Time to reflect...

Dithering_Dad

An alternative to this is one that my mate did (he's also single). He rented out his house and trained to become a ski instructor. For the past few years he's been working at a ski resort in Austria and then when that ski season ends he jets down to New Zealand and works their season. He alternates between the two places with a couple of weeks in the UK in between.

He gets free accomodation from the ski schools and lives entirely on his ski earnings so that he is able to use all of his rent money to over pay on his mortgage because he is non-resident for tax (though he does pay voluntary NI contributions for his state pension). He now only has £12k left on the mortgage and once it's gone, he intends either trading up to a larger house and letting the rent pay that off or he'll invest the rent money for retirement.

Once he decides that he has had enough of travelling (if he ever does) he will have a mortgage free house to return to and a decent amount of retirement money saved up.

I'm not knocking what you've done, but I think if it were me I would rather follow my mates example and have some sort of financial 'backup plan' other than living on a canal boat. Remember that if you use the interest from your capital investment (your house sale) to fund your trips, in real terms you are reducing the balance due to inflation. If you travel for 10 years, you'll find that your principle has been eroded quite significantly.

Good luck though because you'll certainly have some great memories.

Jonbvn

I think the key thing in the OP is being single with no children. I have already lived that dream so to speak, having spent over 10 years working as an engineer in Asia.

Our goal is to get rid of the mortgage for our house in the UK, and then split our time between the UK and Asia.

Desperate_Housewife_2-2

djbreeze wrote: »

In response to Desperate Housewife...

The very best of luck with your plans, but...

Please! I'm trying to be nice here but you've missed the point a bit! I'm not doing the "selling up & travelling thing" before "kids arrive on the scene". It's not something I'm getting out of my system before I settle down. I am 41, a grown-up & already did the "settling down thing" & was fed-up (well more than fed-up actually) with boring job, mortgage, conventional life & British politics, etc. I now have an enjoyable life that is perfectly sustainable & that's the message I'm trying to get across. There are alternatives...
I have 2 very good friends, who I met in South America a few years ago. Disillusioned with their respective situations and countries' political outlooks (Australia, New Zealand), they both sold up & now run a hostel in Ecuador. Before moving to Ecuador they got married but they waited until they moved there before they started their family...

Now that's brave!

Happy new year folks...

---

Interesting point but what would one do with their kids in the meantime if they have them?;)

Its not a case of missing the point, everyone's circumstances and desires are different, I take my hat off to those who want to follow their dream, I'm living my dream and lucky to be doing so, It wouldn't suit me to sell up as I am the type of person that needs security and always like to 'come home'. My home is with my family here and if I settled abroad it would be a home there too. I guess I'm a home bird really. I realise there are alternative to my lifestyle, of course there are but they are not for me.

As for being brave, I reckon lots of people are brave because they get out of their beds and go to work everyday to support their families, pay bills, be good parents, wives, mothers, fathers, friends. I don't think it matters where you live so long as you are happy in your own life and doing the things you want to do.

I wish everyone good luck in the new year 2008 with their plans, whatever and wherever they may be

Dithering_Dad

Desperate_Housewife wrote: »

Interesting point but what would one do with their kids in the meantime if they have them?;)

When I worked in Saudi I met a woman whose Dad was an Oil Executive and they lived in places all over the world; Middle East, South America, Africa, Europe, well pretty much anywhere that has oil. I thought this sounded great but she said she hated being dragged around and that she found it difficult in her adult life to make close friends and have relationships because she was never able to do it when she was young.

It just goes to show that your dreams could be your child's nightmare and that if you're going to have children, you then take on a responsibility to provide them with a stable and secure childhood.

As I said before, good luck to the OP but I wouldn't trade my 'humdrum' life with the wife and kiddies.

MissKJ

There will hopefully be another chapter in any-ones life when they can trade for a different existence. Retiring early is common, and often people have second careers now. Every day is a choice, it is not compulsory to carry on as you are.

If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.

So, if you are happy with what you have got......