Cheaper to Travel Than Stay Home?

[tom]

On the road you don’t pay taxes, bills, redecoration or household cleaning products. Really, you can save a lot of money staying footloose.

Long term travelers are always asked how they can afford to stay on the road all the time. Most people spend half a year or so saving up for their big trip, then apply a stringent daily budget until their funds run out and it’s time to return home and look for a job. From this perspective to travel all the time seems an impossible prospect.

Thing is, it’s actually way cheaper to stay on the road.

Consider:

- When you live someplace you have to pay rent and bills.
When you travel you can sleep outside, stay with friends or pay a few bucks a night in a simple guesthouse in the Third World.

- When you have a home you have to fill it with furniture and other consumer items that you don’t really need but which compensate for having to work in a job you hate.
When you travel you can only own what you can carry.

- When you live in a fixed place socialising often involves going out to bars, clubs and restaurants where the bill at the end of the evening is the equivalent of a day’s wage.
Travelers can just hang out in nature, chat with the locals by a tea stand and as every day is so varied there’s little need to go looking for entertainment.

- Most people reading this live in a country where the cost of living is pretty high and they need to work at least 3-4 days a week to make ends meet.
Travelers can live in places like Peru, Egypt or India on $10 a day if they want to and stuff like new clothes, medicine or a meal out cost next to nothing.

- Living and working somewhere these days may well involve the cost of keeping a vehicle on the road, paying cell phone bills and buying the kind of clothes needed for a professional image.
Travelers catch local buses and trains, spend a little on internet cafes and only have to worry about a few changes of clothes.

Sure, there are things like flights and visas which cost money but that’s peanuts next to the money spent on tedious stuff like furniture, bills, pet food, cutlery, kitchenware, decoration, cleaning products, repairs, commuting, taxes, children and the therapy needed to keep you sane afterwards.

So how can a traveler stay on the road all the time? Keeping costs down is fine but some money needs to keep rolling in…

For travelers who can write, draw, take photos, design, do computer code, translate, consult or any other skill that doesn’t require them to be in a fixed place, their work can be taken on the road. Check out the telecommuting traveler guide for more.

Otherwise the deal is to work as hard as you can somewhere that pays well and then spend the cash someplace where it goes a long way. Or just to find some casual work that keeps your head above water along the way. Check out 101 ways to work abroad for some options.

Maybe we are just playing at Peter Pan but it sure beats the 9 to 5.

[jim]

Ok, here's a data point to support your theory Tom:

I spend $25K US on the road in 2 1/2 years from 2002 to 2004, and $75K living in southern California for 2 1/2 years.

And yes, a lot of that 75K went to material possessions I wouldn;t have bought on the road, like $5000 alone went into a car...

[goldpan]

I do web design and can work from just about anywhere and have thought often about this topic. I could easily make 1/2 the money on the road that I currently make from home... and spend 1/2 or less each month,, thus coming out even or better (with the added benefit of travel).........

Sadly though there one catch for me.. If you own a home the whole theory gets scrubbed. Since Mortgage and everything else that goes with a home (insurance, dues, etc) doesn't go away just because you're humping about the planet,, you end up paying double.

Yes, I could not own my home,,, but I like it... plus I'd be retarded to sell it after I finally was able to purchase one (as if I could sell it anyway in todays market).....

I've been looking into home swapping though,, that could solve the problem.

[Cal]

could rent? extra revenue stream, rent money alone could probably pay for your humping around the world. especially if you live in a decent city

[jim]

renting was probably a better solution before mortgages went up like crazy... now i'd bet the price of a tenant doesn't recover enough of the costs of the house.

well , we here at roadjunky espouse the following attitude: the universe will take care of you. sell the house if the road is calling. life is long. you'll get another one.

[goldpan]

Sadly - My condo is worth about 20% less than what I paid..

Renting - I'm considering that one,, might be the best option.

[Piccolo48]

The problem is it is difficult to receive credit cards or loans while travelling.


Is there any way around this? Because this would solve a lot of logistical problems created by travelling

[Ali Baba]

After living in Cambodia everywhere seems incredibly expensive in comparison. Plus I have no desire (and little ability) to go shopping every weekend to buy over hyped products that distract me from the tedium of the familiar. Learning a new language, experiencing a different culture and making new friends are cheap and rewarding pursuits.