Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing.A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional.For September, the question is: “If you could choose one author, living or dead, to be your beta partner, who would it be and why?”
If I would be an avid book reader – which I wish I was, but there are not enough hours in my day to be one – I would easily be able to answer this question. I don’t even know what my favorite genre is! These years, I read e-books written by friends or used books given to me by friends and family. My TBR list is huge. I do LOVE reading after all.
Without research or much experience, I think I’d like my perfect beta partner to be a travel writer like Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer, or Paul Theroux. Not only are these men fantastic, intelligent writers, but – from what I remember – they have a good sense of humor as well.
Lots of thinking goes into this road to publication!
Lately, Massachusetts has not been one of the “bad” Coronavirus states in this tumultuous country. The guidelines have been pretty strict since the beginning of the pandemic (according to US-norms), the Governor (Charlie Baker) has handled the situation well, and most residents have been compliant.
(Hover over the photos for captions and click to enlarge.)
Boardwalk to the dog park
View over one of Newburyport’s marinas
A little oasis – and multi-use, off-leash area – along one of the rail trails
In my home country, Belgium, the reactions to this virus – real “lockdown”, strict rules, and fines instead of self-imposed quarantine, “guidelines”, and raised eyebrows – have had a drastically better impact. As a result, their Summer of Covid was more “benign” than ours. Restaurants, bars, theaters, pools, hairdressers, zoos, … have been reopened for many weeks. Kids went on summer camps and most schools (especially kindergarten and the lower grades) will start “as usual” on September 1st.
Historic buildings in downtown
Plaza and pedestrian-only area
How is the situation in Newburyport, where Mark, Maya, and I have been “hunkered down” since mid-April of this year (apart from a multiple-week trip to Maine and Vermont in June and one week in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in July)?
Financial Case Study: Liesbet Collaert – Interview on The Professional Hobo
I’m excited to announce something entirely different and unique today…
Many of you know that I post monthly and yearly expense reports on this blog, without any secrecy. Yet, I have never disclosed how much money I/we actually make in a year. I’ve also been pretty vague about how we have been able to afford our nomadic lifestyle over the years and what is required to financially sustain ourselves.
All this and more insights can be found on Nora Dunn’s website The Professional Hobo, where I take part in her Financial Case Study series. Unlike most of her guests, we don’t make six figures a year and stay true to our motto “The less money you need, the less you need to earn.”
Financial Case Study: Liesbet Collaert, Roaming About
Liesbet Collaert was born in Belgium and recently became an American, but calls herself a world citizen. She’s been a digital nomad since 2003 (sailing, house sitting, and RVing), earning money as a freelance writer, photographer, translator, and editor. Her first travel memoir is almost ready for publication. Liesbet connects with her readers on her blog Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary, as well as her Facebook page or Instagram account.
While Liesbet’s income seems small, I think you’ll agree that she and her husband have lived an extraordinary life of travel, and by using creative budget travel tips (like getting accommodation for free) they haven’t been left wanting for much. Check it out!
How long have you been living/working on the road, and where have you traveled to?
Where do I start? Since I’m pretty impulsive and adventurous, my nomadic existence and means to make money developed organically. I’ve always been a traveler. One of the reasons I became a teacher in Belgium was to have a long summer vacation designed around exploring the world. I took two “leave of absences” during my first four years of teaching, to backpack in Southeast Asia and Down Under. Being frugal and passionate about travel, that’s what I used my income for. I never owned anything, making it easy for me to be flexible. The third time I left Belgium for an extended adventure, I never returned. That was in 2003.
While I didn’t need to make money during these initial escapades, as I had savings from my “real job” and I run a tight budget ship, one – of course – can’t journey forever without earnings. Darn! I think it was in 2008 – after a few years of RV-travel and getting close and personal with sailboats – that I started to create some sort of income. Up until that point, I’d cleaned a few boats for change and kept a free blog about our sailing journey on SV Irie to share our experiences and inspire others.
I traveled throughout Europe while living in Belgium until I was 27, backpacked in Southeast Asia and Oceana for two years, explored the continental US, Canada, and Alaska in a truck camper for a year and a half and Mexico and Central America for another year. In 2007, the sailboat episode followed – a journey that brought us from Maryland (USA) south to Florida, throughout the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, spending hurricane season in the Dominican Republic, and on to the Eastern Caribbean via Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
After three years up and down the Leeward and Windward Islands, we skimmed the out islands of Venezuela, spend time in Colombia, and enjoyed over a year in Panama. The next steps were transiting the Canal, being blown away by wildlife in the Galapagos Islands, and concluding our sailing voyage after cruising in French Polynesia for two years. Eight years after casting off (in 2015), we sold Irie in Tahiti.
Since then, we’ve slowed down a bit, house and pet sitting throughout the United States and exploring North America in our 19ft camper van Zesty. I am more than ready for tropical and exciting destinations again, whenever this pandemic allows it.
Please describe what you do for income.
First, I’d like to point out that my husband and I are very frugal and we’ve found that being careful with expenditures allows us the life we desire – more freedom and less need to be workaholics. The way we manage our money, our aversion towards collecting material goods, and our love of simplicity are leading factors for how we make this nomadic lifestyle work – financially and otherwise.
Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits.Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.
In July, we boondocked in the woods of White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire, with Zestyfor a week and stayed put in our “room above the garage” in Newburyport, Massachusetts for the rest of the month. Our time in nature cost approximately the same as not going anywhere, except for the fuel. We bought groceries and alcohol as usual and camped for free. Yet, the camper expense was higher than normal, because Mark replaced a heating element.
Our free campsite in White Mountains National Forest
Campsite in the woods – social distancing is easy
Our current home base
Early in the month, we had dinner with relatives outside on picnic tables at a brewery. That was the first time we ate “out” in months and probably the last time. We prefer take-out, which we ended the month with. Of the four items we ordered at this Thai restaurant, two were wrong. I guess we will stick to cooking ourselves from now on!
Falafels with homemade pita bread
Vegetarian goodness!
Camper meal: vegetarian pasta dish with homemade no-yeast pan-bread
And, there is a new expense category! Writing. It immediately became the highest cost of the month. Almost $500. That amount in July went to my editor and is half of her fee for the first round of (substantive) edits she performed for my travel memoir. This month, we paid the same amount and I expect two more expenses like these for the second round of edits in September.
My mother-in-law’s patio and garden
Plenty of room to social distance here, for a group up to eight people
Where we saved money is by taking advantage of a credit card offer I wrote about last month. Because of using our miles at 1.5x their value for groceries and restaurant expenses, our actual spending in July was $496 dollars less than reflected in the total underneath.
I don’t tire of this view of the White Mountains!
On paper, it was a relatively expensive month for us, about $100 above our monthly average, but that’s mostly due to a new “investment”. I hope to earn that back one day. 🙂
I encourage any questions and thoughts in the comment section underneath!
Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing.A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional.For August, the question is: “Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn’t planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?”
Easy answer this month: the only genre I ever write in is non-fiction. Although, there have been moments where embellishments and exaggerations almost sneaked in! ???? I dabbled in poetry years ago as well. All my writing is pretty straightforward and planned.
Missing the river – and nature – already
My book progress
Last month, Mark, Maya, and I went camping for a week and I completed a few editing and writing assignments unrelated to my book. But, a lot happened behind the scenes. Early in July, another rejection letter from a traditional publisher arrived. I have coined it the “the nicest email ever to bum me out.” Here is an excerpt:
New Hampshire’s attractive White Mountains are located 150 miles (241km) northeast of our current home base in Massachusetts. It takes a little over three hours to get there in our van (as opposed to 2.5 hours by car), since we stick to an average highway speed of 55-60mph (90km/h) in Zesty. This consumes less diesel, and we rarely have to pass anyone!
White Mountain National Forest was our destination this past week. It is huge, at 800,000 acres (which expand into Maine), attracts millions of visitors annually, and offers countless recreation possibilities, like 1,200 miles of hiking trails. When Mark and I returned from visiting people in Maine and Vermont in June, we drove through this stunning area and were impressed. We vowed to return for a proper immersion.
(Scroll over or click on images to read photo captions in the galleries.)
Just driving through the White Mountains – Mt. Washington
Today, I invite you into my mind. If you accept, you might regret it. So much is going on in there, you might get overwhelmed, or mad, or jealous. This chaotic brain activity even has a name: Monkey Mind. Although, its description appears a bit harsh to define my condition. Thank you for supplying me with the correct term, Peta, when I mentioned this busy-bee thought syndrome in my last writing update. Luckily, those mulled-over and constantly-sprouting concepts aren’t all writing-related. That being said, the idea for this post formed while I was in the shower, head-writing it. ????
Pensive position
Some background information to help understand our conundrums in regards to… our future:
Mark and I met the end of 2004 and have been nomads ever since (me 1.5 years prior to that).
With two big dogs, we attempted a sailing adventure, which failed after nine months of prep.
The four of us traveled throughout Mexico and Central America in an RV for one year instead.
This was followed by three months in-limbo at a friend’s place in Texas, contemplating a move to Belize, a country that pleased and attracted us.
But, Mark’s dream to go sailing persisted: we lived in a tent and Toyota Tacoma with our two dogs for two months, in search of the perfect catamaran. We found Irie in Annapolis, Maryland.
After selling Irie in Tahiti, we didn’t want to settle but needed a break from our travels. The solution: house and pet sitting; frequent changes of scenery and the conveniences of a house.
Until we got itchy feet again and bought our current campervan, Zesty. Overland adventures continued, in combination with welcome breaks, house sitting.
We adopted Maya in June 2019 and house sitting was not an option anymore. We preferred our life on the road by then, so it all made sense to travel full-time again.
A walk through Clearwater, FL reveals fancy signs, magnificent buildings, and a certain amount of secrecy. If you wouldn’t know better, the reason for these appearances stays forever hidden. Take a stroll through town with us and read the captions by hovering over or clicking on the images of this photo story.
We had no idea when we parked Zesty along the street, next to this imposing white building in Clearwater.
Until we saw this sign…
… and video cameras everywhere.
People dressed like bellboys all around…
… asking us provocatively, “What are you looking at?” and “Why are you taking photos?”
Roaming About – Liesbet Collaert & Mark Kilty & Maya
We have been perpetual nomads as RVers, sailors, house and pet sitters, and overlanders since 2003. Currently, the three of us are roaming about South America in our truck camper Thirsty Bella.
As lifetime adventurers, we are self-employed and maintain a tight budget. This blog is about all that – and more – to inspire a life less ordinary. Don’t dream but do! 🙂
