How to experience the world without breaking the bank
Practical steps to living abroad without burning a hole in your pocket
The beautiful part about saying farewell to the traditional 9-5 and signing up to a life of adventure is that you are in the drivers seat. No longer are you tied to a location, or hostage to holiday leave approval.
You can be anywhere at any time.
This way of life is open to everyone, whether it is the 22 year old who saved $10,000 to live in a hut in Central America to learn new skills or for the parents in their 40’s looking to establish themselves in Europe for a lifestyle change.
And the truth is, the more I experience, the more clarity I receive that there is not one place on this earth that I would consider my forever home 12 months of the year every single year. My partner loves her art, so she wishes to spend time in Istanbul for inspiration, we always enjoy the tropical weather, so we reside in Thailand for parts of the year too.
To quit the 9-5 it requires learning a new skill, or investing wisely or ideally both.
There are places all over the world where most people can quit their job and cut their cost of living in half and enjoy more time freedom and life balance.
For some, this is to reduce stress, get their vibrance back and relieve anxiety.
Great places to do this are in South East Asia, Latam and Eastern Europe. Each offer such unique life experiences and all offer a reduced cost of living from almost all Western Countries.
However I have found it difficult to live for more than one year straight in these regions. I enjoy a freshen up and some of the perks the west has to offer for a month or two a year.
The budget traveller may need to sacrifice choice for a little bit while building up, so if you value your time over exchanging it for a 9-5 then I recommend finding your sweet spot in the 3 regions I mentioned above.
If you have the desire for freedom inside of you, and you know it if you do, then I can not stress enough how much happiness, relaxation and creativity begins to flow when you make the decision.
Once I quit my job and decided to live more simply I knew this way of life was the pathway forward for me personally. All you need to do is utilise the creativity to build back to your salary and invest in assets that put money in your pocket. This way you are establishing the stepping stones to maintain freedom in the years and decades ahead. This is a good feeling, and quite simple really. Not always easy, but simple.
From here, you can utilise your new found nomadic super power and explore other parts of the world to keep fresh and reinvigorated. This may be booking a month in a country you have never been too. The experience will enrich you and give you a greater life perspective. This is invaluable.
Imagine quitting your job after 6 years of the same routine, moving to South East Asia and then 6 months later booking a trip to Spain for a month. You can imagine what this does for your self belief, confidence and outlook on life. It changed my entire philosophy on life and what I believe to be possible. You become the captain of your ship.
This adventurous strategy can simply be repeated and as you build your skills and increase your cashflow you create a strong foundation and open more doors.
But what if you love freedom and miss your family? Great, keep building that foundation so you can go and visit them impromptu or even more exciting, book them a ticket to come and visit you, who knows where that will lead. Often others feed off your courage.
If that fire is burning inside you and you wish to start slow, here are 5 great places to start:
1. Chiang Mai - An amazing vibrant city, thriving with rich history in the old city and hip new cafes, great food and incredible interior design just down the road. A great place to meet like minded freedom seekers
Budget - $1,500 a month (approx)
Budapest - Mind blowing infrastructure, lots of green trees in a big city, friendly people, great social scene endless places to work from online.
Budget - $2,500 a month (approx)
Da Nang - Vibrant city, close to beach, up and coming nomadic hotspot, great value for money
Budget - $1,200 a month (approx)
Medellin - Full disclosure i’m yet to go to this one, but many friends have and I wanted to include it for latam. Vibrant cities, amazing infrastructure, a great place for Americans and Canadians starting out.
Budget - $1,500 a month (approx)
Koh Phangan - Famous for full moon parties, the small island just a speck on the map is a melting pot of international restaurants, tropical living paradise, the Island is energised by a massive rose quartz crystal underneath and attracts people from all around the world.
Budget - $1,800 a month (approx)
All of the mentioned above provide a great start without throwing yourself in the deep end too much. You should feel well supported in these places and easily find people in a similar mindset you can learn from, enjoy a coffee with or create memories.
Maybe one of these 5 offers the nest for your new beginnings on a quest to be able to live anywhere in the world at anytime.
So if the freedom is burning inside why now and not just got for it in a traditional retirement at age 65?
Well at this age, and with 45 years of routine it’s very hard to recapture the adventurous spirit and it becomes much harder to walk 15km around Budapest in awe of your surroundings at 65 than it is at age 30 or 40.
*offering* For those who need help from a very experienced and well travelled nomad like myself who has travelled the world and learned a lot for many years you can subscribe to my premium subscription on substack and i’ll personally work with you to position yourself to take off and explore. Once you subscribe, i’ll send you an email to arrange a time for the consult. If you’re not satisfied, money back is guaranteed, no questions asked.
Keep the fire burning.
BowTiedTassieDevil
