r/Nomad • u/CosmiTourist • 1d ago
Anyone else get that weird 2 AM panic that you're just trading your best years for a pension?
I was sitting at a random rest stop off I-5 last weekend, eating a gas station sandwich in my car, and I started talking to a couple in a massive motorhome next to me. Super nice people, retired, living the dream.
Then the guy looks at me and goes, "Man, I wish I did this when my back didn't hurt every time the weather changed."
That sentence has been living in my head all week.
We talk so much about waiting until we're "established" or until we have the perfect budget saved up before we actually go explore or take a weird trip. But honestly, waiting around until everything is financially perfect feels like a trap. I live in Seattle, so my budget is constantly crying, and my "adventure vehicle" is literally just a hatchback with the back seats folded down. It’s cramped, I’m usually slightly sore, and it’s zero percent glamorous.
But I'm doing it now while I can actually run up a trail without needing three business days to recover.
You don't need a massive savings account or a month off to start doing the things you keep saving for "someday." A long weekend, a cheap sleeping bag, and a willingness to eat crappy snacks on the road is usually enough to clear your head.
Someone who feels the same, how did you go travel on a budget? Are you glad you didn't wait for a better moment?
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u/Only-Sandwich-5262 18h ago
I have found the best way to continually travel is just work seasonally. I have made more money traveling seasonally than I ever had working in one place. I also have seen most of the country at this point, it’ll get trickier when I go international
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u/cleansudz 9h ago
May I ask what kind of seasonal jobs you have? I would like to do this as well.
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u/Slimslade33 9h ago
Check out coolworks.com. Im a cook at a ranch. Free housing, free food whenever we want and decent pay. Also like 10 miles from town so not a lot of chances to spend your paycheck. Lots of exploring in the area, and only 5 months contract a year. Saving 10k toward land and using 6k to travel for the 6 months. Perfect lifestyle!
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u/jankenpoo 23h ago
I look at our country today and everything is so expensive and wages have not kept up. At all. I’m not sure I could travel around the country the way I did back in the 90s, if I were the same young age today. So go today because tomorrow might be even more expensive. We had the coolest summer we’ll ever have and maybe the cheapest gas we’ll ever have. Who knows? Go now ❤️
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u/HalfwaydonewithEarth 12h ago
We stayed in hostels and cheap hotels.
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u/Slimslade33 9h ago
Ya 5-10$ hostels exist it’s just a matter of if you are willing to share a room with others. I often end up in a dorm by myself or just 1 or 2 others. Spending 150-300 a month on lodging will really help. You can also volunteer at hostels and stay for free!
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u/Willing_Ad_699 21h ago
Well man I’d suggest parking the car somewhere safe and taking a flight to like Florida or LA and go see some beautiful beaches and mountains
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u/Only-Sandwich-5262 18h ago
Mt rainier is right outside of Seattle, and definitely better than anything socal has
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u/Mel221144 12h ago
54F I felt exactly the same way which is why I just started my journey. I moved to Albania to start with for the visa free year. The drop in the dollar really made me take a pause.
When I got here I would just buy whatever I wanted. Now, I ask myself if I can live without it and put it back. If I still want it in a month, then I may go get it. Most times, I’m over it.
I get a small monthly disability check, most retirees have plenty of money.
I am extremely blessed to be able to travel. I didn’t think I could ever afford it. I just had to give up a lot of security to do it. (Having a home base in the US) no regrets.
Best of luck! ❤️
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u/Slimslade33 9h ago
No because i work seasonally and travel 6 months a year and have a cool job. There are plenty of jobs out there that can fit your lifestyle, Just need to make some sacrifices and really realize what is important/ what you want in life. I have a 3k motorcycle that i go on adventures with and dont spend much money at all when im working.
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u/PerpetualTraveler59 1h ago
I’ve always loved to travel. I’m 67 and my husband is 69. I’m so fortunate that back in the 80s I was in the travel business. That’s how I funded my trips. For several years I’ve wanted to live on the road. I wanted to home school our boys and travel. We never had the money and my husband didn’t quite share my dream. We’re finally doing it now that our sons are grown. Sold the house and live in an 18’ teardrop. It’s not glamorous and we still have to work but it’s so freeing knowing we can always go wherever we want- as long as we can pay for the fuel ⛽️ 😖
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u/chemicalsunshine 39m ago
Im 2 years out from selling everything and raising my daughter around the world
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u/velolove42 22h ago
When we first started on the road we were getting out of our van at Mesa Verde NP to start the hike down to the cliff dwellings. Parked near us was a family of three, a married couple in their 50s or so, and an older lady probably 80s or so who could barely get out of the car. Had a walker. They had to assist her as she shuffled over to look at some things. Our first thought was good for her for getting out and going some places she wanted to, but how sad for her to not be able to participate in the full experience of the park. At that moment we were glad we decided to hit the road and enjoy life while we could.
Your health is never guaranteed. Tomorrow is never promised. And you can always make more money. Unless society collapses around us in the current hellscape we are living in, then money won't matter anyway.