Should i sell everything and travel

Facebook Marketplace is a new innovation. You can pretty much sell anything legal on Facebook Marketplace. You can even buy and sell houses on Facebook, without an agent. Most things we wanted to sell, sold. We totally failed to sell our BBQ, that was surprising. Our garage sale raised several thousand dollars. We rented out our property long-term through a local agent.

We got lucky, our tenants paid on time, did little damage and the second set were in our home for 4 years, accepting annual price increases. You also need a trustworthy agent who will monitor the state of your property.

There are a lot of horror stories of tenants refusing to pay or trashing houses along with many, like ours, of things going well. If you value your garden and have a swimming pool you will need a pool guy and decent gardener. Another option would be shorter-term leases, either through an agent or via AirBnb. If you choose these options you can charge higher rent but there is more risk of periods of emptiness and more hassle and drama at change over times.

Such agencies are fairly common as Airbnb booms. You will need reliable cleaners and laundry technicians. It helps to have some money put aside for emergency repairs, we had bills for new pool pumps and air conditioners while we were away.

A million little tips on saving money add up to a big cash pot in the end. It really does feel better to just have a few items you love and use often. I scanned all of our photos but still I stashed the originals in the attic.

I probably should have ditched them. We kept all paintings, art, and photos in frames as they were, wrapped in plastic wrap. It was very good to see them again. My kids are older now and they are reading them.

Most of the toys we sold had been gifts that they never really wanted nor connected with. Get rid of as much electrical equipment as possible. Including Christmas lights, extension leads, and power boards. Anything that lives outdoors should go. Weathering ages outdoor gear, including the BBQ and gardening equipment, fast. Sell it while it still has value.

We did get rid of loads, so this next sorting will be repeating a task that we should have got right the first time around. One or two boxes had been infiltrated by mice, cockroaches, or spiders but by far the majority was absolutely fine. Items packed in cardboard boxes came out worst. A mouse had chewed its way into one and another had disintegrated under a tiny roof leak. Very little had really deteriorated through age, other than, surprisingly, running shoes.

So if you can, sell your running shoes. A couple of kitchen items, plastic-handled spoons and spatulas had gone sticky with age and had to go in the bin and as mentioned above electric items no longer feel so safe but otherwise, everything was fine.

So our best advice is to invest in plastic storage tubs and plenty of tape. Be sure that everything you pack is completely clean and clothes freshly laundered.

We think the mouse had come hunting for a crumb inside a toy. Dirty clothes would have gone mouldy as they do here in the laundry bin after a day. There are obstacles to consider in moving to other countries, nomadic travel, and leaving your home country to live abroad. Moving abroad to travel is fairly easy, tourist visas are normally straightforward to get so long as you meet requirements.

These normally allow you to stay in your destination country for a short time, maybe two weeks or three months. These days some countries are starting to offer special digital nomad entry visas, that allow you to stay and work online.

What you do about tax depends on which country you are from, and which country you are in. Check all regulations carefully. Take what you have and upgrade or replace as you go.

Clothes are no problem at all, just take normal clothes but electrical items quickly become a headache, particularly for us as nomads of the digital variety. You can see our Travel Essentials here. So does it sound like a plan? Are you ready to sell everything and travel, start over,move overseas or become a nomad? Tell us in the comments. Want to know more about what we went through during the selling process? Maybe also look at our 3 month and 1 week countdowns to departure to get a taste of the realities, it was hard at times and maybe I was a little scared to make the jump into travel as a lifestyle.

For us, it was the best thing we ever did. Im by myself and take meds every day, what do you suggest. Im retired and own my home. Traveling can change our perspective about love, lifestyle, possessions, what we need to be happy, who we are, who we can become, and about humanity as a whole!

Sometimes, all you need is a change of clothes… and deodorant… and a toothbrush. You know what I mean! The American dream is traditionally the house and picket fence image. When I travel, I have a suitcase and a backpack with me. With so few things, I still get to see amazing natural phenomena, unbelievably ornate old buildings, fascinating historical sites, and delicious food. YOU are the one worth investing in.

This is true, psychologically speaking, because when you own something, you are responsible for it. Responsibility is a huge downside to ownership. Think about renting a house vs buying a house. In the same way, every item you own is your responsibility. If you want to dispose of something, you have to figure out how to get rid of it. People sometimes talk about how children take away freedom, but unlike everything in your house, you can take a child with you a lot of people travel with young children!

Having lots of stuff prevents you from moving easily. It may prevent you from traveling because you have to pay rent back home. I think the ultimate feeling of freedom you get from owning just a few things trumps the pain of lost possessions.

Planet Earth is a big, mysterious, interesting place. It has something for everyone! I had no idea that walking around the empty maze of Venice at night—with its corridors of varying width and numerous canals—would feel so magical. But it did. There are experiences out there that would make us question everything we believe in the best way possible.

And there are challenges out in the world that we think we could never overcome, that we will prove otherwise. As someone who makes a living researching and writing about habits , I have a theory. Try to get some extra hands on deck to help. We supplied coffee and donuts and had a bunch of friends come over to help monitor, answer questions, and carry different items out for customers.

Some items are big and heavy and not everyone is strong, so we had people available to help. Let your helpers know what you expect as far as bargaining for certain items. For everything else, allow your helpers to negotiate for you to a price they understand you are comfortable with.

They are fast, they are wild, and they are so busy. But they are a lot of fun, and they make you some quick money while also helping you get rid of TON of stuff in a short amount of time. Signs with large, bold lettering on main roads and intersections help direct people as well, but many yard salers look at Craigslist and Facebook first to plan out their routes for the weekend. It could be different in your area, but in St.

Louis it was commonly understood that Sundays are half price days. These events are very similar to yard sales and garage sales, but you have to bring all of your items to the event, which takes a little more effort. They tend to be pretty well promoted throughout the community too, so more people will be anticipating coming to the sale and spending some cash. Personally, we did one of these and chose not to do another one just because it was a large hassle bringing boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of items out to the event when we felt we probably could have made close to the same amount if we had just sold items in our own yard.

This may vary person to person though, especially depending on the items you are selling. Pricing your items can be confusing at first. A lot of it depends on the specific items, the condition, demand for the item, and the going rate in your area.

But here are a few general tips for setting your prices:. So start slow — sell just a few things at a time, do your best at setting prices, and see how it goes. We had no clue what we were doing when we started selling our stuff, and pricing was really confusing. But by the end, we were able to look at just about anything and immediately know what we could get for it.

And as soon as that season wraps up we will find ourselves in the midst of holiday shopping beginning — so this is a prime time to start getting your belongings out of your house so that you can move into your soon-to-be new home! Jayme is part two of the fantastic duo behind Gnomad Home. She writes about van living experiences, and she works to highlight other vanlifers and issues of social justice within the vanlife community.

She's also extremely passionate about bringing people together for common community causes, and she's the lead organizer of the Midwest Vanlife Gathering.

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This post also contains affiliate links. If you want to stay comfortable in your van no matter the weather, you need to insulate. Insulation is one of the most important steps of any van build, and it pays to take the time to do it right. Some of the biggest logistical problems that full-time nomads face revolve around not having a permanent residence. Excellent Article!

Great detailed advice on how to downsize successfully, because it can be hard to part with items. Would love to see the update on the travel. Take care! Thanks so much. I tried placing an ad on Craiglist to give the unit away but got no takers. I was going to try again this morning when I got the email for this. Great timing. Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

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