The Better Solution To Frantic Vacations

Good morning!

I hope this finds you well.

Welcome to another edition of The Matt Viera Newsletter.

The newsletter with the goal to inspire you to live the life you actually want to live.

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For those of you who know me (and for those of you who don't), I am a huge proponent of the "mini-retirement."

I am building a legion of fans on X (formerly Twitter) based on the theme of investing in life experiences, specifically mini-retirements (as well as off-grid getaways and cross-country road trips).

I started out on X (and this newsletter) discussing personal finance.

But, my content about personal finance was the same as everyone else who discusses personal finance.

It was a challenge to stand out.

Every time I go on X, I see the same content about personal finance said in a hundred different ways.

My content was no different.

However, many people are interested whenever I post content about investing in life experiences, specifically mini-retirements (see below for one of my viral threads).

And one question that gets asked often whenever I post anything about mini-retirements on X is, "What is a mini-retirement?"

Well, let's dive into Mini-Retirements 101:

I first learned of mini-retirements when I read Tim Ferriss' NY Times bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek.

Ferriss is widely credited with creating the concept of the mini-retirement.

The problem: a vacation with a daily, down-to-the-minute, packed itinerary.

A mini-retirement is an alternative to what Ferriss calls "binge travel."

For example, if traveling internationally, people may want to see multiple cities (or countries) in 14-21 days.

A guy recently posted a comment on X stating that he traveled to 8 different countries in Europe in 17 days.

That's "binge travel."

The result: you "end up a wreck."

A mini-retirement is about doing the exact opposite.

"It is the anti-vacation in the most positive sense."

A mini-retirement entails relocating to a destination for 1-6 months "before going home or moving to another locale."

It is "not an escape from your life, but a reexamination of it."

"The objective is to experience the world at a speed that lets it change you."

You want to travel to a place "where meetings, emails, and phone calls don't exist for a set period of time."

To do the exact opposite of your typical day-to-day routine:

• Slow down

• Explore

• Get lost

• Live

Now, I have summers off and I used to vacation like most people: A week here. Two weeks there. I'd throw in an all-inclusive resort on occasion.

But those vacations never seemed like enough.

Do they ever?

When I first read The 4-Hour Workweek and the section about mini-retirements, I thought, "I have summers off. There's no reason why I can't spend at least a month in Europe."

Well, there was a reason.

At the time, I was up to my ears in debt and couldn't afford a month-long mini-retirement in Europe.

But I was determined to do it.

So, what did I do?

To make it happen, I applied for a couple of credit cards specifically for points I could use for airfare.

I paid my rent on the credit cards over two months to earn 100,000 points.

I used those points to purchase the airfare to fly to Europe and planned from there.

And I’ve been on 4 mini-retirements since.

Now, going on a mini-retirement for 2-6 months is ambitious.

For me, the sweet spot is 4-5 weeks in 1-2 cities.

More cities in 4-5 weeks make it feel like a vacation.

Plus, you lose a day traveling between cities.

For example, my first two mini-retirements involved spending about a week at a time in different European cities.

In 2022, I spent five weeks in Spain (one week in Seville and four weeks in Barcelona)

In 2023, I spent two weeks in Vienna and two weeks in Budapest.

I enjoyed those last two mini-retirements more than the first two.

And all of my mini-retirements have been in European cities.

I'm the first to admit that I'm missing out on many cool travel (and mini-retirement) experiences by limiting myself to European cities.

But...

In terms of ease of travel (especially from New York City), affordability, and culture, European cities make ideal destinations to:

Slow down. Explore. Get lost.

How much does a mini-retirement cost for a month?

I can tell you that you don't have to be a millionaire.

In 2023, I spent less than $3000 to spend a month in Europe (the cost breakdown is in my A Beginner’s Guide to Mini-Retirements; click here).

Where can you go on a mini-retirement?

The sky's the limit.

• Pick a destination you're interested in traveling to

• Buy an airline ticket (using CC rewards points)

• Find & reserve accommodations

• Go, explore, and live

What do you pack?

I encourage you to keep this old adage in mind when packing:

Less is more.

I only take two bags with me for a mini-retirement.

I carry both on the plane.

If you can't carry on, you packed too much.

Ferriss recommends:

• A travel guide

• One week of clothing appropriate for the season

• Backup photocopies/scans of important documents

• Debit, credit cards, and $200 of small bills in local currency

• Electronic dictionary of the target language (Google Translate)

Additional reminders from my experiences:

• Build a travel fund 9-12 months out

• You'll probably spend less than you think you will

• Stay in an accommodation with an A/C, washer machine, and a balcony (trust me on the balcony)

Finally:

Don't overthink or over-plan.

Remember:

What can you do for a similar experience if you can't take 1+ month(s) off from work?

Easy.

Get off-grid or take a cross-country road trip.

My annual non-negotiable is a road trip from New York City to Wyoming, where I stay in a small cabin for a few days.

I'd be happy to stay in that cabin for a month.

Getting off-grid for a weekend or a week and spending time in nature is a game changer in terms of slowing down.

Three final tips for your first mini-retirement:

• Never wake up to an alarm clock

• Go out to dinner at a restaurant every night

• The best experiences you'll have are the ones you stumble upon, not ones you planned for

Remember:

What caught my attention:

“To travel is to take a journey into yourself.” —Danny Kaye

You can find the collection of financial tools & resources that helped me grow from a 6-figure debt to a 6-figure net worth by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to reply to this email with suggestions, questions, or comments.

I read every email.

If you have a question about personal finance, travel, or mini-retirements, email me and ask and I’ll discuss the answer in a future article.

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