travel Archives - Page 3 of 8

September 19, 2022September 18, 2022

Earning to Buy Time with Meghan and Jeff (A Way to FI)

Today’s guests on episode 44 are Meghan and Jeff, two Colorado climbers who are at very different positions on the spectrum of financial independence. Jeff achieved financial independence along with his wife, Rose, over four years ago. Meghan, along with her husband, were inspired to get serious about their personal finances after meeting and learning from Jeff and Rose. Jeff and Meghan now write about their experiences and learnings at awaytofi.com.

Today we discuss their different origin stories, long-term goals, and shed some light on the fraught balance between work, money, family, and the seemingly elusive control of our time.

September 12, 2022October 12, 2022

The Long Way to Squamish

I’ve journaled on-and-off for various periods of my life, but I was never a “regular contributor” until this past year. Switching from a form of writing meant for public consumption (this website) to something solely for me was at first awkward and revealing. Isn’t so much of what we do meant for someone else?

What follows is a selection of modified journal entries from the first phase of our recent trip to Squamish. These posts capture affectionate, curious, and questionable observations from the long road between Utah and British Columbia.

September 5, 2022September 4, 2022

Chris Weidner: Something More To The Story

Today on episode 43 I’m happy to have Chris Weidner, a long-time Colorado Front Range local, writer, husband, and father. This conversation is special to me for unexpected reasons. I hoped to interview Chris about his career as a writer, but what emerged was something far more interesting, and admittedly, brave on Chris’s part as it relates to career and finances. Chris is shockingly frank in many aspects of this conversation in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I really thank him for that, and I hope you will enjoy this truly fascinating discussion about his life, climbing, family, and career.

July 5, 2022July 5, 2022

Peter Beal: Can You Afford to Be Sponsored?

Today on episode 39 I’m pleased to welcome long-time climber and Front Range local Peter Beal. Peter, at age 58, has been climbing for over 45 years, with notable achievements including multiple 5.14 first ascents and bagging V12 in his late forties! But Peter is also known for his critical takes on the culture of outdoor life. Today we discuss some of the realities of meaningful work, family life, and the potential opportunity costs of a life of adventure.

June 21, 2022June 20, 2022

Your Questions Answered: Volume 6

Hello! We’re back in the digital mailbag to answer your questions.

In this Q&A episode we take a hard look at inflation, the reality of a bear market, tactics for balancing a career and climbing, saving for a home down payment, my dream interviews, the pros and cons of maxing out retirement plans, cryptocurrency, financial advisors, and traveling the world for cheap. And of course, so much more.

May 9, 2022May 17, 2022

Steven Dimmitt: The Simple Ways to Become Remarkable

Steven Dimmitt is the host of the popular Nugget Climbing Podcast, a show about performance climbing and the life-long journey of self-improvement. At the surface, it seems that Steven left his engineering job and moved into a van to pursue what might seem like a whimsical and youthful passion. Digging deeper, however, we see that the journey to critical and financial success is one of dedicated craftsmanship.

How can we all leverage the power and contentment of craftsmanship to build a satisfying and meaningful life?

I really enjoyed this one, and I hope you will too.

March 28, 2022March 27, 2022

EP 27: Homes and Vans with Tien and Brandon Rooney

Today on episode 27 we are taking a deeper dive on real estate investing with climbers Tien and Brandon Rooney of Five Twelve Real Estate. This couple shares a very intriguing history, spanning from college athletics to corporate world wake-up calls, the latter of which inspired them to uproot their lives and teach and travel throughout Asia.

Eventually, looking to rekindle the youthful days of travel and freedom, Tien and Brandon turned to real estate investment as a way to fast-track their path to financial independence. They even moved into a van full-time to further optimize their financial journey.

We carefully examine the many methods of real estate investment, including some key tips for first-time home buyers. Find out if this path is for you!

March 14, 2022March 13, 2022

EP 25: Erich Purpur: What is the “Good Life?”

Today on episode 25 let’s give a hot stew welcome to climber and all-around curious guy, Erich Purpur. Erich works in the university system in Virginia, finding time in the margins to climb up to V10 and 5.13c. Recently, Erich is beginning to envision a potential life of financial independence.

But achieving financial independence may only be the beginning of the next journey.

January 31, 2022January 30, 2022

EP 21: Blake Cason: Going Out on My Own

Today on episode 21 I want to give a very warm welcome to climber and certified professional life coach, Blake Cason. Blake is the founder of Pivot Wellness and the co-founder of Climbwell, two organizations that allow Blake to integrate her extensive background in mental and behavioral health to make our lives better.

Blake moved to St. George, Utah at almost the same exact time that my wife and I were moving into our new home there. What fascinated me about Blake’s story is that, prior to her new home purchase, she worked as a solo entrepreneur on the road in her camper for years.

The first half of this interview is spent studying the history and logistics of this career path and work setup. For the second half of this interview, we dive into Blake’s bread and butter of examining our motivations, with actionable steps on how to improve and find balance in both our careers and passionate pursuits.

December 20, 2021December 19, 2021

EP 18: Kenzie King: Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Today on episode 18 I want to welcome Kenzie King. If you listened to last week’s interview with Michael Langer you will recognize Kenzie as Michael’s girlfriend. Kenzie and Michael walked away from lucrative engineering careers in Houston, Texas and moved into a van. Only months later, seemingly on a whim, they smashed the Pacific Crest Trail, hiking over 2,600 miles across California, Oregon, and Washington.

I promise that this is not a retelling of last week’s story. Kenzie has a very unique perspective on their journey. And regardless of your thoughts on the backpacking or thru-hiking, Kenzie shares a number of insightful opinions on the evolving dynamics of workplace culture, relationships in trying environments, and levels of financial or emotional security necessary to make bold and truly lasting changes in our lives. Hang on all the way to the end for some of the best moments of this conversation.