Nomadic-ERE Year 5 - Wanderlust Prevails

Where are you and where are you going?
Frita
Posts: 940
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:43 pm

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by Frita »

I am excited for your nomadic journey. It sounds awesome. I am interested how closely your actual spend matches your budget. (My trip budgeting sucks. I am usually, “It will cost X +/-,” and I am correct within a few hundred bucks. My spouse is more a It-costas-what-it-costs guy. We just make sure that we have the money and prepay tickets and some lodging.)

wheatstate
Posts: 98
Joined: Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:51 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by wheatstate »

Another vote for Google Voice.
My main number that I give out is there. Anyplace with wifi will act like you have your USA number. I like texting at a computer keyboard more than my phone. It is an awesome no monthly cost option. There could be a one time $20 porting fee.
The catches are Google is giving little support or development to it. When using your cell phone in the US, people may see your preferred number or the actual carrier number on caller ID.

If you like google for your email and phone needs, You might like Google Fi, their cell phone plan. Google Fi has significant international coverage. Cost is $20 per month for unlimited texts with calls abroad at $0.20/min and Data at $10GB. You pay for what you use. This would integrate with google voice as I understand and keep your number all in one place. I like the idea. I don't travel enough and like a cheaper US cell plan.
https://fi.google.com/about/

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by classical_Liberal »

Sounds like you're keeping super busy, the vagabonding sounds so cool!

I kind'a wished I had planned something "big" in advance, like you have. It's easy to get sucked into a contented, hang out around town life without any plans.

2Birds1Stone
Posts: 1590
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Good Morning Folks!

It's been a while since I've posted here, opting to lurk instead. For some reason I've felt like I needed a break from online forums over the past month.

Thank you to the folks who chimed in re: the phone question. Looks like Google voice will be the way to go. My phone is already unlocked internationally, and tested this past summer in Poland, where a Sim + unlimited talk/txt + 10gb Data only cost me $12/month. If I understand correctly I would be able to make phone calls using my local number on the Sim Card + Google Voice calls using my old US number that's been ported over, using the mobile/WiFi data available on the device, regardless of location.

This is key for two factor authentication with my financial (and other) institutions, as well as friends/family being able to keep in touch. I'm a bit worried that it will screw things up in the US, but I could always update my accounts or go in person if I'm stateside.

Musings

January has proven to be a fairly lazy month. We're slowly chipping away at our to-do list. I'm getting over a pretty bad cold/sinus infection that I got a few days after a 10 mile run/race done in 18 degree weather a few weekends ago. Playing a TON of video games (WoW Classic for anyone curious). And generally content with being inside during the crappy/cold days, and trying to get outside and into the sun as much as possible when the weather permits.

Dealing with some very unpleasant family drama, which has me in a bit of a rut. My parents are very unhappily married, and it's been a very awkward and uncomfortable situation over the holidays as their quarrel intensifies. On top of that they are both dealing with health issues, and aging rather poorly. Don't know what the future will bring on that....

Having been lurking the forums a few times a week, I've keenly read some discussions in J+G and c_L's journals, and continue to wonder if I'm ever going to figure out a more resilient plan for our ERE future. I go back and forth between thinking that even 15X expenses is very "safe", and wondering if any amount would be "enough" if I couldn't earn income in the future...….but these are thoughts that are not top of mind at all right now.

The wanderlust is getting stronger, and both Mrs. 2B1S and I are looking forward to rebooting our life in a few short weeks. We both hope that this will be much more than a long vacation, and will be approaching life with an open mind, both during, and after.

Happy Hump Day!
Last edited by 2Birds1Stone on Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

davtheram12
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 6:02 pm

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by davtheram12 »

2Birds1Stone wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:01 am

Dealing with some very unpleasant family drama, which has me in a bit of a rut. My parents are very unhappily married, and it's been a very awkward and uncomfortable situation over the holidays as their quarrel intensifies. On top of that they are both dealing with health issues, and aging rather poorly. Don't know what the future will bring on that....
I'm sorry you have to deal with this :cry: I came from a home where my parents were always fighting and arguing. Arguments were usually about money but toward the end of their marriage it focused more on the machismo and marianismo aspects of their beliefs. It created extreme turmoil in the household among my siblings and parents. We were all at each others throats and each passing day made life more miserable. My siblings were easily manipulated by either parent into 'taking sides' and it made things more toxic. My parents are now divorced but they still regularly make things awkward when the holidays and other family gatherings occur. Unfortunately, I eventually realized that I couldn't help the situation and estranged myself from my family altogether. It was the only way I could salvage any semblance of peace and quiet.

I hope you can separate yourself enough emotionally from your parent's quarrels so it wont cause you any more grief. I know how much it hurts to watch but I hope you can find some peace and resolve.

2Birds1Stone
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Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Thank you for the kind words, dav. I think being nomadic over the next year should help with that. Time will tell :)
Last edited by 2Birds1Stone on Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by classical_Liberal »

Geez, real impressive spending numbers in January! Is the wife back to work? When are you guys gonna leave?

2Birds1Stone
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Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Hey c_L!

Here's a breakdown of my individual spending for January! It's low for two big reasons. Housing costs were prepaid a month in advance, and our security deposit was treated as last months rent, so no out of pocket cost in Jan/Feb. We are also eating through our pantry and as a result grocery shopping was very low! Not having a car and related bills also helps!

$77 Grocery
$28 Gas
$274 Entertainment (Bars, restaurants, activities, etc)
$74 Travel (AirBnB Porto)
$23 Gym
$82 Misc
$54 Gifts
$612 Total

Wife is still not back to work. She had the MRI which showed a grade one tendon tear in her shoulder, had a cortisone shot a few weeks ago, and was approved for 12 more sessions of PT. We have a Dr appointment next Friday to see if she's cleared to go back to work. Income for January was a combination of workers comp, UEI, and interest/dividends.

We move out of our place at the end of this month, and fly to Portugal second week of March. Staying with family for those ~10 days we will be homeless in the states.

Making a lot of progress on the packing/downsizing front. The apartment is starting to look a bit bare, and most of the things we want to keep have been transported to our parents houses. Mostly junk furniture and sell/donate items left!

2Birds1Stone
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Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Chipping away, bit by bit. More progress has been made. It's a good thing we are not waiting till the last few weeks to start this giant undertaking. It has felt so damn good to purge and purge. We've taken two carloads of junk to the dump. Given away many things, and stored the essentials we know we will need upon our return. Should be able to continue with daily progress until our move-out date at the end of the month.

My packing cubes arrived yesterday, so naturally I did a practice run and packed my backpack. Maybe too much detail, but for anyone interested in what a packing list for 12 months of slow travel looks like in a carry-on....

One set of clothing which I will be wearing; jeans, sweatshirt, trail runners, and a hat. Packed;

6 pairs of socks
6 boxer-briefs
4 t-shirts
2 long sleeve synthetic shirts
1 thermal long sleeve
2 sleeveless undershirts
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair swim trunks
1 pair athletic shorts
1 rain/wing jacket shell
1 pair Birkenstock EVA
1 travel towel
1 small toiletries bag (soap, toothpaste/brush, floss, 3oz laundry detergent, sunscreen, razor, nail clipper)
1 pair sunglasses
2 30L trash compactor bags (to water proof the stuff in the backpack if hiking in rain).
1 emergency poncho
1 laptop and case
1 small electronics bag (10k MAH powerbank, headphones, laptop charger, phone charging cable, socket adapters)

This all packed into my Kelty Redwing 50 pack, with plenty of room to spare. The packing cubes are the compression style and made the clothing super compact. Total weight - 22.8 lbs! Over the 10kg limit for carryon on most airlines, but we have a solution!

Additionally, we each get one personal item on the plane, and are opting to take a small and lightweight "daypack" backpack.

Shifting my laptop and SO's tablet + electronics into the personal item, brings my pack down to 19.5 lbs and my SO's down to 19.0 lbs, it also gives us the ability to pack some snacks, empty water bottles + small filter, and a few magazines/books to read. We don't want to use our 50L packs daily once we are in a location for a few days or a week, so it will be nice to have smaller packs to use for short trips and day to day. Once we are on the ground we can consolidate everything into our large packs and not have to worry about weight limits.

Yesterday I was able to file our taxes, and the check should hit my account right before we leave. I know this is money that was technically earned last year, but it feels good to have something coming in now that I'm unemployed.


Unlikely to be sustainable due to increased spending in the coming 12 months.

We also need to sell our remaining car (the beater), and I may have found a potential buyer. We're only likely to get $600-700 for it, which was a huge win since my SO purchased it for $1k from my father and drove it for 30 months! I sold it to my father for $1500 after owning it for ~7 years and 75k miles.

SO has been approved to go back to transitional duty at work, meaning to heavy lifting, and shorter hours for now. It's been two days, and so far so good. Insurance company still owes her $1,700, and it's been a pain in the ass trying to get it.

Still need to;

Get passport photos (phone app + self printing at drugstore)
Get international drivers permits (AAA)
Scan documents (backups of passports, marriage license, etc)
Store documents + jewelry in safe box
Purchase Travel Insurance (have to do outside of NY State for legal reasons)
Notify SO's employer (next week!)
Change our mailing address on 25+ different accounts (financial, government, benefits, etc)
Remaining packing/cleaning the apartment (still quite a bit left!)
Junk the furniture
Sell beater car (hopefully interested person doesn't flake)
Vacate apartment (end of month!)

Then we will be bouncing between friends and family until we fly out the following week!

Hasta la pasta, USA.
Last edited by 2Birds1Stone on Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The Old Man
Posts: 503
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:55 pm

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by The Old Man »

2Birds1Stone wrote:
Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:05 pm
I have a question for anyone who may have experience in this area, and it's regarding my cell phone service.
My communications setup:
(1) AT&T Mobility: When outside of North America I convert to a $0.25 per min/sms pay as you go plan and deposit $100. The deposit keeps the number active for 365 days. You also don't lose the deposit as the amount remains available to be used and can be carried over.
(2) Eir (Ireland): The EU/EFTA has scrapped roaming fees. Eir has a reasonable fair use policy where the data roaming is limited but sufficient with no other restrictions. SIM card can be obtained on eBay, so you can have it before stepping foot on the continent.
(3) Travel SIM: A world SIM. Prices seem to be reasonable. SIM can be obtained from their web site.
(4) Google FI: Terms of service do not support extended international use, so I do not use.
(5) Google Voice: The core of my system. Receives phone calls and texts messages and forwards to my email. Unfortunately, it is not a complete 100% replacement for a standard phone number as some systems do not support, so you need a backup for the rare exceptions. In theory, can make free calls back to the USA.
(6) Skype: Tool for international phone calls and SMS.
(7) Whats App: Tool for free international SMS although requires the other party to also have the app.

The bible on Prepaid SIM Cards:
https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.co ... _with_data

Laura Ingalls
Posts: 665
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:13 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by Laura Ingalls »

I am on team packing cube too. I think I would consider a pair of long travel pants. Some places are warm enough for shorts but too buggy or required for entry into a temple.

2Birds1Stone
Posts: 1590
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Thank you both for the tips. All of this is very helpful!

We now both have International Driving Permits, mine includes a motorcycle endorsement.
SO has given her notice at work.
My tax return was processed by the IRS and the refund should be hitting the account this month, last income before we leave!
Passport photos for visas acquired. Hack, got a free passport photo app for cell phone, printed 6 2x2" photos on a 4x6" print at CVS for $0.36
Sold a set of brakes for a car we no longer have, $50 score!
SO changed all the address information on her accounts, I still have to do mine! Dreading it lol.

Still need to sell car, finish vacating apartment, finish packing stuff that we are storing at parents, and scan documents.

It's really a short list at this point! Less than 3 weeks to go :)

ajcoleman22
Posts: 70
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:45 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by ajcoleman22 »

This is really starting to get exciting. I can't wait to hear the updates while you are traveling.

Jin+Guice
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Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by Jin+Guice »

I'm really excited to hear about your travels and what you think of being on the road full-time. How are you planning on getting around Europe? Where are you staying? How are you deciding how long to stay in each place? Is there any flexibility built in or is it a pretty rigid schedule?

2Birds1Stone
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Location: Earth

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

@ajcoleman22, going to be interesting to say the least.

@Jin+Guice, we have the most flexible plan in the world.

One way tickets to Europe, starting at almost the most Western point in Portugal, only knowing that we have 90 days to make it across Europe and into Poland. It will be March-June so we are taking a southern route to enjoy warmer weather and cheaper prices. Besides our accommodation (AirBnB) for the first 5 nights, we have nothing planned or pre-purchased. Traveling around Europe primarily by bus and train. Buses are pretty cheap, most have WiFi and bathroom. We will stay in a place as long as we are enjoying it or think we would enjoy it over the other options available on our route. We could get "stuck" in Portugal and Spain for the entire 3 months, making one final jaunt into Poland at the 90 day mark, or we could spend 2-3 weeks in each country and move on slowly into France, Italy, Germany, Czechia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. We don't know how slow or fast we will enjoy traveling, how happy we will be with our accommodations, which will primarily be cheap AirBnB apartments or homestays (room in someones house), with some hostels mixed in, and maybe a cheap hotel here and there. I made a post (viewtopic.php?p=203709#p203709) explaining the details of transportation and accommodation costs and our plans. But at the end of the day, we have no idea what to expect. We could love it, we could hate it. We may never want to come back to the USA. We are cutting all ties to our current "home" area that would prevent us from putting down roots somewhere completely new.

Financially, we are starting with approximately $36k liquid and earmarked for a full year of being jobless nomads, maybe we can stretch it out past a year, or maybe we burn through it in 6 months. I'll be sure to let y'all know how it goes.

LiberateMind
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Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by LiberateMind »

Congrats!! Enjoy the travel..

2Birds1Stone
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Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Gut Check.....

Writing this update from my mattress. Yup, it's all that's left in the apartment, aside from the TV, our backpacks, and a few small bags of clothing and personal items. Today is our last day in this place, and SO's at work all day. As of midday tomorrow, we are homeless. I spent some time this morning changing my mailing address on dozens of accounts, and making sure I limit how much potential mail my parents get bombarded with, paperless everything!

Things are definitely getting much crazier out there, and many of our friends and family members have expressed concern over our decision to go through with this whole thing. As of this time, we are still getting on that plane to Portugal, and hoping for the best. Things can change in the next 11 days, but for now that's the plan. Ironically, we've joked about this exact scenario transpiring a year or so ago, in this very journal. That was one of my biggest fears. Quitting the salaryman gig to travel/RE, and having the sky fall from the economy and assets I planned on living off. C_L already trolled me in another thread about being cautious, but you simply can't ignore the impact of this on the global economy, ease of travel, and associated risks.

The financial thing will sort itself out. Whether by way of extreme minimalism, returning to work, economy bouncing back and equities hitting all time highs, it's going to be ok. It still sucks to see so many years of living expenses and savings evaporate overnight......At least I've limited my exposure somewhat. The "non correlated" assets like gold/silver did not help much in this drop, as SLV is down 6% today. My other big holding, EPR also got slammed worse than the broader markets. The crazy thing is, we are far from done free falling. I'm sure there will be a bounce as people "buy the dip", but I doubt the economic impact of this will blow over in a few short weeks or months.

Tomorrow our friends are throwing us a going away party, where we will conveniently spend our first night!

Nomadic in T-24 hours.

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by classical_Liberal »

2Birds1Stone wrote:
Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:24 am
C_L already trolled me in another thread about being cautious, but you simply can't ignore the impact of this on the global economy, ease of travel, and associated risks.
I was trolling everyone else, not you :D. I wanted to get the first shot in before the shock and awe of an ERE, end of the world pessimism campaign began.

Super-congrats, this is gonna be great. Out of all the things you list I'd worry about ease of travel the most. On a positive note, you may end up getting some great deals on travel and lodging over the next few months!! Although the virus scare and market freakout do have bad timing for you, so I get the apprehension. Do what you feel is best, but please enjoy yourself.

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Ego
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Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by Ego »

classical_Liberal wrote:
Fri Feb 28, 2020 6:40 pm
On a positive note, you may end up getting some great deals on travel and lodging over the next few months!! Although the virus scare and market freakout do have bad timing for you, so I get the apprehension.
So true! You prompted me to look for apartments in Paris on AirBnb for the month of April. Some great places are offering a big discount. 2B1S consider visiting the most expensive places first as they are on fire sale right now.

classical_Liberal
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Re: ERE Experiment - Vagabonding On A Shoestring Budget

Post by classical_Liberal »

@2B1S
On another note. Given the events you discussed and the fact you jumped off into RE, I can see how you might feel the grass is greener on the semi-RE side of the fence at the moment. Personally, I'm back to work at a time when the market is tanking, so I have the opportunity to invest vs withdraw. I can work and wait out the COVID-19 scare until I start travel.

I just want you to know, even given the above, I wish I was on your side of the fence. I feel like I wasted quite a bit of my off time with very little accomplished. If I had gone into this thing with more planning and certitude, I'm pretty sure I'd be happier for it today. I'm pretty much right back to where I was a year ago, minus the work burnout. While that's a better place to be, it isn't where I really want to be. You ARE where you want to be. So enjoy it!

My point is the grass is always greener, don't look back. Do what you've set out to do and live the life you want to live.

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