Ask Ash: 'I'm Recently Divorced and Find Myself Desperately Needing a Grand Advanture. How Much Does It Cost to Travel for 3 Months in Style?'
Here's a breakdown of exactly how much money you'll need to "digital nomad in style" for 3 or 6 months, staying in short-term rentals & enjoying all that life has to offer
Dear Ash,
I’m recently divorced and find myself wanting—needing?—a grand adventure. The thought occurred to me that maybe I wasn’t too old, stupid, and fat to spend a year traveling to all the countries my ex-partner never wanted to visit. While he always insisted on repeatedly bringing us back to Las Vegas, a place I despise, I longed to see faraway places filled with real culture, and ancient history, and magical architecture, and the sparkling poetry of a foreign language.
Financially, I have enough money saved that I think I could pull it off—MAYBE. But I worry that perhaps things will cost more than I’m thinking they will, especially given that I’m not exactly a 20-something backpacker and wouldn’t feel comfortable staying in a budget hostel with eight drunk boys. 🥴
I know you often stay in Airbnbs and short-term home rentals (which I suspect will be the biggest expense), and that you also have things like international travel insurance and a company you pay to receive your mail for you. (And surely other things I don’t even know about!)
Would you be willing to offer any insight into how much it costs you, on average, to travel for a month—or six? You seem to do it in comfort & style, and I’d love that version of an adult gap year.
Any advice you can offer would help my planning IMMENSELY.
To never going to Vegas again!
Sincerely,
Divorced & Determined
Dear Divorced & Determined,
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so proud of you! This is the beginning of an all-new chapter, and you can write it however you want: if you can afford to do it, why wouldn’t you make plans to walk around Greece in a white linen dress, nibbling on stuffed lemon grape leaves, catching the eye of a man sexier than god, and debating opening a bookshop overlooking the Aegean sea?
(For the record, “stuffed lemon grape leaves” is one of my all-time favorite foods. Friends never know what the hell I am talking about. But I still make them eat it anyway.)
It sounds like your timing is impeccable. I support this whole-heartedly. I believe that everyone should have a chance to find themselves on the road, at least once in their life. It’s a personal development course like no other.
So let’s talk about financing it!
There are two parts to this:
Part One, where I get all motherly and make sure you aren’t using all of your retirement savings & going broke in Bermuda. We don’t need you going broke in Bermuda. Go broke somewhere where you won’t have an A/C bill. (Or a margarita hangover.)
And Part Two, where I’ll share a real-time spreadsheet of my own “luxury anywhere lifestyle” expenses, pulling back the curtain on exactly how much it costs to maintain a home base in the United States and also travel abroad in style & comfort as a 39-year-old curmudgeon who loves boutique hotels and country manors and wine estates and really great sheets so I can pretend I am far more elegant than I am, and not currently dripping jelly down my chin.
(I’ll also show you the annual “sweet spot” target income I advise students to aim for…and why.)
So! A fundamental cornerstone of the method I teach prioritizes one thing over all: quality of life.
Quality of life = having time in your days beyond work to pursue pleasure, and art, and purpose
Quality of life = being able to explore the world we live in & the places that make you come alive
Quality of life = being out in nature, and breathing in fresh air, and moving your body, and being free to do so without guilt or restriction
Quality of life = making time for the things that matter to you, whether it’s teaching your kids where butterflies come from, or refinishing an old bureau in the backyard, or writing the novel you always wanted to, or studying the architecture of France
Having that quality of life depends on your ability to do two things:
Design a strong & stable ‘anywhere income’
Design your ‘anywhere business’ strategically to support your life—not the other way around
So, Dear Divorced & Determined, while you are a big girl and can do whatever you want with your own money, you don’t necessarily need to spend it all in order to embark on this magical trip. You can generate a beautiful income from the road, so you don’t have to sacrifice your financial security.
I AM BIG ON THIS. ALL WOMEN SHOULD HAVE FUCK-YOU MONEY.
To which I say:
You CAN have a retirement savings and travel.
You CAN save for your kids’ college and travel.
You CAN pay your mortgage and travel.
You CAN have health insurance and travel.
My methods may be unconventional, but as I’ll show you in Part Two, they work for me & my lifestyle.
So if you’re even slightly worried that you’re going to run out of cash whilst having your Eat, Pray, Love moment around the world trying like hell to pronounce “beurre,” then keep your eyes peeled here. I’ll be rolling out a brand-new challenge to help readers spend the summer in their dream country, by teaching my “Travelers Side Hustle” method to generate the money in 100 days or less. 💸 ✈️ ⛰️ 🥾 🍷
More on that soon.
(Also, “beurre” is the French word for “butter,” and do you think I can say it? Wrong answer! I cannot say it. NO, I CANNOT.)
Alas, we’ve arrived at Part Two.
Let me show you a full breakdown of exactly what it costs to “adult nomad in style” and maintain a comfortable home base in the United States while also traveling 3 months or 6 months out of the year, visiting places like the French Riviera or London’s Mayfair, staying in design-forward Airbnbs and boutique hotels, favoring exciting gastronomy and a bon vivant lifestyle, seeking out unique and authentic experiences, having plenty of space in your day to pursue art, pleasure, purpose, and redefining what it means to be a modern professional who can work and live from anywhere in the world.
Here’s a full breakdown of my exact monthly expenses.
I’ve included what it costs to maintain my home in the United States, while also traveling to Europe and South America regularly for extended periods. (I’ve included a handy breakdown of 3 months of travel versus 6 months of travel, so you can more easily get a grasp on the figures.)
Yours may vary, of course, based on your lifestyle, your preferences, the # of people, and any specific personal expenses you have for you + your family.
Introducing: ASH’S MATH SKILLS. Get ready for THIS spreadsheet.
Behold, my exact budget showing what it costs to “adult nomad in style” for 3 or 6 months out of the year, while maintaining a home base in the United States.