DISQUS

Dan · 2 years ago

I've been very much the same just without as much debt or the job loss, but then on a lower wage it seems. It must have been 2004 I started looking in Buddhism and that lead me like you to giving travel a higher value. From about 2 years ago I've pretty much given up on buying gadgets and useless things like that and it has made a difference to my savings and I could possibly leave at the end of the year although I might leave it a litle longer.

Dave · 2 years ago

Very cool! Yes, my desire to buy a plasma TV once they started coming down in price was almost non-existent because I established alternate priorities in my mid-twenties. It's helped me get out of debt, stay disciplined about saving, and stick to my goals. And it'll come in handy when global warming wreaks havoc on us, or we fall victim to the peak oil theory!

Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash

I've been absorbed in a bit of gloomy theorizing lately, which gives me all the more reason to travel now, rather than wait until "retirement."

Stu · 2 years ago

nice work to here your about out of the debt hole! :) you will breath so much easier not having to worry about making payments while you are gone! its one huge less stress to deal with.

thats the reason I went to work in england, 3$ aussie dollars to the pound, I sent it all back home and cleared all my debt in no time

Hotell Web · 2 years ago

I think when you are away from home to work in another country, you concentrate more on working and saving naturally, as you have a sense of responsibility and don't have to face expenses which you might have to face if you were home.

Mike · 2 years ago

Good on ya, Dave! I'm pretty much in the same boat and it feels great to look at my spreadsheet every month and know that I'm that much closer to reaching my own goals.

Brooke · 2 years ago

Dave, that's really cool that you had that goal back then and are actually still pursuing it! I have this notebook from way back in highschool. I made a list of all the countries I wanted to visit and yay, i'm going to cross every single one of that list when we leave this December. I am so excited, and I bet you are, too! Yay for RTW trips!!!

Dave · 2 years ago

Brooke -

You're enthusiasm is infectious! It is a bit amazing to think about how I've remained on track. I'm sure I could've left sooner, however I didn't want to decrease my standard of living substantially to save. I'm quite happy with how things have worked out though. A few extra years of wisdom will due me good on the road.

Stefan Knoepfel · 1 year ago

I didn't know you worked for Careerbuilder.com I lasted about 5 1/2 months there before I got totally fed up with the job. Sounds like im following the same path as you and will be ready to go around the world at age 30 =)

So is the total budget for the year $30,000? Im a little confused.

Dave · 1 year ago

Really? Besides sales jobs, I thought the company was now centered in Atlanta, GA?

Yes, my total budget for the whole experience was about $33,000. Of that, $5,000 was set aside for when I come home. From the $28,000 remaining, about $3,000 went to health insurance (unfortunately that was more than intended), and $1,000 to storage for 14 months. So in actuality, you might say my actual travel budget came in around $24,000.

I spent about $6,000 in the first 2 months visiting Tahiti/New Zealand/Australia, and have traveled comfortably through Asia and India for 5 months on about the same amount. So, if you're doing the math, I'll be out of money by the end of the year. :(

Enlight · 1 year ago

Wow, $6000.00 in two months?

I have traveled Egypt for five months on half of that.

I will add your link on my travel blog.

Dave · 1 year ago

Thanks for linking to my blog.

I'm heading to Egypt in November I think. With regard to daily budgets, there are too many variables for a one-size-fits-all number. I don't consider myself to have a daily budget, but rather a certain standard of living while backpacking which includes doing just about whatever I want. :) The $6000 in 2 months was in New Zealand and Australia though, two countries that were almost as expensive as the USA.

Traveler · 6 months ago

Dave - your website is great, especially the detailed info on how you got out of debt and saved enough money to do this. One question though: you detail how you paid off your credit card debt and auto loan, but in subsequent posts, don't mention again how you paid off the $60K in student loans in such a short period of time. I have about the same in loans and am wondering how you managed that. Feel free to email me!
Thanks!

Dave · 6 months ago

Hi Franny, great to hear from you.

I know a lot of people have college debt which weighs heavily on their monthly budgets. I thought I mentioned this in the series, but in rereading it, I guess I didn't. My parents placed a high value on a good college education, and covered the cost of loans for me and my brother, though those loans still appeared on my credit report (and for example, affected my ability to renegotiate my car loan). They were paid off a few years before I left on the trip, though the two situations were unrelated.

I admit to including my college debt for effect in the post, however even if I did have to make monthly payments on it, I think I would've gone about things the same way.

I might've had to save more, or travel less, but I don't think college debt is a show stopper if you really want to travel long term.

Beth Ann · 5 months ago

Dave,
Thanks for posting all of your planning information. My husband and I are planning a six month trip to South America and are using your lists and info to make sure we don't forget to do anything. Thanks again!--Beth Ann