Author Topic: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?  (Read 21103 times)

spartana

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Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« on: January 16, 2015, 12:06:25 AM »
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« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 10:42:59 AM by spartana »

deborah

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2015, 03:45:30 AM »
I hated travel. Travel meant getting on a plane, seeing the inside of a hotel room, seeing the inside of an office, repeat last 2 several times, then first. Why would anyone WANT to travel - and after retirement? I had better things to do.

Then I realised that I traveled to see family - but even that wasn't something I really wanted to do the travel part of.

I automatically increased the family visits in retirement. Then I started visiting places - going places. Now I figure I will travel 2 or 3 months each year as one travel event, and 3 or 4 months as a series of smaller travel events. Occasionally I intend to have two large travel events. So half of each year is away from home! How did this happen to someone who didn't like travel, and pooh-poohed everyone else's ideas of retiring to travel?

I really enjoy seeing different parts of the country. Australia is an amazing place (as the continental US is the same size, I guess that it is also an amazing place), and I expect that I will never see all of it that I want to see. I went to the Eyre Peninsula last year with some friends. The trip was too short, and we didn't visit all the places I wanted to visit there - I'll have to go again! And I got glimpses of other places as I hurtled through them on my way to the Eyre Peninsula. These places also need to be visited! I love sleeping in my car, staying at National Parks or caravan parks, and spending less than I do when I am at home.

I didn't plan ANY travel expenses in retirement, so I guess I must be spending more on travel than I planned. Some trips are going to be expensive luxury trips to expensive world destinations, but most trips have and will cost less than I normally spend. My total budget is less that I expected when I retired.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2015, 06:30:19 AM »
Hopefully we'll live in an RV. We're both fairly nomadic and there are so many beautiful parts of North America, how would I ever choose one? And we need a better winter living spot, but wouldn't want to go back to the same condo every year.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2015, 07:38:09 AM »
Since you asked if one plans to when FIRE'd, I'll poke my head into this forum to say, YES.  Absolutely plan to travel.  Currently travel to the Caribbean a couple times a year (Mexico, Roatan, Costa Rica), and really want to spend 2-3 months a year on one of those locations. Also try to do a longer trip to Europe and the like once a year, but haven't managed to pull it off the last couple years; that should change this fall (I am going to Japan to snowboard at the end of this month!).  Could see spending a couple months in the Greek Islands now and then as well.  But mostly I love traveling to the Mountain West, and could see doing long road trips out there (tent camping, of course).

Always stay in modest, though not super low budget, accommodations when overseas.  But do have a tendency to spend a lot more on vacation than otherwise would at home ("we're on vacation!!").  Would have to figure out how to do things like scuba diving a lot cheaper than I currently do, when staying for a couple months. But otherwise, a surfboard and/or my climbing gear in tow, and I'm all set to pretty much play for free. So yeah, I'm hoping to "live like a local" and spend a lot less when visiting these places in retirement.

Cookie78

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2015, 08:36:33 AM »
Absolutely. The hardest part for me is going to be cutting back on travel for the next decade while I focus on FIRE. After that I plan to travel a lot. I've always liked to travel cheaply, but when FIRE'd I'd like to also travel more slowly. Live like a local, as dude said above, and take my time.

As for costs, depending on where I am, hostels are great for meeting people. Renting an apartment for a few months can be cheaper. Camping works for me too and I'm not opposed to staying with friends and family around the world.

Currently I'm planning a panamerican overlanding trip where we will be sleeping either in a bed in the vehicle, or in a roof-top tent (large upfront expense, but more comfort, space, and convenience). It remains to be seen if this trip will be pre-FIRE or post-FIRE. We recently did a trial run through Baja, Mexico for a week and it was much cheaper than anticipated. The biggest expense was gas, but that's largely because we drove every day to get to the next spot, instead of slow travel. Accommodations (in the truck) were minimal and could have been less, or non existent, if we didn't mostly stay in camp sites. Food was cheap, mostly at taco stands and grocery stores.


limeandpepper

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2015, 08:44:06 AM »
Since you asked if one plans to when FIRE'd, I'll poke my head into this forum to say, YES.  Absolutely plan to travel.

Yeah, I wasn't sure since this was in the Post-FIRE forum, but the question seems to allow for us non-retired types to answer as well. So here I am! :D Already travel, and plan to continue to travel, whether retired or not.

Are the travel plans you envisioned while working coming true

Last year I quit my job and spent 5.5 months overseas (travelling through 5 different countries in Asia) and it was just fantastic. It only reinforced that I love travelling and could totally do it long-term.

What type of travel do you do and where do you fall on a scale between ultra low budget (grungy hostel staying hitchhiking backpacker) to ultra luxury (spas, golf resorts, 4 star hotels)?

I veer towards the low-budget end of the scale, but not necessarily ultra-low, and I still splurge on some things. Travel is a way of finding out where your priorities lie, and everyone is different. Some of the decisions I made might seem a bit funny to others, but it's all about what I was willing to put up with to save money, and what really gets me excited enough to convince me to part with my money. Sometimes the answers to the questions are expected, sometimes they can be surprising. You weigh up the different options and then you come to a decision, and you may learn something about yourself - what price you put on a certain something, what you're willing to compromise. For me, personally, I find that pretty interesting.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2015, 12:23:37 PM »
Yes, I have a huge bucket list.

My older son hated travelling, and the only thing he wanted to do was going to the beach. We also liked that, so that is what we did.

I plan on Europe, some SE Asia, Australia and NZ with my DW.

Only issue is travelling as a vegetarian, since food is an issue. Have found new tools for that (thanks HappyCow.net and its iPhone app), so should be able to find food.


CowboyAndIndian

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2015, 01:05:56 PM »
I'm one of those  crazy-ass raw food vegans (mostly) and just get my food at supermarkets when travelling. Rarely go to restaurants when I travel as I refuse to pay a bunch of money for a crappy salad or veggie sandwich - especially when they never have vegan protein sources in them :-)!

Thanks Spartana. How do you manage if you travel outside the US?

Don't want to live on PB&J :-(

arebelspy

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2015, 01:57:40 PM »
Quote
Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?

That's all I plan to do.

For awhile at least.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Unionville

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2015, 02:11:07 PM »


Only issue is travelling as a vegetarian, since food is an issue. Have found new tools for that (thanks HappyCow.net and its iPhone app), so should be able to find food.

The happycow is great.  I relied on it when I traveled to large meat eating countries in eastern europe where I had limited language skills.

YK-Phil

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2015, 02:24:57 PM »
Have you  (or do you) plan to travel a lot once ER'd?

That's the main plan, but it will be slow travel for 3-5 months at the time, unlike the crazy and unplanned travel my wife and I did when I was working for an airline and we would hop on a plane on a moment's notice, based only on seat availability, and usually with only a small carry-on. Once in December, we were sure we could fly to Merida in Mexico and only took light clothing, but the flight was canceled so we ended up taking a flight to Frankfurt, where December weather is not exactly tropical...

First few years will be mostly road trips around North America, simply because we have a cat. Once he decides to go to cat heaven, we plan to split our time between Gabriola Island during the good months (gardening, hiking, sailing) and somewhere abroad in winter. We seriously considered buying but the thought of having to go to the same place year after year did not suit our lifestyle, so renting and staying in hostels and with friends is the best plan for us.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2015, 03:20:26 PM »
For us it will be a steady rotation of Vancouver/Gulf Islands from May - October, Baja California Sur from November - April.

With some epic road trips thrown in on occasion. I want to drive all over the western half of North America, and take our time doing it.

I cannot wait to get this phase started. Waiting for wife to ER is the ONLY fly in the ointment preventing us from executing this plan to it's fullest.

Cassie

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2015, 03:34:33 PM »
This year we are traveling for a month in our Moho. Plan to see friends, yellowstone & the Grand Tetons.  We have 4 dogs which are all old & as they go we will get down to 1 so to be easier to travel. We went to Poland this year also.  In a year we want to go to Scotland, England & Ireland but not sure if we will split in to 2 trips or 1 since we don't like to leave the dogs for more then 2 weeks at a time.  Our general plan is to take one big trip a year whether it be in the states or in Europe.  I also don't like to be away too long but this might change if I had 1 dog & could bring it with me. We tend to stay at middle of the road places. We usually only eat 1 meal out which is dinner.

Unionville

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2015, 03:35:15 PM »
I feel like I want to explore new places, buy I don't think my husband is ready for any major changes. I'm wondering if it is reasonable for one spouse (me) to go off traveling for 2-3 months periodically. I've always been independent traveler before we got together, but now I'm in a relationship, so it's different.  It seems like that's a lot to ask of a partner...but then again I read all these high altitude mountain climbing books where husbands to go off to climb for 3 months, like that's acceptable.  And then people in the military do it too.

Cookie78

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2015, 03:40:51 PM »
I feel like I want to explore new places, buy I don't think my husband is ready for any major changes. I'm wondering if it is reasonable for one spouse (me) to go off traveling for 2-3 months periodically. I've always been independent traveler before we got together, but now I'm in a relationship, so it's different.  It seems like that's a lot to ask of a partner...but then again I read all these high altitude mountain climbing books where husbands to go off to climb for 3 months, like that's acceptable.  And then people in the military do it too.

I think it's perfectly reasonable as long as he's on board with it. :)

Jon_Snow

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2015, 03:44:21 PM »
Hey, if my wife decides to work too long, I might just leave her at home and go adventuring without her! Actually, this is VERY likely to occur. ;)

deborah

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2015, 09:47:14 PM »
I feel like I want to explore new places, buy I don't think my husband is ready for any major changes. I'm wondering if it is reasonable for one spouse (me) to go off traveling for 2-3 months periodically. I've always been independent traveler before we got together, but now I'm in a relationship, so it's different.  It seems like that's a lot to ask of a partner...but then again I read all these high altitude mountain climbing books where husbands to go off to climb for 3 months, like that's acceptable.  And then people in the military do it too.
My SO is quite comfortable with me gallivanting off. Of course, he goes away by himself too.

Dr. Doom

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #17 on: January 17, 2015, 09:10:58 AM »
Yes, there is travel in my future, some stateside, some abroad.  My wife is Portuguese, born in the Land of Vasco da Gama and Henry the Navigator, came to the US when she was around 12 and hasn't been back since. 

We'll definitely be going to spend a long time (months) there.  She has family in her hometownvillage that said they'd host us indefinitely, and they have a spare room.  Should be hardly more expensive than living the way we do now.  Maybe less, as we'll cancel all sorts of services before we leave.

That's where we'll likely start, anyway.

I will also need to explore traveling without DW because she is planning on working again after a year off and I'm going to get itchy.  Can't stay put just because she's working, seems silly.  But I imagine those sorts of trips will be shorter. 

Hopefully she'll enjoy not working so much that her plans to be formally employed somewhere change.

YK-Phil

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #18 on: January 17, 2015, 01:38:11 PM »
For us it will be a steady rotation of Vancouver/Gulf Islands from May - October, Baja California Sur from November - April.

With some epic road trips thrown in on occasion. I want to drive all over the western half of North America, and take our time doing it.

I cannot wait to get this phase started. Waiting for wife to ER is the ONLY fly in the ointment preventing us from executing this plan to it's fullest.

I am pretty sure our path will cross, on land or at sea :)

I have mentioned to my wife that I was thinking of going on a solo journey for a while. Taking the Trans-Siberian from one end to the other with my childhood buddy whom I have not seen for decades, is one of those plans. The other is a little more epic and involves hitchhiking/walking alone through North America, hobo-style, with as little money as possible, in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. As I am getting closer to 60, this is something I want to do before enjoying La Dolce Vita.

sunshine

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #19 on: January 17, 2015, 01:40:36 PM »
Quote
Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?

That's all I plan to do.

For awhile at least.

Same here. My family is my first love. Seeing the world is second. We are actually considering retiring outside the USA.

bacchi

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #20 on: January 17, 2015, 02:09:47 PM »
First few years will be mostly road trips around North America, simply because we have a cat.

How do you plan on accommodating your cat? We're planning on slow travel road trips next year and the major concern is the cat. We've tossed around getting a house/cat sitter ($$) or reducing the rent for our tenants (i.e., making cat sitting part of the lease).

More germane to the question, we're buying large US and Canada maps this week for planning purposes. A hybrid (Prius?) will replace both cars.

YK-Phil

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2015, 02:24:21 PM »
First few years will be mostly road trips around North America, simply because we have a cat.

How do you plan on accommodating your cat? We're planning on slow travel road trips next year and the major concern is the cat. We've tossed around getting a house/cat sitter ($$) or reducing the rent for our tenants (i.e., making cat sitting part of the lease).

More germane to the question, we're buying large US and Canada maps this week for planning purposes. A hybrid (Prius?) will replace both cars.

We currently own a practically new Fiat 500 which we were planning to keep, it has very low mileage, low maintenance costs, and has great fuel consumption, but it would not be sufficient to accomodate our luggage and my wife's no. 1 priority, the cat. We have not started planning but we are looking at different options, such as keeping the Fiat and getting a featherweight travel trailer, or trading the Fiat for a used RV, a VW van, or an older Japanese van like a Delica.

bacchi

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2015, 02:36:11 PM »
We currently own a practically new Fiat 500 which we were planning to keep, it has very low mileage, low maintenance costs, and has great fuel consumption, but it would not be sufficient to accomodate our luggage and my wife's no. 1 priority, the cat. We have not started planning but we are looking at different options, such as keeping the Fiat and getting a featherweight travel trailer, or trading the Fiat for a used RV, a VW van, or an older Japanese van like a Delica.

So you're bringing the cat along?

My SO's parents had and sold a 2002 Eurovan with the popup, stove, and fridge, much like the original Westy. We now regret not buying it from them.

YK-Phil

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2015, 02:46:36 PM »
We currently own a practically new Fiat 500 which we were planning to keep, it has very low mileage, low maintenance costs, and has great fuel consumption, but it would not be sufficient to accomodate our luggage and my wife's no. 1 priority, the cat. We have not started planning but we are looking at different options, such as keeping the Fiat and getting a featherweight travel trailer, or trading the Fiat for a used RV, a VW van, or an older Japanese van like a Delica.

So you're bringing the cat along?

My SO's parents had and sold a 2002 Eurovan with the popup, stove, and fridge, much like the original Westy. We now regret not buying it from them.

The cat is going with us, whether I want it or not. I work in the Arctic and go for weeks and sometimes months at the time, and he is my wife's best friend and companion.

Westies are the best for slow travel. I gave mine away, a beautiful 1972 Hightop Westy -that only needed a carb replacement- along with most of my material possessions when I was in a potlach/cleansing mood. This is the only material possession I regret getting rid of.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 02:48:26 PM by ykphil »

Jon_Snow

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2015, 03:01:41 PM »

I am pretty sure our path will cross, on land or at sea :)

Hey, if you even wandering about the southern islands let me know!

And similarly, if my wife and I find ourselves kayaking around Gabriola (which we really want to explore the northern islands), we may want to say hi!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #25 on: January 17, 2015, 04:35:00 PM »
Oh yeah! I'm planning my first month long roadtrip now - driving from South Carolina to the Grand Canyon. It's not going to be a straight shot as far as driving goes because I plan to visit and hike as many National Parks as possible.  I'm looking into hostels and Airbnb for cheap overnight stays and will shop at markets for daily food needs.  Sometime in Sept/Oct I'll fly out to CA, visit two of my children who live there, rent a car and explore for the West coast for another month or so.  Then, if all goes according to plan, I'll be in New Zealand next January.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #26 on: January 17, 2015, 05:35:08 PM »
Cubicle, that sounds great!

I've flown over the Grand Canyon a bunch of times on my way to Mexico. It sort of seems a bit clichéd to want to visit the Grand Canyon - but even from 40,000 feet, it looks SPECTACULAR. It definitely on my list...the whole U.S. western desert area holds a fascination for me - probably because I live in the PNW rainforest.

Unionville

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #27 on: January 17, 2015, 11:33:43 PM »

I am pretty sure our path will cross, on land or at sea :)

I have mentioned to my wife that I was thinking of going on a solo journey for a while. Taking the Trans-Siberian from one end to the other with my childhood buddy whom I have not seen for decades, is one of those plans. The other is a little more epic and involves hitchhiking/walking alone through North America, hobo-style, with as little money as possible, in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. As I am getting closer to 60, this is something I want to do before enjoying La Dolce Vita.

I have actually mapped out my fantasy:  a train trip around the world which included the trans-siberian trip.  I was going to start here in SF and go to DC to see the vietnam memorial, then NY, then fly to London etc Easter Europe Russia etc.. end up n china and fly back.I actually got a map out to see if it was possible LOL.

MsRichLife

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2015, 04:08:02 AM »
Absolutely. I travelled a lot pre-child and want to do more in FIRE. But...DH doesn't love travelling as much as I do. Wasn't a problem before children.... I'd just go on my own. Now I want to travel as a family, but he needs to be on board with that.

My dream was to slow travel the world for a few years post FIRE. His dream is to tinker in his shed. At this stage I think we've negotiated slow-travel trips of up to three months as a family and me going away on my own for short periods when my feet get very itchy.

kathrynd

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #29 on: January 18, 2015, 04:42:14 AM »
My husband and I retired 4 1/2 years ago.
We live in Canada, but we vacation in Australia (he is Australian).

Our 4  kids had finally left the nest, but then we all bought an 5 unit apt house building (we own, but they are paying their share and will eventually own their apt)

Our cat, who grew up with the kids, was really the only thing holding us back from travelling, so it was decided he should live with one of our kids. So the cat moved to the apt below us. (he has since passed)

We spend 7-8 months a year in Australia. We visit his mum for a few days, where we also leave our van. We converted it into a basic camper, to sleep in.
We house sit while in Australia, travelling around. We look after their pets and home, and in return we have a house to live in.
Doesn't cost us anything, and the home owners don't need to pay for pet kennels. Win-win.
When going back to Canada, we visit his mum again for a few days...drop off the van, until we return a few months later.

Summer, in both countries. :)




train_writer

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #30 on: January 25, 2015, 08:08:02 AM »
How do you plan on accommodating your cat? We're planning on slow travel road trips next year and the major concern is the cat. We've tossed around getting a house/cat sitter ($$) or reducing the rent for our tenants (i.e., making cat sitting part of the lease).


I did an internship in the US where cat-sitting (2) was part of my lease! The landlord was engaged to someone in a warmer climate and they lived in her country winter.

It worked out great, but you need someone in your hometown to check in if necessary
« Last Edit: August 13, 2015, 11:22:43 AM by train_writer »

DecD

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #31 on: January 25, 2015, 08:17:07 AM »
We have two small children, and we'll be FI long before they're through school.  So barring something exotic like pulling them from school for a year and homeschooling as we travel (which isn't in the plan but hey you just never know), my travel plans revolve around summer vacation.

In fact, depending on how things go, I might not wait until FIRE before doing this if my employer would let me take a leave of absence for 6 or 8 weeks one summer.  I want to jump in the car with the tent and the kids and explore the national parks during the summers.  Take off for 4 or 6 or 8 weeks every summer and find our favorite spots and see the country. 

In college and after, I studied abroad in England & France for two years.  I've seen most of Western Europe doing the hostel/backpacking thing.  It was awesome.  But my own country?  I haven't seen nearly as much of it.

We started prepping for this plan in 2013, starting with weekend campouts with the cub scouts, then with friends.  This spring break we're going farther afield to two state parks west of here, one of which I've wanted to visit for years.  Start with weeklong and weekendlong trips while they're little (7 and 3) and in a few years, our family will be experts and ready for the long trips! 

The three year old has always been a terrible traveller, likes to scream in the car.  But starting last thanksgiving, he crossed a threshold and can now enjoy car rides.  This is huge for us and opens up the state a bit.  So- road trip in March!!  Can't wait!
« Last Edit: January 25, 2015, 08:18:49 AM by DecD »

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #32 on: January 27, 2015, 07:42:37 PM »
Last year, my wife and I did two weeks in a camper van around New Zealand South Island, two weeks on a motorbike to/from Ayers Rock and a long weekend trip to Melbourne staying in a nice hotel. That was my first year RE, but I was studying full-time at the post-graduate level, which kept me almost job-like busy and hence not a lot of spare time for travel.

This year I am planning to do much more travel, including a fancy train trip across Australia for my wife's 50th birthday, an overseas adventure trip (eg. Nepal trek to Everest Base Camp) probably just for me only, trips across Australia to visit friends and a school reunion and lots of short motorbike and hiking trips. We may also do a month-long European highlights trip, for which I need to do a lot more research to find a good balance of price versus 'real' experience.

MsRichLife

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #33 on: January 28, 2015, 02:38:19 AM »
We may also do a month-long European highlights trip, for which I need to do a lot more research to find a good balance of price versus 'real' experience.

If you are up for something a a little more affordable with great 'local' experience, but not as fancy as some tour companies, check out Intrepid Travel. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/au I can't say enough great things about the company. It's not your standard package tour.

Ozstache

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #34 on: January 28, 2015, 03:27:59 AM »
We may also do a month-long European highlights trip, for which I need to do a lot more research to find a good balance of price versus 'real' experience.

If you are up for something a a little more affordable with great 'local' experience, but not as fancy as some tour companies, check out Intrepid Travel. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/au I can't say enough great things about the company. It's not your standard package tour.

Just had a quick look at that site and it's offering travel type and style just up my alley. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #35 on: January 28, 2015, 10:53:34 AM »
Yeah, we have traveled in FIRE and will continue to travel.  In the last 12 months, a 2.5 week road trip (shortened from 5 weeks due to exhaustion) to Canada from North Carolina.  A week in the southern Caribbean visiting Mexico, Honduras, and Belize (by cruise ship).  And last week we went to the Bahamas aboard a cruise. 

We have 3 kids (one of which is 2 years old), so backpacking through Europe or S America isn't too feasible right now.  The older 2 are in school and the youngest is a handful at home and even more of a handful on the road.  So right now we are full time parents and part time travelers.  Kids add a bit of trickiness to our FIRE travel plans and I don't think we fully appreciated this angle while planning for FIRE and what we would be doing in terms of travel.  So far this has meant more family friendly destinations like cruises or apartment stays instead of hotels (having a separate living room and bedrooms is awesome and usually cheaper than 1, let alone 2 hotel rooms).

Right now I'm salivating over a few potential summer trips but we'll probably push these back to 2016 summer time.  A month in Berlin and/or the rest of Germany with possible side trips to Austria, Czech republic, Poland, Belgium, etc.  Another potential trip would be to Oaxaca, MX for a month with side trips around central and southern MX (maybe arriving/departing from somewhere in the Yucatan).  We also want to get back to S America and spend more time in Buenos Aires and other parts of Argentina we haven't yet visited.  Maybe other nearby countries and Iguazu falls. 

For this summer, we are tentatively planning on a simple and cheap road trip to Nashville TN for maybe a week with a possible few days or week pit stop somewhere slower paced for a few days.  Maybe involving nature but not necessarily camping.  Family along the way might be an overnight pit stop, along with a free hotel night in Asheville (roughly halfway between Nashville and Raleigh). 

Our explicit travel budget is $5,300/yr.  Which doesn't sound like much, but bought us almost five weeks of travel to five different countries last year for a family of five.  That includes some travel hacking freebies.  We are thinking about ramping up travel spending beyond the $5,300/yr while the portfolio is fat.  Some calcs suggest we could spend an extra $10-15k in good years, which would keep us traveling in (budget) style all summer if we wanted. 

I feel a little like a kid in a candy shop thinking/planning all this travel, but hey, that's what we saved all this money for, right? 

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #36 on: January 28, 2015, 07:43:05 PM »
Yes, we do. In fact that is part of our plan. We are selling up all our stuff, including house and cars, and adding that to our net worth.
We plan on travelling slow and staying in each place for at least a season.
Our two children are included in that (aged 8and 5 now) and we are homeschooling them so we can up and leave once our sells at the end of this year.
I am not sure if we will end up anywhere, but we will be coming home to Australia each year to see grandparents and family. Our families are scattered across this country though, and many have expressed excitement and plans to visit us and even travel with us for a time. My parents are nomadic and have been travelling around Australia for 10 years in  huge RV. They love it.
DH and I have travelled a lot during our marriage and before, so travel is one non-negotiable big ticket for us. We reason, that with no more strings, travelling the world will be much much cheaper than living the life we do now.

 

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #37 on: January 28, 2015, 08:44:08 PM »
Yes, we do. In fact that is part of our plan.

With that username, who'd have guessed?  ;)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #38 on: February 02, 2015, 04:18:32 PM »
Putting my FIRE travel plans into action, I just booked a 15-day Delhi to Kathmandu tour for March through STA Travel that appears to provide a good balance between local and spoilt-tourist experiences. The cost per day on this guided tour is about half what it costs me to self-tour anywhere in Australia, although airfares do their best to make up the difference. I hope this is the first of many such OS travel adventures upon which I embark!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #39 on: February 03, 2015, 02:45:54 AM »
Well done Ozstashe - I hope you enjoy it!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #40 on: February 03, 2015, 02:52:05 AM »
Well done Ozstashe - I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks. Turns out my youngest son is now going to join me, which will be an awesome father/son bonding opportunity too!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #41 on: February 03, 2015, 06:32:49 AM »
Quote
Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?

That's all I plan to do.

For awhile at least.

Touche

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #42 on: February 03, 2015, 10:49:07 AM »
So far, I've personally found that my desire to travel has eased up now that I no longer am motivated by the urge to flee the work routine. Just staying home and exploring the city on a lazy weekday afternoon is pretty darn fun. I do have some future trips in mind, but am in no hurry.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2015, 12:26:59 PM by Tyler »

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #43 on: February 03, 2015, 03:09:19 PM »
WE have now added a week in Hawaii for May, 2016 when my DIL's parents are coming to visit from Poland. The 6 of us will all go.  It is nice to be able to do these things instead of just getting a few weeks of vacation/year.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #44 on: February 05, 2015, 01:29:33 PM »
I don't think the number of trips I take will increase significantly but I plan to spend more time when visiting family, instead of trying to fit all my visits into my 2 weeks vacation time. It will be so nice to not have to squeeze each visit into as short a time as possible!

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #45 on: February 07, 2015, 10:55:17 AM »
Sorry to hijack the thread, but on a related topic: does anyone have any experience of doing a lot of lengthy travel (e.g. near backpacking style) but with very young kids?

We have no kids at the moment.  I've just FIREd with the Mrs potentially coming along next year.  She is very keen to travel but also very keen on kids, and can't put off the latter for long!  The question is do we do:
(a) kids and forget the big travel plans (at least until we are old and gray!)
(b) kids and take them along when they are very young (before school)
(c) go travelling and kids in a few years (would give up quite substantial in-work benefits though! maternity leave etc.)

We have more or less settled on (c) but would love to know if anyone has experience of (b)?  The logistics seem daunting.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #46 on: February 07, 2015, 11:37:53 AM »
Sorry to hijack the thread, but on a related topic: does anyone have any experience of doing a lot of lengthy travel (e.g. near backpacking style) but with very young kids?

We have no kids at the moment.  I've just FIREd with the Mrs potentially coming along next year.  She is very keen to travel but also very keen on kids, and can't put off the latter for long!  The question is do we do:
(a) kids and forget the big travel plans (at least until we are old and gray!)
(b) kids and take them along when they are very young (before school)
(c) go travelling and kids in a few years (would give up quite substantial in-work benefits though! maternity leave etc.)

We have more or less settled on (c) but would love to know if anyone has experience of (b)?  The logistics seem daunting.

I would think that the decision will largely depend on your ages. If you're still young enough then I would go with (c). (b) is feasible, but depending on what you like to do, it could range from reasonably simple to incredibly difficult. Having said that, I once saw someone trek in Nepal with a baby strapped to their back, so if you really want to, almost anything is possible, I guess.

limeandpepper

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #47 on: February 07, 2015, 12:31:24 PM »
a 15-day Delhi to Kathmandu tour for March through STA Travel

Just a heads up, you're probably aware of this anyway but that sounds like potentially a very hectic/tiring trip with a heap of time spent on trains and buses with not much time left over for exploration. If you don't mind being on the road so much that's fine, plus India and Nepal are such colourful places that I'm sure it'll still be fun and excitement. :)

arebelspy

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #48 on: February 07, 2015, 02:10:53 PM »
We're planning on b.

There's many blogs of people traveling with at least one or two kids.  Bumfuzzle is my favorite of them.  Sprinter Life is decent too.

There's some where it's whole families of 6+ traveling.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

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Re: Do you travel (or plan to) when FIRE'd?
« Reply #49 on: February 07, 2015, 02:17:20 PM »
a 15-day Delhi to Kathmandu tour for March through STA Travel

Just a heads up, you're probably aware of this anyway but that sounds like potentially a very hectic/tiring trip with a heap of time spent on trains and buses with not much time left over for exploration. If you don't mind being on the road so much that's fine, plus India and Nepal are such colourful places that I'm sure it'll still be fun and excitement. :)

Yes, I had figured there would be much and varied travel, but that's part of the experience I was looking for. I am planning to visit a lot more countries over my early ER years, so this one will be a taste test of a medium-length guided tour covering two countries I've always wanted to visit. I am more than happy to go back there again if I feel it is necessary, with the wife this time, to take a more exploratory approach.

Next year will likely be Europe for the wife and I, where we plan to lob into the city where we can get the cheapest flights in from Oz, have the first couple of nights accommodation booked in from there, then wander wherever our desires take us. That one should certainly be lest hectic.

 

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