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Nomad Wallet

Travel More. You Can Afford It.

You are here: Home / Affording Travel Interview / Affording Travel Interview With Andrew: Surgeon and Luxury Travel Aficionado

Affording Travel Interview With Andrew: Surgeon and Luxury Travel Aficionado

October 26, 2013 by Deia 21 Comments

For today’s interview, we have Andrew, who travels as a couple with his wife. He works full-time as a medical professional and lives below his means most of the time. Every year, though, he sets aside about $20,000 to travel on his vacation days. Although he only gets three weeks of vacation days per year, he has managed to visit 46 countries so far.

His story is a great example of why working on a career and maximizing your earning potential could be the best way to go — even if you’re an avid traveler.

How they afford luxury travel

 

What do you do for a living?

I currently work as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

 

What compels you to travel? How much of a priority is traveling for you?

I am an only child and I grew in a family that traveled extensively. Since I was very young, traveling has been a huge part of my life.

I enjoy visiting different places and meeting different people. I feel that my travels have given me a common ground on which I can talk to just about anyone. I find it fascinating how people in other parts of the world live their lives.

Traveling is a huge priority for me. Just about any time I can get time off from work, I use to travel. Besides my love of sports, travel is my other passion in life.  As soon as I get back from one trip, I am usually busy trying to plan another trip.

Andrew covered in mud after a dip in the Dead Sea.

 

Tell me about your first trip without your parents. Where did you go? How much did you spend on that trip and how did you come up with the money?

From 1999 to 2005, I did very little traveling as I was in undergrad and dental school. I didn’t have the finances or time to travel.

Following the completion of dental school, my passion for travel returned in a big way, including during my oral and maxillofacial surgery residency. I traveled with a classmate to Australia and New Zealand in May of 2005. We traveled for 23 days, which is the longest trip I have ever been on, to date.

This trip to Australia and New Zealand was paid for by my parents; it was a graduation gift from dental school. The cost of the trip was probably close to $5,000.

 

How much do you spend on travel every year? How do you save up?

Currently, I budget about $20,000 a year for traveling, although this can change from year to year, depending on the type of trips we take. Although this amount may seem like a lot, the expense for two people (my wife and I) does add up quickly, considering we only travel about three weeks a year.

Travel is the one part of my life that I tend to splurge on. My wife and I live way below our means for 49 weeks a year, so we don’t mind pampering ourselves when we travel.

I don’t believe in debt and currently have little if any debt. Saving has always been a top priority for me and I routinely save well over 50 percent of my post-tax income. I have been a saver from a young age and this has continued into my career. I rarely go shopping for new electronics or new clothes (although my wife says I should). Credit cards are paid in full every month. Once you start saving, it really becomes habitual.

Saving in a piggy bank
Andrew saves more than 50 percent of his income.

 

What’s your travel style? Do you tend to go with luxury travel options?

We try to stay in nice accommodations because we tend enjoy the trip more that way.

The view from the Royal Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv, one of the nice hotels where Andrew and his wife stayed.

When we go to resort/beach type places, we tend to stay in higher-end and luxury accommodations, and have not regretted doing so. However, if we are sightseeing, then we tend to stay in more middle-of-the-road places as the room is not as important with this type of vacation.

Throughout the year, we tend to go on at least one beach/relaxing vacation (usually during spring break) to escape the Wisconsin winters and one or two sightseeing vacations, usually in the summer.

On vacation, we typically don’t spend a lot of money on food. We like eating out during vacations but almost never go to any high-end restaurants. We also like to stay in hotels that provide complimentary breakfast.

 

Why are you not interested in the quit-your-job-to-travel movement? What keeps you at home?

First, you need money to live and I believe in saving. Both are tough to do if you are just traveling all of the time. These are prime earning years and I want to make the most of it because you don’t know what the future holds financially. I went through over a decade of grueling training to become a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and intend to use those skills for the time being.

I also believe in living a life with a purpose beyond my own desires and being an oral surgeon fulfills this. I do feel good at the end of the week after working hard and providing top quality care. Although Monday mornings are tough sometimes, that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the week is still gratifying.

Also, I come from a close knit family and would miss them if I was traveling perpetually.

Red House - Porch
Although he enjoys traveling, Andrew places great importance in being home with his family.

In addition, I believe the excitement of visiting a new place is diminished or less interesting if you just continually traveling from one place to the next.

Finally, I like being at home for periods of time. My wife and I live in a nice house, have a great dog, and enjoy spending time with friends and family. Plus, the comforts and conveniences of being at home is something you don’t get while traveling. Being a huge sports fan, I can think of nothing better then being around for football season and going to Packer and Badger games.

 

You’ve traveled to many places (in 2009 alone, you went to seven countries) but you only have three weeks of vacation per year. How do you schedule your trips?

With only three weeks of vacation per year, finding time to travel is challenging.

I generally take three one-week vacations throughout the year, which allows me to always have a vacation to look forward to. For example, if we are visiting a beach or resort, we will generally spend the whole week at the resort just unwinding. If we are sightseeing, we generally will visit multiple places.

A lot of travel bloggers advocate slowing down when traveling, but this is not possible for me. I think Rick Steves once said: “travel to a place as if you will be back”, but I travel to a place as if I will never be back. With limited time, I want to see as much as possible and I tend to be very motivated when sightseeing to pack it all in. Although it’s not always relaxing to travel this way, I still enjoy it immensely.

Andrew only had one day to spend in Jerusalem on a recent trip.

 

On your trip to the Balkans, you took 4 vacation days and spent 10 days traveling. What are your tricks to maximize vacation days?

It is nice to take time off during a holiday week. Last year, I took off July 4th week and only had to take four vacation days instead of the usual five.

Also, we generally fly out of Chicago O’Hare, which is only about an hour drive from our house. I look for flights that leave after 8 p.m. on a work day, which allows us an extra day of vacation. In comparison, if you leave in late afternoon or early evening, you would have to take time off from work to make those flights work. So basically, flight times are very important to me and being close to Chicago gives us plenty of options, especially with flights to Europe or the Middle East.

Also, to me a short vacation is better then no vacation at all. My wife and I once spent Memorial Day weekend in Dubai. We left on a Wednesday night (after 8 p.m. so we didn’t have to take work off that day) and spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Dubai, then flew back on Monday. It was a long trip for just three days but worth it to us.

 

How do you control your expenses when you travel?

We really don’t have a budget when we travel. If you want to do something, we generally do it assuming it is not outrageously priced.

 

What do you splurge on? What do you skimp on?

We never fly business or first class as I believe this is outrageously priced compared to economy class.  Also, I always search out the best airfares. Rarely does a week pass where I don’t look for airfares that might be available. Getting a good airfare always cuts down on cost.

Economy Class Cabin
Keeping an eye out for travel deals and flying economy class help keep travel costs down.

If we splurge, it is generally on accommodation, which has been worth it in our minds. Occasionally, we also splurge on a private driver or a private tour guide for safety and enjoyment.

We tend to spend less on food, never buy alcoholic drinks, and rarely buy souvenirs.

 

Do you take advantage of frequent flyer miles or other loyalty programs?

I have frequent flyer mile accounts with American and United and have used them successfully in the past, but black-out dates and ease of use is so frustrating.

Lately, I always try to use my Capital One Venture Card, which, in my opinion, is the best card for travelers. You collect miles very easily ($1 = 2 miles; and 10,000 miles =$100). There are no black-out dates and you just submit for a reimbursement once you have booked any type of travel (airfare, hotels, etc.). This summer, I used the Capital One Card for free flights to Israel, which was very nice.

(Check out this post if you want to start collecting air miles: Travel Hacking Basics: 4 Easy Steps to Travel for Free.)

 

What advice do you have for people who want to travel but don’t think they can afford it?

If you want to make something happen in life, you generally can, but you need a plan.

If cost is an issue and travel is a priority, then you have to cut back somewhere, whether it be foregoing the latest iPhone or eating more meals at home. Also, if cost is an issue, travel during slower times. Go to Europe in winter rather then during the busy summer months, which tend to be more expensive.

Also, make sure you get a Capital One Venture Card. The card more then pays for itself and should be good for at least one free flight per year, which helps reduce the travel cost.

 

(End of interview)

If you enjoyed this interview, please let Andrew know on Twitter! Of course, you can also reach him on his website or Facebook.

 

Images: 1, 2, 4, 6. Andrew ; 3. Trading Academy (CC BY-SA 2.0 License); 5. Bill Ward (CC BY 2.0 License) ; 6. Hideyuki Kamon (CC BY-SA 2.0 License).

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Comments

  1. Missi says

    March 6, 2015 at 6:43 PM

    Really enjoyed it, great stuff!

    Reply
    • Deia says

      March 16, 2015 at 2:03 AM

      Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! :)

      Reply
  2. Penny says

    November 3, 2013 at 10:01 PM

    I really liked this interview (and indeed this blog which I’ve just come across). I read a lot of travel blogs and really enjoy reading about the many and varied ways people travel and fund that travel. My husband and I are like Andrew and his wife, we live below our income, save for travel and plan and dream. We take our 9 yr old son with us and do one major trip of 6-12 weeks every 5 years. We save our annual leave and our money and spend a bit of time researching. We also host people from other countries from a work exchange website and that gives us lots of inspiration about where to go next. We like a combination of revisiting the places we fell in love with and seeing new places.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      November 4, 2013 at 3:29 AM

      Thanks, Penny! Your comment made my day. :) 5 years is a long time to save up. It must feel great taking that trip, knowing that your hard work is paying off. It’s great to see how even longer trips can happen when you have full-time jobs. I love that you host other travelers, too. That must be a big help for travelers who otherwise might not be able to afford to visit your city.

      There are more interviews coming up, so do come back and check them out! :)

      Reply
      • Penny says

        November 4, 2013 at 7:39 PM

        Re the 5 year thing, we live in New Zealand so it’s our way of trying to tread a little lighter on the planet. It’s not ideal to travel by plane but here at the bottom of the planet we don’t have a lot of choice if we want to explore the rest of the world so we save a little every pay day and do one return long haul flight somewhere every 5 years then use buses and trains when we’re there. We go camping for a week in the summer school holidays so we’re not totally holiday less for 5 years. Plus the planning and the anticipation keeps me motivated with the savings. Plus blogs like yours too. It all keeps the wheels turning.

        Reply
        • Deia says

          November 5, 2013 at 2:43 AM

          I currently live in Canada, so I feel your pain — or a part of it anyway because I think it’s still easier to get around from here than from New Zealand. Local sites can definitely make for great trips. I imagine New Zealand must have many great campsites.

          Traveling by plane and then by buses and trains sounds like a great way to do it. Too much plane travel can be bland and boring. When I visited Thailand, I got around using public transport and it was fun trying all the different kinds of vehicles.

          Reply
  3. 2wisemonkeys says

    October 29, 2013 at 6:14 AM

    Great interview! Andrew and his wife sound a lot like us! We work full-time and so use our vacation leave wisely! Big difference is we take all our leave in one hit and dont like to “rush” our travel. We too prefer comfort instead of budget travel. Working full-time and juggling travel gets tricky, we have a mortgage but we don’t let it stop us & its all about finding that balance! Glad to hear there are others like us :) We hope we get the balance eventually where we can travel more and work less but doubt we could ever do it permanently unless it became our jobs! Thanks again for sharing!

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 29, 2013 at 7:03 AM

      Glad you enjoyed reading this and could relate. Sounds like you know what you want and are on the right track! :D

      Reply
  4. The Guy says

    October 29, 2013 at 6:02 AM

    Great interview. Andrew and his wife sound as though they know what they want and make sure they get it. It is great that they maximise their holiday time. I also like the financial prudence which I endorse.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 29, 2013 at 6:52 AM

      It’s all about setting a goal, making a plan and working toward that goal. :)

      Reply
  5. Kate says

    October 29, 2013 at 3:51 AM

    This isn’t really about travel though is it? It can barely even be called flashpacking? It’s more about a guy with a good job going on a few nice package holidays a year.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 29, 2013 at 6:09 AM

      Hi Kate! Andrew does have a great job and only travels during his vacation days. I try to cover all sorts of travel styles and Andrew represents the full-time worker/luxury traveler. You might be more interested in my interview with Milene, who is a full-time traveler.

      I’m curious what would count as travel, in your opinion? :)

      Because I feel like backpacking or flashpacking isn’t the only way to travel. And full-time travel isn’t the only way to travel either. And sleeping in hostels or even staying longer in each place also don’t necessarily turn “holidays” into “travel”.

      It would be difficult to classify whether a trip counts as “travel” because it’s such a charged word these days (traveler vs tourist, anyone?). If we go down that road, we’d soon descend into a “no true Scotsman” situation. :D

      Reply
      • memographer says

        October 30, 2013 at 6:27 AM

        Totally agree with Deia. Travel is a drug and each person has it’s own prescription and dosage.

        Reply
        • Deia says

          October 30, 2013 at 5:36 PM

          I like the way you put it :)

          Reply
        • Megan Claire says

          October 31, 2013 at 4:32 AM

          LOve this! Completely agree and couldn’t have put it any better myself :)

          Reply
        • Megan Claire says

          October 31, 2013 at 4:34 AM

          GReat Interview, thankyou for sharing! I love learning more about other travelers – especially those who are making their dreams happen while holding down hectic full time work. Inspiring :)

          Reply
          • Deia says

            October 31, 2013 at 5:30 AM

            Thanks, Megan! Glad you enjoyed reading it! I love getting to know how other people fund their travels, too. In fact, this whole website is just an excuse for me to ask prying questions that I can’t ask in person. ;)

  6. eemusings says

    October 26, 2013 at 7:10 PM

    Yeah, the travelling slow thing is something we’ve done in certain places and not so much in others. We live at the bottom of the world and are not high earners so we are unlikely to ever be back to any of the countries we’ve visited on this trip, so I fully sympathise with the ‘travel to a place as if you will be back”, but I travel to a place as if I will never be back’ notion. That’s us too!

    I have to say that while luxury accommodation is nice, our most memorable experiences have definitely been staying with hosts. Definitely something money can’t buy.

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 27, 2013 at 12:27 PM

      It’s great how many ways there are to customize travel to your needs and preferences. :)

      Having tried both luxury and budget, I have to say each has its own charms. Sure, having a private swimming pool was awesome (Bali FTW), but some hostels are surprisingly nice. I stayed with hosts through AirBnb and it was nice having locals for company and advice, but I kinda prefer having my own space.

      Reply
  7. Emily McIntyre says

    October 26, 2013 at 3:31 PM

    Interesting interview, Deia and Andrew! We hear so much about budget travel, and from people who sacrifice a lot to be able to travel on a low budget, that it’s intriguing to hear another accomplished traveler who views it differently. Thanks for sharing, both of you!

    EWM

    Reply
    • Deia says

      October 26, 2013 at 4:24 PM

      Glad you enjoyed it, Emily! Luxury travel does have a different appeal compared to budget travel. It’s not sustainable to travel long-term, but then you enjoy better facilities and service. It just depends on what you’re looking for out of your trips.

      Reply

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