In 2010 we started down a path that led us to financial independence and our dream of a life of full-time travel. At the time, Liz was deep in debt from graduate school and various challenges in life, so we came up with a three-year plan that would leave us both 100% debt-free. We worked jobs we didn’t like, saved money, made extra payments on everything, and it worked by 2013 we were debt-free! As we looked more closely at our lives, we noticed that the vast majority of the money we earned went to paying for things, we needed in order to keep working. Our house was a place to stay and stored all the ‘stuff’ we owned. The majority of the stuff was used infrequently and was primarily just there to make our lives more convenient and comfortable. And the miles on our vehicles were to-and-from work. In short – the majority of our reward from working–money, went towards keeping us comfortable, not towards making us happy. So we started to get rid of things because as we all know the things you own, actually own you.
Over the course of the next year, we started to imagine a life free from all of our stuff. A life that would allow us to travel and see and do, all of the things we’ve dreamed of doing, while we are physically able. At the time we both had jobs that we loved, we lived in a beautiful setting, we had the equipment we needed to enjoy our outdoor sporting passions, and we had enough money to take one nice trip a year. But neither of us was really settled. Squeezing the reasons we get out of bed in the morning (our love of outdoor adventure sports and travel) into weekends and one 2-week trip a year was going to leave us old and full of regret. Regret for not overcoming the fear associated with making life changes. Regret for not leaving the normal, safe road and daring to do things differently, our way.
We began to watch friends and family, just a few years ahead of us in life, NOT being able to do the things they want to do because time robbed them of the physical ability required for their chosen activity. The more time we spent talking with these folks the more a theme began to bubble to the surface – don’t wait, do the things you love while you can.
Sadly our beloved dog died on Dec 20, 2014, after 15-years of a beautiful life and she set us free. A week after she died we sat down and made a bucket list of everything we wanted to do… climb all the 14ers in California, climb in Nepal, climb Denali, see Lions in the wild, see the Northern lights, shark dive in South Africa, scuba dive the barrier reef, see the great pyramids… the list went on and on. So we started to list out the best times of year to do things, how much it would cost, and how much we really wanted to invest in the idea.
By May 2015 we had sold everything except the gear we need to enjoy our adventures. We were down to a virtual mailbox, a 10′ X 10′ storage unit, and an eye on the horizon.
So we created this blog with the intention of having a record of where we went and what we had done, and to share our experiences with family, friends, and anyone who is interested in seeing where our adventures take us.
We hope that we inspire you to follow your dreams, no matter what they are, in the face of whatever fear holds you back. Our fears range from not having a home, not having an income while watching our savings dwindle to retirement, not having health care, breaking from the mentality we have always know too, what if this is a HUGE mistake.
Six months after coming up with the idea we shoved off. Please follow us along as we travel, and of course please share it with anyone you think may enjoy sharing in our journey.
Thanks!
Sean and Liz
It's a Gavination 