Round-the-World Budgeting, Part 3: Saving Money Post-Trip

Money management for our round-the-world dream doesn’t end after our trip is over. I can already envision our reaction when we lay eyes on American, and especially New York City, prices for the first time after eight months away. While it’s hard to say how the trip will change us and where our thinking will be a year from now, we do know that for the sake of our pocketbooks and for our sanity, we need to ease back into our lives in the States rather than jumping right back in with relish.

Photo by Christopher Sessums

The last month or so of our trip will be spent roadtripping around the U.S., visiting friends and reconnecting with folks we don’t get to see very often. It’ll be great to be around familiar people and environments as our trip draws to a close- a warm hug and welcome back to the country. It will also alleviate the double wammy of going from a life of constant traveling through foreign places to the routine of life back in the States.

Even though so much is online these days, being in the States will also let us get a head start on the job search- it’s always easier setting up calls and interviews when you’re in the same country and in the same, or at least nearby, timezone. And it helps to have something to do rather than sitting at home twiddling our thumbs waiting for people to call back (or not).

If we can start easing back to “real life” bit by bit rather than suddenly finding ourselves sitting depressed in our apartment, jobless and leaking money, it will make the entire reintegration process easier. So even when we are back, our plan is to stall and put off “real life” for at least a few months.

We’re renting out our apartment while we’re away but even though we’re only going to be gone eight months, the hope is that we can rent it out for a full year. When we come back to the States, we’ll hopefully be able to stay with family or sublet a temporary space at the fraction of the cost of our mortgage. Not having to start paying our mortgage, cable, utility, etc. bills as soon as we get home will draw out our savings and give us some mental “breathing room” rather than making us panic as we watch our bank numbers go down, down, down. Sound easy enough? We’ll see..

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