How we started our dream, and how you can, too

Written by Kyle about Indonesia. Feelin' excited

We've written over 350 posts so far about our travels, but we don't often dig deep into why we started traveling and the spark that keeps us going.

Let's start by rolling back the clock a bit to about 3 years ago to May 2007. At that time, we dreamt of big travels, but this website didn't exist. No one knew us as world travelers. Back then, we both had stable jobs that we liked, a cute apartment in the north side of Chicago, and we were looking forward to getting married. However, in the forefront of both of our minds was the insatiable desire to see as much of the world as we could.

Confronting the wedding industry's spew of consumerism and princess wedding dreams, we started to realize some defining things about ourselves. We wanted to chase our passions. We wanted to live unconventionally and challenge social pressures to put our travel dreams on hold - we knew that no matter how many things we purchased, it wouldn't lead to a fulfilling life. Some call heading on your own path selfish, but we call it reaching our potential.

So fluffy talk aside, back in 2007, we planned a wedding that reflected us with a Brazilian buffet and salsa dancing lessons. We also registered for hiking boots, a first aid kit and other outdoor gear at REI, but what we really wanted was support with our travel dreams.

With nothing more than a vague idea in our head, we pieced together a website where our wedding guests could give us whacky trip presents like kayaking lessons, a snorkeling trip, bicycle rental, language lessons, jungle tours, you name it. We were a little skeptical about the nay-sayers, and thought people might scoff at it, but to our delight, some of our friends and family were really excited to support our crazy dreams, and they used the website to give us a small fortune's worth of unforgettable experiences.

Those gifts really meant a lot. To us, they were telling us that they supported our dream, encouraging us even, and we couldn't imagine a better gift.

Now fast-forward to today, nearly 2.5 years into our travels. We wake up in Bali before 7 am and head to our favorite yoga class overlooking rice fields and palm trees. At the end each class with my forehead on the floor, I think of how grateful I am to be chasing my dreams and for the people that support us. We walk "home" and spend the day working on our new business, that's grown out of the website that helped us get started. Without the initial boost from our wedding guests, maybe we wouldn't have felt the out-pouring of support that has kept us going.

I imagine you have your own dreams, and could use some support, like we did. Enter WiseGifter.com.

Bessie and I have passionately started a business with the same energy that got us starting traveling back in 2007. We want other people to chase their dreams even though at first they may feel unlikely. Trust us, they're possible.

With WiseGifter, we truly hope that people can use it to let friends and family support their dreams. We hope to change the culture of giving away from unnecessary material things and towards truly meaningful gifts. In short, we want to change the world to a place where we are all helping each other live a better life. We think that WiseGifter can be a small part in that.

Do you want to take a big trip? Create a gift list that gets people excited for your plans.

Want to raise money for a non-profit? People are more generous when the know how their donations can be used.

Getting married, and want to fill your life with more than just stuff? Choose meaningful memories and a non-traditional registry that will get your guests excited.

What things you are missing to help you accomplish your dreams? Let WiseGifter show people how they can help you accomplish them.

Whatever your life path, think about your dreams. We think WiseGifter can help you.

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More about our WiseGifter philosophy on our blog. If you have questions, feedback or want customer love, email bessie [at] wisegifter.com

« Bali is messing with my head (and that may be ok)

The Art of Gratitude in Bali »

May 27, 2010 Earl: Hey Kyle - This is a wonderful idea you two have put together! Making it easier for those who may otherwise not be interested in supporting our goals/dreams is something that I imagine many people will appreciate.

And perhaps this will also motivate the gift givers to create their own list of dreams and to believe that those dreams can be achieved. A gift-giving and motivational platform combined into one.

Excellent job on the site as well. It's very clean and user-friendly.

May 28, 2010 Kyle: Earl, you definitely "get it"! I can't think of a better way to describe what we are doing than what you just said.

May 27, 2010 Keith: I like reading travelers' backstories, so this post was right up my alley. Also, great idea for a business. I truly hope it blossoms for you two!

May 28, 2010 Kyle: Hmm...maybe we should write more about our history, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm glad that you like the idea for our business!

May 27, 2010 Financial Samurai: Good stuff folks! I love reading these types of stories.

May I ask how you are planning for retirement or savings? OR, do you plan to travel indefinitely and work until you no longer are able?

Thnx!

Sam

May 28, 2010 Kyle: Well, we both have some retirement funds from our previous jobs. But, with the stock market all over the place, they're not as solid as they once were.

As of now, we plan to travel indefinitely and work until we are not able. I could expand more on this, but the concept of retirement seems odd to me. It seems like we work a lot to save up money for when our minds and bodies are less capable to do the fun things. We feel like we should use our time and energy now to do the things we really want to do instead of pushing them off into the future.

Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

May 27, 2010 Juno: Smart idea Kyle!
I can feel that you really cherish your moment, so you can do better for your dream.
Yes I have wild dream like we talk about at the great port restaurant. Someday.
It is really good motivation to people like me.
Nice one!:)
PS.I registered. ha! :D

May 28, 2010 Kyle: Sweet! Thanks for registering. Let us know if you have any questions!

May 28, 2010 Romantic bed and breakfasts: I really do encourage you people for starting your dream business from the support of friends and fulfilled your travel dreams and desires and still working on the website to help fulfill others dream to explore the world.
Travel is a good thing and interesting activity to do and it makes you see the world around and meet different people and cultures.

May 28, 2010 shawna davidson: loved you post. It is wonderful that you and Bessie have followed your dreams. looking forward to seeing you soon! love shawna

May 30, 2010 Bessie: Thanks and looking forward to see you too Shawna!!

May 28, 2010 Adam: Great story, thanks for sharing. My wife and I were in the same position as you a few years back. We needed a change, needed to do something different. We initially thought moving somewhere new was the answer, but we realized shortly thereafter that we'd still have to work, we'd still have to live the day to day existence of Americans with 9-5 workweeks and two weeks of vacation. That's not what we wanted.

We eventually came up with the plan for a RTW trip, which we saved, planned for, and went on. Now it's over and we're back home. While we were ready to come home when we did, it didn't take long to get restless again. So now we're back in the same situation. Trying to figure out how to make travel our top priority, and how we can do more than the two week vacation. It simply does not cut it for us. I have decided to change careers and try to become a travel writer, and hopefully that kickstarts us. But I know that it won't be long before we come up with another plan to get us back on the road. We thought the trip would "get it out of our systems," but it only fueled the fire. Good for you for following your dreams. I hope to one day be in your position.

"It seems like we work a lot to save up money for when our minds and bodies are less capable to do the fun things. We feel like we should use our time and energy now to do the things we really want to do instead of pushing them off into the future." --this quote is fantastic, and I wish more people would read it and really think about it. It seems so logical, yet most would think it's backwards. Why save for a lifetime for something you may never be able to enjoy?

May 29, 2010 Kyle: To be honest I kind of took that quote/thought from the book Vagabonding. He didn't use those words, exactly, but that was the essence of what he said.

I'm glad to hear that you're back on the road again! While it's not the easiest thing to do, if it's what you're passionate about, then by all means, you should do it. Who knows what your future will hold. When you allow for your mind to explore and for your future to be unplanned, there are all kinds of opportunities that open themselves up.

May 28, 2010 Jennifer Wier ("Jen Mele" from APO): Hey Bessie (and Adam whom I've never met)! I came across your site a few weeks back and have really enjoyed reading about your adventures. I posted a link to it on my blog in hopes that your pursual of your dream to travel will inspire more people, and maybe drum up some business for WiseGifter! I think my sister might be a taker. Anyway, enjoy making beautiful memories!

May 29, 2010 Kyle: Thanks for the support and link! We always like kind words from kind people. If your sister (or you!) have any questions about WiseGifter, please don't hesitate to let us know.

We hope that you make beautiful memories in the things you do, too!

May 30, 2010 Bessie: Hey Jen!! Thanks for reading and reaching out. I hope our travels do inspire others to pursue their goals - whatever they may be. Thanks for helping spread the word & I'm glad to have found your blog. :)

May 29, 2010 Jen: Sorry I called you Adam, Kyle!

May 29, 2010 mumsie: Gosh. One cannot argue with your success. :)

May 30, 2010 Sam: Howdie guys, when do you guys plan to come back?

May 30, 2010 Bessie: This week we're flying to the US for a 2 month visit with family & friends. It's been over a year since we were back last - we're excited!

May 31, 2010 Financial Samurai: Cool. Is there a plan for your retirement, or do you guys plan to travel and work forever?

I'm trying to understand the financial aspect of it all, as I'm not ready to retire and travel the world full time until i'm 40-42. I just want to take full advantage of my earnings potential now.

Thoughts? Love to read any old posts on how your reconcile travel, career, retirement.

Thnx!

May 31, 2010 Kyle: This might warrant an upcoming post, but I'll try to summarize my thoughts in a mildly concise manner.

For us, what's important is what we are doing now. We want to live our lives in the manner that we want not tomorrow, or a year from now, or 10 years from now. We want to do it now. So, this is what we are doing.

There's a certain notion that people should work, save up a lot of money, then do what whey really want to do, but I think this is backwards. We should be following our passions now, as we have no idea what the future will bring. I have no idea what tomorrow holds and I especially don't know what's going to happen even further into the future, so banking on a future that, quite frankly, might never come is not how we want to live.

From a strict financial perspective, yes, we are sacrificing things from our retirement and career. If we didn't travel, those things would more than likely be in a better position. But, that's ok, and we totally understand that.

From an economic sense, we are taking advantage of our "opportunity cost" in regards to time. Time is a scarce resource and we are making sure that we are using that time wisely and efficiently. I believe the time we are investing in our personal development far outweighs any monetary compensation.

I hope that helps a bit! Thanks for the insightful questions!

May 31, 2010 Bessie: On the line of savings you brought up earlier, long term savings is in our minds, and it's sort of retirement savings. We have a nice egg stashed away for whatever seems worthy of using it, most likely a down payment (although no plans in the near future) or retirement, if/ when that happens. I'd venture to guess we're on par with most 27-30 yr olds with our long term savings.

If you're wondering more about finances, like other long-term budget travelers you might talk to, we live modestly and make financial sacrifices to maintain our lifestyle. Despite the glamour of world travel, we work to save big, and live a life we love. Most of the places we've lived the past 4 yrs have been less than 800 sq ft, and we keep to a strict budget. Early 2009 when our travel coffers dried up, we took jobs in S. Korea and lived off one income so we could save the other.

Career-wise Kyle's kept up with web development partial-full time while we've been traveling, and I've kept up with some non-profit and marketing work. Certainly shifts from a traditional work path, but in line with our goals and passions.

Hope it's helpful.

May 31, 2010 Asa: This is a very cool idea! Good luck with it, and I plan on using it for some "projects" soon.

May 31, 2010 Kyle: Sweet! Thanks! Do let us know if you have any questions or feedback. We like hearing from people like you!

May 31, 2010 Financial Samurai: Sounds good Bessie and Kyle! To each their own, as I grew up traveling the world (lived in 8 countries) and have wanted to settle for a while.

Part of what makes travel and play so fun for me is work. If all I did was travel, I think I'd soon get tired of it and really want to work. Hence, it's more about balance for me. I try to take 5 weeks off a year and go to 2 new places each year. I think ideally, I'd like to work 6 months a year and travel do other things the other six months .

May 31, 2010 Bessie: It's definitely about balance! I'm working on a post about keeping balance while traveling, and certainly everyone has their own ways of finding that.

Enjoy & thanks for the exchange.

June 01, 2010 Jane Slark-Perez: Please don't take this personally or as an insult, because I think it is a fabulous adventure you are on, but I would say that the reason most people are not able to have this global lifestyle and instead work full time and plant themselves in a permanent home is due to children. I don't see how this type of lifestyle would be possible once one procreates - especially, goddess forbid, if the child/children are born with disabilities and as we know unfortunately the risks of this increase substantially once a woman reaches the age of 30. I'm sure this has been something you have considered, but I understand that raising children is not for everyone and especially after your year of kindergartners maybe you've had your fill - ha ha. Best of luck to you - Goddess speed.

June 02, 2010 Bessie: Not offended in the slightest - it's something that we've talked about a bit, and we're not sure what we'd decide when we'd come to the "children crossroads". Where we stayed in Bali we met a couple in their 30s with their 8 month old daughter that they'd been traveling with for 5 months though Europe, India, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., and they loved it and had a few months ahead of them as well.

We read a few blogs of travelers with children, and although it seems challenging, they seem to love the time with their children and feel that it creates very strong family bonds. In case you're interested:
http://familyonbikes.org/blog/
http://ourtravellifestyle.com/

Best to you! (and I like your "goddess speed". )

July 23, 2010 Eric: I read your blogs but don't comment. So I'll just say you guys are awesome and inspiring. Please keep traveling... even if you have a homebase and real jobs, travel for your 3-4 weeks vacation each year and blog about it.

July 27, 2010 Kyle: Thanks for the encouragement! We'll definitely keep blogging and traveling. In fact, in 5 days, we'll be on a plane back to Thailand! Woohoo!