Are we just really lucky that we can manage to travel long-term like we’re doing, or is this lifestyle the result of wise choices?
I think it’s a little bit of both.
As I think back upon my 50 years on this planet, I can think of many events that, ultimately, led to my being right here, right now. A few of them were luck, but most of them were decisions I made which eventually paid off
1960 – Born to the right parents – luck – My parents were not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination (a nurse and an educator), but they knew the value of education and hard work. They instilled those values in me. They also happened to be from the USA.
1975 – Learned the power of saving – luck – My father sat me down one day with a whole series of facts and figures. If I saved $100 when I was 20, when I was 60 it would be worth a lot more due to the power of compound interest. If I put off saving that $100 until I was 30, it would be worth a bit less but still worth saving. And if I put off saving until I was 50… well, that $100 wouldn’t be worth much more than $100. In other words, save what you can and save it early.
1976 – Traveled to Mexico with family – luck – As I wandered the streets of Mexico, my eyes were opened to a great big fascinating world out there.
1978 – Graduated high school – choice/luck – While many teenagers chose to drop out of high school, I didn’t. Honestly, the thought never occurred to me, thanks to the values my parents raised me to believe in.
1984 – Graduated college – choice – My father always said, “You may not learn anything in college, but having that paper means a lot to other people and will open a lot of doors.” He was right. That college degree has allowed me to earn a decent wage (if you call a teacher salary a decent wage…) [Note: I know many people don't have the intellectual capacity for university, but there are technical programs even for severely handicapped people which will allow one to get a decently paying job.]
1984 – Entered Peace Corps – choice – While in the Peace Corps I learned about the world. I also learned that living overseas isn’t something that only “rich” people can do.
1987 – Traveled South America – choice – When I left the Peace Corps, they handed me a check for $3000 to help me get settled into life in the USA. I took the money and spent seven months traveling in South America instead. Foolish, perhaps, but I learned that I didn’t need a lot to travel.
1993 – Moved overseas – choice – John and I decided to head overseas to teach as we both wanted to travel, but didn’t have the money to travel without working. This started a 12-year jaunt of teaching in Egypt, Ethiopia, Taiwan, and Malaysia. For us, this decision was pivotal in that, although our salaries were similar to what we would have made in the USA, housing was provided and the cost of living was lower, so we could save more. It came at the cost of being far away from our families.
2005 – Bought a house – choice – Although we bought our house when prices were fairly high, it was still one of the best financial decisions we made. The rent from the house is now paying 50-60% of our travel costs.
Always – Lived frugally – choice – While our peers were spending a lot of money for big screen TVs, dinners at fancy restaurants, or new SUVs, John and I lived a more frugal life. Our favorite restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was a little pizza joint one kilometer from our house – we could feed the whole family for $3! I’ve never owned a new car in my life.
So I come back to the original question: are we just really lucky that we can manage to travel long-term like we’re doing, or is this lifestyle the result of wise choices? It’s clear to me that our lifestyle now is the result of decisions we made throughout life – some more than 35 years ago! We’re now reaping the benefits of those choices.
Please leave a comment below with your thoughts on this issue! This post was sparked by a discussion we had on FaceBook – is a traveling lifestyle possible for everyone? Or just a select few? What do you think?
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Tags: choices, dreams, family travel, finances, goals, live your dream, travel
February 5, 2011 3:41 pm
Yes, I agree with you that luck and decisions are truly attributed to the many directions and success in my life.
I do think there is one more component in my life that has had more influence than they other two and that is Divine Intervention. I think that without that, I would not have made good choices or had good luck. But that is just my thoughts.
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February 5, 2011 3:59 pm
Certainly there is a luck component but I agree that most of it stems from the choices we make. I choose this lifestyle for my family, I choose to find ways to make my dreams a reality. I want this so bad that I am willing to make the sacrifices I need to to make it happen.
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February 5, 2011 7:18 pm
I think choice makes up about 90% of what happens to you in life (the other 10%: being born in the US or a similarly prosperous country, having parents who do a reasonable job of parenting, etc). There are plenty of “lucky” people who are born rich, win the lottery, or inherit a windfall but without good choices the money will be squandered away quickly. I think yours is an excellent example of the great things that can happen when you make good choices!
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February 5, 2011 8:43 pm
Your dad was a wise man- by the time I heard that save $100 a month at 20, I was in my 50s.
You made some unconventional life-style choices and are certainly traveling on an unconventional journey. There are not a lot of families that would undertake that trip. While luck seems to have been a factor in your life- it looks like choice trumps it.
Safe travels!
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February 5, 2011 8:59 pm
I agree that luck does factor in. Even with luck you still have to decide to use/appreciate that luck and not squander it.
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February 6, 2011 5:08 am
It’s a great question! I don’t think that travelling is for everyone… at least not as you travell. I mean, travelling in the way that you do it’s, in a great mesure, “unsefty” in the way that many people look at, and a lot of them will never be able to take that risk.
On the other hand, I agree that it’s a matter of a big decisions that, in that time, potencially didn’t seems so crucial.. It’s happening the same thing to me right now and I didn’t started my own travell… yet!
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February 6, 2011 5:46 am
good post. My lifestyle is similar to yalls, no frills, saving for that next trip. I do have to say it was easier traveling when I was 35 than it is at 63, but I still have the want to. A lot of my travel these days is “Virtual”, like thru yall, one reason why I follow your blog, thanks for posting it. I’m trying to guess which route you’ll follow, I’m guessing 40.
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February 7, 2011 5:58 pm
I spent most of my life thinking that international was just for the select few, traveled a lot in Canada & the US, mostly for work but also quite a bit for pleasure.
Then about 10 yrs ago I took an AI vacation in the Bahamas where I became acquainted with some European travelers & got thinking bigger.
Last year I did an 11 mo RTW.
Would say that in my case it was 10% luck & 90% lifetime choices that enabled me to change to a lifetime (starting at 62) of travel as I am now a Canadian X-pat living in El Salvador, planing on going to Cambodia in the spring do do some TEFL teaching.
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February 7, 2011 7:48 pm
Traveling is not for everyone. The ones that have the adventure in them will travel, the others have their meaningful niche in life. Just because one travels that doesn’t make them any better than the ones that don’t. The ones that don’t travel still have their adventures in life, their meaningful life, the life we all benefit from. I am 62. My health issues have ended my adventures by bicycle. So, I move on. I am taking flying lessons so I can continue adventures. BTW, I winter in the McAllen area of TX. I am friends with Team McAllen. I did not get a chance to meet you when you were there and I regret it. I have been following you ever since.
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July 18, 2011 10:13 pm
some people are lucky to have been born with parents who could afford to travel with them in different countries… now that im travelling in southeast asia again and see western kids running around and enjoying their vacation overseas… im happy for them but sad for the children of 3rd world countries… its just not possible for most kids born and living in 3rd world countries to enjoy that kind of life…
in my case, as i look back on what happened to me in the past, id like to attribute it more on my decision… my decisions lead me to change my life (one little step at a time)… when i was a kid living in the slums of manila, i could only content myself with reading books about places outside manila… airfare was expensive not too mention hostels… if you’re entire family earns less than $250/month then travelling is not part of the options…
ive decided to study harder, became a full time scholar (only way i could study), work every summer… study more at home… and work harder in the office… that decision helped me enjoy the travelling lifestyle that i only dream of when i was young… that decision coupled with the determination and passion to pursue my passion… lead me to enjoy this travelling lifestyle now… i believe we can change our lives…
and if we all work hand in hand, we can help others change their lives too…
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Nancy Reply:
July 18th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
I love this comment! You are so right that it’s a definite challenge – that’s why I put up there that my #1 reason I could travel was because I was lucky enough to be born to the right parents.
I love reading that, even though you were born in the slums of a third world country, you made it happen. You defined your goal, knew what you wanted, and made it happen. That’s AWESOME!
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July 28, 2011 1:59 am
I think the #1 reason why you could travel was that you were lucky enough to be born in the US (but it could also be any other English speaking country). I don’t know how many people know to appreciate this huge advantage they were given simply from being born at the right place. Of course, later you also need to be able to make good choices, but good choices alone will not get you far if you were unlucky to be born in a country that it’s passport is limiting your access to many parts of the world and it’s language is not in high demand.
I can say that our immigration to NZ is our “travel”. We had a dream and we worked hard to get it. But oh,boy, I can understand why so many people don’t take this path. My children will have more options just because they were lucky enough to be born to this pair of crazy parents, who took them away from their family, and decided to go live at the end of the world.
I hope they will know to appreciate their luck and enjoy the world of opportunities.
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Nancy Reply:
July 28th, 2011 at 5:30 am
I’m also glad that you worked to make your dream a reality and know that your children learned tons just from that act alone! They’ve learned they CAN pursue their passion and chase rainbows. They’ve learned that it’s OK to take the leap into the unknown just because you want to. They’ve learned all that from you – and that’s the best reason around to do it
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