Post College Activity

Entering the real world? Here’s some advice on traveling and settling down from the book “How to Survive the Real World” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:

“I thumbed my way across Europe with practically no money in my pockets. Looking back, it’s a miracle that I wasn’t killed. I’d take rides with anyone and sleep wherever I could. When I got desperate for money, I’d take some little job for a week and then move on. I know other people do this, but they usually have some money. I spent all I had on the flight. It was a lot of fun — the experience of a lifetime.”

— Charlene Whitted, Jamestown, N.Y.

“Take time to live it up. I traveled to random cities in the United States where I knew somebody. I didn’t even have to know the person well; I just had to make sure that they extended the invitation to visit them at some point, and I took them up on the offer. My goal was to experience the nightlife in various cities around the country with new people.”

— Jeff Maltz, San Francisco

“Spend this time realizing personal goals. After I was out on my own, I spent one year living away from home with no boyfriend and nothing to tie me down. After that, I was always in a relationship. I got pets. I let my world become very domestic very quickly. Because of this, I never did a lot of the traveling I wanted to do, I didn’t apply to a few fellowships and writing retreats that I wanted to, I never took the time to learn Spanish—so many things that I now regret pushing aside for relationships and work.”

—B., Chapel Hill, N.C.

“Do your research. I moved to Los Angeles from Iowa shortly after I graduated, along with thousands of other recent grads. I met more than a few people my age in L.A. who were just biding time and hoping to be discovered as an actor. But if you don’t do your research beforehand, set up a few job connections, and find a place to live, you’re more likely to end up as the next night shift manager at Taco Bell than the next Brad Pitt.”

“When you are in your new city, find all the old constellations you knew from your old city. That’s very reassuring. It’s something you were used to seeing before, and there it is again, right above your house. It makes the whole world seem smaller, because the people that you miss are not that far away. You’re both looking at the same sky.”

— Kami, Cape Cod, Mass.

Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.