Best of Two Go RTW: December 2009
Daniel | Dec 31, 2009 | Comments 5 |
Looking for something great to read? Check out our 'Best of the Month'!
With no further delay, we’re happy to introduce our monthly update, which includes our ‘Best of the Month’! In it we feature our fabulous five: our five most-read posts, our five busiest comment contributors and our five top referring sites. What makes them fabulous? Our readers do! We’ll take stock of our fabulous five once a month in order to celebrate and thank those that make this site special, offering a link back to the sites that have helped our light on the web burn a little brighter. Once a month, we also take a look at our savings, as well!
Round-the-World Savings Update
Happy New Year!
One year and six months until our tentative departure. 547 days. Not that we’re counting or anything! Our savings inched up a further 1% toward our goal despite a reassessment of property value that resulted in a rather sizeable (and unexpected) tax bill. Luckily, we are accustomed to holding a fair bit of cash in case ‘something’ comes up, like unplanned tax liabilities!
It’s a minor setback, but what’s important is we have been putting money away consistently, and have tapped our savings only for true emergencies. The success of any long-range round-the-world savings plan depends less on the rate of return than on consistently putting money away and leaving it there.
Since we began to save in earnest (April 2009) we’re still completely on target to reach our savings goal by June 2011. Our round-the-world savings are held in a high-interest savings account.
Looking at the numbers this month, we’re happy to report that we have reached the 44% threshold to close out 2009!
Presently, we’re maintaining a ~35% savings rate and hope to increase that in 2010. Looks like we’ll be getting rid of one of our two cars in 2010. That’s the plan, anyway!
Saving for such a substantial investment in one’s self usually means making significant changes in the way one think’s about savings and the areas where one spends the most. Interested in our thoughts on saving for a round-the-world trip? Check out our series of articles focusing on personal finances for a round-the-world trip. The series comprises the following articles: Constructing a savings plan for your travel fund, Saving For a Round-the-World Trip and Budgeting for the return home. Have any budgeting or savings tips that didn’t make the lists herein? Please contact us!
Top Five Articles from Two Go Round-The-World
- Is travel self-indulgent?: Travel, to paraphrase France Mayes, is a bit of a paradox. It is at once both self-indulgent and self-obliterating.
- Adapting to Change on the Road: Change is a constant companion to the backpacker. Hence, the key to long-term success on the road is often the ability to adapt. “Adapt to the pace of nature,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson “her secret is patience.”
- Looking Back: The Agony and Beauty of Calcutta: There isn’t a town of any size which does not contain some of the agony and beauty of Calcutta.
- Two Eat Round-The-World: Kimchi chigae: Between 2002–04, Kathryn and I lived in Gwangju, South Korea. Gwangju is the provincial capital of South Chŏlla (South Jeolla) province, and is located on southwestern portion of the peninsula.
- Looking Back: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum: In an old high school in the middle of Phnom Penh stand the remains of S-21, coloured delicately in moss and mildew.
Top Five Comment Contributors
Top Referring Sites
- The Travel Oasis: Gap Adventures is a world leader in the adventure travel industry offering small group adventures on all seven continents and beyond to more than 100,000 global travelers annually.
- Rerunaround: At 36 years old Shawn is probably not supposed to quit his successful career. He’s probably also not supposed to give everything up and backpack around the world. But there he goes!
- Married with Luggage: On a mission to redesign their lives to travel full time. Whether your dream is halfway around the world or in your own backyard, you’ll find information on goal-setting, living well, managing your money, and simplifying your life every week on this blog.
- Nomadic Matt: Matt’s a twenty-something vagabond who has been on the road regularly since 2005
- My Several Worlds: Travel writer and photographer Carrie Kellenberger invites you to explore My Several Worlds. This is Asia. These are my worlds and this is her story.
That’s all for 2009! Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year—we’ll see you in 2010!
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Congrats on reaching 44 percent! With a year and half still to go you guys are doing incredibly well – although I have to admit, the car thing has always been my downfall, I kept my car (and paid minimal insurance
) the whole year I was away…still not sure if it was worth the money! Anyhow, I look forward to following your progress in 2010 
I think that we might get rid of both of our cars for our trip in 2011 — in the interim, however, I’m going to try to get rid of mine. I take public transportation anyway. With a little creativity, I think we can manage with only one car. Kathryn is the only one who requires one, anyway — she’s got a bit of a commute!
Congratulations on keeping to your budget! We dropped down to 1 car 3 years ago and it has really helped us with our savings plan. You just learn to adapt your lifestyle – Warren took his current job in part because they had a free shuttle service to work each day. He would not have considered that as a job perk before when we had 2 cars.
Today we are booking our flights for Ecuador for our departure date of October 1. We’re using miles, so the cost is only $100 for 2 tickets! It is starting to become real now…and it won’t be long for you, either!
Hi Betsy! Yesterday I downloaded your eBook — “How We Saved Enough Money to Change our Lives”. Great read! Put many of the principles you wrote about into practice last year. Just reading it was an inspiration, regardless!
Congratulations on a successful year of blogging and best wishes for 2010!