{"id":17124,"date":"2012-12-07T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2012-12-07T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=17124"},"modified":"2024-08-01T11:35:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T15:35:58","slug":"success-story-trish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/success-story-trish\/","title":{"rendered":"Success Stories: Why Trish Sold Everything She Owned to Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Finishing off the week of reader stories, we head across the pond to England and meet Trish, a 35-year-old teacher. Not happy with her life in England, she sold everything she owned, gave herself a budget of 10,000 GBP ($16,000 USD), and set off traveling the world with only her backpack<\/a> to her name.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nomadic Matt: Tell me about yourself.<\/strong>
\nTrish:<\/strong> I originally come from Ipswich, a small town in East Anglia about an hour’s drive from London<\/a>. I have been traveling now for about five\u00a0months through Australia<\/a> and Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I was living a typical London<\/a> life. I had a lovely job teaching gorgeous five-year-olds in a respected private school in East London. I got paid well and rented a modern two-bed apartment 10 minutes’ walk from work. I tried to settle for five\u00a0years, but I rarely had money left at the end of the month and so the dream of more traveling became more and more distant<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Life was good…just not GREAT<\/a>. So after much procrastination, I decided to sell my house, give up my job, and sell all my possessions at car boot [trunk] sales. I gave myself a budget of 10,000 GBP. After five\u00a0months of traveling, I still have nearly a third of my original budget left. <\/p>\n

I’m now traveling in Thailand<\/a>, and my backpack is all I have to my name.<\/p>\n

Did you plan any specific trip or just wanted to travel?<\/strong>
\nI just knew I wanted something different from life, but I had no clear idea about the type of trip I was planning. I love learning about different cultures and so I looked into countries I had always dreamed of visiting. <\/p>\n

I looked into buying a round-the-world ticket<\/a>, but the cost and the enormity of the research and planning scared me. I got bogged down by the minute details, and then it became too big a task so I decided to start with Australasia. <\/p>\n

I had been invited to visit a friend and her family in Australia<\/a>, so I decided to book a return flight to Brisbane<\/a> and then stop off on the way back in Singapore<\/a> and work my way up through Asia. <\/p>\n

I also knew I wanted to travel differently than the normal backpacker once I got into Asia by doing some Couchsurfing<\/a>, volunteering, and house-sitting so that I could get a feel for the country I was visiting.<\/p>\n

How did you research your trip?<\/strong>
\nFirst, I wanted to know what you had packed and the sorts of items that would be handy to carry around. Then I became interested in how you budgeted for your trips. My budget didn’t seem that big until I started to look into ways in which you could travel for cheaper. I researched how I could use HelpX<\/a> to volunteer my labor in return for a bed and food<\/a>. <\/p>\n

As a teacher, there are many opportunities across the world for someone like me to teach English, so I thought I could make my money stretch that way. I liked reading your stories about what you’d learnt while traveling. They inspired me to write about my own feelings.<\/p>\n

Were you afraid before you went on your trip?<\/strong>
\nI was afraid and excited at the same time. It took me a long time to actually just book the flight and make it real! <\/p>\n

Once I did that, life got hectic and I had “to do” lists coming out my ears! I think this is because I decided to go the whole way and detach myself from my old life. It wasn’t just about traveling for a few months or taking a sabbatical and returning to my life\u00a0\u2014 it was about starting over and having a different view about being a permanent traveler. <\/p>\n

Through your website, I recognized you as someone who had made a success of traveling indefinitely. I wanted to be able to do the same. I have lots of ideas about how to, but I haven’t actually had enough time to put plans into action as I’ve been traveling and doing stuff every day since I started in August!<\/p>\n

How did you save for your trip?<\/strong>
\nI sold my house and belongings so that I was debt-free. I’m using that money for traveling. I put a budget aside for my traveling and once it’s gone, it’s gone.<\/p>\n

What about life on the road has surprised you the most?<\/strong>
\nLots of things! I’ve found you can live with a lot less clothes\u00a0and\u00a0things than you thought you could. You always make friends and meet people wherever you are. You rarely, if ever, feel lonely<\/a> because of all the people around. <\/p>\n

Lastly, the goodness and kindness of the people in the country in which you’re traveling. <\/p>\n

Never underestimate the power of a smile and hand gestures! Everyone has been really friendly and helpful.<\/p>\n

With such limited funds, how do you stay on budget when you travel?<\/strong>
\nI always research accommodation and compare prices. I usually use hostel sites as well; I look on Hostelworld.com<\/a> to compare reviews and ratings. I work out how much I’m willing to pay for a room, bed, and comfort. <\/p>\n

So far, this approach has not let me down, and I’ve stayed in some really lovely and affordable places. I try to choose places with free Wi-Fi, a common area, and good security for my stuff. The same goes for food. I find out where the best street\/market food is and watch to see where the locals go. I hardly ever eat in restaurants now as they are three times the amount you pay for freshly cooked local food. <\/p>\n

I don’t drink very much, but if I do go out for a drink, I usually stick to local beer as it’s the cheapest.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

What one thing that you thought would be a challenge has turned out not to be?<\/strong>
\nI wondered how I would cope if things go wrong while traveling to different destinations and I can’t speak the language, e.g., the bus breaks down or the train doesn’t come. I have learned that I can\u00a0cope and it’s not the end of the world. <\/p>\n

Everything turns out all right in the end, and there is always someone who wants to help. I also thought I’d be lonely but I haven’t been at all. There’s always someone going your way.<\/p>\n

What advice would you have for people who want to go away but might not think they can?<\/strong>
\nDO IT! I have had more awe-inspiring moments in the last few months than I have had in my entire life because of the decision I made to travel! <\/p>\n

Let go of all the excuses: money, time, job, people’s limiting beliefs, and narrow-minded views, etc. You get to do what you want, when you want, with no compromises.
\n <\/p>\n

Become the Next Success Story<\/h3>\n

One of my favorite parts about this job is hearing people’s travel stories. They inspire me, but more importantly, they also inspire you. I travel a certain way, but there are many ways to fund your trips and travel the world. I hope these stories show you that there is more than one way to travel and that it is within your grasp to reach your travel goals. <\/p>\n

Here are more examples of people who found a way to pay for their adventure around the world:<\/p>\n