Sitting on the deck of Nomad Hostel on the Mekong River at the border between Thailand and Laos right now after having chowed a good green curry soup and stir-fry reflecting on a recent question put to me by Dead Reckoning's, Jono Bruton...

"You travel like a shit load and often for long periods. Did you win the lotto or are you just really good at prioritising life goals?" asked Jono...

To be honest, even though it was so glaringly obvious, it was something I hadn't really taken into account - the simple fact that if you want to be able to go on that adventure, wherever it may be, you need to make it a real priority, apply Dead Reckoning. And by that I mean not just saying: "yes, of course travel is a priority in my life".

If you are not actively making it happen, then guess what, it's not a priority, it's a wish, and wishes are for wells, not for the real world. The real world requires you to actually get up off your ass and do something to make a dream come true.

I read an interesting piece where a blogger was trying to defend her travelling lifestyle and being irritated with the question of how she funded her travels. She then asked a question of her own: "How do you fund the things you do everyday?"

How do you afford to have your hair and nails done every month? How do you afford hitting the town with your mates every week? How do you afford those upgrades to your car's sound system? All those things, over time, could amount to a decent holiday, but they are your priorities so you just make them happen, you budget for them, you plan them out and you don't consider it a sacrifice to pay for those things. 

The holiday you're missing could be say two weeks in Bali surfing at some of the sickest spots in the world. But, if your priority is a pissup on the weekend, at let's say R500 a night, over two nights a week, equalling R4 000 a month, you're racking up a hefty R50k bill a year (trust me, I'm keeping it small here, blowing R500 on a night out is wayyy easier than people give credit, I do worse on a weeknight haha)...

I'm not saying give up the things you love, not at all, I'm just saying stop making out like you can't travel when you can, just reset your priorities and make it happen.

How about a compromise? Start putting away some dosh, a small amount you can live with at first, maybe a thousand bucks a month. After six months, check the cost of a return ticket to your dream destination (hint: Asia is cheap, even if you go through an agent!), chances are you will be very close. Start looking at a few accommodation options (Google is your friend and remember if you travel out of season you can snap up amazing places at under R250 a night for two people, no lies - you can't even find places back home that cheap for one person!) and then figure out how much you need to save to cover the balance. Maybe eat into your next paycheck after that and finish off with a good 10-12k and go live a small dream. It's doable.

Money will always find you, your dreams, however, aren't waiting around for you to be ready to take them on...

Anyway, that's my take on that, use it, don't use it. Back to my cold Chang and this view now, ciao!