That's a sharp contrast to previous economic slowdowns, when the unemployed curbed discretionary spending on luxury items such as travel and instead scrambled to find their next source of income. Radack returned last week from an extended trip to Iceland, where he met two San Francisco-based computer programmers who were taking seven months to travel and wait out the meager job market. In the two months since I've been gone, it's been an even bigger economic slowdown, and there are even more laid-off people looking to travel. It's easy to see why laid-off techies are hitting the road. Others say they can't shake the frenetic pace of dot-coms, even after they've been laid off.
Adventure travel is just another way to stay stimulated, they say.
Earlier this week, Kerry Murphy quit her job as an Internet consultant after her company went through a third round of layoffs and job security reached a new low. Murphy said planning the trip has given her courage to try new things upon her return, including relocating to the West Coast. The planning alone will challenge you and make you feel strong. You picked this industry, so you must like a challenge. The U.S. technology industry is also a diverse place, with disproportionately high numbers of ethnic Indians, Taiwanese, Russians and others.