I’ll get straight to the point. The short answer is, it took us years of planning and savings and NO, we are not rich.
Boring, right?
Well, to get a better idea, you’ll need to read the longer answer. Let’s face it, unless you’re born rich or have won the lottery, there’s no easy way to achieve this. You have to choose a lifestyle that focuses on one thing: Saving Money. We have been working towards the same goal for the past seven years. This has meant compromising on takeouts, saying no to expensive night-outs with friends, and being intentional with day-to-day spending.
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But How Did You Achieve This?
Okay, you can totally skip this part as I am going to go into detail to explain. There are four stages of the process.
Stage 1: Turning Denial Into A Possibility
We discovered the nomadic lifestyle in our late twenties, shortly after migrating to New Zealand. Having spent most of our lives in India, it was a new experience for us. Initially, we thought that only Westerners could live this way, given their experience and skills. Moreover, we didn’t have well-paid jobs to begin the saving journey.
However, we later realised that with some planning and patience, it was achievable for us too. Though we might not be able to do it in our twenties like Westerners, we could definitely achieve it with proper planning. We accepted that it would take time (like A LOT) and embraced ourselves for years of planning, hoping that one day, we would be able to live the nomadic lifestyle.
Spoilers Alert: Many tears were shed throughout these years.
Stage 2: Generating Ideas Around Passive Income
Since we had years to prepare and plan for this big step, we decided to create a strong foundation. Even though our idea sounds more like a gap year, we knew we would be in our early 30s when we could turn this into reality. Besides we moved to New Zealand to create a life that wasn’t possible for us in India. So, we knew we couldn’t just throw everything away and walk out. Hence, we set up a base in New Zealand.
Through our research, we discovered the concept of being financially independent and used it to our advantage. We diversified our savings and created a safety net for our future. While we are not yet financially independent or retired, we are working hard to establish our YouTube channel and generate income through it. Our goal is to monetize the channel and start earning through social media platforms like Instagram and Patreon within the next 625 days.
Stage 3: Planning And Executing Ideas
Sagar and I weren’t really comfortable in front of the camera, so we started filming ourselves at home and then ventured out of our comfort zone. We had a long discussion about when to launch our YouTube channel and then we finally took the plunge in December 2020. I (Ami) was pretty ambitious and thought we’d start making money within a year, but since we mostly travelled around New Zealand, we didn’t get many subscribers or viewers but we still had a lot of fun!
Since we wanted to save money, we didn’t take any luxurious vacations or travel internationally in the beginning. And then, to top it all off, Covid-19 put the whole world on pause. At this point, we realised that we needed to set a date to finally quit and go for full-time travel. It gave us the boost that we needed to start budgeting strictly. We also tried to adopt a minimalist lifestyle to save more money. Around the same time, we discovered travel hacking, which helped us to save even more. Unfortunately, there aren’t many travel hacking options in New Zealand, but we made it work and only paid $115.00 to travel to Hanoi from Auckland. I’ve written a whole post about it, so check it out if you’re interested!
Stage 4: Practical Stuff
Our initial goal was to leave on the 12th of May, 2023. We scrapped that plan cause it was logistically a bit expensive so we decided to wait for a couple more months. Believe me, it was one of the hardest decisions we have made in this journey. This time, however, we did not decide on a date but we knew it would be sometime in early 2024. We had a few things to tick off before we could finally say out loud that we were semi-retired. We utilised these extra months to save more money, spend more time with friends and family and tick off a bucket list country: Japan.
We set our daily budget based on your savings and use the time to slowly wrap up our lives in New Zealand, at least for the time being.
What’s the plan?
We have saved enough money to sustain us for the next 625 days. Our countdown began on March 12, 2024; during this time, we aim to explore as many new destinations as possible. We will document our journey on YouTube and Instagram. Make sure you follow us on these platforms. We promise you will not be disappointed.
Our travels going to start in Hanoi, Vietnam. We are going to spend a month travelling from North to South Vietnam. Make sure you have subscribed and turned on the notification for our YouTube vlog as we will be posting videos every week from March 2024.
After spending a month in Vietnam, we will go to Hong Kong, Seoul, Okinawa, Taiwan and Bali. We have planned roughly until June 2024. If you want to know more about our plans, you can become Patreon to get an early update.
During our travels, we will be sticking to a strict daily budget (USD 100). We will post regular updates about our expenses on our social media platforms, enabling you to track our progress. Once we can monetise our content, we hope to continue travelling beyond our initial goal.
Why do you call this your semi-retirement?
We have decided to leave behind the conventional lifestyle of earning money through 9-5 jobs. Technically, we will not have any traditional income at least for the next 625 days. If we do get monetised, that will be a bonus. However, for at least a year, we are going to be living off our savings and not earning or working conventionally.
Don’t get us wrong, we have respect for all professions and appreciate the diversity they bring to the world. However, we have worked in India and New Zealand, and we can say for sure that we are not made for a 9-5 lifestyle. We both have dreams and passions that push us beyond our comfort zone to make them a reality.
We call this our semi-retirement because, with our planning for the last 6+ years, we hope to never have to go back to the 9-5 lifestyle. The foundation we have established will enable us to generate income through various channels.
What if you realise the nomadic lifestyle isn’t for you?
It took us 7 long years to finally quit our jobs. We’re pretty excited because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both of us.
Having said that, our base will always be New Zealand. So, if we ever decide to take a break, we don’t have to start from scratch again. We’re both Kiwi citizens with 6+ years of experience in the local job market. We own a house and a cute little home on wheels. If we realise that full-time travel isn’t for us or we don’t like the budget lifestyle, we can always come back to New Zealand and pick up right where we left off.
We’d love to hear what you think! If you have any questions, feel free to hit us up.
Our Essential Travel Gear
CamelBak eddy+ Water Filter Water Bottle by LifeStraw Integrated 2-Stage Filter Straw
This one purchase has truly transformed our travels. After visiting 19+ countries, we never had to worry about staying hydrated because this stainless steel water bottle has our back. It’s leak-proof, so you can toss it in your bag without a second thought!
Travel Insurance
Make sure to research a solid travel insurance policy before jetting off to any country. We’ve been with SafetyWing since the beginning of our journey, and they’ve provided top-notch customer service. Based on our experience, we can confidently recommend them!
eSIM
This has been a game-changer for us! When we started our 625-day adventure, I was initially overwhelmed by the pricing and limited data options. But switching to eSIM while in Istanbul has been a lifesaver! It offers instant connectivity as soon as you land in a new country. Roaming and local SIMs can be tricky, but eSIMs are seamless and super easy to install before you even arrive. We’ve tried both Eskimo and Airalo and recommend them! If you purchase through our link, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you, and we’d really appreciate the support!
Carry-On luggage
Seriously, this bag feels bottomless! It fits so much stuff, and I’m amazed every time I pack. We initially bought one for Sagar for our Japan trip last November, and after seeing how much he loved the design and pocket accessibility, I just had to get one too! If you’re after a stylish, long-lasting bag, this is it. It’s a bit pricey, but after using it daily for the past seven months, it’s been worth every penny.
Wise Card
What did we do before this card? It’s been a blessing! Transferring money is super easy with minimal fees, and the user-friendliness is next level. Highly recommend it!
Here is the video to give you a better idea of our plans for the year 2024: