Over a decade ago, Jesse and I came up with a light philosophy on vacation and travel. It isn't very precise nor is it written down, and we have to remind ourselves of it from time to time. Basically we want to avoid delaying experiences and travel is one of the top priories in our budget.
We realized that it is folly to wait to travel until that convenient time called retirement. It's easy to convince yourself that retirement travel will be more advantageous. You imagine a time with much fewer commitments, a more plump investment account, and freedom from those work responsibilities. If things go right, you are absolutely correct on all of those counts.
Yet there are many downsides to delaying travel. First of all, if any of your travels require a higher level of fitness, good luck fully experiencing them at retirement age. Second, if you have children, how many of these trips could be taken with the kids right now? (We think in the modern world it is important to raise kids with an innate understanding that there are thousands of cultural differences out there, and near-infinite ways of living. Travel is a great tool toward that education.) Third, if you have parents or other family with whom you get along, traveling with them can offer bonding experiences most don't get after they escape childhood. Finally, while it's morbid to consider, you just might expire before you ever get a chance at those delayed retirement experiences.
If you are someone who prioritizes the experiences that go along with travel, I highly recommend not waiting until the perfect later date to start checking off destinations within your reach. Most financial situations require that you be creative with your modes of transportation and your itineraries. We feel that the sacrifices made in other areas are so worth it in order to make sure your budget can accommodate travel. The time spent fitting your plans to your budget is well spent.
Get out there if you can! Make memories with your family. Learn more about how other regions or cultures live differently than you. See the things in person that you thought you could only see in pictures and videos on the internet. Live life and carpe diem!
Ephemera
I was today years old when I realized Lumbergh is also Kent Davison (Veep).
…
…
I’m close to the “build my own site generator in Ruby” stage of my blog. Probably inspired by barf. Hopefully something that can build itself on sr.ht or GitHub, so in theory I could write in a browser if need be. Inevitably it will later be replaced by my own blog software.
…
…
A little more about what we're trying to accomplish with Good Enough.
…
…
Some links that I found interesting:
- Talking about the similarities between web development and musical careers
- Running a paid membership program
- Coding accessibility (YouTube)
Click through for more ephemera.