Slow World Travel WITHOUT Going Broke?

[@anniesshenanigans3815]

Thanks for answering my question!!

[@2GoRoam]

Thank you for submitting Annie, really interesting question to get my teeth into. Best wishes.

[@markandannette]

Great conversation Neil, Annette & I really enjoy the more touristy locations being balanced with not as touristed places. We also really enjoy being nimble as well, we have a couple months planned out and leave it at that just in case we need to change plans as we go.

[@2GoRoam]

Thank you Mark, being nimble is also so much more fun eh, not knowing what comes next, there is a world of opportunity. Hoping to see you guys when you are in France & Europe this year. Best wishes!

[@Andy-su8ch]

A brilliant video Neil what great idea old age care on a budget in the warm thanks for the nudge, worth looking into 👍👍

[@2GoRoam]

Thanks Andy. We will be in Asia around this time next year and while there, we are going to investigate the options there and will share on video.

[@markandannette]

@@2GoRoam I promise Annette& I are not stalking you but your reply to the comment above caused me to chuckle, we are planning on going to South East Asia next year as well. If we do not meet with you this year maybe next?

[@carried1379]

What a brilliant video. Thank you SO much Neil

[@rwmorrison0223]

Great info on being a nimble traveler rather than a tourist!

[@2GoRoam]

Thank you! Pleased it resonated with you.

[@bronwynlind7561]

Good video, Neil - thank you, and thanks to Annie for asking the question! I'm very much looking forward to seeing your budgeting projections and hearing more about your reasons/thinking behind the home in Spain! 🤩

[@2GoRoam]

Yes, we have a lot to share on both over the coming year. Really exciting!

[@roelf8044]

I like this word 'nimble' and it perfectly matches how I look at handling our finances in the future as well. No point in trying to make predictions about the future. We also try to stay flexible by taking care of our health and exercising our brains.

[@2GoRoam]

Excellent. Maintaining this approach to life will give you so many more options. Hope you find the perfect life as you go forward.

[@albedo0point39]

One thing that concerns me is whether ‘developing world’ locations will remain cheap on a 20 year timescale when considering later life care. These countries are likely to become richer and more expensive over decades.

[@nncadi1]

@@albedo0point39 I wonder the same thing

[@ChrisLivingInYork]

Look at the lowest and average wages in Asia at present and then look at the lowest and average wages in the developed world. See if you can see a pattern by looking at if they’re predominantly a service or manufacturing economy or a combination of both. 😊

[@albedo0point39]

@ which doesn’t address the question ‘where will they be in 20 years’

[@ChrisLivingInYork]

@@albedo0point39 if they continue to focus on manufacturing and development countries are serviced based economies there will be a gap. In every country in Asia they have one thing in common and that is plenty of cheap housing because they keep on building even when there isn’t the demand

[@2GoRoam]

I think the point I was trying to make was that if prices inflate around the world there are two positives in being more nimble. Firstly, looking at cost of living, when we were in Thailand a couple of years ago, we were eating amazing meals that cost ￡1.00 each. I guess a similar meal in the UK would be ￡13 each. So to compare... If there was 100% inflation in those 2 countries, the meal in Thailand would double to ￡2.00 and the meal in the UK would double to ￡26.00. The second point is, if Thailand becomes more like the UK from a cost perspective, then being nimble means that we investigate other locations and costs. Where will we be in 20 years time (answering the question of @albedo0point39 ? We have absolutely no idea and that is just how we like it. To know that would be the opposite of being nimble. Hope that helps clarify more than I articulated in the video.

[@allanhowe6569]

Very well said in response to questions. Thanks for all your hard work. I recently found your channels and your advice is sound and pragmatic, and great help to me , as I get ready to retire in 2 years. Also channels on retirement , slows travel are often from the US but not some many from UK, so thanks again.

[@58slewins31]

sounds like u and i are ontrack for retiring at the same time. i cant wait.

[@2GoRoam]

Thanks Allan. That was what drove us to set the channel up in the first place, that there didn't seem to be a voice out there from the UK. Hopefully I am in some small way giving insights that help you.

[@58slewins31]

Love it. thanks for another great video.

[@2GoRoam]

Thank you so much and thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it.

[@bluemanchester4344]

I don't see how housesits for anything other than several weeks at a time are financially economical unless they're located in a high cost of living area or close proximity to where you're currently located? I've only met a few people who have done them and they were for two weeks at different ends of the country. It cost them time and money and they saved very little in cash value.

[@BoninBrighton]

@@bluemanchester4344 when we visit our adult son in Australia we housesit which saves money on Airbnb accommodation. We save on A/C too.

[@bluemanchester4344]

So you visit your Son in Australia and he goes on holiday? I made the point because these house sits are often mentioned, yet I've never met anyone who's had a good run with them.

[@bluemanchester4344]

FWIW I'm staying in my mum's house for a month whilst she has some Spanish sun. So I'm saving a month of rentals. Although Jan/Feb in Manchester isn't so great.

[@BoninBrighton]

@@bluemanchester4344 we’re currently on our 3rd sit in this current session in Perth Australia and it’s been great mixing visiting our son plus x3 house sits. In total we’ve been here 6 weeks which is far too long to stay with our son but perfect for seeing him every few days or so.

[@bluemanchester4344]

@@BoninBrightonSounds very good and interesting but how do you get the house sits? Do you use an agency similar to the one Neil has mentioned? When we started this lifestyle I (wrongly) factored in some house sits for family in the expensive summer months in the U.K and Europe whilst they took regular holidays. My wife's son has a lovely large two storey, three bed garden flat in Hampstead which is left empty for a good ten weeks every year but it's not offered because they don't agree with what we do and don't want to make life easy for us. We need to buy a house and stop being silly is the mantra.

[@wasillastacker]

These days being an American I think I would be too concerned about going anywhere in the world. Even to what I've always considered friendly countries. As of how crazy most of the world must believe Americans are these days.

[@trevor5526]

I'm a Brit living in Thailand for 16 years. I've worked with American, Australian, and Canadian colleagues in schools, and none of us ever had any negativity from Thai's. In the village that I live in, the locals are always very friendly and welcoming. I feel safer here than I would if I lived in the UK, and my pension goes a hell of a lot further.

[@2GoRoam]

I concur with Trevors answer here. I have other American friends that are very nervous of how they will be received when traveling the world and to be honest, this is a non-concern. However crazy we all think you Americans are, we still all love you :-). But seriously, we find and American friends that also travel find that people are kind. You'll be taken on face value. If you appear a brash American or Brit come to that, you won't be positively received. If you are respectful and humble, you'll be loved. Hope that helps.

[@andrewrobinson2565]

At age 90 I'm not sure if the weather through the window will be my major concern 😊.

[@2GoRoam]

More a case Andrew that I'll be totally shocked if I am still kicking around at 90 lol!

[@andrewrobinson2565]

@2GoRoam Precisely.

[@sonjak2395]

I would be interesting in how you do you data storage and back up. Especially with all the footage. Do you use a cloud service such as OneDrive or so?

[@2GoRoam]

Hi Sonja, yes I use cloud storage for all footage as well as a multitude of SSD drives. Security of data is my primary concern however so I secure things pretty tight. Nice thing in our house in Spain is that we have 1GB up/down Internet which means this is a great place for me to get organised before we head out on our next adventure.

[@livingworkingoutsidebox]

Great Video Neil. Really enjoying the direction you are steering your channel in.😊💪 I'm finding my mindset has shifted from seeing retirement as drawing down or eroding our savings/ investments, to how can we build more income producing streams within that Tim Ferriss 4 hour wook week parameter. 🤔

[@2GoRoam]

Well yes that can be a great way to maintain a good living standard. I guess the good thing is that you can lean into doing things that you love rather than your younger self having to do work simply to pay the bills and live the rat race. Tim Ferriss book is a great read and inspiring.

[@travellinman382]

The increasing cost of living (COLA) is indeed a concern. I remember I used to golf with my work colleagues (worked a rotating schedule with different days of the week off). There was an older gentleman who worked at the course. He was a retired boss from our employer years prior and on a pension. When he first retired, his pension was great. 25 years later, it was terrible due to inflation. I always think of this as I get nearer to retirement.

[@2GoRoam]

Absolutely. One of the points I constantly raise in videos is the old word 'Budget'. It is something that I know people rally against but if you have a budget then you can track against it. The people that worry me are those that spend without consideration for the future. I think you of all people will be in great shape for this as you age, your head is screwed on right :-)

[@colinmason8566]

Thanks another great video - are you guys officially Spanish residents now? So you can stay for more than 90 days etc?

[@galaxblunt8795]

these days the economic struggles in many countries, wondering if you feel its getting more riskier in terms of the petit crimes aganst travellers at all?

[@2GoRoam]

In a word, no. It appears to me, more of an issue in the UK and the US. In our travels in the last 4 years, those are the only countries that we have ever felt any level of safety risk.

[@blahblah-qx4uk]

First world problems here.....but it doesn't matter if you're working or retired, travelling or settled in one place, you have to live within your means. The idea of drawing down a retirement portfolio doesn't interest me, as I want to leave assets to my family. So that means living within the 8% average return. If that means I can't travel as much then that's fine. Having an investment property in my home country I can move to if needed is also a safety rail, as I would get an age pension, free health care and somewhere to stay. At other times it provides rental income.

[@MarekWenta]

And I also think that it is not ethical for everyone to travel. As the quoted comment shows, many should focus primarily on their own education because they only have quasi-knowledge provided by media so-called experts

[@2GoRoam]

Hi Marek, I think this is one of the posiitives of travel. I have learnt significantly more about the world through my own eyes rather than what I ever learnt watching places on TV in the UK. Education is absolutely key and 'travelling' to Cancun in Mexico for example... isn't actually seeing Mexico, it is showing an almost Disneyfied version of what is a wonderful country. Agree with you totally here.

[@bluemanchester4344]

Most things in life seem not to be ethical, and then you die. I don't quite understand your comment. Are you saying people should not travel? But educate themselves by not visiting anywhere or traveling?

[@MrKlawUK]

your investment savings should always factor in inflation. one of the first things you’d factor in so should not be a worry. You estimate in ‘today’ numbers to help you go ‘I need X per year’ based on today, but the return estimates include inflation so the actual withdrawals will be higher.

[@2GoRoam]

Yes, you are quite correct here. Inflation is one of the biggest risks to our money as is our own appetite to risk itself.

[@katyad3508]

Hi Neil, do you have kids? If yes, how it is affecting them that you are away most of the time?

[@ericcantona3503]

He doesn't. Lucky so-and-so! 😅

[@2GoRoam]

Hi Katy, as Eric says, no we do not have kids. We do have family back in the UK however and Sarah still has her mum who is 90 years old. That is obviously a struggle, however, Sarah makes sure she speaks to her mum every single day, no matter where we are in the world or how complicated our travels are. It is her top priority, even doing her Groceries for her online. This is one of the biggest challenges though for sure.

[@bluemanchester4344]

@@2GoRoam What a loving and loyal daughter, and even with that her Mum would rather watch bargain hunt than watch your videos. 😄

[@bluemanchester4344]

It's in jest. I know Neil lost his parents whilst travelling and i've lost a parent recently. It makes a difference not having that contact even if they did annoy you at times.