[balybary]

Quote:

Only speak english. just read the latest Lima trip, so that's on my radar. So is Philippines. I'll have around 18k to blow and credit cards for emergency.

If you want some job idea: when I was in Dumaguete, a nice town in the Philippines, an english expat told me me he was looking for diving instructors.

[Road_Less_Taken]

(02-11-2017 04:48 AM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

My only concern here is a guy in his late 30s going back with zero savings / net worth.

He really should be working at something to sustain himself rather than spending his small basket. He doesn't have the time that people in their 20s do to start over.

Exactly...Being in your late 30's with no money in the bank does not sound like a good idea. I am in my mid 20's and already concerned about saving, stable jobs and building up income. To each their own I suppose, you only live once. Though being 40 and living with your mom is not exactly the dream.

[dalbroker]

If you have $18k total going to blow it all on this trip is very poor move IMO.

How much money will you have left after the trip? It might take you 6-12 months to find a job after you return. How will you pay those bills?

The cost of living is not as cheap as you think in these places....unless you
live like a 3rd world person.

I have made 5 trips to asia. Each for 3-5 weeks. Each cost $3-6k. I stayed in hotels but also spent my money wisely.

Little tip for you - Track all of your daily expenses in excel. Put everything you spend on a file. Every penny. You will be surprised how quickly things add up. Even though things are cheaper in SEA....things will add up there too.

(01-30-2017 08:42 PM)burownidl Wrote:  

In six months, after i save some money, i plan to quit my corporate job and travel for as long as i can afford it. I read a lot, but would love some recommendations on good places to live short term and not spend a ton. What im looking for is below. Just to note im white, late 30s. Only speak english. just read the latest Lima trip, so that's on my radar. So is Philippines. I'll have around 18k to blow and credit cards for emergency. I'm thinking i have 6 or 7 months tops.
-Women (i like them all)
-cheap monthly rental, but nice enough for girls
-good food
-good internet

[davidakeys]

(03-24-2017 08:57 AM)dalbroker Wrote:  

Little tip for you - Track all of your daily expenses in excel. Put everything you spend on a file. Every penny. You will be surprised how quickly things add up. Even though things are cheaper in SEA....things will add up there too.

This is a smart idea, there are several apps that do this (and more) for you automatically by linking your credit cards and bank accounts. Personally, I use Mint. It visualizes your spending habits, is very easy to use, allows you to set budgets for various categories, etc.

[Serotonin]

New RVF poster, but definitely a travel veteran: I've been free from shackles before it became somewhat "popular" to be a digital nomad and a wandering "player" or other similar concepts. I can perfectly understand the sentiment of being tired of the 9-5 grind.

Being in your 30's with 18k to burn is not a whole lot of money by western standards, at the same time it's a more than *reasonable* budget to have fun for quite some time and building a new future if you're gonna play smart: certainly not years as suggested by some if you don't think this over, but for a longer time than most "big ballers" would like you to believe..

If you are disciplined (do not underestimate this) and have certain skills in online marketing you can follow the great plan outlined by @superschalk and start a few blogs. You can consider teaching English or some other language in demand locally trying not to get stuck in the rut most people get trapped into with the added benefit to get a visa should you want to stay longer. You can teach surf, kite surf, wind surf, scuba diving as suggested and basically any other thing that might initially help you with your change of life. Making money in the local markets won't get you rich, but it'll ease some of the pressure of depleting your finances back home.

You could also get creative and sell something on Etsy by crafting what you're good at or reselling local objects in a sort of arbitrage. As with blogs you'll make US/EUR money at the purchasing power of SEA or LA or EE, basically any country with a so called "1st world economy". Might wanna consider volunteering temporarily in some hoEstel (not a typo..): it'll fuck up your logistics, but it might save some precious money with your lodging for the time you need to get your foot in the door wherever it is you wanna go.

I never used any spreadsheet or app to track my expenses: I personally always found it overly redundant and I guess it's a way better practice to give yourself a daily budget until you're in relatively dire straits. Like an allowance, for how much it can suck in your 30's. Once you get to the point of having a new *steady* stream of income whichever path you're going to follow, I'm sure you'll be perfectly capable of sorting out what works best for you and assess responsibly your capability to spend. So you can avoid becoming one of the western bums that clog the beaches in Phuket and anywhere else...

As a final note, I applied most of these things myself over the years including several others that require a longer time and a little more stable financial situation (AKA money to burn without affecting your ability sleep properly at night..) to be effective like trading, so NEVER believe anybody saying it's not possible: 18k is 3 times the annual salary in Colombia and a whole lot of other places. Of course you'll eventually wanna live at a higher standard, but this is just by putting things in perspective.

Therefore, changing life is definitely possible: but try to be realistic about yourself before you start this new journey because you'll need a lot of discipline and, for how much it pains to say this, it's not and will never be for everybody. Good luck!

[Road_Less_Taken]

update?

[dalbroker]

The benefit of manually entering them is that you are constantly reminded you are spending money.

If I was this guy with $18k he needs as many reminders as possible.

Short term on holiday I think its a great idea. Longer term day to day those other automated methods are a better idea.

I could not fathom moving to asia with $18k. No-*****-Way.
That poster needs a huge wake up call.

(03-27-2017 06:47 AM)Serotonin Wrote:  

New RVF poster, but definitely a travel veteran: I've been free from shackles before it became somewhat "popular" to be a digital nomad and a wandering "player" or other similar concepts. I can perfectly understand the sentiment of being tired of the 9-5 grind.

Being in your 30's with 18k to burn is not a whole lot of money by western standards, at the same time it's a more than *reasonable* budget to have fun for quite some time and building a new future if you're gonna play smart: certainly not years as suggested by some if you don't think this over, but for a longer time than most "big ballers" would like you to believe..

If you are disciplined (do not underestimate this) and have certain skills in online marketing you can follow the great plan outlined by @superschalk and start a few blogs. You can consider teaching English or some other language in demand locally trying not to get stuck in the rut most people get trapped into with the added benefit to get a visa should you want to stay longer. You can teach surf, kite surf, wind surf, scuba diving as suggested and basically any other thing that might initially help you with your change of life. Making money in the local markets won't get you rich, but it'll ease some of the pressure of depleting your finances back home.

You could also get creative and sell something on Etsy by crafting what you're good at or reselling local objects in a sort of arbitrage. As with blogs you'll make US/EUR money at the purchasing power of SEA or LA or EE, basically any country with a so called "1st world economy". Might wanna consider volunteering temporarily in some hoEstel (not a typo..): it'll fuck up your logistics, but it might save some precious money with your lodging for the time you need to get your foot in the door wherever it is you wanna go.

I never used any spreadsheet or app to track my expenses: I personally always found it overly redundant and I guess it's a way better practice to give yourself a daily budget until you're in relatively dire straits. Like an allowance, for how much it can suck in your 30's. Once you get to the point of having a new *steady* stream of income whichever path you're going to follow, I'm sure you'll be perfectly capable of sorting out what works best for you and assess responsibly your capability to spend. So you can avoid becoming one of the western bums that clog the beaches in Phuket and anywhere else...

As a final note, I applied most of these things myself over the years including several others that require a longer time and a little more stable financial situation (AKA money to burn without affecting your ability sleep properly at night..) to be effective like trading, so NEVER believe anybody saying it's not possible: 18k is 3 times the annual salary in Colombia and a whole lot of other places. Of course you'll eventually wanna live at a higher standard, but this is just by putting things in perspective.

Therefore, changing life is definitely possible: but try to be realistic about yourself before you start this new journey because you'll need a lot of discipline and, for how much it pains to say this, it's not and will never be for everybody. Good luck!

[CleanSlate]

^ 18k is more like a 3-6 month sabbatical than a permanent move. Even if he starts an online business, its too little to initiate a move abroad.

[Road_Less_Taken]

(03-28-2017 11:28 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

^ 18k is more like a 3-6 month sabbatical than a permanent move. Even if he starts an online business, its too little to initiate a move abroad.

I'm just not looking forward to him moving back to his ageing parents house when he is 40. But hey maybe it will all work out.

[CleanSlate]

(03-28-2017 03:45 PM)Road_Less_Taken Wrote:  

(03-28-2017 11:28 AM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

^ 18k is more like a 3-6 month sabbatical than a permanent move. Even if he starts an online business, its too little to initiate a move abroad.

I'm just not looking forward to him moving back to his ageing parents house when he is 40. But hey maybe it will all work out.

It's not so bad if he has marketable skills, and lives with his parents only temporarily while he regroups or hunts for a job (if he has a good relationship with them, and that's $0 in rent in the meantime).

My mom will let me move in with her if I have to go back to the US and look for a job. I hope it won't come to that, but that option is always there if I need it.

[Jack Of All Trades]

I suggest to take a long sabbatical from work and try to talk to your manager to see if you can return after a few months. That way you don't need to be out of a job when you come back. Take maybe 2-3 months off and pick an area you'd like to see and get girls and go run around the area. Southeast asia and latin america are the common areas where it's cheap and girls are better and your dollars go further.

[whenthesunhits]

I respect the impulse and bravado. You will be shocked at how quickly you can blow through money, even in a low cost region. When you start to burn through your savings, there is a certain panic that sets in, that isn't fun. I've been there before. It will affect you and your mentality. If you wanted to just be a backpacker and live on very little money, that's one thing, but realistically it takes some level of spending to maintain a good lifestyle and spit game. If you feel like your current life is unbearable, I would highly recommend trying to find some other job, that will at least buy you some more time to save up more money. If you want to set up some kind of side hustle / passive income stream, get started now, before you take the leap. Good luck.

[Fortis]

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but you aren't 20 anymore, bro. With only 18k at that age I'd be terrified of quitting my job to just travel and fuck sluts.

[Australia Sucks]

O.P. I find that with traveling even if you go to cheap countries its still expensive because you are living like a tourist.

If you actually decide to spend all your time in one city and get a longer term apartment rental, and basically stay in that city the whole time and watch your spending then $18,000 can last a long time. If you head straight for one cheap city and stay there the whole time that money could comfortably last you 12 to 18 months.

However if you are hoping from place to place based on my personal experience I was spending (including all flights) between $700 and $1000 (USD) per week on average (medium budget traveler) in a cheaper country (more in an expensive country).

Because when you are hoping around like a tourist you are going to want to stay in hostels, catch buses or flights to other cities, go on dates with different/multiple girls, go on multi-day tours to see cool shit, eat at restaurants a lot, visit museums, catch taxis often, buy a few souvenirs, maybe get some language lessons, etc.

[Australia Sucks]

asdfk you said this:

"18K is enough to travel. Lots of 20 yr old Europeans travel 1,5 years on this kind of money and then return home to find a job. Alternatively, you could focus some on your time of making money online. (for example, by getting an online job) I left with less then 5K in my bank account at the end of '15, and I did just fine."

Have you seen how those 20 year old European backpackers you are describing travel? I mean if you want to sleep in a hostel room with 7 other people, eat only one cheap meal a day, take buses everywhere and not go on too many tours, not go on any dates with girls, etc its possible. But who the hell in their right mind wants that kind of holiday? Maybe if they do some work (i.e. work and travel) during the 18 months they can have a decent holiday. But without supplementary income you are going to have a really stingy holiday for that kind of money if its to last you 18 months.

[Pointer]

I lived the backpacking lifestyle for about 9 months in my early 20s. Sleeping in hostels is not so bad, you meet a lot of people there, chicks included. Many times you can get a private room if you want to bang. A couple times I slept in the girl's hotel room. However, if you're in late 30s it's not doable anymore. Hostels are mostly for young people (35 max), you'd be labeled as "weird" and some may not even accept you (they have age limits). I would stick to 1 or 2 locations and lock down a short term accommodation.

[Spectrumwalker]

OP, it's been 6 months. What happened? You going to set sail and leave safe harbor?