Experiences vs. Possessions

We firmly believe a mindset of enjoying experiences much more than possessions is a must-have philosophy to sustain an endless life of travel. A constant desire to accumulate more & more, newer & “better”, latest & hippest belongings will continuously drain your coffers and prevent you from endlessly roaming the planet. If really exploring the planet and not just “seeing” a country or location on a half day cruise or package tour is your goal, then you must plan & savour a worthwhile experience much more than amassing more possessions

“It is preoccupation with possessions,

more than anything else,

that prevents us from living freely and nobly.”

 Bertrand Russell

Much has been researched & written & quoted on this subject. Here’s a good link to a contemporary article:

“7 Reasons Why Spending Money on Experiences Makes Us Happier Than Buying Stuff” 

 When we left San Diego in January 2017 we sold almost all we had accumulated over the years and placed the remainders in a storage facility that would ship any and all bar-coded boxes to us when requested. Our Dodge pop-top camper van “home” could not hold many possessions but they would suffice for the next 11 months. After that we pared down even further when we left North America for another continent, Asia. That further trimming down of belongings occurred twice again, in the Philippines and Australia. Now in Africa we only have 2 small suitcases!

Focusing on experiences instead of possessions, especially when you need to budget your funds, means not worrying about wearing the same t-shirt, pants or sweatshirts over & over again and seeing them in many pictures LOL! Resist the lures of marketing and only purchase items when you NEED them, not just when you want them. We’re not foodies and Vivian is a great cook so we save money by not eating in expensive restaurants. We cook meals in our vans or make sure we have a kitchen in one of our timeshares or Airbnbs. We negotiate everything. Save money so you can travel to more places and stay for extended periods. You’ll gain much more satisfaction from living in multiple countries than buying the latest I-Phone, laptop or TV.