A few weeks ago I took a vacation to Colorado. I came back refreshed, revived, and inspired.
Reducing my wage earning hours and eventually getting rid of wage earning jobs all together is my goal. After being in CO I want the freedom to go there more often. I don’t need to be on vacation all the time, I don’t mind doing a little wage earning and/or being self-employed. Eventually I’d like a large percentage of income to be passive income.
Things to do to have the freedom to travel:
- Get finances in order (took big steps since I returned)
- Have a savings account that covers 3 months of living expenses
- Have a laptop (eventually upgrade to one that can access the internet through a phone card)
- A reliable and gas efficient car
- Arrangements for someone (probably my youngest son and his girlfriend) to live in the house and take care of it while I’m gone. I’ll still have some of the space mine for when I’m in AZ.
- Internet sites producing sufficient income
I’m not going to wait till I can I can work away from home, I will plan several small trips while I work up to meeting my goals of total freedom to travel. I hope to go to CO again this fall or early winter and help my dad out on the ranch and get stuff ready for winter.
I usually work every day and total anywhere from 52-65 hours on the clock with both wage earning jobs. I also write a little for pay and have my internet projects. So to have two weeks off and part of the time I got to be with my daughters without leaving for work was absolutely wonderful. The second place I visited I didn’t have internet access which turned out to be a blessing and made me really take a vacation.
The beauty of the place mixed in with being relaxed and not working was a wonderful experience. I don’t take vacations much. I visited my step-dad and his girlfriend (both my parents are passed away) on their 40 acre ranch for a few days. We enjoyed horseback riding and doing the tourist thing. My daughters stayed and just loved being country/horse women for a couple weeks. I went and visited a friend for a few days. It was beautiful there also. I had my dog with me and she just ran through the woods and wildflowers ears flopping and her tongue hanging out…completely happy.
As I drove home I had lots of time to think and I’m knew I wanted to be free to earn money from any location I travel to. Colorado is at the top of the list to visit regularly. After I got back I realized the value of vacations.