The thought of international travel makes my stomach hurt. I did the road warrior bit from 1991 to 2011. Travel changed (and not for the better). Then they sent me to Kansas, Singapore, Monteviedeo, Alaska, Oklahoma, Yemen and other points far from home. The Yemen bit made me stop, even though I was at a facility way out in the desert and it was protected by numerous fences and a whole cadre of private soldiers as well as Yemeni soldiers.
As long as I could travel in the US, I could kinda put up with it, the international part soured me.
I don't know what the project is, but if you feel safe and are at peace with the international part, do it. If you are still nervous and unsettled, well......

Hi Trace,

A few questions:

if you take the new project will it payoff the debt faster and build a nest egg?

If you don't like the travel can you go back to the previous project?

What happens if you LIKE the high profile exposure and international travel?

If Lee is still going to tech school and you will be stationary for several months it might help you ease into the travel part. 

Having met you and Lee and read your previous posts I know you must have done an exhaustive plus/minus sheet. Which way did that turn out? For or against taking the new project?

Gene

 

I think you are faced with the million dollar question. I have "retired" 3 times and found I am never quite satisfied with it. Each time I always said I was too young. I love being semi retired. It gives me a purpose in life. Now in my 60's I have a "hobby" business that only takes 90 hours a week, more than I ever worked full time. We are gearing this to a seasonal (7 month) business though and are spending almost half the year on the road. Who knows... I hope I don't get bored again. :)
Good luck with your decision.

For me, I'd ask myself how long would it take me to pay off the the 23K with no change in the current plan.  How long would it take using the "international plan".  If you travel under either scenario there will be OOP expenses perhaps more with one over the other.  Do I have job security for now if I turn down the offer.  Could I do some other type of workamper gig to pay down the 23K as fast as the international plan might (I'm thinking some of those gateguarding gigs can pay a pretty penny and theoretically you could wipe out 23K in a few months at a good location as an example.)

Otherwise, it goes back to why did I chose this lifestyle in the first place. Sure plans change all the time, but does the opportunity outweigh the price of the things and experiences you miss or delay?  Me, I hate monkey wrenches being thrown into my well laid plans(such as they are).  But then I also prefer to follow the path of least resistance, meaning, go with your first gut feeling, it's usually right.

Hope this helps and good luck with your decision.

-- Edited by biggaRView on Monday 27th of July 2015 04:35:55 AM

Hi Trace,

Think about what will put you and Lee in a "happy place".  I think your first thought needs to be the debt.  If working is the only way to pay this off, I'd suggest you stay employed...speaking as one who has had a lot of debt, that is a weight not pleasant to bear.  Since the old position and the new position pay the same, you need to decide if the travel, work experience, being away from Lee etc. feels right to you (the new position).  If the current position gives you personal satisfaction and allows you to indulge in the RV life a bit, and spend time with Lee, then that is perhaps the way to go.

I am 61 (which to this day I cannot believe!!), but had a great job in the 1980's and 1990's with travel, prestige and good pay.  Loved it!  Then I met and married Michael and my focus changed.  It meant more to me to be with Michael than to be traveling.  He introduced me to the outdoor adventure world and cycling and more and I knew I was content!  The job didn't hold as much appeal as I changed priorities.  We both ended up leaving our corporate jobs, cycled around the US, worked at Sequoia NP and knew we were onto something great...exploration, the outdoors, birding, camping, etc.  So we took lower paying jobs and became somewhat poor, but the lifestyle felt right.  And we kept on being employed until debt was paid off and we had money saved for this next chapter of our lives...both retiring and becoming full-timers in a Camp-Inn teardrop trailer (come April).

So, all I am suggesting is that you think hard about your priorities (paying off debt, traveling, getting into the RV life a bit now, etc. etc.).  Go with your gut and heart (and a pro and con list) and you'll make the right decision.  And remember, nothing is forever!!  You can always change your plans.

Best to you both!

 

 

Trace, tough question, it's a dilemma I've thought about a lot once we had actually gotten on the road and had settled into a bit of a routine after all the change. I'm very, very thankful I had a job I could take on the road with me, everyone was used to me working from home, now I just get asked where home is today

You and Lee are about the same age I am, my hubby's a few years older and after a lot of discussion on this topic, we've decided that we'll keep things status quo with my corporate job and reduce the number of art shows he participates in so we have more weekends free.  Now, that doesn't mean it's a lot less stressful at times, this weekend we're actually in a 3 day art show and I have the biggest proposal I've worked on all year due Monday at 5 PM. Talk about collision course for this 4 day period  But, it's a stress we had in our S&B, now we have a lot less stress when we also aren't having to worry about yard upkeep and racing home after an out of town art show late on a Sunday night so I could work Monday AM, now we ARE home wherever the art show is and that has taken a lot of the stress out of our combined careers.

You mention not having a lot of investments, we don't have a lot, but we do have some and we had the blessing of being able to go on the road totally debt free with a little more nest egg from the house sale.  However, we both really want to retire early and every time Dale meets someone in their mid-50's who is retired, I can just see the hope he has that someday soon we'll be among those who retired a bit early.  So, we've made the decision that as long as my corporate job stays viable, I don't get laid off or there isn't some drastic change that makes me hate the job, we'll keep my job as is, save aggressively for retirement and who knows, maybe in another 3-5 years we'll be joining the retiree crowd. 

I have turned down 2 different internal job offers since we went on the road, both would have required more stress and more travel and I'm glad I made that decision.  My boss is very happy I've made the decision to turn those down as well, so for me it wasn't a situation of being black listed or being the next one on the layoff list. I think he was relieved to have a seasoned employee who requires very little supervision wanting to hang around and keep doing the same job for a while longer 

Not sure this helps much but thought I'd share my experience as we do seem have a lot in common.

 

Hey Trace!

I could see how that can be exciting and scary at the same time.  You travel a lot now.  How is that with the packing, preparing, drive to/from airports, decompressing once home, re-adjusting, for both of you, etc??  I know you're mostly eastcoast, but jet lag with more than 3 hours can be very tough.  Steve loved it and was great at it for several years, but then it wasn't.  He'd probably consider something if it meant relocating, but traveling back and forth is rough with 10+ hour time changes.  How often would you be traveling and for how long?

Pretend it isn't overseas.  That it's just a 14 hour time change instead of 1 hour.  How would your mind and body handle that?  It's more of do you really want to add to your flight time for the same pay? I'm sure there are other benefits, but sounds like it comes down to the distance and how often.  Do you feel excited and accomplished and ready to go again when you get back from travel now?  If not really, those extra flight hours will be a real downer.  Just try to talk out a practice "trip".

What do you really want in your soul and will that new position provide that?

Either way, it isn't permanent, you can change your mind.  Take care!

My dear Tracy - I know Bill gave you his $.02 earlier but I didn't get to say much so here I go now:

Since I truly cannot relate to being the one deciding whether to take the job or not - although I can imagine it must be VERY flattering to be asked to take this on - your boss must have a HUGE amount of confidence in you! I can relate 100% to being the spouse - so basically Lee's shoes. I don't know Lee all that well - but I know him well enough to say that he will probably never tell you not to take it. I would never tell Bill not to follow his dreams b/c I love him - just as Lee loves you and will support your decision and YOU in any way he can b/c of that. When Bill did all that traveling it was exciting at first and we got some nice perks from it - but - it got old very quickly - for me anyway. Keep in mind I had two elementary school age kids at the time - don't know if that made it better or worse - but it got old dropping him off at the airport. Picking him up was pretty exciting (remember what we talked about the other day? 😉).

I think the answer is there for you - in your heart you KNOW what your priorities are now - not what they were 2 years ago - and where you want to be - give yourself permission to make the decision your heart tells you to make. It's ok - really it is.

Hope this helps - I trust you will do what's right for you and Lee - and I hope you know - Bill and I are here for you both whatever you decide.

Love and hugs!

Thanks so much to everyone who wrote...in particular Ruth I appreciate your weighing in since our work lives are so similar. I turned down the job...first time ever I have turned in a major assignment and I didn't know if had it in me to be honest. My boss was really great about it and it led to a wonderful conversation about the lifestyle and what I wanted long term which was great. The second conversation was even harder than the first...but it needed to be had since I just don't have it in me to be less than 100 percent honest about what I am doing. He said he thought it was a great plan which is a very encouraging sign. There are no promises in life and I don't expect this job to last forever but I feel much more comfortable with my situation now.

Plus it is a GREAT feeling to make a choice not about fear or what other people want or need from me but about what I want. I am very very happy and thank you all so much for giving me the courage to make a stand.

Trace

Yay! I think you made the right decision. I have absolutely no regret about either of the jobs I've turned down in the last 18 months, my boss is still very, very supportive of my current job combined with this lifestyle. I have no idea if I'll survive the next round of layoffs, but then again, I've never known that at any time in my career.

Combining this FT RV life with FT work from home has been wonderful. Even though I still have the M-F job, I feel that I have more freedom, less stress, etc.

Congratulations on your decision!

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