Living Debt Free

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When I share my plans for my upcoming trips to South America (Feb 2012) and RTW in 2013, I am constantly being asked "How can you do it" or being told "I wish I could travel like that."

How Do I do It?

- I don't own a home

- I drive a vehicle that is nearly 15 years old and paid off.

- I scrutionize EVERY purchase.

- I don't own a credit card.

- When I am working...I'm greedy; picking up extra hours as much as possible.

- I worked very hard to become DEBT FREE

- I choose half-price or discount tickets when attending an event/theater.

- I purchase clothing based on wether or not it will match at least 3 things already in my closet.

- I choose to eat out for lunch instead of dinner.

Do you wish you could travel like I do?            

You CAN.  It's all about what is important to you.  Only you can decide if traveling is right for you.  Only you can determine the things important in your life.  Only you can make the changes necessary.  It's up to you.  

I tell people all the time that there are penty of sacrifices that I make to live the life I have choosen.  I had to decide if these sacrifices were worth it.  To me, they are.  Maybe to you they aren't and that's ok.

- No pension when I am old.

- Retirement planning is up to me.

- There is no pay when I'm not working, no paid vacation.  I have to plan.

- I am constantly away from family and friends.

- I miss birthdays, special events and the day to day lives of those I love.

On the flip-side of the sacrifices are the benefits.  These are the things that make it worth the sacrifices worth it for me.

- Experiencing new places, food, culture and people
- Learning to not take advantage of life in America
- Facing my fears
- Being able to share my love of travel with those I love 

- Avoiding the feeling of being 'stagnant'
- Knowing that I am doing not just dreaming
- Replacing my retirement fund with a memory fund.

How did I manage to be DEBT FREE?

First, I STOPPED SPENDING.  Then, I made a budget and was able to see how my spending today effects my life next month or next year. This was very important for me.  It was encouraging to see my savings grow as I paid off debts.  Think of the carrot at the end of a stick.  My savings budget was my carrot; and still is.

• Starbucks latte now  vs Water Puppets in Vietnam
• Coach purse vs Train tickets in Italy
• New Car (with payment) vs Airfare someplace exotic
• Gourmet dinner/drinks  vs A week worth of meals in South America

You get the idea.  I think of every purchase now in terms of what it could/would buy me in experience someplace else.

There are a lot of web-sites, self-help books, seminars, etc. out there that will teach you how to be debt free.  I purused message boards, forums, and blogs for inspiration and advice, all of which were free as well as informative.

Do you live Debt Free?  What is your inspiration?

Is Travelng Solo for me?

A recent post by a fellow female traveler Why Solo Travel Is Not For Me made me think about why and how I travel.  I'm scared to travel alone and scared to travel with thers.  With an upcoming trip to SA with a good friend in the final stages of planning; I'm nervous about traveling with someone else.  At the same time, my trip into Vietnam at one point, was very lonely and all I wanted was someone to share it with me.


I find myself constantly thinking about the 2013 RTW trip that I am planning.  Will I go through the same loneliness issues that I experienced iin Vietnam?  Will I thrive on being out there alone?  Will I be able to meet others?  With a good majority of backpackers under the age of 30 and myself much older than that, it is sometimes difficult to meet and interact with other travelers.

I enjoy being on my own and not having to clear my plans with anyone.  Being able to do exactly what I want to do.  But on the other hand,it's also nice to be able to have someone to share experiences with and also share the burden of travel arrangements and constant decision making.  Whch train do I/we take, where do I/we go to eat dinner, is this a good deal or am I/we being ripped off....  The day to day issues are endless. Sometimes it's a relief to be able to share these issues with others.

You can read about my trials in Vietnam here:  http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?tripid=164545&stopid=827897

Do you 'solo' travel?  How do you balance being alone with spending time with other backpackers?

The 5 Year Plan

The past couple of days have been spent purusing through tons of blogs.  Reading about RTW (Round The World) travel, from those that have been there or are out there doing it. I do this a lot in preparation.  While reading, I realized that I have never shared my 5 Year plan.

A little background for you.  My initial international travel trip was to Vietnam in 2008.  The inspiration for this can be read about in the "About Me" section.  If you haven't read it, go ahead....I'll wait......

Finished?  Yes, I know it's really long but I really wanted to make it a point that I am not rich, did not come from a family with a 'silver spoon' in my mouth.  I'm a regular gal with an average American family.

Vietnam was so many things for me.  Inspirational, scary, lonely, dramatic, enlightening...I could go on but you get the idea.  Most importantly, it was during my Vietnam trip that I figured out my 5 year plan.

As I recall, I didn't spend a lot of time planning it out.  Didn't make my lists that I am so fond of.  I didn't mull it over.  I just knew!  One evening while sitting at dinner, I struck up conversation with an Australian couple; Bob and Clare at a table near me.  We ended up spending several days together exploring and getting to know one another.


I don't remember exactly the setting or the conversation but at some point Clare asked me about my future.  I didn't give it a second though and spilled out my 5 year plan to her.  I didn't even know I had decided on a plan, but there it was spilling out of my mouth.

Afterward, I wondered to myself why I told Clare all about this 5 year plan that I didn't even know I had?  Was I being a braggart?  Was I trying to be more adventuresome?  When did I even decide that I had a 5  year plan?

Ever since that day, the 5 year plan has continued to be a part of my longing.  I knew that this was something that I needed, something that was attainable, and something that I would DO.

So, what is the 5 year plan?

It's simple.  I told Clare that within 5 years, I wanted to be at a point financially that I could work for 6 months of the year and travel the other 6 months.

After coming home from Vietnam (2008), I continued to think about the 5 year plan.  I budgeted like a crazy woman, spent a stupid amount of money to take my nearly grown kids to Italy to backpack (see my travel blog: Treft Family in Italy),  budgeted more, spent an unfulfilling year in Germany (See: Travel Nurse in Germany), and never gave up on the 5 year plan.

So, where am I today?  How close am I to fulfilling my 5 Year Plan.

I'm THERE....or as nearly there as I could ever hope to be.  I've posted previously about my upcoming trip to South America.  This trip is only 2 months long, not 6 as my 5 Year Plan would intend.  However, I am gearing up for 2013.

What's special about 2013?

2013 is the 5 year mark for me.  I'm ready to take the leap.  Let me fill you in on the plan (I suddenly just got a sick feeling...just putting it out here feels like a huge commitment.  One that I am ready to make but putting it here brings the anxiety of potential failure).

I'm planning to book a one-way flight into Northern Europe April 2013.  The final route isn't confirmed or set in stone and I'm not sure that it will ever be really set in stone.  I want to leave it open to be changed, adjusted, modified along the way.  There are a few goals that I have and a couple of specific activities/events that I dream of completing.

May 2013: Hitchhiking Competition from Gdansk, Poland to Prague
July 2013: Compete in the Mongol Rally

I think that these are the only two time-specific items on my list.  Other things that I plan during 2013 would include:

(photo Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Take a freighter across a large part of the ocean (possibly China to Australlia)
  - Read more about this HERE.

Move slowly; taking several weeks/month at a time in choosen locations.
  - I am hoping that by traveling slowly, I will be able to extend my trip

Volunteer
  - I don't have any specific plans for this right now but I know that I want to give something back.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Find Other Unique ways to get from point A to Point B
  - Again, if you have any suggestions; please post them in the comments below.
  - I shared my ideas with a fellow traveler at the 2011 MEET, PLAN, GO! event and he shared with me one of his favorite travel days.  Check it out: The Winding Road to Bulungula

I Feel like I have a ton of people to thank for being my 'inspiration'.  It's through other's stories/blogs that I have gained a lot of my inspiration to do this.  I have found that traveling isn't something only for the rich...but for anyone that has the desire.