Ok, the title and subject may strike a nerve on some people, I didn't know how to put it any other way but my concern and questions are honest as well as legitimate. I don't want this thread to turn into a display of bad temper by my comments as it would in other forums I belong so please keep the reply helpful.

I am an American, by birth not necessarily by choice. I was raised by a patriotic Vietnam vet and ex-hippie in the typical ideals of an american, that bigger was better, capitalism trumps over common sense, and that we are the best country in the world. That being said, I know all three are basically not true. Smaller is efficient, common sense prevails, and that in all countries, peoples are pretty much decent, the governments just can't get along and like to fear monger.

Now to get on with my questions and concerns. In all my reading, most recently, Lois Price's books, it always seems to be the European, or Aussies that are doing the real adventuring, going away overland for months at a time, running the Dakar, sailing the world, doing the stuff that makes life worth living. It seems that when ever something great is done, or a record is broken, it a Brit or German, very rarely an American. It also seems that these groups also have, what, to me seems like a lot of money to do these things with.

Being an American, I had the typical load of credit debt, major student loans and a high interest house mortgage. I've since paid off and disposed of my my credit cards, and lowered my mortgage. However, just yesterday, I was reading on this forum that budgeting for a south american trip is about 20k USD, OUCH!! how do you guys do that? 20K is half of my student loans and I'm 30, in the prime of my life? We want to sell our house and just travel, but get distressed by the cost. Debt is no longer an option for us. So what do we do?

I'm not jealous, or bitter, just inspired by others being able to do these things. I'm not concerned with having a retirement nest egg, health insurance, or something to leave my kids as we are not having any. We just want to be free and be able to feel as though we did something with our lives.

Feel free to be as critical as you want, I made my bed, lay in it etc etc, I want to hear the raw truth so that I know where to go from here.
If you are uncomfortable posting your reply publicly, please PM or email me. I look forward to you responses.