Don’t Wait Too Long to Live the Life You’re Saving For

I met a man who had spent the last four years living out of a camper perched atop an old F-250. He does own a home, no mortgage, but it sits largely unused. He has significant assets from the sale of his business. Since retiring, he has spent nearly all his time traveling the US, Canada, and South America. He is 63 years old. For the sake of his privacy, let's call him Marco.

In the winters, Marco skis four days a week (Monday-Thursday), then spends his weekends restocking his camper’s fridge, doing laundry, and traveling to the next ski resort. 

In spring and fall, he tours the US and Canada, visiting national parks and other points of interest. Then, in summers, he heads to South America and does more or less the same thing down there. 

This lifestyle, he says, is rather cheap. Far cheaper than he imagined for his retirement. He stays in ski lodge parking lots overnight in the winter, and spends a lot of time in dispersed camping areas, which are usually free. 

His biggest expenses are food, gas, site fees, and health insurance. Eventually, he plans to relocate to South America, where his money goes further and he can enjoy a more comfortable lifestyle. In part, that means an easier time hiring assistants to help out around the house as he gets older. The timing of this transition depends on his health. As he approaches the point where he can no longer ski 4 days a week, or where 300+ days a year on the road start to take a heavier toll on him, he’ll return to a more traditional lifestyle. 

I asked him if he had any advice about life, or business, or finances. He said, “don’t wait. I waited too long, and now there’s just not enough time to do everything.” Marco is in great shape, especially for a 63 year old, but even so, he notices that he’s not quite as energetic or quick to recover as he used to be. 

My takeaways from Marco are threefold.

First, once you have the freedom, don’t wait too long to enjoy it. Not one of us is guaranteed good health or a long life. The only guarantee we have is that, sooner or later, our abilities will decline. Whether we’ve lived the life we wanted to or not. 

Second, freedom is probably cheaper than you think, but it requires some intentionality. My friend’s lifestyle is radical, but tightly-aligned with the experiences that matter most to him. 

Your ideal experience might not be 50 weeks a year on the road. I know mine isn’t. In fact, one thing that’s come up for a couple clients is just how much they enjoy the simple pleasure of cooking a nice meal at home. Now that they have the time, it’s a luxury they can indulge in. Others have mentioned going birding once a week, hiking, gardening, or spending more time with family. Many of life’s “simple luxuries” cost almost nothing, except time. 

Third, we trade that time away too readily. We exchange it for cars, vacation homes, renovations, and a thousand smaller splurges. There is nothing wrong with spending handsomely on the things that matter most to you. The problem is failing to distinguish between what matters, and what doesn't.

Money spent maintaining a lifestyle cannot also buy back your time.

What I like so much about this man’s story is that he has zeroed in on exactly what he wants to do, and is doing it. How many people can say the same?