Kimmy and her husband Drew are doing things the right way; They are paying off their debt then taking off on a perpetual traveling adventure. To help inspire others to do the same, Kimmy shares their story on AfterGlobe.net
What’s the best bit of travel advice you have ever received?
No one’s ever given me any. In fact, no one has ever even encouraged me to travel. Good thing I listened to the little voice inside my head to go and just do it.
You are currently saving for full time travel; What advice do you have for others who are trying to save for long term travel?
You have to decide what’s most important to you. Is it the instant satisfaction of going out to eat now or being able to live for a month in Laos, later. Ask yourself what forms of instant gratification and extra expenses you can cut now in order to travel longer.
We’ve made a ton of changes in how we spend our money. Not only are we saving to travel long term, but we are also paying off our debt before we leave. I came up with 10 financial tips that have helped us get out of debt quicker and save more money. There are no longer gym memberships, cable or anything along those lines. We barely go out to eat anymore and when we do it’s cheap and we don’t get alcohol. We’ve stopped buying things because what’s the point when you will have to get rid of them to travel, anyway. Everything is about traveling now. It’s a good reason not to spend our money.
What inspired you to plan for full time travel?
I’ve never traveled anywhere that I needed a passport. I hear from others that we travel a lot, but it’s all been in the states. Growing up we never had a lot of money and never went on vacation. I got pregnant when I was 17 and could barely keep food and diapers in the house. Having my daughter put my dreams to travel on hold. But, I always knew once my daughter was grown, I would travel one day. I just thought that some day wouldn’t come until much later.
Last year my daughter turned 18, Drew and I got married, and one of my two best friends lost her husband to a very rare cancer at the age of 43. When you watch someone you love lose someone they love, you realize how precious life is and not to waste it. All of these things made me realize the time to travel was now. You never know what will happen tomorrow. I didn’t want to wait until Drew and I both retired to see the world. I have no idea if we will both be here to travel together by then. I didn’t want to take the chance of not getting to fulfill my dream of traveling. Especially without having Drew by my side.
What has been your most valuable lesson learned from travel?
To go with the flow and slow down. Things don’t move as fast as Americans try to force them, too. Things will happen that you have no control over and the sooner you accept that the better your travel experience will be. Just like life, you need to sit back and just enjoy the ride.
What does travel give you that nothing else has ever given you?
It feeds my soul and makes me feel like I’m really living. I learn more traveling than I’ve ever learned in a classroom.
What is your travel mantra?
Say yes, and you’ll figure it out afterwards. -Tina Fay
What has been the most moving or emotional experience you’ve had while traveling?
Last July, Drew and I got married on the beautiful island of Maui. We invited immediate family and close friends to go with us. It was so amazing to have everyone there with us celebrating for 3 days leading up to our wedding.
The night before our wedding, a huge storm came in due to a hurricane happening in Costa Rica. It was pouring buckets and wouldn’t stop. Our wedding was outside on the beach without any cover. I was busy getting ready and didn’t realize how bad it was pouring until our maid of honor let me know that they couldn’t set up our music due to the rain.
Luckily, our Kahuna (a Hawaiian priest) stepped up to perform and sing all of our wedding songs. He was already singing the Hawaiian Wedding song at the end of the ceremony and offered to sing our other songs, too. We were so happy he knew our other songs. It made the day that more special.
Just as I was about to go outside and everyone was covering me up with big umbrellas, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out. A huge rainbow reached across the sky. You would have never guessed that a huge storm was happening just a few minutes before. It was spectacular.
After walking down the beach to be married inside a Hawaiian wedding ring of flowers, our friends and family circled around us. That’s the last time I remember anyone else being there with us. It became our kahuna, Drew and I; in that moment in one of the most beautiful places we’d ever been together.
Drew got pretty emotional during the ceremony. He was so happy. It was really sweet. Good thing I gave him a vintage Hawaiian handkerchief as a gift earlier that morning because he sure did need it. At one point our kahuna stopped the ceremony and said I needed to hug Drew. We embraced, held each other for a minute, and then Drew was fine.
At the end of the ceremony, our kiss was so long everyone started laughing. Even our kahuna. He said he’d never seen anyone kiss that long before and he’s seen a lot of wedding kisses. Those laughs made me realize that everyone was still with us, but it didn’t stop us from kissing.
Our whole day was perfect. I’ll never forget it. Or how happy I felt that day.
Fun Fast Five
What is your preferred method of travel; Trains, Planes, Driving or Cruising?
That’s a hard one. Each has its place depending on where you are going, what you plan on doing, and how long you have to travel. I’ve had great times with trains, planes, and road trips. I haven’t been on a cruise, yet. We plan to go on one to see the Caribbean islands when we leave to travel long term.
If you could travel back in time, which era and place would you go to and why?
I’d go back in time to Hawaii, before the missionaries striped the natives of their culture and history. I’d like to see what it was really like and not what it’s assumed to be by borrowing the culture of other Polynesian Islands.
If you could travel with one celebrity, who would it be and why?
I wouldn’t. I think it’d give me a travel experience that I wouldn’t enjoy.
If you could only describe yourself as one would it be: beach bum, city slicker or country bumpkin?
Beach bum, all the way! Drew and I hope to have a little beach shack in a tropical destination, someday. I’m happiest with my feet in the sand, a topical flower behind my ear, and a tropical drink in my hand after just coming back from snorkeling.
Country you are most looking forward to traveling to, and why?
This answer changes almost every day. I’m really excited to go all through the Polynesian Islands and SE Asia. I’ve been to so few places and I want to got almost everywhere. I want to experience different cultures, try foods I’ve never eaten (like crickets), and be in places were no one speaks my language. I want to learn everything the world has to teach me.
Kimmy Hayes is the founder and lead blogger of AfterGlobe; a site on becoming debt free and traveling the world as a married couple. As a side hustle! she focuses on social media, ghost writing, and freelance writing for on-line publications. She is passionate about traveling to experience new cultures, snorkeling the waters of the world and reading with her toes in the sand on the beach. She leaves on March 5th, 2014, along with her husband to travel the world. Follow her journey on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
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