© 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.
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
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
Find Me
SOCIAL MEDIA
I'm not really doing mainstream social media at the moment, but if that changes, you'll see it here!
📧 EMAIL: MyPassportsOnFIRE@gmail.com📑 MEDIUM Member? My Travel & Money Articles🗞️ SUBSTACK Notes: Follow my SS Notes📌 HOME: Colorado's Western Slope