Author Topic: Suggestion: Mustachian Travel Forum  (Read 1898 times)

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

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Suggestion: Mustachian Travel Forum
« on: August 11, 2017, 09:56:11 PM »
It seems as if quite a few of us here are interested in travel, and many use the various rewards cards. It seems many of us here believe that travel is not worth sacrificing (At least not totally) in the name of early retirement. My wife and I love travel writing, watching travel shows (e.g., Tony Bourdain), and are both lovers of museums, beautiful scenery, and other cultures. We've been to Europe several times, and have seen much of North America (lived in Vancouver Canada for four years) and Hawaii. I was in Hong Kong and China once for business, and we are very interested in going to Japan one of these years. I strongly believe you really do need to see some of the world while you are young and have the energy!

I basically have four months off every year (summer and +/- the month of December-Early Jan) from teaching university courses. I spend the time doing (and getting paid for) research at another institution on a schedule that I devise. I also am working on a book (or two) as well as my photography. I enjoy all of it quite a bit.

We are fairly frugal, but we take at least a few trips a year to the Bay Area and Central Coast of California. We stay in nice hotels, have nice meals, nice drives, wine tasting, beachcoming, avoiding crowds, etc. Yes, the money could be saved, but we have our bases covered, have zero kids, zero debt, and I am not willing to give up travel, especially given that we are quite frugal elsewhere. (I daily drive a 26 year old Volvo that is indestructable!) This is partly due to the fact that we live in SoCal, which I absolutely hate and detest with a passion. (was born here, was away for 14 years)

Anyway, this year, we are also going to Ireland for three weeks, and it is costly. Going anywhere for three weeks is going to cost you, especially if you stay in hotels and B&Bs.

In addition the trip planning takes up quite a bit of time and effort. For the last three months or so, it almost seems like a part-time job! I am sure it will be well worth it in the end.

Next year we are contemplating a trip to Greece, Athens, Crete, Islands, etc. Just an idea now, and not anywhere near making actual reservations.

So, would folks here support a travel forum?? OR will you dig your heels in and fight me to the end of the Earth!? :-)

What are your thoughts on travel in general?







 

« Last Edit: August 11, 2017, 10:06:44 PM by ObviouslyNotAGolfer »

GenXbiker

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Re: Suggestion: Mustachian Travel Forum
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 11:12:56 PM »
This response comes to mind:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/fire-in-a-sprinter-van/msg1176921/#msg1176921

Any chance of getting a forum category for van dwelling or otherwise nomadic folk? Seems there are a few of us here and many more that are interested? :)

Probably not, sorry.  :)

Three main reasons.

We get a LOT of requests for a lot of different forums (some semi-recent ones: politics, recipes, entrepreneur, travel, CC churning, business, blogs, individual country based, e.g. Australia, UK, etc.).  We already have 24 subforums, and the more you add, the more fragmented discussion gets, and the more overwhelming the forums get.

Additionally, already people have trouble deciding what category to put things in.  If we have a van subforum, but someone's asking about a van, does it go in the van sub, or ask a mustachian?  If they're posting about their van, do they post in the van sub, or start a journal?  What if they're FIRE'd, can it go in post-FIRE?

Finally, "Van dwelling" is probably too niche, considering we've had maybe a dozen or so threads on it over the life of the forum (out of over 50,000 total topics started).

It's definitely something I'm interested in, as well, but the threads we have will have to suffice (and feel free to start new ones, if they aren't covering a topic related to it that you're looking for!).  That could change if there was a lot of interest (tax was a new forum started semi-recently (June 2015), but that's the status for now.  :)
« Last Edit: August 11, 2017, 11:14:50 PM by GenXbiker »

neonlight

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Re: Suggestion: Mustachian Travel Forum
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2017, 03:10:19 AM »
Totally dig a travel forum!

My dream is to FI(RE) and travel the world. Fortunate to travel to 40 countries by now but I don't want to just travel, I want to be able to live there (for months in a place), live like a local and who knows learn to speak the language too!

Was pretty hardcore during the younger days. Survived on a bottle of milk and a French loaf in France, force myself to eat a meal a day etc, slept in random places from the ATM room to the beach in Valencia, to medieval castles (they close for the day and we stayed inside till the next day). I am a advocate of Airbnb and (lesser) couchsurfing.

I look forward returning to such adventure (minus some extremities lol)

PS: Greece is a great location, you really get to enjoy the Mediterranean chilled tempo and healthy Diet. It's cheap and people speaks good English.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2017, 03:16:38 AM by neonlight »

Case

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Re: Suggestion: Mustachian Travel Forum
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2017, 10:16:16 AM »
It seems as if quite a few of us here are interested in travel, and many use the various rewards cards. It seems many of us here believe that travel is not worth sacrificing (At least not totally) in the name of early retirement. My wife and I love travel writing, watching travel shows (e.g., Tony Bourdain), and are both lovers of museums, beautiful scenery, and other cultures. We've been to Europe several times, and have seen much of North America (lived in Vancouver Canada for four years) and Hawaii. I was in Hong Kong and China once for business, and we are very interested in going to Japan one of these years. I strongly believe you really do need to see some of the world while you are young and have the energy!

I basically have four months off every year (summer and +/- the month of December-Early Jan) from teaching university courses. I spend the time doing (and getting paid for) research at another institution on a schedule that I devise. I also am working on a book (or two) as well as my photography. I enjoy all of it quite a bit.

We are fairly frugal, but we take at least a few trips a year to the Bay Area and Central Coast of California. We stay in nice hotels, have nice meals, nice drives, wine tasting, beachcoming, avoiding crowds, etc. Yes, the money could be saved, but we have our bases covered, have zero kids, zero debt, and I am not willing to give up travel, especially given that we are quite frugal elsewhere. (I daily drive a 26 year old Volvo that is indestructable!) This is partly due to the fact that we live in SoCal, which I absolutely hate and detest with a passion. (was born here, was away for 14 years)

Anyway, this year, we are also going to Ireland for three weeks, and it is costly. Going anywhere for three weeks is going to cost you, especially if you stay in hotels and B&Bs.

In addition the trip planning takes up quite a bit of time and effort. For the last three months or so, it almost seems like a part-time job! I am sure it will be well worth it in the end.

Next year we are contemplating a trip to Greece, Athens, Crete, Islands, etc. Just an idea now, and not anywhere near making actual reservations.

So, would folks here support a travel forum?? OR will you dig your heels in and fight me to the end of the Earth!? :-)

What are your thoughts on travel in general?


I could see a forum for frugal travel and frugal travel hacking.  That is not so widely covered... but it certainly is coverered by other websites to some degree.

But what i cannot see at all is fancy pants travel.  Fancy hotels, business class flights, fancy restaurants, etc...  this is already covered extensively in countless websites, and runs counter to mustachian beliefs.  Remember, credit card hacking is a super efficient way to get ultraexpensive flight and hotel tickets, but these are totally unnecessay.  Rather than minimizing consumerism, it does the oppposite.  Instead, mustachians would go after the frugal deals, not ways to make fancy deals affordable.

So unfortunately i mostly disagree with you (respectfully).  You can find forums out there that already cover this need.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!