Taemoo's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by taemoo »

Thanks for the recommendation, I will check it out. I need some work in forming my withdrawal strategy and currently in research phase. Fortunately I'm in a great situation where I can withdrawal 2% and still have a very comfortable life.

My biggest preparation for the AT hike will be to lose 25 pounds before I start, the weight of my pack. I love hiking and camping so I'm not worried about the physical aspect, it's the social nature of the AT that scares me. My vacation plans before my FI date are to hike the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage in Japan, 3 day backpacking in the Olympic mountains and a 5 day backpacking in lake superior shoreline. After FI, I would like to hike in northern thailand and malaysia for 5 months.

thegreatvoid

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by thegreatvoid »

Really enjoy your post

wolf
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:09 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by wolf »

Hi Taemoo, how are you doing? Have you already FIRE'ed and hiked the AT?

taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by taemoo »

wolf wrote:
Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:28 am
Hi Taemoo, how are you doing? Have you already FIRE'ed and hiked the AT?
Happy New Year!

I haven’t posted in a while. I did pull the plug and quit my job back in September after many sleepless nights. Probably was the worst decision financially because we went into bear market territory since then but I have no regrets. I was a mess physically and mentally and needed a change.

2 days after my last day of work, I was on a plane to Japan for 3 months. It was life changing, such an amazing place. Hiked 60+ miles a week, walked/jogged everywhere, lost 30 pounds while eating anything and everything. But the best was the people, made some great friends, will continue to go back.

Still scheduled to hike the Appalachian Trail for 2019 for an April start. Physically and mentally I’m prepared, got my gear all lined up.

Currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for 2.5 months to escape the Wisconsin winters. Will jaunt over to Laos and Hong Kong before I head back to start the hike.

I wanted to jump start my journal because I have to keep better track of my spending during the withdrawal phase.

wolf
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:09 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by wolf »

Happy New Year, too! :-) Great to hear from you!

That must be a brave decision, to quit your work. Hopefully all works out well.

I have been to Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai) and Laos also. It was a great time. You can cross over from Thailand to Laos up north by boat. That was an experience. Laos was awesome. It was much less touristy than Thailand. And the nature was fascinating. I travelled down from Luang Pragang to Vientiane.

I'm really looking forward to read something about your AT hike, because I like to do similiar things when I quit work or do some sabbatical.
I wish you a great AT hike!

Do you have a withdrawal system in place? Or is your SWR so low, that it doesn't matter?

2Birds1Stone
Posts: 1596
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:20 am
Location: Earth

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Oh my, how did I miss this journal until now.

You're literally living out my plans for next few years.....SE Asia, AT thru-hike, and eventually traveling North America by camper van.

My hat's off to you. Are you going NOBO? We are planning a flip flop from Harper's Ferry WV going NOBO in late spring and then SOBO at the end of August, finishing at Springer Mtn. This won't be till 2021 though.

taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by taemoo »

wolf wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 3:00 am
Do you have a withdrawal system in place? Or is your SWR so low, that it doesn't matter?
SWR is a work in progress, target number was 4% at 30k a year. The challenge was that I didn’t know how much travelling 9 months of the year would cost so I’m finding out as I go. I picked 30k based on Millenial Revolution’s budget, no empirical evidence that it will work for me but it will be a fun game to find out.

2Birds1Stone wrote:
Sat Jan 12, 2019 5:49 am
My hat's off to you. Are you going NOBO? We are planning a flip flop from Harper's Ferry WV going NOBO in late spring and then SOBO at the end of August, finishing at Springer Mtn. This won't be till 2021 though.
I will be going NOBO. If I had to do it over again in planning, I probably do a flip flop or start earlier. Running into the bubble is a concern, the weather not so much.

The campervan idea is exciting. It’s something I considered after watching Hobo Ahle’s vlogs but I think I will delay it until I’m much older.

taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by taemoo »

January 2019
In Thailand

Expenses $2749

One month in Chiang Mai, the expenses came in higher than planned. Still in vacation mode and not in expat/retirement mode. It’s been a difficult mindeset to let go of, I haven’t travelled much before and now I want to do and see everything. Currently in Bangkok, planning to go to Laos this month and Hong Kong in March and much of this cost was incurred last month.

Before I came, I’ve read endless blogposts and watched youtube videos on Chiang Mai for years. I thought this would be my ideal location but it has been a little bit of a letdown. Cost of living is awesome, people are really nice, a lot of English, life is easy but it’s too small for me. Bangkok is more of my pace if I can get used to the heat and humidity.

Things I am learning as I go. I need a kitchen, eating out all the time is tiresome. I don’t do well with heat and humidity but trying to adapt because most of the cheap places I want to live in are hot and humid. Walkability is much more important to me than I first realized, I want to avoid renting a scooter if all possible.

taemoo
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:59 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by taemoo »

February 2019
In Thailand

Feb expenses = $1838
2019 Average Monthly= 2294

Net worth is back up to the balance I had when I quit back in September. It’s a relief but trying not to pay too much attention.

A friend visited me for 2 weeks in February and we did a lot of touristy things and guided tours in Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang and really enjoyed it. It was a great way to meet people and socialize, something I didn’t know I missed until I started talking. Zipline, Thai Cooking school, highest peak in Thailand, Laos elephant sanctuary, and Kung Si waterfall were some of the highlights.

I fell in love with Luang Prabang and had an oppurtunity to network with a friend of a friend who went to the same high school. He runs a voluntour organization who provides volunteer opportunities in Laos to work with the locals in various projects. Something I will strongly consider down the road when my travels slow down.

Appalachian Trail is 5 weeks away and I’m not as prepared as I would like. Will focus on hiking/getting in shape in March.

wolf
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 5:09 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Taemoo's Journal

Post by wolf »

How was the Appalachian Trail?

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