I will be the first person to admit that 2020 in a way broke me down. I was tired, overstressed and quite frankly over the corporate environment. Maybe your situation mirrors mine and you are working too many hours in a high stress environment. As a result of the high stress environment, your and my health can be impacted.
Escaping for My Health
My career enabled me to travel the world and for the most part I enjoyed my work. But after a health incident I re-evaluated the timing of my plan. It was time to escape. If your work is making you physically sick or your stress level making you emotionally sick; maybe it is time for a life change. The prevailing thought I had after my health incident was that I could have died in my chair. Work would not have stopped, management would simply pan to the remaining zoom participants and ask “who can pick up her work?”
This is the nature of most software project work; illness or death will not change the deadline. The show must go on!
Evaluating My Mortality
I also realized that my people do not have a history of living to the age of 80. My dad died in his late 60s, my mom in her 70s and my grandparents all died before the age of 60. Therefore, I made the decision to take a long break. The break was good for my health. The headaches abated and my stress levels normalized.
After a few weeks of resting I knew that I could not go back to the same type of lifestyle. I had to make a clean break. It was time to kick off my Great Escape.
Money Matters – The escape plan
Before you leap through the escape hatch I have some advice. Moreover, my retiring early required years of planning. So, do not decide today to escape work with pocket change in your bank account and a mound of debt.
Financial Preparation:
- Pay down debt. Step one in any escape plan is to reduce debt. During this phase do not add new debt. Work side gigs as needed to eliminate high interest credit cards. One practice is called the snowball method and pays off the lowest balance first applying the paid off amounts to the next lowest balance.
- Pay off Mortgage. Living without a mortgage has been my plan since I purchased my house. I wanted to have a home regardless of my income and a source of income for my children. To achieve mortgage freedom I purchased a less expensive house and overpaid monthly mortgage payments.
- Build a Retirement Fund. Stash a percentage of your income into some type of retirement fund.
- Live below your means. Stop looking over the fence at what everyone else has. Live your best life within your own budget.
- Create an Emergency Fund. Your fund should have 3 to 6 months set aside for a serious event. How to Create an Emergency Fund in 90 Days
These actions worked for me; however they may not fit with your lifestyle. Do your research and create your own plan.
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedom Awaits
If you wait for everyone to agree with you that your choice is a good idea, you will just end up sitting at home frowning at the pets. Ignore the naysayers. Do not cancel your fun. You can control your adventure. When I picked up my RV, I immediately went on a short trip. Since I was not tethered to work, I extended the trip and hopped to another camp spot and then hopped to another campground. Ya’ll I did not want to go back home. So I stayed out until I ran out of food.
My escape led to a feeling of being free. You can also experience an escape or a feeling of freedom. It is up to you! So where are you in your escape plan? If you are afraid of traveling solo, read a post I wrote on planning for solo travel.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to spend a little time with me. I am very new the RV lifestyle and blogging, but we can grow together.
2 thoughts on “My Great Escape – Finding Freedom| Solo RV Travel”
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Wonderful! You are amazingly brave. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you Brenda!