Why - - 2wander-yonder

Why would you leave the so called "normal" life where you are safe in a house, job and routine to embark on a life of adventure, exploration, constant change, wonder and excitement?

Have you dreamed of living a life where you are free to wake when you are ready; free to free to roam and explore or do as you please; free to visit and experience all of those places you have heard or read about; free to be yourself; free to decide to move on if you don’t like it where you are; to be of no fixed address and to have nothing you “have” to do or place where you “have” to be unless you choose to?

Well, if you have ever asked yourself the question then you obviously had a reason to do so. Something made you question the status quo and maybe it was because you just wanted to chuck it all in to just get away from that job; that house; that mortgage; the landlord; those bills; the clutter; the noise; the eternal quest to get paid more and more so you can acquire more and more stuff that you don’t need, or really want; or worse still - to give it to someone else (for other than philanthropic reasons?).

Many of us were brought up in a society that said (and expected) that a person would do well at school, get a good job, get married, buy a house, raise a family and then after around 45 years of work retire from the workforce and enjoy their twilight years. And while that sounds like a perfect existance (to some) the reality is that most people live only into their eighties and so after all that, doing the right thing and working hard they only get around 20 years to enjoy themselves all the while their minds, bodies and finances are on the decline. What a great deal - NOT!

And that is the reason that we have decided to cut our permanent working life short and extend the enjoyable part of our lives. Sure, we are going to work at times (and have) to make sure we can keep our travel going, and at some stage we will be able to supplement our travel with money from our superannuation fund (unless the Government has spent it). Our philosophy is work a little, play a little and as such we intend to take on work of all kinds so that we add to our skill sets, so that the work does not get tedious and so that it becomes part of the adventure and excitement.

So if you like the idea of doing this there is only one question to ask. What is stopping you? Life is not a dress rehersal so live it now before you can't or die.

Here are some popular questions and our answers which may assist you:

"But we have good paying jobs and may not be able to get back into them if it doesn't work" - so are you living to work or working to live? Is your job ruling your life? Sure, you may give up a good income and job but if you are reading this and looking to change your life then the job really does not matter. If it all turns sour and you need to go back to the job then look at it like this - you got the job once and if you are good at it, you will get it back or another like it.

"But we have a house to worry about" - sell or rent it out as a source of income for your travel. Okay, the pro's and cons may not be as simple as that, but there really are only two choices. Which one suits you depends on your personal choices. See our preparations page for some more of the argument.

"But what do we do with all of our stuff" - de-clutter, sell the clutter at a garage sale and store the rest in a local storage unit. See our prepartations page for more on this. If you need help with de-cluttering then try some of the advice on this website.

"But we have kids" - so home school them as you travel. There are plenty of people doing it and including people riding bicycles from Alaska to South America. And think about the fact that the kids can often see what they are learning about rather than just reading about it.

"But we have pets" - take them with you and share the adventure with them (but remember National Parks will be off limits).

"But we will miss the kids/grandkids" - use the Internet to communicate with them regularly, send them gifts from the interesting places you visit. They will love the gifts and think that you are so lucky seeing all these places while they are stuck at home doing well at school. You might even inspire them to think outside the square and who knows what that may lead to.

"But our family and friends will miss us" - yes they will, but they will get over it and will be envious, and you can always visit them, or call them and don't forget there are things like Skype and Face Time that will help bridge the distance.

"But we need certain medication of regular trips to the Doctor" - visit Doctors as you travel, they can call your old Doctor to consult if they need to and medication is available almost everywhere. If that is no good take shorter trips and consult your Doctor before you head off. And now you can put your medical history in the cloud via the government website e-health so that Doctors you vist can access it.

"But we just don't know if we can do it" - you don't know if you can do anything until you try it, and surely it is better to have tried than to spend your life wondering. Take a few practice trips (hire a motorhome for your next holiday) before committing and see what happens. You will answer your own questions and solve your problems before you get home.

"But what if we get sick and need proper hospital care" - You will need to have a plan in case this happens and that may even mean you stop travelling and go back to living in a house near or in a town and a hospital, but in the meantime, put a nest egg aside and start travelling before you get sick and can't.

"But we can't afford it" - and if you really want to do it then you cannot afford not to. We all do things when we cannot afford it - havin kids, buying that must have item etc, so ttop making excuses and go and see someone, get your financial life in order and then do it. Use travel and a new life as a goal to work towards and the financial sorting out as a bonus. Why wallow in a financial mess just because...

"But we don't have any skills to be able to get jobs" - you don't necessarily need any, just a good work ethic and willingness to do almost anything. We have an article on work coming that may also assist you.

We are sure you will have questions we haven't addressed so feel free to contact us to ask.

Mark Twain once said "...years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - and so we will.