Pittsburgh's Attractions We're Going to Miss

It is time.

We now have less than one week of living in Pittsburgh before we move back in with our parents prior to our year-plus trip around the world.

In what should be a happy moment as the 2 1/2 years of saving to travel is finally at an end, we are sad.  Sad to be leaving such a wonderful city that we've had so much fun in.  We know we're going to have an amazing time exploring the world, but there is something about Pittsburgh that just makes us think that whatever city we return to wont stack up.   Sure, the traffic is awful and winters are brutal, but we can get past that.

Truly, Pittsburgh is an awesome place.  Since we'll be leaving in less than one week, we have to shift our view to remember all of our favorite places we've experienced along the way.  If we have been able to convince you to visit this great city in the future, hooray!  Try out this list when you get here for a Living the Dream approved itinerary.

Do You Sell Your Life's Belongings to Travel, Or Save Them to Return?

In preparation for our RTW trip, we had a challenging milestone we needed to meet in order to get rid of all of our non-essential belongings.  The years of furniture and decoration purchases for our apartment(s) were at an end, and we found ourselves surrounded by dozens upon dozens of items that we had no use for.  The worst part about it was not that we had so much stuff, but rather that we were "moving" to our parents before traveling - over 4 hours away.  This meant two things.  1) We had a deadline.  2) We couldn't have any big furniture go with us.

To us, selling all of our big furniture was common sense.  We would want nicer furniture in our next place anyway, and could use the extra $1,000 to $2,000 in travel money.  When poised with the alternative of renting a storage locker and spending roughly the same amount in the opposite, negative direction, our choice was simple.  But for others who are looking to travel long-term, there are a few selling and storage options worth considering for all the items you'll be leaving behind.

Getting into the Savings Mindset for Long-Term Travel

When we first made the decision to go on our next RTW trip over 2 1/2 years ago, we took a focused look at our income to determine how much money we could save to travel on.  At first, this math seems to be quite easy as you can just look at any extra income and multiply it out over the number of months you have to save.  But for most long-term travelers, simply saving left over money from spending is not enough to get you to your dream trip.  Instead, dedication is necessary to find other ways to save by reducing unneeded spending and increasing your earnings potential.

In the past we've touched on these topics, citing ways to earn money before you travel and other financial tips to increase your savings, but we never really got to the bottom of the major savings issue that long-term travelers face.  Earnings and savings are important, but getting into the mindset to stay dedicated to your new plan is ultimately what will make or break your dream. Because without this complete dedication, your dreams will most likely fall flat. 

The following are some of our favorite ways to get into the mindset to save for long-term travel.   These are designed to keep the drive to save high and also include a few ways we have cut back to boost our potential to record levels.

Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones! You Crazy Lady!

Today is a day we've been looking forward to for many years.  Today Angie is officially finished with graduate school after five years of research into her PhD in Chemical Engineering.  While it is quite exciting that her nine years of undergraduate and graduate education are completely finished, it is even more exciting that she gets a new title.

I don't want to sound pretentious or like I'm bragging in being excited that Angie will now have the Doctor title in-front of her name.  In fact, it couldn't be further from the truth.  While I am excited for her new title, it is not because of the work that went along with or the term Doctor itself, but it is rather due to our last name.  Angie's new title will be Dr. Angela Jones.

Doctor Jones.