SlowTraveler's Journal

[jacob]

I mean, the things people will do for $10. I think 3.5 Jacobs is enough for the long run.

https://sqy7rm.media.zestyio.com/Acorns ... Report.pdf

In asking what Americans would do for $1000:

• 8% would spend a week in jail
• 13% would work 100 hours at $10/hr
• 38% would go without internet for a week
• 41% would say no to coffee for a year (34% of Americans spend more on coffee than they do investing)
• 76% would skip the final season of Game of Thrones

[slowtraveler]

Update:
Realized I was a part year resident last year and owe less taxes than I thought. Excited for the big refund. Also, funded 2 years of backdoor Roth. Work picking up in stress but still doing well. Waking up at 5 am or working into 2 am isn't fun (largely due to time differences) but I feel massively blessed to have my work and conditions. I've cut out a huge amount of taxes this year due to leaving California taxes, getting the FEIE, and improving my work's 401k program yet again. If anyone knows any more tax efficiency improvements, I'm all ears.

Bronchitis healed 90%, getting ready to hop the country a bit. First Issan, then down to Bangkok, maybe Pattaya or Kanchanaburi. Also drop into Laos when I get a Visa. I like Thailand. I'm moving slow as hell and I enjoy it. I'll stick here a while (SE Asia) then check out Europe, probably in a year around March end when winter starts dying down.

@Jason
Your compliments touch my heart. I'm happy to appear hideously deformed to those enamored with their chains in Plato's cave.

@Jacob
Thank you for that link. It's interesting to see the differences in Wheaton levels between those here and in other forums/in general populace. We're 90% investing here. Most who stay end up bored of finance (relative to the initial obsessive phase) and having it as something handled, like water. Eventually, money ends up as a background topic in our life and pursuits like travel, homesteading, cooking, love, family, etc become more foreground.

But seriously, I am getting curious about that finale to Game of Thrones since that's even in the list.

[Jason]

Re: GOT Final Season - Dragons, invading armies and incest. Typical fantasy fodder. I think it’s a worth a grand.

[slowtraveler]

As I research the price of heading to Bangkok from Issan, I run into a snag. A ticket that is $27 keeps failing payment. Other tickets run from $50-100. Damn. It's an hour flight and the $27 ticket is the only one the included free check in baggage.

I'm feeling some frustration. After 5 attempts to pay for the ticket with multiple cards, I surrender.

I decide to look up alternative routes. I find out the bus is an 8 hour ride but 400 baht (around $13). So I'm paying less than half. In reality, the next best offer was $46 so I'm buying at over 70% off by being okay with a wait. As a bonus, I get dropped off closer to central Bangkok than the airport.

I notice many prices here are also similar to in the West, labor is cheaper but I still somehow spend more than 2 Jacobs even in a developing country. My first month this year was an abomination in expenses. Still, I have over 75% savings rate but I could push 80-90% if I really did my best. I'll start taking more of these discount offers to accomplish the same thing.

Still not ready to try living in a hostel...

[slowtraveler]

I've been feeling like I'm in groundhog day. Every day a repeat, even as I'm travelling around Thailand. Wake up, take care of health, work/internet/explore town/cook/love/etc, rest and repeat.

I'm leaving in a month to Europe. I'll hop around for a month or so and then settle on somewhere to slow down and enjoy if I find somewhere I like in Europe. If not, I'll likely head to Africa, Australia, or South America.

I'm in Laos at the moment, I feel bored here. I don't feel so much of an urge to see much more of Asia. I may explore Malaysia, China, or some other places in the future, but at the moment, I think it is best to get some distance to recharge in a new environment.

[Jason]

I googled picture of Laos. It looks beautiful and tacky at the same time. It's like Donald Trump walked into The Garden of Eden and said "Find out how much God wants for this. I could really turn it into something."

[bryan]

Will be in Laos later this year for a month or so. Would appreciate any tips (granted I'll be travelling with Laotian emigrants..).

Good luck on finding new and exciting adventures! I'm definitely in a groundhog rut myself.. and I'm not to the good part of becoming an expert at everything yet

[2Birds1Stone]

Hi slowtraveler, are you still working remotely full time?

I just read your entire journal and am fascinated by your lifestyle. I am looking to do something similar starting toward the end of 2019.

[slowtraveler]

@Bryan
I think Laos will be more fun for you. I was in Vientiane and I wouldn't recommend there. I hear Luang Prabang is more beautiful. Laos has many things imported from Thailand and China so it is a bit more expensive than what I was used to while having far less entertainment and infrastructure. Let me know how you like it there though.

@2Birds1Stone
I am still working remotely. The work isn't particularly fun but it's nice to pay so much less taxes this year than last year while getting to move out and have more fun outside of work.

My big point to improve is still my expenses. I gave myself a bit of a mental timeline to get to 1k/month by year end. Going to Europe in a month and having made some foolish decisions isn't helping much there but I am finally moving down from the 3k/month that I ended the year at. My 3k/month for the first 3 months of this year includes 5 weeks of flying around Europe and housing during that time, which seems to make a significant portion of it.

Moving around fast is very expensive and draining. I'm looking forward to getting this wanderlust and curiosity out of my system so I can settle in somewhere for some more time. But staying a month in a town I'm unsure of sounds unwise for me so short term travel for a month then settle down in my favorite location, or come back to Thailand and live on the cheap if that's what I'm feeling.

Right now, either more time in Europe, explore Africa, visit Russia for summer, see the Amazon and Brazil, or come back to Thailand are the possibilities I'm considering. Thailand seems foolish due to coming back for the hot summer. The Amazon seems far as hell. Australia was an option but my heart's not there, every time I dive, the visibility is shit and I'm feeling a bit over diving so that's another detractor from Australia. New Zealand could be cool but it's too isolated. So Africa, Russia, or EU seem the most likely.

[Viktor K]

Where are you staying during your short term travels? The girlfriend and I stayed in hostels in Japan and not only were the much cheaper than the alternative, we really liked the whole hostel vibe. We stayed in a different one pretty much each night.

As for flying around, no tips there. Plane flights are exhausting

[slowtraveler]

I've stayed in 2 hostels and haven't found them as fun as you did. Maybe hostel hopping would be more fun. I hadn't thought of it.

I'm staying in AirBnbs. I can get a private room in an apartment for the same price as sharing a room in the cheapest hostel I could find.

[Viktor K]

We might have to look into that next time. Didn't even consider it, just picked out a new hostel off of hostelworld each evening before bed. We were also traveling really light, only a a small day bag each

[slowtraveler]

It's been a while but the numbers are becoming more and more mundane. The anticipation is far more emotionally impactful than actually reaching X number. I see a number that I technically pass when counting cash on hand on it's almost funny how little I feel. I can't imagine hitting my FI number will feel any different.

I likely will have to change work in half a decade so I'm preparing for that now.

I used to want to teach but after talking to many teachers in Thailand and recalling my 2 weeks of doing it 5 years ago, I think working from my computer doing programming will pay more and be more mentally stimulating, plus I can travel way easier with it.

Currently taking 2 coursera courses, 1 on automation and 1 on building a computer from scratch. After these, I may finish Google's tech support specialist series of courses or jump into freecodecamp and build a portfolio until I get remote work. My style of working is not the normal, more akin to binging on work then resting.

I've learned a lot on my trip to Europe. Mainly, only buy 1 plane ticket at a time, my plans are to fluid for more than that or planning a whole month in advance. Plus, I hate moving fast. It's exhausting and I get sick every time.

Still have a gf, flirted a lot with an adorable girl today though that works somewhere I frequent. Her brother literally pushed her in my direction after I told him I like girls after he asked me out. Current gf went psycho on me when another girl from a different shop I frequent gave me candy in front of her. She was furious at me for accepting the candy. I didn't think I did anything wrong. She seems far too insecure. Not sure how I've been in the situation 8 months but I've already taken some actions towards moving forward.

My expenses have plummeted though, which is phenomenal. They're about half of what they previously were and likely to drop more soon. Eating more local food, getting less entertainment, buying less candy/more local sweets, that sort of stuff. Also, not travelling as much and I now know exactly were to stay for long term and cheap. At $50/day now. Aiming for $30/day by year end. This is a trailing 1 month expense.

I'm doing great on the financial progress. Not where I projected but more than enough, can't complain. Not comfortable posting numbers here but I'm not stressing there. It's my health and relationships that I want to work more on. I'm close to my family, closer than ever before. But addicted to a certain cycle with the gf. I'm also fluffier than I'd like to be. I'd love to lose 10-25kg and at least have a flat stomach, ideally a 6-pack. Fasting again but not with the same rigor as before.

I'm also studying again now for programming but my focus doesn't feel razor sharp.

I'm very sober now but that feels irrelevant. I seriously seem to work better high on ganja but I'm not taking that risk and it's very expensive if I don't grow my own. I also get bronchitis if I smoke instead of vaporize. So another anchor dragging me down since I'd have to sketchily convert my ganja-related things to cash before travelling.

Visas can be a pain to work and staying in 1 year continually is far too great a commitment for this time so guess I'm staying sober unless mother mary finds me.

So priorities:
1) Health-fasting twice a week
2) Expenses-aim for $30/day average
3) Dating-stay away from this crack like relationship soon, date sexy and adorable girls who I can communicate more honestly with
4) Programming

It seriously feels like too many priorities. 2 is already a lot, 3 is pushing it. Deep down, I don't want to let go of programming for now but it's unlikely to be done at the high proficiency I'd like. The other 3 are just too much more important relative to it and if I get expenses down sufficiently, it won't matter the same financially if I program or not since I'll be FI soon.

I briefly had the idea to live camping in nature but it seems ridiculous with cheap enough housing easily available and being so damn inconvinient. Plus, showering would be a huge pita, and I love having a spacious 25 sqm studio.

[2Birds1Stone]

Sounds like things are going relatively well! FI by 30 is pretty incredible.

[Seppia]

Doing great there Bud
Keep being awesome, and if your travel bring you close to Italy hit me up

[Jason]

Current gf went psycho on me when another girl from a different shop I frequent gave me candy in front of her.

I picture your life as a constant escape from super hot but high strung, cut off denim short wearing, gunning motor scooter girls.

[RealPerson]

So priorities:
1) Health-fasting twice a week
2) Expenses-aim for $30/day average
3) Dating-stay away from this crack like relationship soon, date sexy and adorable girls who I can communicate more honestly with
4) Programming

It seriously feels like too many priorities. 2 is already a lot, 3 is pushing it.

I don't get it. Fasting comes before dating sexy and adorable girls? You would think that #3 would be #1! What kind of a masochist are you? All joking aside, it seems to me like you do need to get out of this current relationship.

[Viktor K]

I can't say I've noticed you say anything positive about your girlfriend, and if you're flirting with other women I have to wonder. Why do you stay? My very first girlfriend was a lot of trouble, and a lot of things you mention about your current girl I could relate to then. I didn't seem to escape that pattern until I focused on myself and made significant changes in my own life.

Good job on cutting the expenses. Asia can be much cheaper than the West, but $5 for a cup of Starbucks and the like is just as needlessly expensive here as it is elsewhere.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you sort out your personal relationships, I think you'll benefit greatly. Then again, if you're enjoying the drama, then keep on keeping on!

[Jason]

If girls started Kung-Fu fighting every time I stepped out of the house, I would keep that going as long as I could.

[slowtraveler]

I don't know why I stay. I see too many cute girls every day and most seem interested but their English is shit, which is disappointing. I'm not enjoying the drama one bit but there's something about it I feel attached to. Still trying to put my finger on it.

It's hard to find intense attraction, a strong emotional connection, and capacity to speak English. I'd love to date a cute science nerd again. Once this ends, I feel hesitant to enter a monogamous relationship again. I'd need a few weeks-months of actually knowing someone to make sure they're not messed up in the head.

I've failed miserably at developing my programming skills. Fasting has also been at the back seat with the stress but I'm nearing the end of a fast now. Expenses so far this month are approaching $35/day average, including my housing expense. Over half of this is food.

I'm bored to death in my area so moving in a week. I found 3 rooms to move to for next month. One is 11000 baht, close to Saturday night market (and most everything else), with kitchen and gym. One is 3800 baht, close to night bazaar, no kitchen, bed is hard as a rock though and I'd have to get sheets, pillows, etc., one is 9500 baht, with kitchen and view, cooler area, but further from town. Maybe I'd find new things in that area or maybe I'd be bored as well there.

Looking at my expenses, I could ERE if I lived with mom and dad. But F No to that again. If I got my expenses to 1k/month for a solid quarter (that'd include a visa run or moving abroad again), I'd feel very secure and confident. Doing this while dating is harder since I don't know all the cheap areas that are nice to stroll around and I do actually enjoy restaurants or street food. Having Mexican food or pizza does feel damn good too so that's harder since buying the cheese required doesn't actually cost much less than restaurants.

I miss how cheap cheese was in Europe.

Priorities now:
1) Expenses: $30/day averaged from the 1st of the month, not counting flights/rooms cancelled with credit rewards
2) Health: Fast twice/week, sleep earlier and a solid 8 hours
3) Dating: Make plans with a cute girl every few days-either through dating app or in person, try learning more Thai while I'm here. Get some food at a night market, laugh while trying to learn each other's language, walk by the river or moat under the moonlight, some light exercise or acroyoga at the park-all cheap date ideas. No fancy restaurants or living together. Call my family more so I feel more connected to people I can relate deeply to and to take some of the edge of being in a foreign land off with connection.

*Edited to remove rant