TravelAddict.org Blog

I have done the math and looked at the logic. I need more than just a paycheck to reach my goals. I am taking risk and stepping out of “the box” in order to speed up the process. I am investing my savings in my own financial growth.

I am also cutting costs so I can put more money into long term growth projects. I have to be careful and smart with my choices. I am trying to take on more projects to stay busy, fend off boredom, take my mind off not being able to travel, and to rapidly increase my net worth.

I sat down this weekend and calculate my total debts and set a savings target of where I want to be 10 years (or less) from now. I have to get the wheels in motion to make that happen. That means a lot more work on my part and more importantly dedication. No compromises and I have to do it right the first time.

I am now looking at running some side business, alternative investments to the stock market, foreign real estate, and quick flips of stuff here in the USA to gain diversity and experience. I feel pretty confident in my ideas and now have to get capital to do them all.

This afternoon I am headed over to a friend’s father’s house for steaks, bugers, beer, etc. This is a normal summer past time that is practiced nation wide. Someone fires up a grill, cooks a lot of food, has a lot of cold beer, and people get together and have a good time.

The twist is that this is a Latin BBQ. One thing Latin people know how to do is to have a good party. I have been to their house once before and they do not hold back. There is always way too much food and a great time to be had. This is one of the few good things about the USA.

I am looking forward to good company and good food. I have been elected to bring some beer which is currently in my fridge ready to go. Not a bad exchange for a steak dinner!

It seems that the rising costs of fuel in the USA are starting to siginificantly affect me personally. My health insurance has gone up nearly 50%. My weekly gas costs for my car are higher. Groceries have skyrocketed in costs so much that I now eat out more because it is cheaper.

I can attribute all these increases to fuel prices. All costs get passed on to me, the consumer. I have cut back on many things to cover the rise in costs. Their is also no end in sight. I am waiting on $5 per gallon. I will be looking into alternative forms of transport at that point.

This does put a damper on reaching my goal of getting out of here. I am working on other business ventures diligently so I can increase my income faster than incresing costs of living. I am taking my savings and investing in different areas to add diversity to my income.

One source simply will not do. With the US economy in a decline I have to cover my own ass. If I lose my job tomorrow I am hosed. Its time to take a little risk and move forward.

Delta has made a move that personally makes me unhappy. Starting on Aug 15, 2008 their will be a charge of $25/$50 fuel charge for all Skymiles domestic/international award tickets. I would prefer they just raise each award level by 5000 miles. I have between now and then to book tickets without the fee. I need to book at least one so I can save myself $50.

I will now have to be more selective with my booking so I dont get eaten alive by fees. I had planned to take 2 shorter trips next year. I want to book at least one now so I can avoid one of these fees. I will have to accelerate my planning and decision making in order to do this.

Even with the fees using Skymiles for tickets is a very good deal. I just wish they would have approached it differently.

I finally got everything moved over to my new MacBook Pro and got Parallels/Vista installed for the few programs that do not currently run on Mac OSX. I have retired my Dell laptop and primarily use the MacBook.

I have been using it exclusively for a couple of days and I am now glad I did it. It is a lot faster, more stable, and all around well designed. You can tell that Apple invested time and money to get everything right the first time. I am now looking forward to the new iPhone!

I will never be able to get completely away from PC due to my IT job, but at least I can cut down on it. I also like that this one is a LOT lighter than my Dell laptop which was huge and heavy. I liked the big 17″ screen but the weight is a deal killer.

I can already tell that traveling with this laptop will make life easier. I took it with me to Banff to “acid test” it on the road and I was pleased. It did what I needed it to do, weighs less, and is of course faster than what I had. I can easily see taking this around the world for years on end. Only issue would be hard drive space if I were to take a LOT of photos.

I have 3 friends out of work. One just got laid off yesterday. The other 2 have been looking for work for months. It is really tough out there and I am lucky to have the job I have. I am trying to save all the money I can just in case things turn for the worse.

My friends are now doing anything they can for money. Odd jobs, selling things on ebay, pawning, temp work, whatever they can get. I am now being more careful with my own money and banking all bonuses. I am looking for more side work but there is not a lot out there.

I am also trying to get into more focus groups and surveys. It is time to focus and get serious about saving.

I just checked my Delta skymiles balance and I just crossed over 100,000. This is enough for 2 round trip tickets to Europe or 3 to Central America. I am going to save all that I can so that I can get free round-the-world tickets at 140,000 each.

My balance grows rapidly through my Delta AMEX and all the work expenses that pass through it. My pretty consistent flying also helps me keep the balance high. I will be using some each year for my vacation travel but will still be gaining more than I burn.

Using them to get my RTW tickets should save me a fortune!

I now have some strong contenders for my travel next year. I think I will take 2 shorter trips this time and spread it out a little bit. I will probably do 2x 9-day stints in the warmer months to keep myself sane.

One trip I definitely will do is to go see my aunt who is now living in the Commonweath of Dominica in the Caribbean. She is there on a teaching contract in the University on the island and has invited me down for a visit. Never having heard of the place until she called peaked my interest.

The second trip is up in the air a bit. I am looking strongly at Colombia as I may have a business venture there and I always wanted to see it. It also helps that one of my best friends has a condo on the beach in Santa Marta. Another contender is Mexico as I wish to see more of it than just Tijuana.

I now have a little more focus and direction as far as my travel plans are concerned. I will begin the research and planning phases so I can be prepared and figure out the best times to go to each desitnation.

I am almost fully transferred over to my new MacBook Pro. It has been a long process so far. You do not realize exactly how many different programs you use until you have to replace them all.

I first had to find all the software I needed whether it be a Mac version of the same or an equivalent. I then had to transfer my large amount of data including photos, music, documents, etc. I am about 95% converted but still use my PC for a few things due to time constraints.

Now I have to convert my iPod and iPhone to mac and resync them. The final step is reformatting my external drive so I can use Time Machine and also store data externally. I am confident that in the end it will be worth my while. It should be more stable and more productive.

I have been thinking about this for some time and I think I have figured out a solution that will allow me to feel free to do as I wish. I first need money and/or income. That is a given. I also need a plan of action and some sense of direction in order to keep it manageable.

I am currently looking at places that I will use as a base of operations. To travel perpetually is not as easy as simply just moving onto the next place. You need base camps. I am taking more of a “retirement” perspective where I will have a handful of places to return to and stay to recharge/replenish/regroup before heading out again.

One of the places will have to be in the USA. I will need to renew the passport, take care of business sometimes, and of course visit family a bit. Currently it is Atlanta as I have family and friends here and its an easy city to travel to from abroad. Busiest airport in the world means more flights, more competition, and cheaper tickets. Other places I am considering are Colombia due to its climate, cheapness, and ease of life. Thailand is definitely on the list for the same reasons.

I am also compiling a list of places where I could stay longer term. Factors include visas, price, and weather. Colombia is good example as I can stay for 6 months with only 1 border run. Cambodia is also good with up to a 1-year renewable visa. These rules are always changing so it is an ongoing project to maintain.

I like to travel in loops or spiderwebs out of a base camp. This allows me to travel lighter by only taking what I need for that portion. I traveled very light when going to the beaches in Thailand and left my extra stuff in Bangkok in storage.

I am also going to include some charity work so I can feel that I did something useful with my life. I am still looking around to exactly what I would do but right now UNICEF and Peace Corps are on the list. I feel like I should give back to the world I am taking from when I travel it.

Between all this I feel I have a clear vision as to exactly what I want to do when I have my money situation sorted out. Its better than just simply leaving and sitting around drinking beer all the time. Maybe I will try to write a book or short stories or something. Only time and experience will tell.