Recently I have noticed that when I tell people about our upcoming trip I get responses such as “Oh, I wish I could do something like that but I can’t afford it” or “I wish I could travel like that but I have too many bills.”  So, here is point number one: If you want to do fun things, then stop buying so much stuff.  Anyone can afford to travel if they live within their means and don’t put themselves in debt over their heads.  Society tells us that we need to go and put a new 50″ TV on our credit card and work the next 12 months paying it off.  Do you know that the average person in the USA spends upwards of 11 years of his or her life in front of a television?  Think twice about buying that TV and spend the same amount on a plane ticket to Thailand.  Don’t pay for the satellite dish for a year and you can buy a ticket to Costa Rica.  Quit worrying about what people think about you in your old car and you can wander through Africa for years instead of blowing your cash on a new status symbol.

Living Within Our Means for Long Term Travel in South America

Sit down and think about the money you spend on things and ask yourself if these things really make you happier or if they are just tying you down and keeping you from living the way you really want to live.  If you decide you still want the new car then go get it, but ditch the new TV and instead of watching the puffins on National Geographic, drive to Alaska and see them yourself.  Stop telling me that you wish you could, because you can.