You Don't Need a Five-Year Plan, Just a One-Month Test Budget for Your Next Chapter
You don’t need a perfect plan, just a clear picture of what one month abroad really costs. This simple budgeting step can turn “someday” travel into a real, manageable experiment.
If you’re thinking about taking your work on the road — whether it’s one month, a few, or maybe longer — there’s a moment when the dream inevitably hits a wall:
What would it actually cost me to do this?
Not the Instagram version. Not the overly simplified blog post that says “I live in Thailand on $500 a month!” without context. You need real numbers for your life, not someone else’s highlight reel.
What do you need in a real city (or adorable village, as you please), for a real stretch of time — working, living, and figuring it out?
This week’s edition is about making that future tangible.
You don’t have to map out your entire financial life. We’re starting by creating one clear, bare-bones budget for a single test month abroad.
This isn’t forever. But we’re not putting it off to some imaginary and far-off “someday” anymore, either.
When you know what a test run really costs, everything shifts. The idea becomes tangible. You can stop guessing, and you get to decide whether that next step is within reach.
In case you missed it…
Budgeting for a trial month is a great way to really dig into what it’s like to live and work somewhere new, without unrealistic expectations or permanent decisions.
But that means your budget has to do two things:
Reflect how you’d actually live, not how you’d travel as a tourist.
Account for the life you’re stepping away from, even temporarily.
Let’s walk through it, step by step.
One Step Closer is our no-fluff series on taking small, intentional steps toward a freer, location-independent life — without burning out or starting over.
