towards living abroad and now lives and teaches English in Taiwan. This journey has helped him discover and invest a life he could be proud of.


Link to Video Version Of Interview (Dumplings Included)

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What is The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd?

The Pathless Path is hosted by Paul Millerd - a writer, creator, and consultant. He has conversations with freelancers, self-employed entrepreneurs, creators, and vagabonds who share their perspectives on their relationship with work, burnout, bootstrapping, indie hacking, remote work, reinvention, creativity, sabbaticals, leisure, self-employment, unconventional living, and digital nomadism. Past guests include Ali Abdaal, Russ Roberts, Kevin Kelly, Khe Hy, David Senra, Derek Sivers, Joe Hudson, Luke Burgis, Ben Hunt, Dan Vassallo, Steph Smith, Alex Pang, Visakan Veerasamy, Michael Ashcroft, Kyla Scalon, Trung Phan, Justin Welch, and more.