Clicky

The Struggles of an Un-American Dreamer | The Trading Travelers
The Trading Travelers
Sharing is Caring!
struggles of the unamerican dreamers

The Struggles of an Un-American Dreamer

It’s amazing what one year outside of the US will teach you. You will learn things about yourself you never knew. Your priorities will change. Your standards will lower. You will grow into someone you hardly even recognize. It wasn’t that long ago, I was a typical American girl that vied for the “American dream”. A nice car, the trendiest clothes, highlights every 4-6 weeks, pedicures on a monthly basis, working towards buying that perfect house that I could fill with a bunch of overpriced decor from Pottery Barn (is that still cool?). I truly believed I’d be married by 25 with kids on the way by 27. I had a plan. But then those plans changed. I realized that what I really wanted was to travel, but in order to travel, sacrifices would have to be made. For now anyways. And off to Thailand we went.

un-american dreamers location independent entrepreneurs

In one year’s time, I gave up a lot of my independence since I was too scared to drive a motorbike. I never shopped for new clothes. Hell, I barely ever wore mascara and my hair was always pulled back, partly due to my 3 inch roots and partly due to never-ending helmet hair. I wore shorts and a cheap Thailand shirt with the words “same same but different” nearly every day and I have permanent flip flop tan lines on my feet. My legs were covered in mosquito bites and my best friend would have killed me had she seen my un-pedicured toes. But guess what? None of this bothered me. I was having the time of my life, and after the things I had seen while traveling through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, these seemed like the most ridiculous problems to have. First world problems, you might say. I reflected a lot on my past self while in Thailand and I was almost disgusted with the things I blew money on, the things I complained about. The things I missed most about home were the ones many Americans take for granted: beautifully paved roads, animal control, a shower with water pressure, a soft bed and central air conditioning. Okay, maybe I did miss shopping a little bit, but when I really thought about what I could do with the equivalent of a hundred dollars on clothes, I would easily pass (i.e. a weekend at the resort pictured below or a new pair of jeans?).

ao nang orchid resort

When we booked our flights for our first visit home in nearly a year, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to spend time with friends and family, drive a car, eat some delicious home cooked meals and enjoy the comforts of a true Western home. When we arrived, we were showered with love and lots of food from our family and friends. My mom is cooking us 3 meals a day. I’m sleeping better than I have in a year. The water pressure is amazing and when I shower, I actually feel refreshed and clean. The internet is blazing fast. I’m even starting to learn to not talk like a robot. Being home feels great, but at the same time, I feel a little bit out of place. It doesn’t really feel like home anymore. As much as I am enjoying being home and getting spoiled, I can’t help but be annoyed at so many things as well. We were horrified at paying $16 for two meals at Wendy’s (our only option on our long drive in the middle of the night). And the portion sizes? Gross. I’ve already gained more weight than I care to mention just being home and eating the same things I always did before. By the way, how can cell phone companies seriously charge nearly $100/month for data plans?? Even in Europe we paid no more than $20 for the month with NO contract. It’s infuriating. And while all of our friends are having more babies, buying bigger houses, nicer cars or getting job promotions, Charlie and I are making plans for where to travel next. Don’t get me wrong, we are truly very happy for them. But while they are taking one step closer to the American dream, Charlie and I are running in the opposite direction.

IMG_1344

In Thailand I didn’t feel that pressure of marriage, babies and mortgages and I thought I was at peace with trading in on the American dream. However, after being home for a few weeks, that feeling is starting to seep in like I am getting left behind. The realization has totally kicked in that I am going to be 29 this year which is just one year away from 30 and 5 years past my planned marriage age of 25. And what do I have to show for it? We thought we’d be more successful with our online ventures by now. We hoped we’d have the freedom to come and go as we please and travel like rock stars. We have been telling ourselves we are doing the right thing by living now and not putting things off until “someday”. But maybe we were a little too confident? This uneasy feeling has been creeping up on me and I’ve been waking up with knots in the pit of my stomach. I’ve begun to question our plan and what we are doing. Do we want to wait another year to find out that our ultimate plans have failed and we have to start over, only setting us back even more? Are we eventually going to have to give up and resort to traditional nine to five office jobs, rack up the bills and have to keep working in order to pay them? Everyone keeps asking what our plans are and what our ultimate goal is and the truth is, I have no idea what to tell them…

I started to imagine what our life would be like if we were to bag our plans of Thailand and travel. What kind of job would I pursue? Should I go back to school? Where would we live? I’ve done a lot of pondering over all of this which has left me feeling completely and utterly torn. But after weeks of struggling with these thoughts, it all became so crystal clear. The reason why we took this risk in the first place. The reason I gave up a great job, sold my car, and got rid of everything. It all comes down to one thing. I don’t want to settle. It kills me that my parents have never left the country. They are 60 and still working and haven’t had the chance to really enjoy life. All they want to do is downsize and but they are in an economy where nothing is selling. I’ve begged them to come to Thailand or to meet us on the road somewhere, yet my dad can’t leave his business. I can’t even begin to go into how much I appreciate them for all they provided for me and my brothers growing up but it has taught me a valuable lesson: I don’t want to get myself into the same situation. I don’t want to sign up for a mortgage payment, multiple car payments, paying more in insurance than rent in Thailand costs, collecting toys and filling the garage with stuff we don’t need. Once we strap ourselves in, it will be too difficult to up and go. I want to be free from that. We want to be financially free and living a location independent lifestyle and accomplishing that would be the greatest accomplishment of all. That would be my version of the “American dream”.

IMG_2251

So, back to that question, what do our plans look like? We want to keep working towards this location independent lifestyle and, thankfully, Charlie still has currency trading that keeps us going. Right now we have the time and the money to keep taking a risk and working towards our dream. We might have had too high of expectations for ourselves in the beginning but that doesn’t mean we are ready to throw in the towel. Living in Thailand allows us to take a chance. We are surrounding ourselves with like-minded people working toward the same goals and life in Chiang Mai is just simple. There is always an adventure to be had. We originally planned on staying in the US through the holidays but now, more than ever, we are anxious to get back to Chiang Mai and focus on building our life together. And, if in another year we’ve made no progress, we may have to step back and reassess our goals. All I can say is that I wouldn’t trade this past year for anything in the world. If it all ended tomorrow and I had to suck it up and head back to the office, at least I’ve crossed more off my bucket list than most people do in their lifetime. I can be certain I will have no regrets. I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for us…

About the Author Charlie and Brittany

We are Brittany and Charlie - we traded the 9 to 5 and the so-called "American dream" to live our own dream and see the world. We sold all of our belongings and left the US in August 2013. For 5 years, we lived primarily in Thailand and built our online business and location independent lifestyle while we traveled to over 30 countries. We’ve had house sitting gigs on 3 different continents and we’ve even appeared on HGTV’s House Hunters International.

Leave a Comment:

23 comments
Jazza - NOMADasaurus says July 28, 2014

Great post Brit! So stoked to read that you have affirmed more than ever that you are on the right path. While you are ordering strange foods in a foreign tongue the people you know back home are stocking up on that overpriced Wendy’s. When your daily life holds more excitement than most people’s holidays then you know you are living the dream! See you back in Thailand soon!

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    Couldn’t agree more!! Thanks Jazza! Can’t wait to see you guys again!!

    Reply
Vonn says July 28, 2014

Don’t ever let anyone’s expectations in life dictate yours. If you are happy. Then you are happy. It is your life and you do what suits you best. Never let anyone try to change that. Just smile and be polite and then move on. I’m so happy for you, and proud of you for everything that you have accomplished. There is no set schedule, or plan to life. Take it one day at a time. And just BE HAPPY. So many people forget the point in life is to be happy. It isn’t the cars, or houses, or wealth. The point in life is TO BE HAPPY. That’s all you need. Happiness, and love.

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    You are so right, Vonn! Thanks for the sweet words! 🙂 BE HAPPY!

    Reply
Karen says July 28, 2014

Love this thanks for posting I felt like I was reading so many of my own thoughts and it was a good reminder to start meeting some local like minded people. Im in Canada at the moment maybe I should consider some time in Thailand 🙂

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    Thailand, specifically Chiang Mai, really is the best place for networking! You should definitely consider it 😉 Thanks for commenting!

    Reply
ian stevenson says July 29, 2014

I really enjoy reading yours and Charlies articles. You are definitly more normal than most girls all the majority think of is banging out kids and then wondering what happened to my life. Keep searching and your dream will come true. Kind regards keep us posted Ian

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    Thanks, Ian! Appreciate the kind words 🙂

    Reply
John F says July 29, 2014

As your family knows we also have traveled abroad quit a bit. Having said that, it has opened our eyes (as yours) as to how we as Americans can get trapped here. I once heard a quote from Mark Twain that states “travel is fatal to racism, biggetry (not sure I spelled that correct), and narrow mindedness. You have a richness that few will experience here, or even realize. Just a thought, have you ever thought of expanding others views by starting your own travel bussiness. With your experience, you could share and expand the world/views of others.

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    That’s a great quote and definitely agree! Thanks for the comment!

    Reply
James says July 29, 2014

that van is dope, would look nice parked DOWN BY THE RIVER

Beers in November while we strategize how to conquer the world?

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says July 31, 2014

    You know it!! Can’t wait to hang out again!

    Reply
ian stevenson says July 30, 2014

Just had the Forza serviced 1000km they had a new oil filter ready and waiting. Somebody read the manuel. Keep the great posts coming. Kind regards Ian

Reply
ian stevenson says August 14, 2014

Hi guy’s, I have been enjoying your posts, keep up the good work! I don’t know if you are interested but if you are ever in my neck of the woods I would be very happy if you popped in for a coffee or whatever is going. Kind regards Ian.
My address. 37 moo14 Si Chiang Mai Nong Khai . Tel. 08 62 35 81 98

Reply
Settling Down in Salida, Colorado | The Trading Travelers says September 2, 2014

[…] might recall an article I wrote recently, The Struggles of an Un-American Dreamer, where I explained my desires to live a life outside of the norm. To screw the nine to five, the […]

Reply
Tips for Saving Money in Thailand | The Trading Travelers says December 3, 2014

[…] few months. If we want to stretch our savings for as long as possible and keep living this “Un-American dream“, we realized we need to reevaluate our spending and see how we can get ourselves back on […]

Reply
Why We Can Only Go Home For a Month | The Trading Travelers says April 27, 2015

[…] online business have really taken off in the past 6 months. It was just last summer when I wrote Struggles of an Un-American Dreamer (our most popular post to date), and we were second guessing everything. We were considering […]

Reply
Cost of Traveling Europe For a Month | The Trading Travelers says August 4, 2015

[…] Since we moved to Thailand almost 2 years ago (this month actually!), we forever find ourselves comparing everywhere we go to Thailand, especially when it comes to prices. We have been completely spoiled seeing how far our dollar can go and it’s hard to get out of that mindset. So when we made the spontaneous decision to travel Europe last summer, we experienced a severe case of sticker shock. We knew Europe was going to be expensive, but we weren’t prepared for the drastic difference and, unfortunately, we let it put a damper on our travels pinching pennies and bickering over what we would/wouldn’t spend money on. We were also in a much different place financially as our affiliate sites weren’t where we thought they would be. […]

Reply
How Two Years Can Change Your Life | The Trading Travelers says August 28, 2015

[…] it is possible. We had a shaky first year on the business front that brought along many doubts and even had us considering going back to the grind. But something happened in our second year. We were dumb enough to keep going. We just kept […]

Reply
Aaron says October 10, 2015

Great insights and honesty, it is definitely not the easiest path to take, but well worth the personal growth and strength that you build going through that process. Like you say, no regrets.

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says October 11, 2015

    Thanks so much! It was definitely scary taking the first step and we had many doubts along the way, but it paid off in the end. And now…no regrets 🙂

    Reply
Joanna Szreder says September 9, 2016

I spent 3 years in Thailand and moved to Poland for summer (I come from here). I have the same reflections on how you change. I am mostly enjoying food in Poland and seeing my friends, but I hate not having a scooter and just hopping on it and going wherever I like, whenever I want to. I don’t like the constant questions of babies, career etc. from my family. They make me angry. I also feel that I was happier in Thailand cause I didn’t understand the language, so I didn’t know what was going in the news. Here I understand everything and it makes me sad and angry. Of course, in Thailand I knew what was going on in Europe and Poland, but it was so distant, like a different planet. Now, I’m a part of this all and it would depresses me when I think I would need to spend the rest of my life here. Thanks for the post. It actually inspired me to write about my experiences in Poland!

Reply
    Charlie and Brittany says October 5, 2016

    This all sounds so familiar Joanna! I think once we’ve been away from home, we come back with a completely different mindset. Its hard because we have changed, yet everything else at home is still the same :/ Its always nice to hear from others travelers that understand!

    Reply
Add Your Reply