Passports On FIRE

Travel YOLO -Meets- Adulting

Waiting until retirement for Big Travel is a terrible and outdated idea. I share big & small ways to scratch your travel itch AND save for the future.6-figure salary NOT required!

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© Katie McCarthy. All rights reserved.

Hi, I'm Katie

"You have a budget of $2000 to plan a trip to Europe. You must see at least 3 countries, and stay at least 7 days. Describe where you go, what you do, where you stay and how much it costs."That 6th grade geography assignment was life-defining for me! I borrowed Frommer's Europe on $20 a Day (yeah, it was 1981) from the library and discovered courier flights, the Youth Hostel Association, and the Eurail Pass. I got 22 days in 9 countries out of that $2K.Skipping ahead 40+ years to today...I'm part of the FIRE movement - Financial Independence Retire Early. The #1 thing everyone wants to do when they retire is travel, but I made travel a priority the day I handed in that geography assignment. By the time I was 16, I had refined my goal: I was going to work my way around the world. And then I did it. Well, I'm still doing it really - I never outgrew the thrill!I use the strategies and habits from FIRE to make all of this possible on an unremarkable 5-figure income. I'm sharing all of the financial knowledge and tricks I've picked up along the way so that you too can travel now and achieve your financial goals.

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Travel

Despite an amazing five months in the Philippines when I was 4, my childhood didn't really feature any travel. And I never felt like I fit in with suburban New Jersey. So off I went!Highlights of my travel experiences:- 1991 First solo trip - Italy!
- 1992 Moved to Edinburgh, 6-month work permit
- 1993 Wedding in Venice!
- 1994 Cycling & language month in Italy
- 1996-98 Taught English in Spain & Japan
- 2000 Returned to NYC
- 2003 Brazil - first time in South America
- 2005 Thai massage training in Bangkok
- 2007 First group tour - of Jordan!
- 2012 TWO trips to Africa, 3 weeks each
- 2013 The Trans-Siberian (not-so) Express!
- 2013 3 months in Amsterdam, digital nomad
- 2014 First Cruise, to Alaska
- 2016 2 months in Prague, digital nomad
- 2017 1 month in Thailand, digital nomad
- 2019 Petsitting in England, digital nomad
- 2019 Bariatric surgery + dental in Tijuana
- 2023 Returned to Japan
- 2024 Birthday in Morocco

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Money Milestones

The good, the bad and the ugly that I've been through with my personal finances so far. I'll try not to bore you.1975 - Opened my first savings account, 5% interest
1981 - First babysitting job, $2/hr (age 11)
1983 - Learned about income taxes and was pissed
1989 - Got my first credit card, $500 limit (age 19)
1992 - Graduated college with just a $6200 loan
1997 - Marriage ended. Divorce cost: $75
1998 - Paid master's degree tuition in full
2001 - Finished off the Perkins loan 2 years early
2003 - Became self-employed - woohoo! (age 33)
2004 - Pushed my parents to declare bankruptcy
2006 - Lent a sister $7K for a car; $4K repaid
2008 - Whole life policy (DO NOT DO THIS!!)
2009 - FIRE was in its "extreme ramen" era 😝
2013 - "Lent" my other sister $11K for a house
2014 - Bought my first house, with my mom!
2018 - Roth IRA hit $100K! (age 48)
2020 - Rediscovered FIRE, found it way friendlier
2021 - Cashed out that disgusting whole life policy
2022 - Attended FinCon in Orlando, hated it
2023 - Total vision correction surgery, $11K

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