Hi Ted

I’ve been following your trip from the first posting on your site. Glad you had a good time and I’m looking forward to your second mission I’ve got two years saving before I go, my situation now is very similar too yours before you started planning.

How the Fing hell are you going to clear 12k in that time? If you tell me that secret I won’t have two years saving!

What’s it like being home after that long mate ?

Shaun

Oooops !! I meant 2 years

Being home !! Ya know, its not as bad as I thought it would be but thats probably because im so busy catching up with friends and family and not back at work yet. I've thrown myself into a bike restoration and already trying to make plans for some other smaller trips this year (just to stay sane).

I never thought id say this, but i acutally missed England and iv learnt to appreciate what there is going here. As much as we all complain, its not a bad place to live and after seeing how some people live and suffer, i think we dont have any scope or right to complain whatsoever !!

Well, i really hope you stay strong and make it out there. I know you can and probably will

Ted

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’m sure I will make ‘go date’ which at the moment is March 2011. It’s still a long way off but, you know the story. In September 2007 it ALL seemed like an impossible dream but, I’ve moved back in with the folks and now I’m spending loads of money on prep.

I didn’t plan on moving home it just worked out that way, and since September I’ve been buying books and maps and researching every spare moment I’ve got. In February this year I sold my FZS 600 Fazer which paid for THE bike, a nice 2003 TT600RE – since then I’ve done the following...

Aluminium Panniers
Pannier locks
Rear Rack
Pannier Racks
Pannier Mounting Kit
Centre Stand
Crash Bars
handle bar risers
20L Long Range Tank (second hand)
CRD Sump Guard
Acerbis Rallye Handguards and Fitting Kit

Sheep Skin Cover
12v Outlet
Zumo GPS

2 man tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Coleman 533 Stove
other camping bits

ALL the tools

Most of my new rider kit and a few more bits, including $1000 in cash…

I’ve still gotten 500 on one card and 1900 on the other but, now the preps almost done its head down and pay them off.

I recon by December I will have paid off both cards and one loan, leaving another loan to get sorted over the years 09 and 10 while saving the 8k for my dream trip. I’m 44 so living at home is HELL sometimes at least if I do move out in the next couple years I’ll have the bike and all the kit I need, with most of my bills paid off.

I’m still in Debt the same amount I was in September last year but, Christmas this year will be a happier story. Two cards and one loan at zero with an overlander parked outside and all the kit needed for my ride into Mongolia, then the ROB

It still seems a long way off but I’m making inroads, at least now when I look at all my stuff the dream is very real. Work now has a purpose and the bills don’t seem as bad because, I can pay off 350/400 a month with what I’m saving on rent. Thanks mum I still pay rent, just not as much.

Regards
Shaun

This thread has always been an inspiration for me in the past 1-2 years. When i first checked in here, i was neck deep in credit card loans and other financial obligations besides earning a not-so-well paying job. I never once imagined i'd see the end of the financial tunnel.
But things changed for the better. I moved to california to a welll-paying contract. the credit cards are paid off completely, the car and one bike are paid off as well. Am still single ;-)
I took a trip down to mexico this past december and came away with not too much $ damages.
Now, i have $7k in the bank waiting for a trip to central america this year-end.

My point?
Just that it is important to keep the faith. And keep trying. We'll all eventually make the $ to do the lifetime trip.

shridhar

well, after years of dreaming about my big trip , the house is up for sale !!! with the profits made from the sale of my place i will be able to spend six months or a year on my bike , going to all the places i have so far only dreamed about , and i will still have enough to buy a smaller place when or if i decide to come back . is it possible to be incredibly excited and maybe a little nervous at the same time ? . i have not felt like this since i was a little kid on christmas eve .....

im kind of in the same boat as Geoff...im working in Iraq till September 2009 then coming home and starting my travels with hopefully 100k in savings. of course i gotta spend lots of time with the family cuz ive been over here 2 years so far with one more to go.

that's how i hope to pay for it all...3 years in the desert saving money. i have no debt from credit cards, loans, or vehicles, they are all paid. i will have my house paid off next month. i dont plan on selling all that when i go just in case something happens and i have to come home early or anything. plus if i dont find a place id like to settle down more then i'll just go home.

obviously im not gonna spend anywhere close to my savings in a year or two but if i do feel like i am spending too much and want a job i dont think it will be too hard since i work with computers. im traveling to central/south america and will learn spanish before i go, ive already started. computers are universal so it wont be much of a change, just different language.

my only real advice to add, which has already said im sure since i didnt read everything, is that do what you can while you can. there will come that day when you get too old or limited physically where you cant do it anymore. the last thing you want on your mind as your growing old is what you should have done and how you missed out. plus you'll have plenty of stories to tell the kids and grand kids....

Well I've managed to do it!
I've got the required money in the bank and my last salary being paid in soon and that's me out of Iraq in the morning!! Not quite the amount I was looking for but have $50K (and $20K back-up) and a month to do the final prep and visas before heading off into the sun with the bike!! Whey-Hey!
I know to some people it sounds bad of me saying I only have that much but as the thread initally asked 'How do you afford it?' IMHO it comes down to how much do you really want it? I really wanted it and even risked my life to pay for it.
Extreme..? Yes, I now hope it was all worth it. On the travels I'll be thinking of ways to pay for the next trip without having to go back to the desert!

(Afplayboy....... keep your head down, powder dry and run fast!)

__________________
Geoffshing

'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'

I've had a change of heart about borrowing money....

DONT DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I borrowed £7,000 for my trip which I took out as a 5 year personal loan. I also managed to use £5,000 on my credit card (£2500 just for Antartica etc)..

I really really wish that I didnt have this debt hanging over me. The loan payments are not a financial issue to me as long as I have a job, but THAT'S WHAT I HATE !!!

I don't have the financial freedom to just leave on another trip or tell my boss to screw himself. Im now a total prisoner to my direct debits and will be for a few years.

I really really urge people to save, sell, skrimp and steal rather than borrow a large amount of money which can take years to pay back. There is nothing worse than coming back home with a huge sense of freedom and adventure and being even more trapped and than you were before you left.

I met many people on the road who borrowed money like me. Now we're all home, we all feel the same way.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

i am in the process of selling my house , and going off on a trip lasting anything from six months to a year , i hated the thought of coming home to a huge credit card bill , so i looked into getting a prepaid card , it seem,s that all you do is pay the money up front , and then you can use it just like an ordinary credit card , so no monthly direct debits to deal with , and no ever increasing interest payments to deal with either , and you can keep track of what you are spending . more info here Compare prepaid credit card fees online. Which prepaid cards

I’d second the vote against borrowing cash if you can avoid it. I recently went away for 12 months backpacking – no biking though apart from the odd day’s Honda Baja hire in Thailand and Laos. Again it all comes down to your circumstances but I had been saving for quite a while and took voluntary redundancy a couple of years before I left (then I had another job).
While I was away I was fortunate to have the luxury of not working (except three months volunteering which cost some cash), and not having to budget in the slightest. I could have done the trip far cheaper, but I never went overboard on things like accommodation, used a lot of local transport but I did manage to do loads of diving, socialising, buying stuff, parachuting etc without having to worry about having to earn that money back at a later date, or work in some sh!tty job for 6 weeks to be able to afford it.

After I came back it took me a while to kick my @ss into the world of working again and then I blew a lot of previous savings I had (bad move in hindsight)…..

So – borrow money if you have to and are happy with this decision, but make sure you balance that off with not having to worry about paying off that you are about to buy, and not being able to do some things on your travels as you are worried about the debt you’ll build up. As pointed out, it also leaves you a lot more flexibility about what you can do in the future. And if you want to, you can still do that sh!tty job for 6 weeks if you get the opportunity, and keep your stash to extend your trip another 6 weeks!

So, I may have even posted ealier regarding this. We decided we were going to drive round the wrold about 2.5 years ago and have been saving hard since. Still got 8 months to go, but when we leave we will have enough money to be away from 3 years, and plans in place to extend our trip. the first thing we did was examine our finances, cancel all stupid spending and pay off our credit cards etc. Now, instead of paying 100s of pounds of interest each month on lioans and credit cards, we are receiving £100+ in interest!

I suppose what I am trying to say is that it is hard putting the money away, but if you change your lifestyle you can do it, and it soon brings it's own rewards. On top of that we are going to be set for a LONG time, and come back with no debt. There is even a chance that within ten years we will be able to continue non stop. I think if you do take the instant access route, this will never happen.

the other thing is, if you are saving, you can still enjoy this lifestyle, but jsut do it in your OWN country! Camping is pretty much free, and there is loads to discover on your own doorstep.

Anyhow, I'll update just before we leave with how the 3+ years has gone.

Good luck to all the dreamers!

__________________
Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

What a very interesting thread. This is one of the first things that struck me when I first found this site. How the hell do people get the time and the money.

From reading through this all is now apparent.

I am realtively new to biking and to travel. Infact I had very little interest in travel other than the typical summer beach holiday until I got my bike licence. Just 2 months after passing my test I was heading off on a 2 week trip to Spain.

Now I am out in Iraq for 6 months I have quite a bit of time to think about my future. Career, House, Girlfriend, Travel etc. Not necessarily in that order. Oner thing for sure is out here I am saving more money in 6 months than I ever have manged in 2+ years before. SO the debts are paid and I am looking to get a new bike on my return to Blighty.

I will have a job to go to when I get back though and at the moment am concerned about taking a couple of months off as I would more than likely have to resign. With having the mortgage I would want the security of a job upon my return. Although I am renting a room so that is generating some extra income but is not enough to meet the mortgage payment.

Initially I am looking at possibly 2 - 3 week blocks off work and then just covering Europe in segments. In 3 - 4 years I should be able to see every country in Europe up to and including a visit to Moscow & St Petersburg. I just find my head constantly buried in a map looking at various routes. Being young at 27 I have no need to really make the jump for the big trip as there is plenty of time to save and plan. Which make me interested as to how old (young) you travellers are.

So the plan is various routes across europe.
Then UK - Aus
Alaska - South America
Africa

A sort of gradual world trip. As others have said I am sure it would be a lot cheaper than going to each country seperate for the annual summer holiday whilst also getting to experience a lot more of the cultures and also get to see a hell of a lot more.

Enough from me. Safe travel all

I married "up"! Works for me!!!

__________________
Ride Safe!
Kurt Nugent

My Motorcycle Travel Site
My Photography Site
Where is Kurt???

I am taking the same route that a few others have mentioned on saving up money.

Working in Iraq. I just finished up one stint that allowed me to pay off all debt from college. My next stint will be my savings for the trip I am planning. I estimate to have about 100k US saved up after having my bike purchased and prepped for the trip and all the travel gear I need.

My question is about work. I really don't plan on limiting myself b/c of a lack of money. I want to enjoy myself while I'm young and have no obligations. I like to drink, I like to eat good food, and I like adventure. That's what the trip is about.

I am a licensed engineer back in the states and figure that I can do some consulting or technical work abroad if I need more money. Does anyone here have any suggestions on where to look for engineering jobs abroad?

__________________
West Virginia University 2006
Beta Theta Pi - Beta Psi
Ride Report: TAT...and Beyond

It appears spending months/years of your life getting shot at is the best way to save money!

That is at least 6 of us who have spent varying amounts of time in Iraq. I spent 10 months there is two stints, and saved enough to facilitate the next couple of years travelling. No food costs, no boozing costs, no rent, and nothing to do, good recipe for saving money!

Get that one way flight to Baghdad booked!

Joel