I’ve mentioned before that we’re planning to eventually spend a lot of time abroad.
Sure, it’s still a long way off, but all this time allows me to research, research, research.
Things like: visas, projected costs (and savings!), housesitting, digital nomadism, finding the cheapest air travel, where to go, packing, and of course… can I bring my Instant Pot???
To assist, I created a “Travel” file in Evernote where I have the following notes:
- To-Do (things like renew passports, take a self-defense class, get “global entry” and more)
- Countries / Research (a long list of all the places we think would be fun)
- Airfare/Train (how to get cheap air including the travel hack of “chasing miles”)
- Packing (backpacks, carry-on, suitcases, first aid kit, clothes, herbs, food, etc)
- Technology (adapters, cell phones, VPN, laptops, and more)
- Accommodations (options, costs, etc)
Embracing minimalism will make this move abroad easier (and cheaper), so I’ve slowly donated and sold things. Admittedly, I get a surge of energy and excitement when I purge things (though not sure my husband or daughter share my thrill – sorry, Greg, about that bottle opener).
Learning from Minimalism experts, I ask myself two things when deciding whether to keep or get rid of something:
Would I buy this now had I not bought it before?
Considering those two questions is powerful in inspiring me to just let… it… go.
I will share what I learn about living abroad as I go. I hope it helps someone considering the same thing much as all the blogs I’ve read have helped me.