Travelling in 20's vs Being Frugal and Saving

[Kiwi Mustache]

I'm in a bit of any internal battle over this.

I'm 26 and have only been overseas (to our neighbour Australia) once. I've spent my 20's figuring out a career path, saving and living fairly frugally. However, I'm considering now doing a bit of travel to get out and see the world.

I can see using a chunk of my savings/investments to pay for this travel will put me back a bit in terms of my financial goals. However, the only reason I want financial freedom is to do a bit more travel in later life. Therefore, do I do a bit of travel now or should I save it for later?

Working overseas and just going for pure travel without the though of working are both options.

[lise]

I would recommend traveling now.  I have no regrets about the money I spent when I was younger on travel.

There are frugal ways of getting it done. 

Also I think it's easier to travel when your younger and fitter.  For instance I've done the Tongariro Crossing 3 times.  This year (at age 45) it took me a full hour longer than it did the first time I did it at 31.  The day I did a German in his mid 50's died on the track (apparent heart attack) - he was probably on a nice trip to the other side of the world that he waited to do when all his ducks were in his row.  Don't wait.

Get a pack on your back and go explore the world!  My opinion is you'll be a richer person for it. 

[MMMaybe]

I think that you could wait BUT the way you will travel and the experiences you will have in your 20's will be vastly different to what you would want to do when you are older. We all think that we will be exactly the same as we get older but its not true. At least not for me :)

Plus, you have no ties really so now is the perfect time.

It doesn't have to be a choice between travel and frugality necessarily. If you moved to London and lived fairly cheaply, you could still save money to bring home.

The risk you might run? Not finding a way home. Its nearly 20 years since I left Australia for the same reason.

[aschmidt2930]

I have the some thought process, and I'm starting to think the answer is somewhere in the middle.  It's tempting to save every dime and bring the FIRE date closer, but there's no guarantee that day will come.  Not to be depressing, but people get hit by buses every day.  Get some nice bonuses from travel credit cards, and do some traveling in a reasonable fashion.  With that said, keep your day job ;)

[nzmamma]

I travelled from NZ lots in my 20's and am so pleased I did. I always stayed in hostels/with friends/family. It was wonderful. Now at 32 with 2 little kids I can not imagine the travel I did then being possible again. There will certainly be more travel but it will be different, I learnt so much about my myself. I say go for it.

[DavidAnnArbor]

Go and have fun, you'll never be 26 again.

[monstermonster]

Definitely go now. Even as a 27 year old, I regret not traveling slightly earlier. As long as you're not going into debt for it, it's a worthwhile investment. Remembering why you want FIRE  is a good way to assess your values towards money.

As a New Zealander, you qualify for working holiday visas to a TON of countries - but only until you are 30. So do it now. You won't regret it.

[monstermonster]

A very 1990's web designed website about where working holiday visas are available to you: http://www.anyworkanywhere.com/whvnzcit.html

[FFF]

Definitely get out there and travel!

I don't think the goals of financial independence and travelling while young are that misaligned either. I travelled after university, saving up enough in 8 months to travel for 2 and a half years around the world, through Asia, Europe and the Antipodes. Admittedly a working holiday visa in Australia helped boost back the bank balance halfway through but there is absolutely nothing to regret about my travelling. In fact if I didn't travel I would never have met my wife and moved to Australia permanently!

A lot of the things that I used to keep travel inexpensive are directly related with the MMM philosophy, the number one being don't spend mindlessly. Think about every purchase that you do and the value you will receive from it. Personally food for me was never a big deal, I ate cheaply whilst still sampling the local fare (in fact the local fare is the cheaper option virtually everywhere!) and saved my money for big ticket items that I will never forget such as bungee jumping, skydiving, learning to scuba dive, full moon parties in Thailand and going to approx. 12 Formula 1 races. For me I would never remember eating at a slightly fancy restaurant whilst travelling but those memories I've had for 8 years now. Obviously your experiences and desires will be different but it is possible to be mustachian and travel at the same time and the dent to the financial independence goal won't be as much as you think, especially if you can do a working holiday visa as suggested above too.

 

[Bjorn]

I was about to reply you and then thought of something I wrote earlier today that fits here.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/post-fire/has-anyone-started-er-with-a-sabbatical-or-a-year's-leave-of-absence/

[boarder42]

I'm 28 my wife and i travel all the time.  you can travel hack your way to make it more affordable.  10% or more of our annual spend currently goes to travel i would say ... if i had to guess b/c i just started tracking everything this year.

[captainawesome]

Travel now.  I don't necessarily recommend the "live for today and worry about tomorrow later" mantra (because that's why so many people are in debt up to their ears), but when it comes to the experiences and travel I was afforded in my younger 20s (hitting 30 this year) I don't know if I could put monetary value on it.  There are so many things you don't know (at least I didn't), and you don't want to wait until your 30s/40s/50s before you figure out what you really want from life. Get out and go places you have wanted to go to, and then go places you maybe would never consider. 

That is one of the reasons why my wife and I are waiting to have kids, to travel more and explore.  The more we travel, learn, and explore, the more we figure out what we truly want.  It's hard to change your perspective if you never introduce a new way of thinking. Good luck!

[rmendpara]

Do it in the upcoming 5 years. It's worth the cost if travel is something you value.

I will say that you can certainly do it without breaking the bank. One 2-week intl. trip for yourself can be had for under 5k without much trouble at all, and likely 2-3k (even halfway across the world) if you plan carefully, credit card hack, hotel hack, etc.

[DecD]

I spent a couple of years abroad in my 20s and am absolutely glad I did it.

If I were you, I'd find a way to go that would fund itself, if at all possible.  I did a funded masters program abroad, so I broke even for a year abroad that involved a home base in France and travel nearly every weekend.  The cost of the year was an opportunity cost- the savings/work seniority/retirement I missed by not having a real job.  It was totally worth it. 

Plan well, and you can have an amazing experience that doesn't derail your plans.  I'd say that a trip that sustains itself or is at least not crazy-spendy would be more fulfilling than just an extended vacation that depletes your savings.  Having a purpose and a goal to your days when you're traveling is really rewarding in my experience.  After about 6 weeks of relatively aimless sightseeing, I find I'm ready for some productivity of some sort- classes, or volunteer work, or something. 

[boarder42]

As a reference for how cheap it can be if you hack.  My upcoming trip to hawaii with my wife for 10 days in march of 2016 is going to cost under 500 dollars.  Flights (first class there) 22 dollars.  Rental Car - free with Chase UR - Hotels/accomodations Free with Chase Hyatt card/HHonors Points/HHonors CC/ one night at AirBnB place 120 dollars.  resort fees - free covered by Barclay card - obviously excursions will have some cost on top of this ... but gas should be less than what we spend driving to work and food we can do cheaply as well to make it probably 200-300 more than we would have spent at home over the same time frame.

[lise]

As a reference for how cheap it can be if you hack.  My upcoming trip to hawaii with my wife for 10 days in march of 2016 is going to cost under 500 dollars.  Flights (first class there) 22 dollars.  Rental Car - free with Chase UR - Hotels/accomodations Free with Chase Hyatt card/HHonors Points/HHonors CC/ one night at AirBnB place 120 dollars.  resort fees - free covered by Barclay card - obviously excursions will have some cost on top of this ... but gas should be less than what we spend driving to work and food we can do cheaply as well to make it probably 200-300 more than we would have spent at home over the same time frame.

Kiwi Mustache lives in New Zealand, they don't get all the great credit card hacks that happen in America ...

[LiveLean]

Travel now. Not only do you have more time, but you'll establish frugal travel habits that last a lifetime.

I went Eurailing after high school (1987) and college (1991) for five weeks each time, several Europe visits after that. It taught me to travel lean (just a backpack) and travel cheap, both of which leads you off the beaten path into cooler places and live like a local. My wife never believed that I'd just get off a boat on various Greek islands and let some family lead me to a room in their home, so that's what we did for our honeymoon. (She loved it.)

I've cashed in points from business travel for nicer accommodations in Hawaii and Australia over the years, but I still travel as lean and cheap as possible on vacation. I've never understood people who park themselves at an expensive all-inclusive resort hotel and never freakin' leave. Why not just stay home?

[klystomane]

I agree that traveling while you are in your 20s is a good idea, even if it sets FIRE back. Traveling can be done cheaply or done expensively; the choice is yours.

One point I always stress to my friends is that if you want to travel, do it before you have children. I understand that there are people who can travel extensively with their children, but in my personal opinion, I do not think I could have done all the traveling that I did with a baby in tow.

Having said that, my personal goal was to go to all the places I couldn't see myself bringing my young family to. My personal philosophy was that more developed countries can wait (like some European countries) as I would have no issues with taking my family there in the future.

Things do change and oftentimes they are not things you have any control over. As somebody mentioned above, you could (God forbid) get injured, your age, mobility, family conditions, job conditions, countries can change politically/safetywise, the list goes on.

I went to Egypt before the uprising, but I missed an opportunity to go to Pyongyang for a steal (I was already in China at the time and it would have only cost me €500 for a four day tour) a few years ago, right before Kim Jong Il died. To this day, I regret that I did not try harder to make it happen; I would not be as comfortable going there now. I think this is a good example of how things which are out of your control can change.

[mcneally]

I get the impression OP is talking about traveling longer term vagabonding, not a vacation. As long as you understand that it's not a matter 1 year of travel delaying FI by 1 year (could easily be 3-5 years due to time value of money, delayed-or reset-career progression, plus the savings depleting while travelling) and you're OK with that, then yeah, you should definitely go for it.

Reading what I wrote I realized some people might think I was being sarcastic in saying OP should go for it- I'm not.

[aspiringnomad]

I've travelled quite a bit, but aside from a semester plus a couple summers abroad during school, all of my trips have been of the shorter vacation variety (usually 1-2 weeks, but 3 weeks twice between jobs). I have friends who spent a year or more slow travelling in their 20s and have sometimes envied that, but the flip side is that now they are just now building their careers and their stash in their early 30s. By contrast, I am on path to a very comfortable, travel-laden FIRE around age 40. I have still been able to make it to ~35 countries because I always travelled cheaply and take advantage of credit card hacks, but usually haven't spent as much time soaking in the culture as I would have liked.

So if I could do it all over again, I honestly have no idea which path I'd take. I don't have any regrets with the path I took, and feel very lucky to be where I am, but I do think 20s is the best time to do that sort of slow travel before you develop attachments to a particular lifestyle or place.

[Kwill]

I'd echo the working holiday suggestion. I've met New Zealanders teaching English in Japan with that status. That could be a good short-term thing to do. The part-timers on working holidays tend to live in big cities with amenities and tourist-oriented things. Americans don't have the same working holiday possibilities in Japan, but I think maybe the UK and New Zealand and Australia do.

If you can get into the JET Programme, there are a lot of perks to being a full-time English teacher in a government-sponsored program rather than a part-time teacher with commercial companies. More vacation time, health insurance, sometimes housing subsidies. I did JET in the late 90s and saved almost half my salary without trying, but then I was in such a small and remote town that I didn't eat out because I was uncomfortable with everyone staring at me all the time. Living in a tiny town right next to the ocean, though, when I did eat out the fish was amazing. I think Korea and China have similar programs now.

[klystomane]

I'd echo the working holiday suggestion. I've met New Zealanders teaching English in Japan with that status. That could be a good short-term thing to do. The part-timers on working holidays tend to live in big cities with amenities and tourist-oriented things. Americans don't have the same working holiday possibilities in Japan, but I think maybe the UK and New Zealand and Australia do.

If you can get into the JET Programme, there are a lot of perks to being a full-time English teacher in a government-sponsored program rather than a part-time teacher with commercial companies. More vacation time, health insurance, sometimes housing subsidies. I did JET in the late 90s and saved almost half my salary without trying, but then I was in such a small and remote town that I didn't eat out because I was uncomfortable with everyone staring at me all the time. Living in a tiny town right next to the ocean, though, when I did eat out the fish was amazing. I think Korea and China have similar programs now.

The only thing I would caution is that you have to have the discipline not to get sucked into that way of life for an extended period of time. I know many, many people who have been stuck abroad for way too long, wishing that they could leave.

On the flip side, many (disciplined) people do save more money while working abroad (compared to back home), establish a temporary base that is close for traveling to other countries they normally would not specifically go to, and end up leaving at the right time to continue pursuing higher education or their careers. I would stress that this is often the minority though, so being disciplined and staying focused on your end goal are key.

[Kwill]

The only thing I would caution is that you have to have the discipline not to get sucked into that way of life for an extended period of time. I know many, many people who have been stuck abroad for way too long, wishing that they could leave.

On the flip side, many (disciplined) people do save more money while working abroad (compared to back home), establish a temporary base that is close for traveling to other countries they normally would not specifically go to, and end up leaving at the right time to continue pursuing higher education or their careers. I would stress that this is often the minority though, so being disciplined and staying focused on your end goal are key.

+1 to that. Those types of language-teaching jobs are often designed for the 20-something who's taking a break before getting into the "real" career that he/she will presumably work at until 65. The first year they are bright-eyed and bushy tailed and excited to be somewhere totally different, enthusiastic about teaching their language and sharing their culture. But sometimes you meet people who have just been trapped somehow for years and are totally jaded and cynical and uninterested in dealing with anyone but fellow expatriates. Not saving money or having a post-travel plan are part of how they get stuck.

[richmadethis]

Go travelling. My partner and I taught English in Korea for a year. In that time we travelled to Japan, Taiwan, Hong kong and Vietnam during school holidays and after the year, and we also got to travel around Korea, or just enjoy sights of Seoul in the weekends. Work was mostly fun, just have to go with the flow. I saved 10k pretty easily (not that frugal at the time), which paid off the last of my student loan. We have great memories of that year,  it was hard to feel settled back in NZ afterwards...  we are now planning to go to Japan for a year in 1-2 years (now in our mid 30s). 

[Faramir]

Like most other posters I'd say go for it.  I don't think travelling needs to delay early retirement too much.  Using the working holiday visas is the best option as you can earn money while you're away from NZ and you get a better feel for the country rather than just holidaying there.

I left NZ at 23, lived/worked in UK for 6 years whilst visiting most of Europe by budget airlines/rail over many trips ranging from long weekends to 4 weeks at a time.

I came back to NZ 5 years ago at age 29 with a British wife & 8 month old baby, and we are still on target for FIRE by around age 45.  I don't regret travelling & wouldn't change it for the world.  I still plan to travel extensively in ER.

[chasesfish]

I would say travel some, but still be conscious of the cost.   My balance sheet at 33 probably looks a lot better than friends of ours who traveled to Europe 2x/year for 5-7 years.

[mtnrider]

Now!

I spent my twenties preparing a great foundation, working like crazy.  Now it's two decades later, and I still haven't had time to travel.  When friends my age do travel, they are taking the kids and staying in big resorts, trying to drag kids to every tourist site before the vacation time is up.  They get back exhausted, and say that they can't wait to get back to work and relax some!

[expatartist]

The only thing I would caution is that you have to have the discipline not to get sucked into that way of life for an extended period of time. I know many, many people who have been stuck abroad for way too long, wishing that they could leave.

On the flip side, many (disciplined) people do save more money while working abroad (compared to back home), establish a temporary base that is close for traveling to other countries they normally would not specifically go to, and end up leaving at the right time to continue pursuing higher education or their careers. I would stress that this is often the minority though, so being disciplined and staying focused on your end goal are key.

+1 to that. Those types of language-teaching jobs are often designed for the 20-something who's taking a break before getting into the "real" career that he/she will presumably work at until 65. The first year they are bright-eyed and bushy tailed and excited to be somewhere totally different, enthusiastic about teaching their language and sharing their culture. But sometimes you meet people who have just been trapped somehow for years and are totally jaded and cynical and uninterested in dealing with anyone but fellow expatriates. Not saving money or having a post-travel plan are part of how they get stuck.

+1 to all the above

Use the working holiday visa available only in your 20s. Look for opportunities that connect with your degree, and what you'd like to do with your future. This becomes sustainable travel opportunity, quite different from the vagabond option (easy enough to do that for a couple months at the beginning and end of a year or 2 away), lets you save $ for the next step of your life, and gains you valuable work experience which can relate to your industry. It's not an escape from 'real life', it enhances the life you're creating.

[MMMaybe]

Just one other thought, albeit a bit sad. I think there are plenty of reasons to plan for the future but there is one major reason to live for today and enjoy your life-the future is the great unknown.

Two of my friends have recently become very ill in their early 40's. If they had waited to do all of these things, they would have missed out. But they have had full and very interesting lives and this gives them (and me, as I shared in these experiences with them) some comfort at a very difficult time. You can never tell how things will pan out and so in some ways, I think you should take the opportunity that youth and lack of ties presents you with.

[Daisy]

I'm in a bit of any internal battle over this.

I'm 26 and have only been overseas (to our neighbour Australia) once. I've spent my 20's figuring out a career path, saving and living fairly frugally. However, I'm considering now doing a bit of travel to get out and see the world.

I can see using a chunk of my savings/investments to pay for this travel will put me back a bit in terms of my financial goals. However, the only reason I want financial freedom is to do a bit more travel in later life. Therefore, do I do a bit of travel now or should I save it for later?

Working overseas and just going for pure travel without the though of working are both options.

DO IT NOW!

You can find a way to make it frugal. You mention working overseas - good idea. Combine making money with travelling. I've never done it myself, but I've known people that have done ex-pat assignments and they go all out in exploring the area they are sent to.

The future is not assured. I think we all need a healthy balance of living-in-the-moment and saving-for-FI.

[agent_clone]

If it helps, my sister spent a year travelling around for a year finishing up in 2013, for some reason the number of about $AU30k sticks in my head as the amount she might have started on/spent, it can't have been a lot of money given that she worked full time for 1 year, then doing a PhD... She did a fair bit of travelling around South East Asia, Africa (including a 45 day Intrepid tour), and Eastern Europe, there was also some visiting of friends in western Europe.  She did comment that Singapore was too expensive if thats an indication budget wise...
If you stick to cheaper countries it can be done fairly cheaply!

[MrsPete]

Adopt a half-and-half plan. 

It's true that you'll never be 26 again, and today you can travel without the encumbrances that come with including family in your trips.  So do it -- but on a modest scale.  Shorter trips, closer destinations, think about American sites instead of international ones, fewer splurges. 

On the other hand, money that you invest today has the benefit of years and years of compound interest growth.  In that same sense, you'll never be 26 again; you'll never have this many years left ahead of you to allow your money to grow. 

So don't sacrifice either goal for the other:  Travel, but modestly, and recognize that your trips will "cost you" more years of work later.  Invest carefully, understanding that your investments could've taken you on a great adventure today, but they'll take you on more tomorrow.  You want two things; both are good, so let yourself have them -- what may "have to go" to allow these both, of course, is everyday lifestyle:  meals out, clothes, the latest electronic gadgets, you know, the things that most people spend upon constantly. 

Finally, don't worry too awfully much about the "could be hit by a bus thing".  Yes, such things have happened to a few of my friends (okay, not literally -- none of my friends have actually been hit by a bus), and they've been tragic situations; but the vast majority are still here today -- and most of them wish they'd saved more when they were 26.  And don't worry about whether you'll be "too old" to want to travel later -- you won't.  26 is great, but 46 is way better in dozens of ways. 

Half and half, that's the answer. 

[willkp23]

Travel now!

I've been traveling since I was 18 as much as I can and I don't regret it one bit.   I'm 34 now and I still go 2-4 times per year as vacation time through my employer limits how much I can travel!

You will create a lot of memories that will last a lifetime when you travel.   Good Luck!

[mariejm]

I feel traveling in the twenties has a lot more impact on development then waiting until later in life. Especially as a woman, traveling before children was such a good benefit to me.

My advice would be to focus on traveling frugally. You can get a lot of travel for your money in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Slow travel is an amazing way to do things, staying 1-3   months in a country or two. I feel I really got to live in places that I stayed at least four weeks or so, and I really enjoy staying longer. I also advise the big trip of taking a entire year to travel, and really letting yourself relax and explore new places and culture. An alternative is subletting your apartment for 3-4 months per year and doing regular yearly travel chunks. This way you don’t get homesick and still can work in your home country where you are likely paid high wages.

My experience: In the beginning I traveled for long periods of time (between years of college) and then as I got older I was happy to travel for 3 months and go back home. I get the itch to go to new country about every 2 years. I also dream of the beach :)

Anyways, remember to spend your money frugally (for example budget 1k for a 3 month trip in SE Asia, with a cheap round trip flight), 2.5K for 6 months, etc. Small apartments in Thailand rent for 200 a month and you can eat very cheaply although I would prepare my own foods because MSG is used liberally in street food. I definitely get sick with too much MSG and I get so so thirsty that water doesn't quench!

[mariejm]

(Edit, things I wanted to say in the earlier post)

I would travel now, in a frugal way. Balance your wants and needs, focus on your needs. You will be attractive as an employee after traveling abroad. Foreign travel does give you insight into your own culture. I feel from your post that you need this. The internal battle is likely your responsible self... and I'm here to say the rewards of travel when you do it before kids and before a serious relationship are huge. At 26 you are still developing, travel is an amazing teacher. I learned so much from my time abroad. I learned much in part because I was so young and impressionable.

The best part about my life and the richness I’ve experienced is the things I learned while living abroad. I visited 23 countries over 10 months (not all at once), before the age of 22.

Do it frugally until you feel satisfied. You are the only person who can know where and how much travel to do. When I started I never imagined I could feel satisfied with travel but I ended feeling full and happy at 22, and proceeded to settle down for 6 years. I got the itch again and relocated for 6 months. Came back and about every two years I make a extended trip, 3 months or longer.

Check out the Adventurous Kate blog. Sometimes it helps to live vicariously to figure out your needs!

[DavidAnnArbor]

I'm here to say the rewards of travel when you do it before kids and before a serious relationship are huge. At 26 you are still developing, travel is an amazing teacher. I learned so much from my time abroad. I learned much in part because I was so young and impressionable.

I agree do it while you're young and don't have any trouble sleeping in noisy cramped quarters. I could do that in my 20's, sure can't do that in my late 40's.

[bb11]

As a fellow 26 year-old I also grapple with this. I feel like people on this thread are hitting on two different versions of "travel" though:

1. Standard 1-3 week vacation
2. Living abroad for 6-12 months or longer

I personally have no qualms about the first, and do it all the time. I think the OP is in a similar boat (could be wrong). What I'm wondering more about is quitting my job to work a non-career oriented position in Asia, or doing extended slow travel on my own (say biking across Europe or hiking the AT). The problem with these is at the least they set me back on my career, and I tend to look at it as "If someone handed me $60,000 not to go (the opportunity cost) would you still do it?" That's the dilemma I face at least, and it's tough to decide between large amounts of money and going for life goals right now.

[brandino29]

As a fellow 26 year-old I also grapple with this. I feel like people on this thread are hitting on two different versions of "travel" though:

1. Standard 1-3 week vacation
2. Living abroad for 6-12 months or longer

I personally have no qualms about the first, and do it all the time. I think the OP is in a similar boat (could be wrong). What I'm wondering more about is quitting my job to work a non-career oriented position in Asia, or doing extended slow travel on my own (say biking across Europe or hiking the AT trail). The problem with these is at the least they set me back on my career, and I tend to look at it as "If someone handed me $60,000 not to go (the opportunity cost) would you still do it?" That's the dilemma I face at least, and it's tough to decide between large amounts of money and going for life goals right now.

No question in my mind -- live abroad.  A year may seem like a long time to you today but in 10 years it's going to have seemed like it was a fleeting memory and a lifetime ago.  I lived a year abroad after graduating college at 22 almost 10 years ago, now I wish I had stayed abroad for 2 or 3 years or longer. 

You speak English, you are marketable pretty much anywhere in the world.  I cannot imagine any future career path where an interviewer looks at your resume and says "I'm sorry, but this 2 years of teaching English in a foreign country really isn't what we were looking for in a candidate." 

[stlbrah]

As a fellow 26 year-old I also grapple with this. I feel like people on this thread are hitting on two different versions of "travel" though:

1. Standard 1-3 week vacation
2. Living abroad for 6-12 months or longer

I personally have no qualms about the first, and do it all the time. I think the OP is in a similar boat (could be wrong). What I'm wondering more about is quitting my job to work a non-career oriented position in Asia, or doing extended slow travel on my own (say biking across Europe or hiking the AT trail). The problem with these is at the least they set me back on my career, and I tend to look at it as "If someone handed me $60,000 not to go (the opportunity cost) would you still do it?" That's the dilemma I face at least, and it's tough to decide between large amounts of money and going for life goals right now.

No question in my mind -- live abroad.  A year may seem like a long time to you today but in 10 years it's going to have seemed like it was a fleeting memory and a lifetime ago.  I lived a year abroad after graduating college at 22 almost 10 years ago, now I wish I had stayed abroad for 2 or 3 years or longer. 

You speak English, you are marketable pretty much anywhere in the world.  I cannot imagine any future career path where an interviewer looks at your resume and says "I'm sorry, but this 2 years of teaching English in a foreign country really isn't what we were looking for in a candidate."

Anyone know about working abroad in the IT field (not to hijack).

I have seen a ton of jobs, but most require a military background and civilians can't even apply.

[arebelspy]

Do both!  I think a 5-10% travel budget is reasonable.

It may drop your savings rate by 5-10%, but I'd rather have saved 60-70% and travel than 65-75% and not (or adjust higher or lower for your situation).

We did a big backpacking through Europe trip for just over two months, and then a bunch of shorter trips, but knew we were going to travel the world after FIRE, so we've cut back on travel the last few years (no point going somewhere for a week when soon we can move there for a few months).

So you can do a mix of both traveling and saving, they aren't mutually exclusive options.  :)

[milesdividendmd]

Travel, travel, travel.

My life was indelibly changed for the better by living in Japan for the year prior to starting medical school.

That being said, there's no reason not to save money and travel at the same time.

If I can be said to have a personal philosophy it is simply this.

1. Learn how to play the miles game so that you can save big money on travel each and every year.

2. Plug-in all of your savings into your retirement investments ( and invest wisely.)

If you want to learn to do step 1, for free (i.e. learning everything you need to know to save thousands of dollars travel hacking each year) i'd love to help you out by enrolling you in our free course at travel miles 101.

We cover everything from credit card selection to the mechanics of applying for credit cards, to the art of meeting spending requirements without actually spending money, to the best uses for your hard earned miles when it comes time to redeem them for free travel.

In 30 days you should be up and running.