I've been traveling for almost two months, and I'm really starting to feel the desire to be working. It's not that I'm running out of money, I'm watching my expenses.

It's just that I meet locals that are working, advancing their careers, talking about the economy. Back home I see my classmates advancing professionally, and I can't help but feel like I'm being irresponsible by traveling.

Yet, I can't just go home, since I have no job, graduate program, or opportunity to return to. I quit my engineering job and moved out of my apartment before starting this extended period of travel. It would be really lame to end up chilling at my parent's place back in the US.

Any tips on how to move forward in life while on the road?

Edit: Wow, this got quite a response. I want to read all of these comments, and reflect on what is being shared here. I want to add a few things:

• As to what kind of job I left, I was an entry level engineer in a VLSI/silicon technology company. I mainly worked with technicians handling scheduling and documentation. I did a little script writing, automation in Matlab and Python, but I'm not a software engineer by any means. I have an undergrad physics degree, not an engineering degree.
• I will totally check out workexhange and other such programs. If you have anything similar, please post them here, or PM me!
• I was also thinking of enrolling in a MOOC while traveling, maybe learning some more CS. This way I can build skills while "seeing the world".
• As people have said, I made this decision, and I should stick to it!