That’s a great question!

I’m generally not one for doing a lot of advanced planning, but someone who read my 2018 Financial Review commented that it was just a retrospective and didn’t really talk about the future. Since 2019 is going to be a kind of crazy year, I thought it might be fun to write down some of my plans for the coming year. Then when I do my next annual review, I can look back and see if I did everything I’d planned.

What’s Ahead in 2019

Buying a Condo!

Yep, that’s right! I’m buying a place to live! I don’t actually plan on living there much, but I’m looking to establish a base in Europe that I can return to when I’m burnt out on moving, or if I’m going to be super busy with work, and to act as a place to house what little stuff I own. When I’m not there, I’ll be renting it out.

I’m looking in the small resort town of Bansko, Bulgaria. In the winter it’s a ski resort and in the summer it’s a quiet mountain town with access to good hiking and a great coworking community. I spent a month there in 2018 and quite enjoyed it so I think it’ll be a good base for me and with the constant stream of nomads, should be pretty easy to rent out when I’m not there.

ETA: Spring 2019

Start Living the Van Life

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve been talking about buying a boat and living aboard for years. That’s still my plan but I’ve decided that it doesn’t make sense to do it while I’m still working. The challenges regarding wifi, etc. are just too much. So, the boat life is on hold, but van life is on the horizon.

To loop back to the condo purchase, I’m looking for a base. I love traveling and visiting new places, but I’m beyond sick of the constant logistics the life requires. Always packing, searching for airbnbs and good flight deals, researching where to go next, etc. It gets tiring. I want to be in a situation where I can keep moving but without all of the associated planning. A van should help solve that problem. I will buy a used cargo van and kit it out so that I can comfortably live in it and use it to travel all over Europe. Hopefully it’ll help me tick more places off of my ridiculous map of places I want to go.

ETA: Summer 2019

Apply for Italian Citizenship

Through the magic that is Italian law, I qualify for Italian citizenship through my Great Grandfather. I intend to apply for said citizenship this fall. Once I apply, it should take 6-9 months to get approved and, at that point, I’ll be a dual citizen. This means no more worrying about Schengen limits, I can legally work in the EU, and a lot of other benefits.

ETA: Fall 2019

Keep Working Towards FIRE

In the last year I’ve really started focusing my financial goals on FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) and I intend to continue that in 2019. I’m currently only track to be financially independent and able to stop work on my 50th birthday. To stay on track my goal is to save at least $40k in 2019. Given the condo and van purchase this might be a big ask, but I think if I really focus, I can do it!

Oh the Places I’ll Go

In addition to the big goals above, I have some great travel planned for 2019!

  • February – Go on a Gorilla Trek in Uganda
  • March – Spend a month in Dahab with my girl Amna
  • February/March – Visit my friends Nola and Paul in Spain
  • September – Visit my family in the UK
  • September/October – Travel around Europe with my mom for a few weeks showing her some of my favorite places
  • Post Van Purchase – Hike the heck out of some of the mountains in Europe

2019 is going to be a busy year, full of change, and I can’t wait to experience it!