How We Did It...

As I was lying in bed a few minutes ago, still attempting to adjust to local times, it occurred to me that some of you might be curious as to how Adam and I made this trip possible. This past year (2008) has been a whirlwind for both of us. Let's recap:

• Starting a Business: In January, we started our partnership and launched our first online product. The entire process was extremely educational and proved to be quite fun so we moved forward with several other online products and strategies.
• Transitioning Jobs: In February, Darcie left her job to work on the business while Adam continued in his 40 hour a week position. About six months later, Darcie found the perfect part time job at a local community college. Just before the trip, both Darcie and Adam left their jobs permanently.
• Teaching a Class: In October, we found ourselves developing and teaching a short course at De Anza on Internet marketing and how to create an online business. It was an awesome experience and we definitely plan to do it again.
• Getting Married: After five years of dating, we were married on November 15th at Palmdale Estates in Fremont, California. Friends and family were there to celebrate.
• Planning for a Long-term Trip: It wasn't until after the wedding that we really started to plan for our trip.

When leaving for a long period of time you want to be sure to take care of any unfinished business before you leave. For us this consisted of giving notice to our employers, selling and giving away all our stuff, moving out, renting our car (to a friend for the duration of our trip), paying all debts, cancelling miscellaneous bank and merchant accounts, cancelling car and medical insurance, giving power of attorney to our tax preparer, and having a close family member check our mail. It might sound like a lot, but having all of these items taken care of before your trip will save you significant time in the long run.

Some of you might also be curious how we are funding this grand adventure and surprisingly it's not as impossible as you think. We chose South East Asia for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it's absolutely beautiful and second, it's dirt cheap. Saving money monthly through out our careers has helped give us the opportunity to do this, but you really don't need all that much. A one-way plane ticket will cost you around $1,000. If you can travel with a buddy, then you will be cutting your costs significantly. For example, we're currently staying in a decent room with two beds, bath, and shower for $8 a day for the two of us. That's $4 per person. Not bad! Food will typically go for about the same as your accommodations, give or take a little depending on the location and your drinking habits. We're spending about $15 a day on food and beer. If you stay in one location for a long period of time, your money will go even further as you get to know the local deals and won't be paying transportation costs. Getting around and border crossings are other costs to consider. We've been traveling mainly by bus and taxi thus far and it's very accommodating and reasonable (e.g. we bought a bus ticket from Ko Chang Thailand to PoiPet for $5 each). Visas on the other hand can get costly. They can range anywhere from $20 to $50 per person. Also, keep in mind there will be additional costs associated with sight seeing or shopping. All in all, you major expense will be getting there so the longer you go, the more sense it makes.

Having a budget will help keep things on track and possibly stretch the duration of the trip. Our primary funding is coming from our businesses, saved monies, and a few other areas (i.e. selling our furniture/stuff and renting the car).

If you have a passion for travel, it might not be as difficult as you thought. Take a look at your situation and see if it's possible. Happy travels!