There’s Always a ‘Plan B’

There’s Always a ‘Plan B’

In life, we often have dreams and goals. Some of them are big and seem out of reach and others are small and easily achievable.

Sometimes there are external factors outside of our control, and sometimes we are the ones who sabotage our own success.

One of my major life goals is to get a place called Chester in England. The goal is to meet a pen friend I have known for over 30 years.

In the past, I could never save enough money for the trip.
In June this year I got a rather large tax return and put the money aside and started making plans to go.

I even got a quote from Flight Centre, a travel agency to get an accurate price.

The Obstacles

The first mistake with any large goal is discussing your plans with your friends or anyone not actually involved in the process.

Those people might mean well, but they will either sow seeds of doubt, tell you hold off on even getting started, or start piling on a list of unnecessary expenses and distractions.

“You’ll need the latest high quality (and therefore expensive) travelling backpack with a 10 year replacement guarantee…”

What? For a two week trip overseas, when a cheap backpack would do?

“If you’re going so far, you might as well see Wales and London while you’re there too!”

You can see how very quickly it gets blown out of proportion and then becomes “too big to achieve”.

The other issue is things need to be set in place so that I can be away from my home for two weeks.

This means needing to be two weeks ahead with my rent (at least) and other bills, letting my various banks know I will be overseas.

Then I need to let the Government know (this would be instant the moment my passport was scanned at the airport, but it helps if I suspend welfare before I go and restore it when I get back).

Recently it occurred to me that I would need at least a few thousand dollars just sitting in my main account, not for emergencies, but as “flash money” just in case I get questioned at British customs.

(This happened to a friend of mine travelling to the USA and is a rather long story).

Then there’s the issue of the on again off again “War on Iran” meaning that travelling through the Middle East has become an unsafe option. Not to mention potential increases in ticket fares from oil prices.

Dubai is a major airport in the Middle East along the quickest way there, so I might need to find an alternate route. Then again, it might be smooth sailing.

Plus I am in the middle of learning how to drive.
Driving lessons are ridiculously expensive, and I need several of them before I can even get my P plates.

Studying requires me to remain local for the time being.

Plan B Solutions

In regard to the trip to Chester, the ‘plan B’ means either pushing the trip back to either December for Christmas (yay, snow!) or the more feasible option would be April in 2027 which when work seems to cut back a lot.

This allows me time to not only save up for either a higher class travel ticket or a wider tour of other countries in the area.

Mostly though, just having a buffer of safety cash will be a good idea.

It also means I can focus more time on my studies, getting my driver’s licence and various other projects.

It’s a bummer but I don’t have much of a choice.
My work is sporadic and therefore so is my income and discretionary money.

In order to save money I am shifting my spare money to a separate bank account that is paying high interest without any restrictions or conditions attached to it. It is paying interest regardless.

I do not need to spend any more money on travelling gear and can now focus on ensuring that I have emergency money, make sure I am ahead with my rent and bills.

Next May I should get a major tax return like I did this year.

I am continuing to invest small amounts of money in ETS and post ere on Hive.

While in the England I hope to write several blog posts that could at least pay for a few beers in a pub somewhere.

In regard to study, I’m currently in my local library, using their “Hub After Dark” sessions to give me an extra 3 hours of quiet study time.

That’s all for today. Thank you for reading this.
I hope you have a great day.

When you encounter obstacles, look for the ‘Plan B’ to get what you need and want in life.

Shaidon

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