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Create a Life You Don’t Need To Escape From

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“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin

To make life better, create a better life you don't need to escape from. Do you constantly dread going to work or some other task? Here are ways to make your life better.I know this quote will stir up some feelings. However, I want you to dig deeper and think about the true meaning of it, which I’ll get to in a second.

First, though, dreaming about vacations isn't a bad thing – we all do it.

Honestly, I'm always looking forward to the next destination (after all, I do travel full-time). But, if you aren’t traveling full-time, vacations do allow you to explore new places, relax, have fun, and more. And, because of all of that, they really can make life better.

When thinking of the quote, though, I think it’s saying – you should create a life that you don't hate. Honestly, it’s possible that taking vacations are causing you unhappiness, especially if you are taking on more debt to travel.

However, the life this quote mentions is one where you don't have to purchase things to make you happy, a life where you don't dread every single day, a life where you actually look forward to things, and are positive. [Read more…]

Should you go on vacation if you have debt?

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Managing your money and paying off debt can feel like a never ending process. And, if you have a long term debt repayment plan, you may find yourself wondering if you can realistically take a vacation without feeling guilty and/or potentially wrecking your financial progress.Managing your money and paying off debt can feel like a never ending process. And, if you have a long term debt repayment plan, you may find yourself wondering if you can realistically take a vacation without feeling guilty and/or potentially wrecking your financial progress.

Whether or not you travel while having debt is a personal decision.

Personally, I did travel when I had student loan debt (read more about how I paid off $40,000 in student loans in 7 months here). They were usually short trips, and I always made sure to budget for them while keeping them as affordable as possible.

And, we still had a great time!

We went to Puerto Rico, Kauai, and many other places, and each trip was done affordably.

Plus, it was a great way to feel refreshed so that I could enjoy life while working towards my financial goals.

See, I believe the key is finding a healthy balance. Luckily, I didn't have any super high-interest rate debt, so going on vacation didn't stress me out as bad or derail my financial progress. I also didn't add to my debt by going on vacation, and I knew not to splurge on travel either.

I know others who have debt but still spend thousands of dollars on each of their vacations, and they also believe that this is the only way to travel.

That is not correct at all!

You can still enjoy life on a budget, but it's all about having a good balance and seeking out what will work best for your situation.

For example: If you have high-interest rate debt that is building up each month and becoming more and more unmanageable, then I do not recommend going on an expensive vacation. Instead, enjoy the area that you live in for free, which is still very possible to do! In my opinion, spending money on a vacation would just add to the stress while money would be better used towards paying off your debt. This will make sure that you don't put yourself into a deeper hole.

For today's post, I would like to start a discussion in the comments below. Below is my opinion for traveling while having debt, and I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments as I know that opinions will vary.

Related content on how to travel on a budget:

How to travel if you have debt:

 

Find a way to travel affordably.

Travel is great. However, it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to enjoy your vacation.

If you still have debt, especially a lot of high-interest rate debt that is causing you to live paycheck to paycheck, then you will want to find a way to enjoy yourself affordably while on a trip.

This may mean taking a staycation and exploring the town you currently live in, instead of splurging on an expensive vacation across the globe.

Here are tips for traveling affordably:

  • Take a staycation. Like I discussed above, if you have a lot of debt and need to put as much money as you can towards your debt, then a staycation is probably your best bet. I recommend finding free events and other free things to do in your area so that you are spending as little as possible.
  • Budget for the whole trip. Budgets are always a good idea!
  • Don't slow down your debt repayment plan. If you don't have the money to travel, then you may just want to skip the travel or find a way to make/save extra money in order to do so.
  • If you have the gear to camp, camp! Camping can be expensive, so I wouldn't recommend that everyone go out and buy new gear to do it. However, if you already have camping gear, then it can be a great way to travel somewhere affordably and see the beautiful outdoors. Read How To Find Free Camping for budget friendly camping ideas.

Related tip: My preferred way to travel affordably is to stay in short-term rental vacation homes such as Airbnb (this will give you a $30 Airbnb coupon code for your next stay). Airbnb vacation home rates are usually comparable or cheaper than a hotel, plus you usually have more room and there is usually a kitchen as well. Also, if you have a lot of people going on vacation with you, you can split a house for a much cheaper price than it would be for everyone to get a hotel room. Read my Airbnb review The Many Positives Of Using Airbnb Plus a Coupon Code For Your Next Vacation!

 

Whatever you do – don't take on more debt.

I've heard countless stories of people taking on more debt in order to go on a vacation and to travel more.

In fact, one story I often share here on Making Sense of Cents is one of the worst stories I've heard about this. This person would take out thousands of dollars in extra student loans to pay for timeshares and cruise vacations.

And, they would actually brag about this!

To take a vacation, you should never take on debt (using credit card travel hacking is a different story and can be done wisely). Taking on debt to travel will just dig your debt hole even deeper, which will cause a lot of stress and probably make you regret taking a vacation in the first place.

You want good memories to come from the trip that you take, not stress, regret, and other negative feelings when you think about your vacation.

Vacations are great and all, but taking on debt to go on them is 99.999999% of the time not worth it.

Let's start a discussion. Do you think people should take a vacation if they have debt? Why or why not?

How This Successful Family Of Four Makes Travel Blogging Work For Them

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Did you know that you can travel for a living, with a family too?! Caz and Craig Makepeace, from yTravelBlog, a married couple from Australia have lived in five countries and traveled to 52 of them. Here's how they travel blog!Recently, I decided to start a new series where I interview people who are doing extraordinary things with their lives. First up was JP Livingston, who retired with a net worth over $2,000,000 at the age of 28. Today’s post is about Caz and Craig Makepeace, a married couple from the Central Coast of Australia. They have lived in five countries and traveled to 52 of them. They blog about their travels at yTravelBlog.

Just seven years ago, they had no idea what they were doing with their blog, and since then, their blog has grown to be one of the biggest travel blogs in the world.

In this interview, you'll learn:

  • The obstacles they had to overcome getting started.
  • How they afford to travel extensively with their family.
  • How they have become such successful travel bloggers.
  • What an average day is like for them.
  • Tips for traveling with children, and more!

They have traveled extensively, including an 18-month stint traveling through Australia with their two daughters. They recently came to the US and are road tripping here. [Read more…]

Our 10-Day Sailing Charter Around The British Virgin Islands

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We went on a 10 day sailing charter about the British Virgin Islands and it was AMAZING! This bareboat charter with Sunsail in the BVIs is something I definitely recommend doing.Because of RVing, we made a new friend around 1.5 years ago. Like us, he RVs full-time, but he used to live on a sailboat. After months of talking about it, we finally decided that we would go on a sailing trip together. Me and Wes knew that sailing would eventually be our next adventure, so this seemed like a fun vacation to help us decide if we would really enjoy it.

So, in June of 2017, we took a 10-day sailing charter in the British Virgin Islands with our RV friend and two other couples.

This ended up being one of the best trips I've ever taken. Plus, I was still able to earn a great income even though we were sailing and on vacation for the majority of the month as you can read in How I Made $121,861.28 In June While Sailing to Beautiful Islands.

We've been to the Virgin Islands numerous times, but we had never been to the British Virgin Islands, and this was our first sailing trip.

Actually, I had never even been on a sailboat before. [Read more…]

Common Full Time RVing Questions Part 2 – Don’t You Hate Each Other Yet?

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Full time RVing has led to people asking us many interesting questions. After all, full time rv living is not considered "normal." However, we love it!Ever since we started full time RVing, we've been asked some funny and interesting questions. And, over a year ago, I published Common RV Questions – Yes, I Even Talk About What We Do With #2. Some of the questions I answered in that article included:

  • Do you shower?
  • What do you do when you have to use the bathroom?
  • How/what do you eat?
  • What do you do for internet?
  • Do you ever do laundry?
  • What do you do for a living, so that you can RV full time?
  • How do you receive mail?

While they seem funny to us now, I know that we asked some of these same questions before we started full time RVing. Due to that, I knew I had to write that first post to answer some of the most common questions we’ve been asked about full time RVing.

Some of the questions are from people who think we are crazy to RV full time. Whereas, others are from people who are interested in RVing but are unsure about certain things. Either way, I hope to clear up even more of the common RV questions we receive. [Read more…]

9 Ways to Live an Extraordinary Life

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“Your life sounds like so much fun. You're so lucky that you get to live an extraordinary life.”

Do you want to live an extraordinary life? If so, here are my tips on how to live an extraordinary life and reach your dreams!That is something I’ve gotten pretty used to hearing as I travel full-time and get to be a digital nomad.

However, it's not just luck.

Just a few years ago, I never thought that I would be living this life. I never thought I'd be my own boss or that I'd be traveling full-time. It's funny how much can change in just a few short years!

For me, this is extraordinary, but everyone has a different version of what living an extraordinary life means.

And, no matter what your definition is, if you want to live an extraordinary life, you can do it!

Perhaps you want to travel, retire early, start your own business, have a homestead, volunteer more, or something else.

Having an extraordinary life can be whatever you want it to be.

All you have to do is aim for it! [Read more…]

How This Couple Bought an $11,500 RV, Traveled To All 50 States, and Built A Thriving Business

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Today, I'd like to introduce you to Heath and Alyssa Padgett. They are currently living in an RV full-time, making a living, and documenting it all.

Heath and Alyssa Padgett are living in an RV full-time, making a living, and documenting RV life all at the same time. Here's how they make this a reality!They blog over at HeathandAlyssa.com, and I'm a huge fan! Not only have I been on their podcast (How Michelle Makes Six Figures from a Blog While Full-Time RVing), we’re also friends.

In 2014, they quit their jobs, purchased a motorhome, and went on a year-long road trip across America. They worked jobs in all 50 states for a documentary they filmed called Hourly America.

After a year of living in an RV full-time, they realized RV life was for them. They worked to pay off a bunch of debt, built up their video production business, and they still love RV life.

This amazing couple has been featured on CNN, CBS, People Magazine, Business Insider, Forbes, and more!

Related articles on living in an RV full-time:

[Read more…]

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