Travel Surprises and Tales with Chelsea and Todd
We are officially in summertime, so I wanted to share frugal travel hack ideas this month. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past 10 years. As most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal. I love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally, so we still have cash for the other life goals we have.
We have already talked about camping, travel hacking, and AirBNB’ing. Now we’re going to talk about when travel plans go awry. Joining me today are my longtime clients and friends, Todd and Chelsea. I’ve worked with many clients over the last 10 years, and Todd and Chelsea’s story has to be one of my top 5 client journeys of all time. They joined today to talk about the epic 8-month sabbatical we planned together, how it all fell apart, and how something even greater stemmed from it.
What are we drinking?
Chelsea - Coffee with Almond Milk
Todd - Black Coffee
Shannon - Black Cherry Schweppes
Podcast Notes
Shannon has been working with Chelsea and Todd since they were in the wedding planning stages, living in New York and meeting at The Financial Gym in person. After the wedding, they were planning the next big goal.
Over a glass of wine on the couch, they floated the idea of taking an extended sabbatical and traveling the world together. They brought the idea to Shannon, who they thought would shut it down. But she said, ‘Let’s make it happen.’ They had a rough idea, and that allowed them permission to start putting it into action.
How did you plan the list of where you wanted to go?
Coming up with the travel plan was a few years in the making. They continued to build the travel bucket and started buying gear in the last year.
They didn’t create an exact itinerary but made a plan for where they wanted to go and how long they roughly wanted to stay in each place.
After years of planning and saving, they planned to leave at the end of January 2020. They had their final meeting at The Financial Gym and decided to move forward with their plans. They had already quit their jobs, and there were too many other moving parts to back out.
They left on January 31, 2020, and had a one-way ticket to Bangkok with a layover in Shanghai. They almost got stuck in China but were able to get on one of the very last flights out of the country and get to Bangkok. They made it to five of the planned twenty-two countries and stayed in Bali long-term once the borders closed. Bali was both cost-effective and a beautiful place to live.
How did you end up with two businesses in Bali?
A few months into the trip, things had strayed from the original plan, so they scheduled a meeting with Shannon and let her know they were considering buying a place in Bali.
Shannon said yes again and introduced Rebecca and Todd to people she knows in Bali. They decided to buy land and build a property. Right when they had just broken ground on the villa, Todd was offered a job in Bangkok, and they moved there.
Building the villa took a lot of patience. They had a great team and could fully trust them with the project while the Bali borders were closed. There were communication challenges, but overall the process was very smooth.
They now rent the villa on Airbnb and invested in a second business in Bali.
A Financial Trainer’s job is to give their clients permission. They help make the wild “idea over wine” happen. Chelsea and Todd said yes to the universe, did a lot of work, and continue to make their big goals come to life over and over. This is the beauty of a financial plan.
They’re in the US doing a long-term road trip and figuring out what is next.
What are some travel tips and surprises you’ve experienced?
How to find restaurants and other experiences in new places:
Instagram can be a fantastic resource for finding local spots. Influencers who live in the area will usually have wonderful recommendations.
The search function on Google Maps can be a great in-the-moment solution.
Airbnb Experiences is one of their favorite ways to find new things to do.
Conde Nast Traveler always has a few gems.
They always love booking a food tour whenever they’re in a new country.
Surprises:
They met like-minded people and made a lot of friends. They were able to connect with folks instantly because they had similar stories. The people they met in Bali are now their business partners and help manage their villa.
They traveled with backpacks only. Todd was in charge of all of the gear and packing hacks. The value of moving around seamlessly is incredible for long-term travel. For Chelsea, learning how to pack and what to wear took some trial and error. She’s gotten used to wearing the same few outfits each week.
Depending on where you are, daily things like laundry are very affordable.
Healthcare systems in other countries can be accessible and affordable. Before getting vaccinations and medications in the US, research if you can take care of them once you arrive.
Make plans, but learn to go with the flow. Things will always change, and it’s much better if you can roll with it.
Resources:
Villa Rae on Airbnb - Chelsea & Todd’s Airbnb
Pack Hacker for Gear Reviews
Peak Design for Gear
Airbnb Experiences - for local ideas
Conde Nast Traveler - overall travel info
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is the importance of planning and preparing for big adventures. Even if your journey has challenges or roadblocks, you’ll be thankful the extra planning allowed you to navigate those challenges without any additional hiccups.
Random Three Questions
What is a big bucket list destination you haven’t hit yet?
What was your favorite meal while traveling abroad?
What is your favorite thing to do on an airplane?
Connect with Chelsea & Todd
The Airbnb Instagram: @@VillaRaeBali
Chelsea: @Chelsearaetravels
Todd: @Todd.rone
Todd’s Photography: @toddroneparker
Todd's Website: https://toddroneparker.com/
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Face, and let me know what you want to hear.
A recent Financial Health Network study revealed that only 31% of Americans were financially healthy. Only 23% of women and only 15% of black people were. Financial health is a crisis in the US but it doesn’t need to stay that way. At the Financial Gym, we’ve spent the last 10 years working one-on-one with our members to help them achieve their financial health goals.
With a 90% success rate and with memberships starting as low as $35 a month, Financial Gym is not only the inflation-proof source for financial wellness for anyone but also a trusted and capable partner for your financial wellness journey. Head over to, or send friends to, financialgym.com and schedule a warm up call today. As a reminder, our warm up call team is staffed with amazing and current Financial Gym clients that can answer any of your questions about our program without any pressure to join. The call is free, so you have nothing to lose.