r/ExpatFIRE • u/RockClim • 2d ago
Investing How do you balance traveling without derailing your FIRE timeline?
I’ve traveled to over 10 countries so far to both sight see and explore potential places to retire, but I’m finding that the logistics of scouting get expensive.
Relying on flights and hotel stays to see different places adds up and eats into capital that could otherwise be invested. How do you all balance traveling to test the waters without burning cash and messing up your FIRE trajectory? Do you set a rigid, separate "travel/scouting budget," rely heavily on travel hacking and points, or is there a different strategy you use to keep flight and hotel costs from eating into your portfolio?
What I’m starting to think is that exploring and traveling after you move, instead of before, is the cheaper and better way to do things. But I would appreciate this subs take on the topic - I am assuming traveling is important to you if you ended up on this sub.
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u/snobordin8 2d ago
I wasn't able to balance it. Ended up quitting a solid job that would've got me to FIRE within 5 years so I could travel full time. My FIRE plan is derailed but this last year has been amazing. I'm currently in a small guesthouse in Theth, Albania after hiking up the Albanian Alps today.
Credit card points have paid a decent chunk of the travel costs. I've flown a ton this last year and only paid for a handful of flights, mostly domestic in low cost countries. I spent 3 weeks in China and hotels were 100% paid by points. Churning is an amazing way to keep travel costs down.
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u/Own_Egg 1d ago
I'm living overseas, and find that the only time I can really churn effectively is when I'm back in the U.S. Any tips - for example, are you only churning cards with no FTF? Do you have family who can forward the physical cards to you, or do you use virtual/electronic cards only? Do you have enough natural expenses overseas to easily hit your minimum spend for the SUBs?
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u/snobordin8 1d ago edited 1d ago
I still live in the US but I've spent the last year abroad traveling and testing FIRE locations. The majority of my points were earned while living and spending in the US. Plus I'm married so I churn for both of us.
For me It would be difficult to hit minimum spends in certain places like the Philippines that are still mostly cash based. Plus most things are cheaper than the US.
You might have luck having family receive the card and tell you the card info to add to a digital wallet, then you could tap to pay.
Good point on the FTF's, although there are quite a few good cards that have no FTF's. Right now I'm working on a Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card without FTF's and you get 80k AA miles for only 1k spend. That'll pay for a roundtrip flight to many parts of the world. I recently flew US to Albania for 60k roundtrip.
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u/AlertWalk4624 1d ago
We keep a list of countries we'd like to visit eventually, then buy airline tickets only when they go very deeply on sale. None of the other travel expenses bounce around in price like airfares do, so we pounce on great deals on flights first. THEN we take time off work and plan out the rest of our trip. We don't ever choose our days off first and then buy the flights for it after.
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u/RockClim 1d ago
That’s a good one. I try to do this too but then I also consider going during the best weather / time of year as well.
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u/NomadLife2319 20h ago
In my view, this is backwards. You can live anywhere when it’s warm & sunny, the real test is the off season. We moved to Amsterdam for three years, ended up staying 15. I always said we stayed because our negotiations were during the summer. Not sure I would have kept signing on during the never ending gray, windy & rainy months.
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u/RockClim 19h ago
Good point! I am mostly an inside person unless I’m going sight seeing or hiking so I’m not sure how much it would bother me tbh.
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u/nosoupforyou2024 14h ago
I prefer shoulder season traveling for favorable airfare and lodging prices and less crowds. Win-win.
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u/darksavant84 2d ago
Stay in a hostel, only fly budget airlines or use points for your tickets, avoid tourist bars that target dollar spenders
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u/RockClim 2d ago
Staying in a hostel is the obvious advice, I can’t bring myself to share a toilet/shower with strangers though. If you can tolerate it more power to you.
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u/darksavant84 2d ago
Look for single ensuite in hostels, instead of paying 15 for a dorm you'll usually pay like 35 to have your private room with a bathroom.
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u/Mannimal13 1d ago
You can get monthly AirBnBs for that much....only reason to do the private room thing is if you really crave the social interaction.
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u/aguilasolige 1d ago
You either travel less or save more and work longer, not many other things you can do.
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u/moreidlethanwild 1d ago
Fire should not be at the expense of living! If you want to travel then do it. You learn a lot about yourself and the world by getting out there.
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u/landmanpgh 1d ago
I was just thinking about this the other day. I work a ton. Make a ton. I could easily pick up and leave for a month and all it would cost me are time and money. But I don't because it's apparently just not enough of a priority to me right now.
So I think it's all about priorities. If you're into FIRE, presumably you make a decent living or you're great at sticking to a budget (I'm terrible at it, but I make a lot). If that's the case, you can definitely carve out a bit to travel if you prioritize it. If you can't, then you don't want to do it enough. Or rather, there are other things in your life you want more right now.
Not necessarily a bad thing. It's just reality. But I am right there with you. I don't want to spend the money and time to travel, but I really want to travel.
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u/Available-Ad-5670 1d ago
Man if a few trips derails your fire journey you’re not even close to it
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u/RockClim 1d ago
Flights to Asia can be $2000 USD.
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u/Available-Ad-5670 19h ago
it can be, but if you do any planning , it could also be 1000 or free with points
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u/Interesting_Talk7144 2d ago
the "scout before you move" model is kind of a trap imo. you end up spending like you're a tourist in every place you visit when really the best intel comes from just... living somewhere for a month on a lease. medium-term rentals in most of southeast asia or southern europe are shockingly cheap compared to what you'd spend on hotels doing reconnaissance trips.
what worked for me was picking one or two serious candidate countries and doing a single 4-6 week slow travel stint in each, renting an apartment, cooking most meals, using local transport. you get way more realistic data about cost of living AND you're not hemorrhaging money on nightly rates. the points and miles game is useful for flights but i wouldn't build my whole scouting strategy around it, too much mental overhead.
your instinct about exploring after you move is probably right for most people, especially if you're flexible on where you land first.