In today’s interview we catch up with Sean and Jen Boyle who left the sunny San Diego area in early 2014 to hit the road. They’ve have since covered much of Central America and Southern Europe and have recently arrived in Thailand. They don’t believe in roughing it but have comfortably kept to an annual budget of around $US40-$US50000 during the last 12 months.
We caught up with them to discuss Air BNB (where they book 80% of their accommodation) and the pros and cons of house-swapping.
You can follow their journey (and try some of the delicious recipes they have included) at their blog http://venturists.net
What I learned from speaking with Sean and Jen:
- Sean and Jen like to spend a short while in each place they visit and have recognized that staying for a month not only gives them a good look around but helps them keep their accommodation costs to a minimum. Air BNB offers a better rate when staying for 30 days but they can often negotiate the rate down to 22/25 days with the renter while keeping their daily costs the same.
- Renting out a property versus house swap is always a debate for travelers with a property. If your own property is in a place where higher net rents can be achieved over where you’re staying then you may be best to rent your own place rather than swap. Do consider tax with this though – you might want to talk to your accountant about whether it will be deemed as income.
- Although the Boyles are comfortably within their budget and have stopped monitoring their costs to the same extent they do recommend recording costs in the first year so you can keep a handle on spending.
- Although their blog includes food they have added recipes from the countries they visit which helps attract a whole new audience of readers.