Just Wing Your Way To Financial Independence

We were lost.  Well, not entirely lost.  We were trying to get to the rental car return and departure gates at Luxembourg airport, and failing.  I say we weren’t entirely lost because we could see the airport.

“Dude”, I said to my buddy Brian who was driving, “There’s jetliners right there, we’ve got to be close”. 

As crazy and improbable as this situation sounds in the modern world of GPS and smartphones, it was all too common in 1997.  It was my first trip to Europe with my two best friends, and unfortunately we were trying to get to the airport to go home.  I say unfortunately because I didn’t want the trip to end.  For me it was a trip of a lifetime.  I’d never even flown on a commercial plane until just two years prior. 

As we were cruising down the road on what turned out to be the wrong side of the airport I noticed a sign.  “Cimetière Américain”.

“Hey guys I think we just passed an American World War II Cemetery, we have plenty of time, want to check it out?”

When we pulled into the cemetery it turned out to be where General George Patton was buried.  We were privileged to visit and pay tribute to General Patton and thousands of American World War II heroes.  It was totally unplanned and serendipitous and one of the highlights of the trip.

Actually our entire trip was unplanned.  We scored round trip tickets to Luxembourg and a car for dirt cheap (I’ve been doing this frugal stuff for a long time…), and we just went.  We had no itinerary, no hotel reservations, and no real agenda. 

“We’ll figure it out”, we thought.  We just wanted to go and see what happened. 

And every day, so many amazing things happened.  We stumbled upon Roman ruins and castles in Germany, and got into an intense dart competition with the locals at a bar in a tiny French town.  We met amazing people at hostels, and danced with retired folks in a Heidelberg square. 

For the next 10 to 15 years after that trip, besides purpose-focused vacations such as mountain climbing trips, I did almost all of my international travel by winging it. 

I went to Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Scotland, Ireland, and about 15 other countries in Europe, all without as much as an idea of a plan.

Traveling in this manner is not for everyone, I get it.  When the sun is setting, you still can’t find a place to stay, and you barely speak the language, it can be stressful. But if you’re modestly intelligent and industrious, you’ll figure it out. 

Wing It FI

Financial independence is very similar in this way.  Planning everything and mapping out a path down to the gnats ass might seem like a good idea.  It makes you feel like you’re taking control of the situation and being proactive.

But your plans will likely be thwarted.  Life is complicated.  Stuff happens. 

Big two week trips to Europe aren’t much different.  If you plan the entire trip down to the hour, the first missed train or flight delay will force you to start improvising and adjusting. 

I’m not arguing that you take the approach of my crazy travel years for your path to FI and totally wing it.  But to be honest, in my path to FI that’s kind of what I did. This blog is called Accidental Fire for a reason.   

I had no FI plan, I just consistently spent way less that I made and invested the difference.  Having a goal is different than having a plan.

I am suggesting, however, that you build the skills of improvisation and adjustment by not over-planning and by figuring out some things as you go along.  I sometimes see bloggers in the community who are in their 20’s and have a “plan to FIRE by 35”, complete with painstakingly thought out details. 

To be clear, I think their goal is awesome and an incredible thing to set out to do.  But I’d be hesitant to plan too much.  Sure, we’re all different and making a detailed plan might work for some folks and that’s great. 

But most people’s lives will likely be too complex and unpredictable to allow adherence to a detailed plan over a long period of time.  Especially someone in their 20’s who might still have marriage, kids, and numerous job changes in their future.

The energy might be better spent coming up with a rough plan and flexible goals, and thinking about what to do when things change. 

Or you can do what I did and just wing it. 

Skill-Building Through Improv

Now that I’m more than financially independent and semi-retired I can look back and appreciate the skills I built by learning and adapting as I went along.  I’m going to need those skills and more as I progress through the post-FI period of my life. 

The world is my oyster and I can pretty much do whatever I want.  As great as that sounds to those not fortunate enough to be in similar circumstances, it’s also kind of daunting. 

I will no doubt have to continue adapting to events and circumstances, and I dare not try to plan too much of it out. 

But that’s the fun of it right?  Stability and a safe path are good things, and part of me desires those things.  But another part of me likes the thought of not knowing what’s around the next corner of life. 

Your Turn – Do you have detailed plans for your path to FI, or are you showing up for improv night most of the time?