We just counted the days until our proposed departure date of October 1.
126! Yes, that’s only four months. That shit cray.
Okay… take a deep breath and think this through. On the one hand we can’t wait to leave. We long for the freedom of the road, the simplicity of travelling day by day, and the adventure that follows.
On the other hand, at first glance 126 days really doesn’t seem like much time to get everything done.
The detailed to-do list doesn’t seem to do anything except get longer, but at least there are only a few major items that stand out. I decided to count the days only after reading a few other overlanding blogs. Some couples planned and saved for their adventures for a year, some for two years. That’s not our style. Why wait for two years when we can depart in six months?
“Leap, and the net will appear.”
– John Burroughs
“Leap, and the net will appear” is the mantra that The Dangerz live by, and we’re going to follow in their footsteps tire tracks… hopefully with fewer mechanical breakdowns. (Sorry guys!)
The three big things that need to get sorted out are:
- Finish building the truck. We haven’t really even started this, so maybe “Start building the truck” is more appropriate.
- Save money. The bank account is pretty much reading zero at this point (yes, we honestly made the decision to leave a month ago). Craigslist sales of our extra junk has put a big dent into our existing debt that we wanted to get rid of first. We’re banking on the sale of our other pickup (2000 Silverado, regular cab, shortbox, 4×4) and a busy wedding photography season to rectify the whole lack-of-savings situation.
- Rent out our condo with the help of a property manager.
Okay, even writing a simple list like this makes it seem manageable. We can’t modify the timeline of anything except the truck build, so that simplifies things even more. Luckily Richard has four full days scheduled to work on the truck next weekend so that will help with progress!
Now that we think about it, we’re in great shape and can’t wait to get this show on the road!
6 months! I commend that lack of planning and saving! We still have 10 months left and it feels like we’ve been saving forever. I like your drop everything and go style 🙂
Thanks Emma, that’s how we roll! Really hoping we can meet you guys somewhere along the route!
The planning stage is overrated, but sometimes the saving part is pretty important 😉
If you don’t save enough and run out of money, you can always fly home and work for a few months. 3 months is easy from Central America, then further south you can get away with more time…besides, sometimes you need a break from your break!
I’m a little jealous. At least you can put to work your skills as a wedding photography while on the road. (think Antigua or Costa Rica…big wedding destinations)
Hey Brenton,
Thanks for the feedback! It has been fun keeping up with your adventures for the last year or so.
Our ‘planning’ will definitely not get much farther than buying some Lonely Planet books and the Church’s camping books. We’ll read up on the way.
Yes, hoping we’ll be able to shoot some weddings in Central America. Who knows, we might just hang out there as long as possible. I hadn’t thought about weddings in Antigua before, but I’ll look into it.
Richard