When people hear what we do the number one question they have is, “how are you doing that?” We are not millionaires or heiresses. We didn’t win the lottery or deal drugs (to each their own). We are you and you can do this too…if you want to. People who do this are just like you and they have changed the game from what is expected of them to what they want from their own life. Now if you are sitting here thinking of all the reasons you “can’t” do this go read my blog, I Can’t or I Don’t Want To. If you are in a place where you want to do this let me share the not so secret, secret.
Start with what you have now
You have the ability to do things with what you have right now. You don’t need to have the money figured out yet and you don’t need the perfect setup yet. Just start. We travel in a travel trailer and travel internationally now but these were things we worked up to. What we did have to start with were two-week vacations and a pop-up camper. We just made the choice to travel more frequently at first while we were preparing to go more full time. You don’t have to have all the things to start, first just start and the rest will come.
Manifest it
What does this look like for your family? Write down the dream then think about the steps it takes to get there. Personally we wanted to travel more but really wanted it to be more of a lifestyle. We thought about the things that were blocking us from leaving tomorrow and began to make a plan to overcome each obstacle. If it is your job, rethink what you are doing and how you might be able to go remote, mobile, or maybe there is something else you can do for income. If it is your house how do you use it to your advantage, take a look at our blog How to Use Your Own Home to Fund Travel, we make more money traveling than living in our house. If it is your kids tap into what is making you fearful about maybe homeschooling them or spending so much time together. Assess if you are creating an obstacle that is perceived or anticipated but not currently there. Whatever the barrier there are ways to move through it, you just have to have the will.
Make Sure all Arrows Point to It
The cost of living for us is less when we live in our RV than living at our house (I will share more about that in a different post). I think it is important to evaluate how you are spending your money and try and live with less so that you can do more. With each financial decision determine if making that choice is getting you closer or farther away from your goal. I agree sometimes shit hits the fan and there is no way around it and it moves you further away. But there are also things we buy or prioritized that are very avoidable and are moving you further away from your destination.
What We Do
We have always loved to travel, be outside, and adventure with our kids, but we have always had this long off dream of traveling the world full time…when we retire. As our world was being tested by the catastrophe of a virus we realized that we were waiting for something that could actually never come, and that was a scary thought. We began to prioritize the ways we could do this right now and not wait for the “natural” order of things to live our dream. We made it happen today because tomorrow is never a guarantee.
Travel brings me growth spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I looked at my kids and I wanted them to learn that there was a different way, where prioritizing their happiness and well-being was the measure of success I wanted for them. So we made every decision based on our end goal.
We sold our pop-up and minivan and bought a truck and trailer. We took our kids out of school to homeschool them. We made our jobs work for us remotely (thank you world pandemic). We rent out our home when we are gone (How to Use Your Home to Fund Your Travels). We spend less money on stuff and focus our finances on travel.
Through our focus and dedication, we made moves forward to make travel a priority in our lives. We made sacrifices too along the way, but they didn’t feel so bad because we knew what we were aiming for. It isn’t always easy but it feels purposeful and meaningful. But it takes your will, your drive, and your ability to look outside the box.
Comment below, let me know what barriers you have overcome, let's encourage each other. Check out our other blogs on How to Use Your Home to Fund Your Travels and I Can’t or I Don’t Want To.
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