How do you make this work?

[jknobler]

I've recently joined the forum, and I'm looking at really getting into overlanding. But I have one question. How do you guys make this work? I've been reading reports and stories about people going on overlanding trips that cover 3+ months, several thousand miles, and several countries. I'm here looking at this, and wondering how you get the money. I understand how to get the money for the car, I'm already working on that. But for the travel expenses, things like shipping, gas, food, water, the general everyday items that you need while traveling. It can't be cheap. I mean when you're covering 23 countries in 9 months, driving everyday, you've obviously got to buy fuel along the way, as well as water and food. It's unlikely that you'd be working. So is it a process of saving up for the trip, or are you independently wealthy? If you have a job, how does that work? Do you just take a sabbatical?

I know these seem like rather naive, but I'm new and I figure that it's better to learn from people who know than to stumble blindly.

Thank you guys, you've been all been a help with my other thread:
{ http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/75785-What-s-my-First-Love-going-to-be-Land-Cruiser-or-Land-Rover }

Jordan

 

[haven]

It's a question many people ask. The first answer is: Commitment. If you're committed to taking months or years to travel, then you'll willingly make adjustments in your lifestyle to scrimp and save for your travels.

You don't need a fancy off-road vehicle to travel internationally. Lots of travelers just take the bus. It's cheap, and a great way to meet people.

Many people have ridden small motorcycles around the world. I particularly like the story of Ken Preston, a Seattle construction worker who flies to Southeast Asia as soon as he has enough money in his pocket, buys a small used motorcycle, and travels around studying how Indochinese craftsmen build boats by hand. His trips generally last for 2 months, then it's back to USA to work and save for the next trip.

You can follow his blog here http://kens-vietnam-adventures.blogspot.com/
Ken's web page about boats is here http://www.boatsandrice.com/index.html

 

[jknobler]

I figured that there was a lot of saving involved in the whole process. Thank you for answering!

 

[VDBAZFJ]

Ive always wondered the same things. I understand the need to save for the trips...but taking long periods off work is not an option unless I quit. And that doesn't seem very smart given today's economy. (I am NOT calling anyone "not smart"...just not smart for me) But believe me when I say I would LOVE to quit and travel like so many here have. It must be a wonderful sense of freedom. Got Money?...No time. Got time?...No money! I admire you guys!

 

[NH Moto Expo]

20 years ago I thru hiked the Appalachian Trail. The most common question was "where do you poop"! But after that was always "How did you get away from work?" I quit! I committed myself to going and decided that I was going to do it. So many people along the way said "I wish I could do that" or "you're so lucky"...It's not luck, it's just finding a way to make it happen and committing to it. The dangerous thing about completing a big adventure is that you now KNOW that it can be done so you are apt to repeat it. The idea of how doesn't come into mind again.

Find something you are passionate about and you'll be surprised how many things you can do without in order for it to come true.


Good luck in your explorations

 

[OutbacKamper]

1) sell house
2) quit job
3) hit the road
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4) get new job
5) buy new (less expensive) house
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6) repeat as necessary

 

[dwh]

MODS: This is in the wrong section. Feel free to delete this nag.

 

[Christian P.]

Jordan,

that's a question that comes back often and like many things in life, there is no one size-fits-all solution or secret recipe.

In my case, I do IT consulting so I cycle through working in a cubicle with my consultant outfit, saving money, then spending it on travel. Then repeat.

Some other situations I have seen:

-sell the house and use the equity
-work really hard for a few years and save every penny you can
-military pension
-work while road
-make tons of money from previous business
-put everything on credit cards and pay back later
-work overseas, travel locally while working, save and then do the overland journey when the contract is over

or any combinations of these....

to give you a very rough idea, factor about $100/day while on the road. So if you plan 9 months, that's about $18000 in saving.

Many people spend that much just on interest on their car payment...

 

[Christian P.]

Here is a very good article about costs for the Panamarican journey.

http://panamnotes.com/2012/01/costs-by-country/

And read this to learn about this family's way of paying their trip:

http://www.discovershareinspire.com/2012/03/9-ways-we-earn-money-to-fund-our-travel-lifestyle/

 

[BlitzleBlat]

Good thread, esp for a n00b like me

 

[1leglance]

I am taking my family (wife & two sons..21 & 14) to Australia for 2 months of travel.
My 21yr old lives at home since he going to college but he is responsible for his moto/cell phone payments and he needed to save up to cover those (not much really).
Otherwise we made a plan about 1 yr ago and commited as a family to save, save, save...along with selling stuff and I have/am working stupid amounts of overtime.
I figure we will spend $10,000-$12,000 for the trip..
Airfare for 4 is $6000
Rail passes for 3 is $1500 (the 21yr old is flying back at 1/2 way point as he can't miss as much work as me).

As for the time off...
Well I am an ICU RN, and I don't have enough PTO to cover the time so I am just taking some unpaid leave. I am float pool so no issue and they know I would just quit if I didn't get the time off.
My wife has worked for the same place for 17yrs and she found someone to cover for her over the 2 months. They love her!

We usually take at least a 1 month trip out of the country each year (that didn't happen the last few years though for other reasons) and we have just saved money.
We have a small 1953 home, my wife has a newer car & I love old rigs, no fancy clothes, furniture or nights out (well I will treat the wife now & then).

All in all you just make a choice each and every day what you want in life.

 

[Sean VHA #60013]

As for the time off...
Well I am an ICU RN, and I don't have enough PTO to cover the time so I am just taking some unpaid leave. I am float pool so no issue and they know I would just quit if I didn't get the time off.
My wife has worked for the same place for 17yrs and she found someone to cover for her over the 2 months. They love her!...All in all you just make a choice each and every day what you want in life.

Lance, yours is one of the most practical posts along this line I have read in awhile, thanks!

Our lives are somewhat similar: I am an ER RN, third shift charge nurse and Team leader [think Patient Care Co-Ordinator for 7p-7a], cigar & coffee aficionado, off road enthusiast, etc etc.

My particular travel passion is that I am planning to take our family of 6 and kick off a series of numerous 4-8 day "mini" overlanding trips and camp and explore most of my home state of Virginia within a 2 year time period. The entire coast of the Chesapeake bay, the Blue Ridge Mountains, various caverns, etc etc. I hope to start sometime in the early fall :coffeedrink:

 

[1leglance]

Well Sean as one overlander to another I would say you need to pm me as I have a cigar connection you might just be interested in...

Before I was a RN I owned a couple of cigar shops...yep I was a tobacconist. Now that job let me do plenty of travel through Central America and some choice islands.
It was always a working vacation as Latin America focuses on quality of life a bit more than the USA so our host were always great at taking me & the family around.

Honestly as much as I like the extended trips they only really pay off if you are paying expensive airfare....I think next year we will enjoy a bunch of week long adventures vs a big out of country trip. That way we can get out more often with less major disruption to our lives.

My older son is now looking at Firefighting (he checked out nursing by working in the hospital with me...too much poop/blood/vomit) as he wants the same great travel schedule I have as a RN.

 

[LR Max]

As others have said, commitment. You just say to yourself, "I'm gonna do this."

Now for many in the west, it is easy. You knock off work a touch early, jump in your truck, drive for 5 hours and boom you are there. Your biggest expense is fuel. For me, I'll typically go somewhere within 3~4 hours from my home.

So you save and budget your $$ to make it happen. As of right now, I budget ~$200 for a local trip (3 hour drive out and back). This covers fuel and food. As you can imagine, fuel eats up most of that budget so my food is store bought and prepared by me. If you think about it, you can blow $30 a day on food easily if you eat fast food or sit down at a place. So if I leave work, and return sometime Sunday afternoon, we are talking roughly $60 in food. That is for one person. Throw in a female unit and a couple of kids, that goes up. But going to the grocery store, getting stuff to make sammiches, snacks, a decent meal for dinner, and quick stuff for the morning, you can save a lot of $$$ right there.

I usually come in under the $200 mark, but if I don't, so be it.

I'm not really a movie-goer or go out to eat a lot. Yesterday I spent $15 at the grocery store to get all the food I need for lunch for this week. In comparison, I could've easily blown $15 for lunch today. I conserve money in places it doesn't matter so I can blow it on wheeling/mountain biking/hiking/special events. You just make it work.

 

[BlitzleBlat]

Did someone say cigars?

(looks longingly at his three boxes of partagas 160's)

Sean VHA #60013 : I would love to learn more about your plans for the VA overland trips, routes, etc. (maybe a quick pm?)