Oct
LIP Plans: Are we allowed to change our minds?
A month or so ago Claudia and I had pretty much determined how our LIP year abroad in 2008 would look like. It’s a mishmash of places we know and love (Zurich and Rio) and places we have always dreamt of visiting and exploring (New Zealand, Australia and the Caribbean). We’re pretty excited about it and we’ve been furiously planning and researching for flights, accommodation, internet connection and car rental ever since! Here’s how it looks:
Feb - March: New Zealand and Australia
April - August: Switzerland
September: Caribbean
October - Dec: Brazil
But what happens if, come January, we don’t want to spend two months in New Zealand or five months in Switzerland for whatever reason? Perhaps we won’t have as much money as we thought we would have. Perhaps we would feel too isolated too early on in New Zealand. Perhaps Switzerland and Brazil are both too familiar and we want to explore more of the unknown.
Are we allowed to change?
And by what point should all our changes be made? Can’t we change half way through? But won’t that cost us extra money?
I think plans are necessary and, yes, there are commitments to be made. But I also think that plans need to be flexible and not set in stone. As Lea advises in her book it’s good to have a spare credit card or a lump sum in cash in case you want to hotfoot it to another continent!
So, our LIP year could end up looking like this:
Feb: Caribbean
Mar: Canary Islands
April - June: Prague
July - Sept: Croatia
Oct - Dec: Brazil
Jan - Mar: New Zealand
I admit that the last few weeks have been quite stressful as we get to grips with our LIP plans. Sometimes, we feel as if we’re driving on deserted road in the dark and we can only see a few feet out in front of us. Our biggest fear is that it all becomes too much and we can’t see how it will work. What keeps us going is that every now and then we see signs which inspire us and give us confidence that we’re making the right move.
It’s not easy preparing to be LIPs. I think we worked out what the worst is that could happen to us if it all went horribly wrong and we’ve come to terms with it. What we have both realised is that we know what we don’t want in terms of work and location and we’re fighting to move up and away from that.
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I dream of the day when my biggest worry is “which idyllic locations will I live in this year?”.
Not being able to change….having every minute micro-managed and planned for….isnt that what your fighting to get away from……explore the unknown.
Great post!
We’re off in January - and the only thing we know is that we’re going to Thailand in January. We have no idea where after that! I think maybe we’re the opposite end of the spectrum to you..!
For me becoming a LIP is purely about Freedom, flexibility and going with the flow!
Who knows - maybe your plan for 2008 will end up as follows:
2008 - Caribbean…!! Maybe you’ll love it so much - you’ll want to stay there!
Good luck - and I look forward to reading about your journey - both physical and emotional
Thanks Freebird!!
I agree. Freedom, flexibility and living our lives at our own pace is our goal too!! It’s just taking a lot more time to research all the best options than we thought it would.
I know Lea found the researching for flights etc time-consuming too. It’s probably why she hired a VA!
I’ve not had the best results with a VA so far and so we decided to do the research ourselves. That may change though.
Don’t get me wrong! Ours are all nice challenges to have!
Thanks for the support and where in Thailand are you headed?
Hi Greg
What challenges are you having with your VA.
I sometimes think you need to hire a VA just to find a VA LOL.
Anyway if you give me a small project I’ll get one of my team to spend a couple of hours on it as a free trial, just e-mail me at gavin@OutsourceSuccess.com.
Gavin
P.S. the majority of my team are in Mauritius, I’m planning a trip out there soon to meet them in person, LOL. Life’s tough.
P.P.S. I’m getting some posts together to contribute to the blog here.
Freebird said it best I think that the freedom is what you are going for. However I can relate to what Lea feels in the time consuming task of trying to find the best flight plans, etc. Sometimes, that in and of itself , can feel like a job.
As for a VA, I have never used one to this point, but I am sure that it is just like any other outsourcing individual…you will find quality ones and then some not so quality ones.
It all comes down to being willing to handle some of the “bumps in the road” in order to continue to live your dreams. Even the life of a LIP, as I am sure you would agree, is never all just icing on the cake.
Hi Bunk!
Freedom to do what we want and where we want is what we’re firmly holding in our minds. The road to making that dream become reality is a little bumpy as you say and sometimes you need to make sacrifices now in order to sustain a long term LIP future.
Our first priority is getting out of London!
Hi Greg
Sorry it’s taken a while to reply to this thread.. I’ve been busy stressing, getting my future LIP life in order
We’re heading out to Koh Lanta in Thailand. I have a couple of friends there already, plus I spent a bit of time there 3 years ago… Myself and my “better/worse?” half are passionate scuba divers, and there’s is some great diving there. Plus you can get good internet access, and accommodation/cost of living is cheap..
Oh - and did I mention I fell in love with the place