How To Bankroll Traveling The World And Living Your Dreams Without Being A Freeloading Little Rich Kid

“I guess if you got freeload money from your rich dad or your partner, then you can spend it as you did. 
But, hey if you are poor, not matter you do, you are still poor.”

This was a comment on one of my recent posts “Three Months In The Life Of A Traveling Entrepreneur”. Bit presumptuous I thought, and just the smallest bit passive aggressive in that unsettling way that makes one think the author might possibly be sitting at his computer right now planning my future demise…I hope he or she at least has a decent cup of coffee with him or her.

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In any case he / she / they are completely and utterly wrong.

Here was my reply, worded in such a way as to not incite unnecessary violence or bodily harm towards my general direction – could be my neighbor for all I know. (George, If you are reading this, I am on to you):

Hi,

Actually, I will have to correct you on that.

I have never received any money from my dad or anyone else that has allowed me to travel. My parents were always big on me making my own way in the world and so was I. I worked as a project manager for a few years, lived on less than 60% of what I earned and saved the rest. I started my company in the evenings when I returned from work and when I eventually quit my job I lived off the money I had saved. Now my company is making money and that is what will fund me in the future.

If you have a mentality of being poor then you will always remain poor. I am not saying it is easy, but it is possible, it just depends on how much you are willing to sacrifice. When I was living on 60% of my earnings I couldn’t afford a car so I bought a motorbike, rented a less nice apartment, went out slightly less then I would have wanted to. I did this because I had a long term plan that is now starting to pay off.

So you can believe that I freeloaded on someone else’s money should you wish to and that is the reason I can do what I do, but you will find that it is not the case.

All the best, Please don’t kill me.

Contrary to my now stalker in the making’s beliefs, how I funded my trip and how I plan to finance the rest of my life was not by freeloading off a rich parent or partner as it seems some would like to think – the reality is that it took a lot of hard work, sacrifice and risk with an equally large quantity of chocolate.

Here is basically how I got to being able to live my current lifestyle – minus the odd awkward relationship, dodgy curry and missed plane takeoff.

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How I Escape The Rat Race

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1. I Read     

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I have always been a big reader but university pushed things into overdrive like the 6th gear on a highly overpriced sports car.

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I have read probably hundreds of books on business and the art of running companies, on psychology and the understanding of people and their behavior, on money and the art of making and controlling it, on economics and the current world financial systems, on creativity and the art of thinking outside the box, on the lives of great people who inspire me and from whom I can learn.

I read because I know it is essential to invest in my mind so that I can achieve my goals – and so that I can vaguely pass as intelligent enough to be worthy of at least a second glance for the female population. The main reason to read – Investing in ones mind and girls.

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2. I Planned  

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There is not a day that goes by, save when my mind is already prior engaged with thinking about chocolate, when I am not thinking of the future and making plans for how to get there.

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From the last year of university I knew I wanted to become an entrepreneur and run my own companies. I also knew, from reading of others who have travelled that path that the journey would not be easy. I therefore made plans and went clubbing. Plans came first.

I explored potential business ideas while still in university, everything from chocolate ovens to NASA hair gel, then planned how they could be developed and used my relative free time as a student to meet with people, learn from them and make connections. I made best use  of the free business advice universities offer and try out a few of my ideas, all of which failed…most very badly.

After university, instead of looking for a job, I planned to set aside 18 months from leaving to pursuit one of my business ideas with a new found business partner – A big 6ft2 black guy who also happened to be a genius. My thoughts were that even if the business didn’t work, I would at least have lifelong protection.

This business ultimately failed so I landed a job as a Project Manager. It was a great salary and I could  have lived very well on it but I had a plan for the future so I lived on less than 60% of it and made sure I saved the rest. My plan was always to learn what I could and be out within 2 years with enough savings to give me another shot at my on business. I  left after 18 months with enough savings to “Buy” me another 10-12 months of living without any income in order to pursuit another business and make it profitable after the first year. This is sounding boring now isn’t it.

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3. I Sacrificed  

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I was happy to forgo short term benefit in order to gain in the long term. I didn’t want just one marshmallow, I held out for two.

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For the first 18 months after leaving university when I could have been in a well paid job I was instead working 16 hour days and living on beans in a crappy little shed of a house doing odd jobs for people to make ends meet trying to get my business of the ground. Definitely not the glamorous life and there are many occasions I sat on my bed and though “What the hell are you doing man?”

When I took the Project Manager job I had actually been offered another management position with another company that paid almost twice as much. I turned down the higher paid job because I felt the Project Management job would give me better skills for my own businesses of the future. It did, how not to run a business.

I took less holidays away while I was working so that the time I had away from the office could be spent learning and developing skills and ideas for future businesses.

I had to forgo cars, holidays and a nicer crib in order to save the money I needed in two years to give entrepreneurship another go.

Even now I have not taken any money out of my profitable business as my partner and I have agreed to keep all the profits in the company for the first 12 months. Yeah, pretty much shot myself in the foot with that decision.

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4. I Failed  

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I have failed so many times in almost everything I have done that if I had them all listed in front of my I would probably want to shoot myself in the head – well the foot has already been done.

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I spent 18 months nurturing an ironically named company “Nurtur” from a tiny seed to just the point where shoots were showing and then it got stamped on hard by the heavy and unforgiving boot of cashflow.

I have invested time and money into tens if not hundreds of projects that have ultimately gone nowhere although I still think the chocolate oven has potential.

I have happily failed at being the “Perfect” career ladder employee in pursuit of my own goals and dreams which means that while a lot of my friends are now four years into a job and have the bonuses that come with it, I am still on rung one should I ever go back to corporate life. As it happens, this is quite a motivation to stay the hell away from corporate life.

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5. I Risked  

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I basically played a real life game of “Risk” where I decided on an attack route, placed all my little plastic figurines in order, aimed them at my target and then went “Oh please, oh please, oh please….”

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I risked unemployment when I turned down my first job offer out of university to pursuit my first company – from experience, break that one to the parents gently.

I risked delaying my career when I turned down the substantially higher paying job in favour of the one that would teach me the most. Yeah, that was the Audi A4 down the toilet.

I risked putting a black mark on my career history and future promotions by quitting my job after such a short period of time – and the boss wasn’t happy. Ahh well, he was never happy, someone should give him a hug.

I risked everything falling apart around me when I packed up and left for Thailand which fortunately it didn’t and their were great ice cream places.

I am currently risking being broke in the next 3 months if anything happens to my businesses before I draw any money out of them – fingers crossed but should that happen if anyone would like to buy me a sandwich I would be greatly appreciative.

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I Rest My Case

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So to my friend/stalker/future bain of my life who made the initial comment, while I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my site while sitting on your computer planning my death, freeloading money from my parents in order to live the life I am currently able to do I have most definitely not.

So to recap for everyone else, this is what I have found to work to get out of the Rat Race.

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Read. Plan. Sacrifice. Fail. Risk. Chocolate.

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and not necessarily in that order.

Living a life of travel free from a job is possible regardless of your current financial situation, it just takes time and a lot of sacrifice.

My current lifestyle may still fall through but then do you know what i’ll do? I’ll get another job, save even more and then in 18 months time i’ll start all over again.

Wait scrap that, Ill eat some chocolate icecream first then I’ll get another job, save even more and then in 18 months time and start all over again.

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