Living The Dream: Don’t Be Afraid

Rachel

What was the first country you visited? Who with and why did you choose it?

The first country that I ever visited was the Bahamas with my parents when I was 16 years old. I didn't get to choose going there but I was definitely all in! It was an amazing experience that took me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to Freediving, which is now a sport that I love.

When did you start a travel lifestyle? What inspired that change?

Even though I had traveled to three countries prior, I believe I truly started my travel lifestyle when I met my now Husband Mike. We began talking about traveling when we first met and then it just took off from there! We then started moving around all of the southern states and just recently got back from a trip to Costa Rica. I think my lifestyle change was inspired by us both wanting to experience more out of life by travel. We were both tired of doing what everyone else wanted us to do. We realized that the true way to happiness was the road that we choose, not what was planned out for us. 

Do you have a base you travel from? Or is it continuous travel? And why do you choose that style?

In a few months we will began a road trip from Florida to Alaska and then after that we plan to move out of the country so there will be no more home base for us! The long road will become our new home. We chose to live this way because it allows us to experience both nature and culture at our own pace. We can easily decide that we want to stay in a place longer if we fall in love or we can go on our way if we discover that it's not our cup of tea. In turn, this lifestyle allows us the freedom of choice, which has become a very important factor in our lives.

How do you fund your travel lifestyle? Is it something you do when travelling or are you a saver?

We have saved our money through the years and have put it in a different account. Out of sight, out of mind! We also plan to make some money during our travels through investments. It won't be a steady income but if we play our cards right we should make money instead of losing it. We also hope to house sit along the way and when not doing so, sleep in our truck. Those tactics will help us to save on hotel costs which end up adding up quicker than we would like. Once we leave North America and travel onward, we plan to live in cheaper countries like Thailand to help offset costs. 

If you could tell yourself one tip before you started your travel lifestyle, what would it be?

Number one rule: Don't be afraid. When I was younger I was terrified of what people would think of me  of being labeled "just another tourist". I didn't want to stand out and be noticed, I was like a wallflower that couldn't find the wall fast enough. I think that mentality really hindered my experiences. Now I know that it's OK not to fit in and traveling the world I'm not going to. Now I look at it through different eyes, now I see that it's nothing more than exciting!

What does 'Living The Dream' mean to you? 

To me 'Living The Dream' simply means to follow your instincts and trust that you know what is right for you. My dream is to travel the world and my instincts are telling me to push all worry and negativity aside and do it! This then causes for me to live out my dream in reality instead of sitting at home thinking about it everyday. My dream may change as the years go by, but no matter what that dream is, I'll be trusting myself to follow it and see where the world takes me.

You can find Rachel & Mike Here-

Website: TreePot Travels

Twitter: @treepottravels

We are a young American couple who are traveling the world for adventure, wildlife and the perfect picture.