This is a guest post from April Dykman, an avid GRS reader, and a writer and editor by trade. April is a potential Staff Writer for Get Rich Slowly. In her first article, April described how she discovered freedom from mindless spending. April is an active commenter at this site.
When my husband and I went to Italy in 2006, we spent $2500 on plane tickets. We’re planning to spend much less for our next hop across the pond because as of this month we have over 80,000 airline miles — just enough for two tickets to Europe.
I used to think frequent flier miles were only awarded to, you know, frequent fliers. Or people who use an American Express for big company expenses. I certainly didn’t think little ol’ me who gets on a plane maybe once a year would be able to rack up enough miles to matter.
Then I stumbled upon Free Frequent Flyer Miles, [...]

This is a guest post from Baker, who writes about personal finance at Man vs. Debt. Baker is a potential Staff Writer for Get Rich Slowly. Along with his wife and 15-month-old daughter, Baker has recently moved overseas to New Zealand, where his young family is passionately continuing their own personal “war” on debt.
What if I told you there was a different way to travel? A way to see the world outside of the hotel chains, guidebooks, and tourist traps. A way to intimately experience the real culture of everyday life. A way to connect with like-minded travelers and interact with some of the most hospitable locals you could possibly find.
Well, it’s not too good to be true thanks to CouchSurfing.com. Sure, it takes some effort, a little kindness, and a dash of confidence. But let me reassure you, it’s well worth it. My ultimate goal is to [...]

“Did you listen to Rick Steves this afternoon?” Kris asked me on Sunday. I shook my head. “That’s too bad,” she said. “It was about the relationship between money and happiness. I think you would have liked it — and so would your readers.”
“But I just wrote about happiness!” I said.
“J.D.,” she said. “You can never write too much about happiness.” And so I tracked down last weekend’s episode of Travel with Rick Steves and listened to his discussion with Eric Weiner about “the geography of bliss”. Kris was right. This is good stuff.
The geography of bliss
Weiner is a long-time correspondent for NPR. His new book, The Geography of Bliss, is about “how place — in every aspect of the word — shapes us, defines us.” It’s about finding the happiest places on Earth.
In Steves’ interview with Weiner, they compare and contrast “national happiness” in countries around the world. What makes some cultures happy and [...]

In the recent GRS reader survey, one common request was to delay the weekly podcast announcement until after the show so that I could provide a brief written summary for those who don’t have the time or the inclination to listen. That means I can’t provide a reminder for people to call in during the show, but it may generate more discussion here on the blog.
“I think I’ll move to Australia.”
This week, Jim and I spent the hour talking with Baker from Man vs. Debt. Baker and his wife recently left the U.S. with their 14-month-old daughter to move to Australia. They sold nearly all of their possessions, crammed the rest into a couple of backpacks, and set off into the unknown.
Baker is young — just 25 — and has been married for two years. He and his wife figured that now was a great time for them to take a chance overseas. During the [...]

I’ve written a lot lately about finding balance. It’s important to save for the future, but how do you balance that with enjoying today? Each of us has to address that question in our own way. A reader named Max wrote to share his own dilemma:

I’ve been working as a web designer since I was 18. I made a few financial mistakes in my early days: leased a car for four years, bought a couple of motorcycles, spent money on Stuff that had no value. I’m 25 now and I’ve owned a condo for four years. I was lucky to buy it really cheap and only have $100,000 mortgage left to pay.
Things have changed in the last two years. I’ve traveled a lot. I’m constantly increasing my knowledge and working on new business ideas. But I don’t have the time to do anything about it because I’m always working…to for pay my condo.
Fortunately, I [...]

I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about financial goals. Now that I’m out of debt and have built an emergency fund, I’ve actually decided that maybe I should set a budget. And one of the things I want to budget for is travel.
Until recently, I hadn’t traveled much. I grew up in and and around Portland, and that’s where I tended to spend my vacations. But after my wife’s parents took us on a few trips (to Alaska, to San Francisco, to London, Dublin, and New York), the travel bug bit me. I’d like to see more of the world, and I’d like to do it without spending a lot of cash.
Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year
While I was blowing $530 on a single day in Orlando last month, professional world-traveler Nora Dunn was contributing a guest post at I Will Teach You to Be Rich in which she describes her [...]