Sharing is caring!

Have you ever wondered how to retire early and travel in an Airstream?

This week I am so excited to speak with Steve Adcock who runs the blog thinksaveretire.com.

Steve and his wife Courtney have been able to retire early and travel in an Airstream cross country.

Before making retiring early and travel as their priority Steve and his wife worked in a normal 9-5 and accumulated a lot of stuff as many of us.

One day Steve looked at the fancy cars and the big house he worked so hard for and realized it did not make him happy.

So, Steve and Courtney began to think, plan and save for early retirement. And 5 years later they were able to save enough money to do early retirement in their mind 30’s.

Early retirement and travel may seem like a huge and impossible step for many, but Steve was able to prove that it can be done by anyone (even without a trust fund or winning the lott0) as long as you have the self-discipline and drive.

Listen on to find out how early retirement and travel can be achieved!

Listen Below:

In this Episode:

What were the first steps you took in order to retire early and travel?

• They had to decide how to spend their money day today and stick to a budget they can live with.
• They set a deadline for their retirement.
• Every time they wanted to spend money they would decide whether it was worth it for them delaying their retirement.

Why did you decide to live in an airstream?

• In the beginning, Steve and his wife wanted to live nomadically in different locations and move every year.
• Their parents gave them the idea of living in an RV or airstream because it made more economic sense.
• Living in an airstream helped them retire early and travel.

What is the one thing you knew before pursuing early retirement and travel?

• Accumulating money and items will not make you happy.
• Steve had all the materials he wanted in the past and was still not happy.
• Fundamentals make you happy, not the money or the stuff.

How were you and your wife able to realize that you did not want to keep accumulating more money and instead find happiness through experiences?

• It was from Steve’s own personal experiences that he realized he needed something more than just money and things to make him happy.
• Although this is the lifestyle that Steve and his wife love, it is not ideal for everyone.

What is the biggest misconception people have of your life?

• A lot of people wonder what they do to keep themselves busy since they retired early.
• They do a lot of passion projects that they do remotely such as their blog thinksaveretire.com, a youtube channel, and other online projects.
• At the end of the day, the most important thing is having the freedom to do what you want with your life on your own terms.

What is the biggest setback you have encountered and how did you handle them?

• The hurdle of accumulating wealth to spending wealth is really difficult.
• Transitioning from saving to spend is a unique hurdle to handle.
• Regardless of whatever decision you make, nothing is ever permanent.
• Retirement in your mid-thirties is always a risk, but if it all went wrong you can always rebuild your career.

What is the worst advice that you have ever received?

• Being told to buy bigger and better items like Airstream rigs.
• Bigger is not always better and the smaller your rig the more money you save and the easier it to maintain.
• The best lesson Steve has learned living in an airstream is to find the smallest and most self-contained rig that you feel comfortable living in.

How to incorporate minimalism in your life.

• Steve does not like the term minimalism because it suggests that you are living a minimal and bare minimum life.
• Rather you should live a sensible lifestyle.
• Everyone’s definition of a sensible lifestyle is different and will vary.
• Once your basic needs are met, a lot of people will realize that they do not need much else.
• Every time you want to make more money, always ask if it is worth the extra hours that you work and less time with your family and friends.

Are you making any income even while you are in early retirement?

• One of the most surprising things about doing early retirement is having the time and space to survey the opportunities that are out there to make money.
• Steve has been able to monetize their blog, youtube channel, and other projects.
• Making money is just an added perk to retire early and travel since they are projects that they already enjoy doing.

What legacy would you like to leave and what do you want to be remembered for?

• Steve would like to be remembered as someone who did not automatically accept conventional wisdom.

What do you nerd out on?

• Steve nerds out on technology that someone else is going to be able to use.

What is the most life-changing meeting with a person you have ever encountered?

• Meeting a viewer of their content allowed them to realize the impact their work has on other people.

What are you working on that you are excited about?

• Working on their blog thinksaveretire.com, working on a new project about digital marketing specifically for bloggers,

Keeping a schedule even when you are retired.

• Continued structure in your day is helpful to be productive.

---

Listen to Steve’s extended interview where he shares how to do think, save and retire early.

Listen Below:

 

In this episode:

How did you prepare to do early retirement?

• The first step is to understand exactly where your money is going.

• Then decide whether that money you are spending is genuinely making you happy or not and if that spending is supporting your future goals of early retirement.

What are some of the roadblocks you have encountered preparing for early retirement?

• It was hard not to spending less and not doing the same activities with your friends and co-workers.
• Sensible living can be a sacrifice when you are trying to achieve your goals for early retirement.

• It is a hard transition in the beginning but you will get used to it but the more you do it, the easier the process becomes.

How did you know how much money you needed to retire without the worry of running out of your savings?

• They used the Trinity study or the four percent rule to decide on a retirement budget.

Where do you invest your money, so you can have access to it before you retire?

• You have to remember if all of your money is tied up in your retirement accounts, it will be really difficult for you to retire early.
• Steve and his wife opened up a brokerage account and it will grow with the stock market like your retirement account.
• The difference is you can buy or sell whenever you want and you are not restricted by age of when you can access the money.
• They also established an emergency fund.
• Think of it as paying yourself off first money management.

When do you know you are finally ready to leave your job and retire?

• If your finances are fully prepared that the rest is 100% mental.
• Don’t fall into the “just one more year” syndrome – where you work for one more year and never leave.

Follow Steve: