If you haven’t read Timothy Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Workweek,” buy it for yourself or for your husband or father for Father’s Day. The subtitle for the book is, “Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich.” Doesn’t that sound like music to the ears of the wanderluster?
Ferriss is one of those that broke the mold and lives the “in and out of retirement” life. His premise is simple and powerful – why work through all of your young life and retire at an old age? Why not take those years of retirement and salt them in while you’re young and exuberant? (Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of elderly and exuberant people out there… someday I’ll tell you about D.M., the 75 year-old animal that charged headlong into a wild Panamanian adventure). But seriously, aren’t there things that you’d like to see and do now – things that will influence the remainder of your life?
If sporadic retirement isn’t possible for you, (and it isn’t for most people), can you work while abroad? Before you answer “no,” think critically and instead of saying “it can’t happen,” say “how can it happen?” I wrangled my boss into letting me escape to Colombia for four weeks… the only days of vacation I burned were on the way out and back. Thanks to the miracle of technology I was just as effective sitting on my balcony in the Andes as if I were back in the office.
A Cisco soft phone on my laptop ensured that any calls to me were routed directly to my Bluetooth earpiece through a VOIP connection. Dameware software enabled me to remotely control my office computer. A secure VPN connection to the server gave me access to all of my documents and my emails. I talked to a number of people who had no idea that I was planning a stroll through Parque Bolivar later that evening… they assumed I was in my office as usual… and to them what did it matter if I was fully capable of handling my workload?
You’d be surprised where you’ll find high-speed internet these days. It didn’t take them long to proliferate the earth with access to real life and responsibility. I’ve made Skype phone calls from alongside the Bladen River at the base of the Maya Mountains in Belize at the BFREE ecological preserve miles and miles from civilization. Our Costa Rican jungle mansion didn’t just have an air- conditioned theater room, it also had a screaming fast wireless internet connection.
So, if you take nothing else away from today’s post, remember to challenge the perception that you’re trapped in your mundane life. You’d be surprised what you can get away with on a shoestring budget when your flights are free thanks to the thousands of miles you’re racking up by prudently managing your credit and taking advantage of the phenomenal benefits they’re offering.
