Money Matters Cashing in on a dream
Nope, we didn't win the powerball. We are not trust fund babies. No money tree in the yard. So how--we've been asked--can you afford to traipse the globe for a year? It's not easy, it costs money, and time, and even some opportunities, but when we did a quick cost/benefit analysis our answer became "how can we not."
We were bit by the globetrotting bug early on, and we've been on the quest to check out the places on this planet and the people who make it amazing ever since. So when Cohen was a preschooler we started an investment account to save for a family trip each year. We also put a bit aside for education, but hey, priorities.
We've dipped into the fund each year; collected stamps in our passports, and shared some mind-blowing experiences with our family. In 2014 we visited the Mission of Hope in Titanyen, Haiti. The mission "to provide life changing transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti" is real. The country is in shambles, but the people are affectionate and passionate. They transformed us. We stretched our meagre language skills to communicate in "franglais" and charades, but left feeling disappointed in our ability to communicate beyond the basics. That's where the idea began. What if we moved to France for a year to improve our French language skills? Could we?
Yes we could. I know this because when I was twelve, we did just that. Mom and Dad packed us up and off we went. Dad took his sabbatical in London, England and we toured much of Europe. It wasn't easy, it cost money and time, but I remember that year of my life with exquisite, priceless detail.
The more we played with this idea, the more it changed. Knowing our propensity to move, we knew we'd want to leave France to check out what's around it. To avoid paying for a home base in France that would be left unoccupied much off the time, we decided to roam from home to home. That's when we stumbled upon the StarAlliance Round-the-World ticket. Jackpot! A reasonably priced method of circumnavigating the globe. No longer was it about language, it was now an optimization game. Maximum mileage for minimum money.
But what about the money? We have expenses and obligations and jobs that would not just go away, so we had to get creative, crunch numbers and cash in.
We rented our house out, moved in with our folks, settled Jacob and Mason at school, sold some bigger ticket items, kijiji'd some crap and parred down all expenses. Then we spruced up our wills, audited our insurance, settled accounts and accepted online teaching opportunities. We also have rental income and a tiny rebate as homeschoolers. We cashed in investments and used every type of reward point imaginable--the best is Avion rewards which saved us thousands on our round-the-world airline tickets!
Estimating the total cost was terrifying, we got scared, chickened out more than once, and had some heated debates on the validity of our plan. But once we had an itinerary we could make realistic average daily food and accommodation allowances per person. Despite our misgivings and fears, once we did the work, prepared a budget and calculated income and expenses we took off.
We are here in Majuro, Marshall Islands, a place where literally no one visits, and although it is no tourist trap, the unanticipated expenses are adding up. Water and wifi are at a premium. Throughout the next 4-5 months we will diligently track actual costs and, if need be, make necessary adjustments. We are ok with spending, we are never ok with wasting or paying unessecary interest. So the challenge to keep on budget and not over extend will be one of our biggest. Yet, when we see the colour of the lagoon in the centre of this 1200 island chain that totals a mere 70 square miles of land and is 2000 feet at its widest point, we are fortified and will definatley rise to the challenge.
Please visit The Project page on our website for more photos and information.
