Bof, and you guys thought I forgot about the AMA questions that I asked you to submit in November but never answered. But I never. Here are some of the questions about life in general that I still have on my list, and stay tuned, as there are some long lost bikepacking questions that I still have to wrap up! You can find other Q&As here. Also, to my US friends, I hope you are enjoying your day off! Yay. Here in Europe, it is cold and people are at work. But the good news is, I will be staying with a friend for the next week, so we will be trying to stay warm together.
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| Basilica de Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon |
Stephany asked:
How long do you plan on doing your bike trip and do you have any idea of what comes afterward? Well, this is a great question. As you know the bike trip ended "officially" in December, but stay tuned, because my feet are itchy and I think there is some exploring to do in this neck of the woods. TBD.
What is the #1 piece of advice you'd give to someone else planning to quit their job and travel the world? I could get really long winded here, but first I would say that you need to save some money and also track your spending so that you know roughly how much a year of living costs you.
If you have already done that and are financially prepared, I would say, don't wait. It is so easy to stay in the comfortable and to not branch out, but the worst that can happen is that you do it and you don't love it and you go back to what you were doing before. You have to give it a try.
And then more practically, I would say that you can take a lot of the stress out if it is your first time by doing a group trip, or daily group tours and excursions, or if you are more adventurous, it does help to plan some things ahead of time so that you are not scrambling when you are in the new place. I prefer to have extra time to sit around because I planned ahead, than to be scrambling later on. However, I also think it is good to factor in some downtime and "nothing" time, so that if something fun comes up that you were not aware of, you can do it without being super rigid.
What is something you wish you had done differently (and this could be about anything - relationships, schooling, the bike trip, etc.)? I am not really big into regrets, as in, there were things that I did not do efficiently, but they shaped who I am so I feel okay with those things. However, if you made me answer...I would say that I could have been more efficient with my college years. I transferred schools and did not prep well so had to retake certain classes that did not transfer. I went to France and was going to go and live there permanently and so did not register for the next semester and then the France thing fell through and I just kind of went "meh" and didn't try to get into the fall semester. I then spent a year goofing off (well, working) before finally deciding to shape up and go back to school. I could have definitely been done with school faster but I was not very motivated.
Melissa asked:
You mentioned your next adventure will be slow travel. What destination would you most like to spend a month in and why? Oh Melissa, this internet is not big enough to list all of the places I would like to spend a month. I would like to go back to several places where I have already been and spend a month there. Some that come to mind are South Africa, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Argentina, Columbia (oh the list goes on). And then there are still over 100 countries that I have never been to and I am not a huge "box checker" and would like to spend some quality time checking them out too! And then every time you post a travel recap, I want to do that (Camino, back to Paris etc.) so...um...1,000 places to go before I die, I guess!
What's your favourite US National Park and why? Is there one that you would like to visit and haven't? This answer is very similar to the last. I love Yosemite and Kings Canyon and the high Sierra in California A LOT. I suggest everyone go there. However, I think out of the 63(?) NPs in the US, I maybe have only been to about 20 of them, so I have a long way to go! I would like to visit Glacier, and I have never been to Yellowstone!
When flying roller-case or backpack? Backpack 100%, no hesitation. I like being able to walk or run or climb stairs. I like to be able to squeeze it in the overhead. And I hate dragging something behind me, and I hate the sound the roller bags make when they are headed your way; I feel like running away sometimes!
Diane asked:
What are your "go to" things you do when you visit a new place? (Or even when you re-visit a familiar place) I have a checklist for things to check before I go; here is a list of some of them:
How to get from the airport/train station?
Is there an app for public transit?
Can I use tap to pay to get on bus/metro?
Did I / can I buy my airport transport ticket in advance?
Is it worth buying a weekly/monthly pass?
What is the exchange rate/currency?
Do I have the currency loaded on my calculator app?
How to say: Do you speak English? Please/Thank You. Hello/Goodbye.
Do I have the language downloaded on Google Translate?
Do I have the offline map downloaded on Google Maps?
Do I have my list of possible things to do done?
Do I have ideas for restaurants or foods I want to try?
Have I booked any critical things in advance?
Have I booked walking tour(s) or excursion(s)?
Do I have lodging and walking tour locations saved on map?
Where are the walking/running routes?
Is there an expat or meetup group?
Is there a running club?
Do you have any scars or broken bones? I have only broken one bone and it was my pinky finger. I have a few scars, mostly from skinned knees, but also I once cut my thumb-pit pretty badly with a knife, and I once fell and hit my chin on a doorframe. The latter was my ONLY time I have ever had stitches (and I was in my 20s).
Who was your favorite elementary school teacher? This is a trick question, because I went to a one room schoolhouse, so we did not get a new teacher every year. In the years of K-6, I only had three, and they were all wonderful. BUT, the Kindergarten teacher used to strum her guitar and we would sing (it was the 80s, I remember a lot of Yellow Submarine and Anne Murray) and I loved that!
Ernie asked:
I guess I could scroll back, but I wonder what you did for work before this trip and when/if you are done traveling will you start back to a job and if so will you work in the same field, or try something new? I used to work in Finance and it was lovely, but I don't anticipate going back. However, we do have licenses that we have to keep current, and I am contemplating whether I should keep renewing them. Re going back to a job, I am working on becoming a free agent, so we shall see how that goes.
Bugsy asked:
As I am staring at my jury summons...what, if anything, do you need to deal with something like jury duty? If you are traveling, you can try to make a case that you are not in the country and they will often postpone it. If you are living outside the country, you would need to show that you are no longer a resident of the state that you are registered in and give them your new address and then I think you would be excused for good. However, just a side note, even if you are not living in the US, even permanently, you CAN VOTE. So, go and vote, people!
Have you considered (or have already) considered changing your residency to a non-state income state? I've seen people on YouTube talk about South Dakota, "America's Mailbox." I am guessing that you watched this episode. To this I would say that you should do your homework. I believe that some of the states where there is no income tax may not have a very good affordable care act healthcare program. So, if that is something that is important to you, you may want to read the fine print. Also, CA and NY are notorious for making people jump through more hoops than states like TX or GA when you want to "prove" that you are no longer a resident of their fine state. So, do your homework and if it works for you, have at it. I am going to hold off for now.
Okay, well that is a lot of things to digest. Now it's your turn!
Did any of my answers surprise you? I would love to hear if you guys have a "go to" list or any kind of checklist that you use when you are going on a trip or vacation. Also, backpack or roller bag? Let's discuss!
I do take both a backpack and a carry-on roller! Though I did take one trip to NYC with my husband with only a bookbag. We were arriving early in the morning, only staying for 4ish days and I knew I'd be carrying my luggage for a while. One backpack worked fine. Now, we're travelling with two kids so there is a bit more gear to carry along! But I haven't checked a bag in over a decade.
ReplyDeleteI have checked a bag due to camping gear! They don't allow tent stakes in the carry on, which is kind of a pain. But that was when I got a free checked bag. Now the budget airlines even charge for carry on. I am sure you may avoid that since John has the Air Canada status, but wow, its kind of a pain to have to pay for carry on!
DeleteSo much to talk about! "If you are financially prepared don't wait" - as someone who is sitting in that groove, it feels harder to make the leap the closer I get. It is literally like sitting in a jail cell with an open door but still not being sure that it's OK to walk out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to want to live my life over, but if I had it to do all over again, I would not have gone to college straight out of high school. It was what people were supposed to do, but I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would have been so much better off going to work and then doing college later. Oh well.
I hate the sound and feel of luggage wheels rolling! That's another reason why I like car trips over plane rides, so that I can basically use my car as a suitcase.
My two cents on certifications is that it depends on how hard it is to keep them vs the cost of letting them lapse and then getting them again. I will go to the grave with an active CPA license because it's very easy/cheap to maintain but it would be very hard to get again if I let it lapse. And plus it's the "wow" set of letters that I have. I'll probably keep my payroll certification going for a while since it's an easy way to get attention if I'm looking for a job, but the process to maintain it is the same as letting it lapse and getting it again.
Lots of food for thought on the state residency! Because I look at so many paychecks, I always get a pang when I think about my state and local taxes compared to someone in FL or TX. I've heard that the grass isn't always greener in states with no income tax though, and since we're not moving I am going to choose to believe that. Also it feels like kind of a moot point if you're "low income" aka FIRE.
I love this comment! I agree with you about going to college right after HS. I think that having a year to figure out what you want is a great thing, and I am not sure why we don't do a gap year. As for the jail cell, just walk out; you are free! Haha. As soon as you do, you will be very happy that you did, let me tell you.
DeleteI just want to say that WOW! I have actually been someplace that you haven't--both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. LOL
ReplyDeleteWell then, you need to give me some pointers! I was supposed to go to Yellowstone a few years ago but there was a family emergency so we had to go home early. However, I imagine it is also quite busy in the summer! When did you go?
DeleteI live about 70 miles from Yellowstone National Park, and it's such an interesting place with all the geysers and bubbling paint pots and wildlife. It's also very busy and full of tourists, so I don't go there very often. I should write a post about cool things to see where I live. I kind of take them for granted. Back in the day, I probably would've preferred to travel with a backpack, but now, the weight of it would bother my back. I'm all about the rolling suitcase these days. Funny enough, I kind of like the sound of the wheels!
ReplyDeleteYou should write a post about the places! And give me tips of when to go when they are not too touristy! That is kind of why I have not gone to Yellowstone before, to be honest!
DeleteI have been to so few national parks here in the US so that is something that we would really like to do with our kids when they’re older and at better ages for travel. I know who I’ll be talking to when it comes time to plan our California trips!
ReplyDeleteThe decision about what to do with your CFA is tricky since it has become so so expensive to maintain it. I don’t remember it being so expensive 10 years ago when I first got the designation I guess that’s inflation but I swear the rate of inflation is much higher for the CFA. When my colleague Paul retired, he stopped renewing it. So when people ask if he is really retired (There are a lot of people who can’t believe that he actually retired) I tell them that he did not renew his CFA. That’s how you know someone is truly done with the industry.
It is expensive, and I will probably keep renewing it for a few years just in case. I plan to review after maybe 5 years and decide what to do then. I love that Paul stopped renewing it, but am not sure if I am quite ready to make that plunge yet.
DeleteWow, I am stuck on one-room schoolhouse. I am just staring at the screen thinking about that.
ReplyDeleteBackpack when we went to Italy, roller bag for other trips. But carryon only for all!
Yeah! It was K - 6 and I think at most we had maybe 40 kids? But I loved it and it was fun to be with all of the other age kids, and to have the same teacher as everyone else. I bet it was hard for the teacher though.
DeleteThis was so fun to read!
ReplyDeleteDo you have older posts about your one-room schoolhouse experience? I lived in a one-room schoolhouse district, but my parents for some reason chose to have me go to the larger public school. (Perhaps because the schoolhouse was 30 minutes from our house in one direction and their offices/the public school were 30 minutes from our house in the other direction? I'm not sure what the bussing option was for the one-room school.) Anyway, sometimes I wonder what that would have been like!
Thank you for the new places check list!! So many helpful things to consider.
I don't have any old posts about the schoolhouse, but I enjoyed it. Our big school was about 45 miles away, and actually after I left the little schoolhouse, they closed it and had to bus all the kids to the big town! Also our HS was there too. It was over an hour each way though and it was a long day! The little school was great; it was only about 30 kids of all ages and so probably helped socialize us to other aged people (not sure if that is good or not). Also the teacher could teach us at our level rather than worrying about teaching a "curriculum" to one grade. I think it was beneficial in the end.
DeleteThis post is chock full of info and I am here for it. We love national parks, but I've never been to California. We have done Yellowstone and Glacier. Enjoyed both. I'd love to venture to other parks. As we prepare to go to Italy (and by prepare, I admit that Coach checked some books out of the library, so I'm letting him take the lead on this), I appreciate the suggested apps to download, etc. My sister just told me to download the Rick Steves app, so we know where we're going. I used a backpack when I studied abroad in college. Fun fact that I intend to get to one of these days in my closet recap (maybe that's where this info would fall): Mini is using my same exact backpack for her semester abroad. I use a roller bag for other trave, but I hope to get a new roller bag. Mini borrowed mine to go on a college visit while in high school and it hasn't been the same since.
ReplyDeleteI love that Mini is using the same backpack. My Mom had an external frame pack that she brought with her when she moved across the country in the 70s and I have used that to go backpacking too! It has since been retired, but it was a good old beast.
DeleteHopefully, we'll still have National Parks when you come back to the U.S.! Hahaha sob.
ReplyDeleteI love the list of things to check off when you're visiting a new place! That's so helpful. I'm bookmarking this post so I can refer back to that list the next time I travel!
There's not too much to love about living in Florida these days but no state income tax is pretty nice!
Thanks for answering my questions!
No state income tax is good. CA has up to 13%+ and that can be a big chunk of change on top of the Fed rate!
DeleteThis is a great list, you got great questions (and gave thoughtful answers) though I took Diane's question entirely differently than you did. If she had asked me, I would have thought about what things I like to visit when I go somewhere. Like, "Oh, I have to check and see if there is a post-impressionist museum nearby" or "I always go on the hunt for the best pancakes", that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteThat is kind of what I do, but it is more of a list of things to do or eat than just one specific thing. I like to have options!
Delete