Travel Economics

How I saved $55,000 by Travelling the World in 3 Years

Julio Moreno Travel Economics , 15 Comments
How I saved $55,000 by Travelling the World in 3 Years

Today is my birthday, so I thought some personal boasting was in place. I know articles like this typically start with “it is not about me, but you, the reader,” but seriously, unless I am giving the money away (I’m not), saving helps… mostly me :).

My Birthday

A while back I read a very inspirational article by Kate McCulley (Adventurous Kate), on how she saved 13k in 7 months. At the time, I was in the middle of my own savings journey and thought, “When I’m done, I should tell my story too!” After all, there is more than one way to do it, and the more methods out there the better.

Whether or not this gives you ideas on how to save money to achieve your goals is not really my objective here. I know people are stubborn and don’t change easily, so I am not here to convince anyone of anything. I’m just going to tell you how and why I did it. Read more →

How Much Can You REALLY Make as an English Teacher in Korea pt.1

Julio Moreno South Korea, Travel Economics , 10 Comments
How Much Can You REALLY Make as an English Teacher in Korea pt.1

WARNING: This post is going to include a lot of math, but DON’T BE SCARED! I know what you are thinking, “I am not a math person… HELP!”

The following are math people:

As you noticed, I am not in this group, nor is your former classmate who got A’s in every math class without breaking a sweat. The difference is that we are simply not afraid of numbers and neither should you. Release that fear! Okay done? Let’s continue.

Read more →

Money Actually DOES buy Happiness

Julio Moreno Travel Economics 2 Comments
Money Actually DOES buy Happiness

Money is the Source of all Happiness.

I write this on a plane from Seoul to Los Angeles, ending a long, but extremely rewarding 4-year career as an English teacher in Korea, so this post is kind of reflecting on that.

After serving my third consecutive year and making around 100k (post taxes/bills), I have come to an inescapable truth” Money buys happiness, but not for the reason you might think. Consider this: If you could do anything in the world, and money wasn’t an issue, what would you do? If you have made wise decisions, it is my hope that your career fits into that equation. In all likelihood though, you might have hobbies you wish you had more time for, people you wish you could see more often, places you wish you could visit (for those of us who love traveling), and of course, people you wish you could help.

Don’t brush away that last one. How many times have you seen a natural disaster, or even had a friend in a jam, and it killed you knowing that if only you had more money, you could make a huge difference? Read more →