I'm doing it now (driving around the US with my dog), and so far so good. It's fun, it's exciting, but it can also get lonely and stressful. In the last few months I've done some awesome stuff (Like going to Mardi Gras, and hiking national parks, and partying with spring-breakers). But, it's a mixed bag. A few points:
1. Budgeting is key. It's easy to tell yourself that you can't budget for such variably-priced things as hotels and eating-while-vacationing, but you can. Make a budget, stick to it.
2. Get hotel-rooms (or airbnbs) with kitchenettes. Having access to a refrigerator will save you a lot of money and will allow you to eat healthier food. (Because you can go shopping at local grocery stores instead of eating out every meal).
3. Keep many income streams. If you do independent contracting (like I do), don't just have one client. I prefer to have 3-4 at one time, to even out the late-payments and such.
4. Save first, have a big emergency fund. If you're a Suze Orman fan, she'd probably say to have an 8-month emergency fund in place before doing anything like this. If youre a Dave Ramsey fan, he'd probably say 3-6 months. Either way, you need money for emergencies. Once you have that, the regular up-swings and down-swings of your finances won't be so stressful.
1. Budgeting is key. It's easy to tell yourself that you can't budget for such variably-priced things as hotels and eating-while-vacationing, but you can. Make a budget, stick to it.
2. Get hotel-rooms (or airbnbs) with kitchenettes. Having access to a refrigerator will save you a lot of money and will allow you to eat healthier food. (Because you can go shopping at local grocery stores instead of eating out every meal).
3. Keep many income streams. If you do independent contracting (like I do), don't just have one client. I prefer to have 3-4 at one time, to even out the late-payments and such.
4. Save first, have a big emergency fund. If you're a Suze Orman fan, she'd probably say to have an 8-month emergency fund in place before doing anything like this. If youre a Dave Ramsey fan, he'd probably say 3-6 months. Either way, you need money for emergencies. Once you have that, the regular up-swings and down-swings of your finances won't be so stressful.