‘Don’t be a dumbass’
This felt like the unspoken words of many when I sold my house to travel the world.
You will not find the idea of funding a jaunt around the world with what is likely to be your biggest investment in any financial advice column.
Advice like this would more likely come from a stoner in a hostel bar in Bangkok.
In 2019, I sold my house and did it anyway. I’m lucky I had a soulmate who was equally as crazy as me to make the journey with (and a one-year-old to complicate things).
Guess what?
Four years on, we are still here – thriving, actually (against popular opinion). The world didn’t end. No matter how hard Covid tried.
In this article, I share a few lessons learned through selling up to follow our travel dreams. From where things have worked out to what we would do differently.
Let’s dive in.
LESSON #1 - We Enjoyed Freedom. For a While.
Selling the house brought an unexpected feeling.
A feeling of freedom.
Selling was the ultimate reset from a life I felt powerless to change. I felt overwhelmed by the pressures of society to conform to a narrative of life I did not like.
Selling changed all that. It allowed me to live life on my terms.
Did it work? You betcha.
You know the relaxed feeling when you return from a two-week holiday somewhere?
This feeling became the norm.
Holidays are different. For only a short period, you enjoy a mindset shift. Away from your routine. Your job, responsibilities and obligations. It’s great while it lasts – it’s healthy.
But when you go home, you quickly return to normal life. And we accept it. This isn’t so healthy.
Imagine feeling this sense of freedom for nearly a year. Living this life changes you. There is a hidden price to pay for this freedom though.
When you free yourself from the claws of society and its supposed rules, you reveal the true version of yourself.
It can be confronting.
But it is a starting point for a better version of you.
Coming home, I was a different person. I returned home as someone who had clarity, a purpose, and a better partner and father.
LESSON #2 - Regrets? No Way
Life becomes so simple when you are living out of a suitcase.
It puts what you truly value into perspective. You might be surprised about yourself if you try it.
For a long time, possessions defined my place in society. Not consciously, but just well… did.
Owning a home. Owning a car. Going on holiday. Things like this are what only a tiny % of the world’s population can afford. I did it without thinking about it.
I loved owning things and ‘stuff’ as much as anyone. Phones, gadgets – you name it. Many an hour was wasted looking through shopping sites – looking for the next thing to buy.
Owning these things felt like part of me. Even when I couldn’t afford it.
When all of our possessions went into storage, I didn’t think about any of them once. The only time it ever came into the conversation was when the monthly storage bill would arrive.
I realised I didn’t need any of this stuff to be happy.
This lesson taught me the value of minimalism. A value I now live by every day.
This period of living out of a suitcase was incredibly liberating. As Jimmy Carr said in an interview recently:
‘There is nothing you can buy at your local shopping mall that you will give a fuck about in five years’ time’
I have learned by replacing many of my possessions with experiences, you can live a much more fulfilling life.
My garage right now is bursting at the seams with stuff I once valued. Soon it will be gone and the cash will be put towards something much more meaningful.
LESSON #3 - Work/Life Balance? Whatever.
Living in the 9 – 5 grind allows little room for anything else.
Living outside the 9 – 5 world for an extended period opens your eyes to other ways of living.
In Western society, working weekends and overtime is seen as a badge of honour. Fourteen-hour days, staying behind late for the good of the company. Good on you.
There are exceptions. Cash is needed sometimes. For someone with an investment, absolutely work is required.
But for most?
I’m sorry sunshine, but if you died tomorrow your position would be advertised within a week.
Living in Portugal for three months, I got involved with the community.
I met locals I now call friends. Some of these people had sacrificed the demanding money-chasing lifestyle for a much simpler life.
This community (amongst many others in Europe) is not without its problems but in my opinion, pisses all over any form of ‘work/life balance’ lifestyle I have witnessed in New Zealand.
The true meaning of work/life balance is a personal decision driven by your personal values. No one else.
Any company preaching work/life balance in their work environment is still deciding your time for you to some degree.
Your ideal work/life balance is all about your attitude and appreciating what you have now.
Not chasing the horizon in search of career-driven goals that will likely swallow up all of your best years to achieve. If you ever do.
Thanks to my experiences in various European communities, I learned a different way of living. A life of living in the present and practising gratitude for what you have in front of you.
Real-life experiences change perspectives.
LESSON #4 - Hello, Creativity
Leaving my home and possessions for an extended period changed more than my mindset.
It sparked the creative side of my brain. This is what you are reading right now.
Long conversations with my partner at night were the catalyst.
Away from the noise of home, Netflix and conversations about work led to this spark.
This spark has resulted in:
- Launching my blog website
- Publishing my personal memoir in 2021
- Learning two languages (Italian/German)
- Ongoing development of my copywriting career (website coming soon!)
Selling my house to travel the world revealed my true self.
LESSON #5 - (Gulp!) Was It Worth It?
That’s enough positivity and silver linings.
Now time for some harsh truths.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Given the events of 2020 & 2021, selling the house was a mistake. A costly one.
House prices ballooned in New Zealand. I haven’t looked at property estimates for my old properties for fear of crying. More than ever, I want a property crash only for my selfish reasons so I won’t feel so bad.
I have had my moments of upset. My moments of doubting the decisions I made. These times never last long, but I often wonder if I could have worked things differently.
I don’t beat myself up though. No one predicted a worldwide pandemic to cause the effects on the world it has. Ok, Bill Gates did, but that’s another story.
Instead, I now put a positive spin on the whole situation. It is the only way.
My destiny is now, more than ever, in my own hands. I’m only at the starting blocks.
I have an arsenal of new tools in my backpack that I have learned through this experience and use these tools to carve out the rest of my life.
It’s a liberating and exciting feeling.
Would I have been thinking like this if I had not sold up and travelled?
No way. I would have probably been the same miserable prick I was before I left. Probably a single one too.
Selling my home may be the biggest financial mistake I make in my life. I have accepted this.
The flipside is I’m now in a position and mindset to give myself every opportunity to create the life I want for myself.
It took sacrifice to get here and it was worth every cent.
Hi Marc ~
Like you, we sold our house in NZ to hit the road. So far (14 months in) we are so happy we did!
Sure, you worry about money occasionally, but solutions present themselves.
I love how travel has made me look at new books, new languages, new ways of living!
It’s definitely worth it, though not without challenges!
Thanks for reading Christine.
The whole journey has changed our lives in so many ways as I’m sure you are finding out! Excited to follow your adventures 🙂
cheers
Marc
That’s a really interesting article and a great perspective for people regarding taking a chance in life !
I made a huge change myself in 2018 so understand a little of what you explained. Thanks for sharing something so personal.
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