SUCCESS STORIES: WHY TRISH sold everything SHE owned TO travel

Posted: 12/7/2012 December 7th, 2012

Finishing off the week of reader stories, we head across the pond to England and meet Trish, a 35-year-old teacher. Not delighted with her life in England, she sold everything she owned, gave herself a budget of 10,000 GBP ($16,000 USD), and set off traveling the world with only her backpack to her name.

Nomadic Matt: tell me about yourself.
Trish: I originally come from Ipswich, a small town in east Anglia about an hour’s drive from London. I have been traveling now for about five months through Australia and Asia.

I was living a normal London life. I had a charming job teaching stunning five-year-olds in a respected private school in east London. I got paid well and rented a modern two-bed apartment or condo 10 minutes’ walk from work. I tried to clear up for five years, but I rarely had money left at the end of the month and so the dream of a lot more traveling became a lot more and a lot more distant.

Life was good…just not GREAT. So after much procrastination, I made a decision to sell my house, give up my job, and sell all my ownerships at automobile boot [trunk] sales. I gave myself a budget of 10,000 GBP. After five months of traveling, I still have nearly a third of my original budget left.

I’m now traveling in Thailand, and my backpack is all I have to my name.

Did you plan any certain trip or just wanted to travel?
I just knew I wanted something different from life, but I had no clear idea about the type of trip I was planning. I love learning about different cultures and so I looked into countries I had always dreamed of visiting.

I looked into getting a round-the-world ticket, but the cost and the enormity of the research and planning afraid me. I got bogged down by the minute details, and then it became too big a task so I made a decision to start with Australasia.

I had been invited to check out a pal and her family in Australia, so I made a decision to book a return flight to Brisbane and then stop off on the way back in Singapore and work my way up through Asia.

I also knew I wanted to travel differently than the normal backpacker once I got into Asia by doing some Couchsurfing, volunteering, and house-sitting so that I could get a feel for the country I was visiting.

How did you research your trip?
First, I wanted to know what you had packed and the sorts of items that would be helpful to carry around. then I became interested in how you budgeted for your trips. My budget didn’t seem that big until I started to look into ways in which you could travel for cheaper. I researched how I could use HelpX to volunteer my labor in return for a bed and food.

As a teacher, there are lots of opportunities across the world for someone like me to show English, so I thought I could make my money stretch that way. I liked reading your stories about what you’d learnt while traveling. They inspired me to write about my own feelings.

Were you terrified before you went on your trip?
I was terrified and ecstatic at the same time. It took me a long time to actually just book the flight and make it real!

Once I did that, life got busy and I had “to do” lists coming out my ears! I think this is because I made a decision to go the whole way and detach myself from my old life. It wasn’t just about traveling for a few months or taking a sabbatical and returning to my life — it was about starting over and having a different view about being a permanent traveler.

Through your website, I recognized you as someone who had made a success of traveling indefinitely. I wanted to be able to do the same. I have lots of ideas about how to, but I haven’t actually had enough time to put plans into action as I’ve been traveling and doing stuff each day considering that I started in August!

How did you save for your trip?
I sold my house and valuables so that I was debt-free. I’m using that money for traveling. I put a budget aside for my traveling and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

What about life on the road has shocked you the most?
Πολλά πράγματα! I’ve found you can live with a lot less clothes and things than you thought you could. You always make pals and meet people wherever you are. You rarely, if ever, feel lonely because of all the people around.

Lastly, the goodness and kindness of the people in the country in which you’re traveling.

Never underestimate the power of a smile and hand gestures! everyone has been really friendly and helpful.

With such limited funds, how do you stay on budget when you travel?
I always research accommodation and compare prices. I normally use hostel sites as well; I look on Hostelworld.com to compare reviews and ratings. I work out how much I’m ready to pay for a room, bed, and comfort.

So far, this technique has not let me down, and I’ve stayed in some really charming and inexpensive places. I try to choose places with complimentary Wi-Fi, a common area, andgood safety for my stuff. The same goes for food. I find out where the best street/market food is and enjoy to see where the locals go. I hardly ever eat in restaurants now as they are three times the amount you pay for freshly cooked local food.

I don’t drink very much, but if I do go out for a drink, I normally stick to local beer as it’s the cheapest.

What one thing that you thought would be a challenge has turned out not to be?
I wondered how I would cope if things go wrong while traveling to different destinations and I can’t speak the language, e.g., the bus breaks down or the train doesn’t come. I have learned that I can cope and it’s not the end of the world.

Everything turns out all ideal in the end, and there is always someone who wants to help. I also thought I’d be lonely but I haven’t been at all. There’s always someone going your way.

What recommendations would you have for people who want to go away but might not think they can?
ΚΑΝΕ ΤΟ! I have had a lot more breathtaking moments in the last few months than I have had in my entire life because of the decision I made to travel!

Let go of all the excuses: money, time, job, people’s limiting beliefs, and narrow-minded views, etc. You get to do what you want, when you want, with no compromises.

Become the next Success Story

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but a lot more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way, but there are lots of ways to fund your trips and travel the world. I hope these stories show you that there is a lot more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals.

Here are a lot more examples of people who found a way to pay for their adventure around the world:

How Michael saved $14k in Six Months Making $9 per Hour

How 22-Year-Old Lauren saved $18k for Her epic Adventure

Olivia and Manny quit the cubicle to follow Their Passion

How (and Why) This 72-Year-Old is Backpacking the World

Two San Diegans conquer Theirs fears to travel the World

We all come from different places, but we all have one thing in common: we all want to travel more.

Πώς να ταξιδέψετε στον κόσμο σε 50 $ την ημέρα

My new York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will show you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off the beaten path, save money, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.”

Click here to learn a lot more and start reading it today!

Κάντε κράτηση του ταξιδιού σας: Λογιστικές ιδέες και κόλπα
Κλείστε την πτήση σας
Βρείτε μια πτήση χαμηλού κόστους χρησιμοποιώντας το Skyscanner. Είναι η αγαπημένη μου μηχανή αναζήτησης, επειδή ψάχνει ιστότοπους και αεροπορικές εταιρείες σε όλο τον κόσμο, ώστε να γνωρίζετε πάντα ότι δεν αφήνεται η πέτρα.

Κλείστε το κατάλυμα σας
Μπορείτε να κλείσετε το ξενώνα σας με το Hostelworld. Εάν θέλετε να μείνετε κάπου εκτός από έναν ξενώνα, χρησιμοποιήστε το Booking.com καθώς επιστρέφουν σταθερά τα λιγότερο δαπανηρά ποσοστά για τους ξενώνες και τα ξενοδοχεία.

Don’t forget travel Insurance
Η ταξιδιωτική ασφάλιση θα σας εξασφαλίσει ενάντια στην ασθένεια, τον τραυματισμό, την κλοπή και τις ακυρώσεις. Είναι λεπτομερής προστασία σε περίπτωση που κάτι πάει στραβά. Ποτέ δεν πηγαίνω σε ένα ταξίδι χωρίς αυτό, όπως έπρεπε να το χρησιμοποιήσω πολλές φορές στο παρελθόν. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

SafetyWing (καλύτερο για όλους)

Ασφαλίστε το ταξίδι μου (για όσους άνω των 70)

Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Είστε έτοιμοι να κλείσετε το ταξίδι σας;
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.