To the Ends of the Earth (or Get Rich by Moving to Antarctica)


(GCC: During our months in Guatemala, we had some truly unforgettable experiences with new lifelong friends. I recall one guy who radiated positivity, was always up for an adventure, and was a gracious guest and generous tipper. Over a few weeks and numerous $0.50 rum & cokes, we talked at length about travel and money, and how to be better at both. I felt inspired to be more generous. He felt inspired to build a respectable “travel for life” fund. And Winnie claims to have not understood any of it, because Nick has quite the heavy Australian accent. So maybe it is a good thing that you get to read his story…. and OMG the PICTURES!!!!)

I am super honoured to be asked to write this for some definite idols of mine. (And I am not one to have many). Other than my parents, who have shown me how to be a decent human being and how to raise a family, (my life’s main goal), Jeremy and Winnie are up there. After meeting them in Guatemala, they have stood out with their ambition of living their dream. Not just because they found a way to retire early and travel, (my life’s second goal), but because they saw their dream and went for it. They didn’t get bogged down and follow the mundane society’s way of life. They are living their dream. Hopefully I am on that path now, as here I am currently working for a year at Mawson Station in Antarctica!

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Explore. Dream. Discover.

Where will you go today?

GCC: When we were planning our own early retirement we had the good fortune to meet with people who had already blazed that trail. It was insanely beneficial, and I told myself I would always pay it forward. So when this young Canadian couple emailed to ask if we could meet to share all of our best life secrets (not that we have any), of course we said yes. Fast forward a few years now, and they’ve gone from nascent early retirees with an abundance of vim and vigor into a full on Millennial Revolution.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. –Mark Twain.”

This is the quote I copied into my final work e-mail. It was May 2015, I had given my notice, made up some bullshit excuse about taking a gap year to travel the world and “find myself”, and this was my sign-off to a company I’d given the last 9 years of my life to. But I wasn’t really quitting to travel the world for a year. I was walking out of the corporate world FOREVER.

At the age of 32, my husband and I were retiring with a Million dollar portfolio, enough by the 4% rule to sustain our $40K/year living expenses indefinitely.

But I didn’t tell my co-workers that. They’d find out about it more than a year later, on the front page of the country’s most read newspaper.

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Trip Planning

“How do you plan extended trips through multiple countries?” is a question we get often.

Sometimes people even ask us to plan their trip for them… which I’m happy to do for a nominal 200% commission.

For those who are less brazen or aren’t into paying triple, I can do the next best thing… here are the process and the tools that we use to plan and organize our extensive travel.

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Happy Holidays!

merryxmas

Happy Holidays everyone! I wish you all a joyful and well deserved holiday season.

We had another adventurous year, circumnavigating the globe and visiting 15 countries. France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, United States (but less than 35 days), Japan, and Taiwan.

Our Instagram shares some great photos of each.

Jr now has 28 unique stamps in his 2 passports. I was surprised when I added it all up this morning.

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So You Want to Hike the Appalachian Trail

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

(GCC: Ever since I read Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, it has been a dream of mine to hike the Appalachian Trail. It’s also a popular idea for those early stages of Early Retirement, when the psychological transition from earning to spending is underway. Fresh air, physical exertion, and low prices are a great cure all. Plus an accomplishment as great as this one can bring a whole new perspective to life. Just ask Joe, today’s guest post author. )

Me (after returning from a three day hike in the Smokies): Hey, uhh…Katie?

Katie: Yes?

Me: I wanna hike the Appalachian Trail. Like the whole thing. All at once.

Katie: You do? When?

Me: This March (we were planning on getting married in March…)

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