The Trending Strategy
2020 was the year I was going to swallow my independent woman pride and take shelter with my parents in the suburbs of Los Angeles county. Luckily, my Indian parents refuse to take rent, groceries, or any money from me to compensate for safeguarding me in this pandemic. This year royally obfuscated my plan for global arbitrage. If you don’t know what that is, please Google it.
Background: I’ve set myself up with investing goals, savings goals, and have set out on the path of FI/RE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) by the age of 45. Largely inspired by the POC FI/RE community- Shoutout to Amon, Christina, Vanessa, Jannese, Shang, and many more, I’ve learned to curb my shopaholic tendencies and to invest my time and energy into educating myself on personal finance. I read at least one article per day on the subject. It’s not enough to simply earn a check in a sexy mega-city, as I’ve been since graduating college…
My strategy entails finding a job that is ideally based on the East Coast of the United States (NYC/Boston/D.C). Ideally, the hypothetical future job should give me the option to work remotely and this is where I would take advantage of global arbitrage. I’d live in places that offer a low cost of living but a higher standard of living. After observing my parents and various other family members spend a majority of their pay on their mortgage/housing costs, I figured being a homeowner wasn’t something I wanted to pursue.
The experiences I’ve had thus far, traveling 20+ countries, have been far more valuable than anything else in my life (besides my relationships). So, why not extrapolate these experiences to cultivate a lifestyle? I never want to permanently live anywhere. I want to try to live in a cold place. After one traumatizing year in East Lansing, Michigan — I was 6 and I still remember the frost and the feeling of not being able to feel my face. It’s important to be uncomfortable, and I have felt deeply agonized in the cold. I’m one of those ladies you won’t find anywhere near a bunny slope, you can find me sipping on my cheeky latte inside the cabin. The only cold place that’s actually quite high up on my list is Iceland. Give me a break, I’m from Mumbai and have lived the majority of my life in Los Angeles. So, here’s to trying to live in a cold place!
My plan would involve long-term (1–3 month) rental situations with AirBnB/house sitting, to save on costs. The place would need to have a kitchen because my stomach cannot fathom takeout for more than 2 instances/week. The food at the location needs to be top-notch. I’m a food snob, so much so that I plan to travel based on the destinations’ corresponding food scene.
I want to be able to experience as many places that I have an affinity towards, which is why, in typical Ritika fashion (you should have noticed already if you’ve been a follower), I’ve made a list:
Places I’d like to experience living within the United States:
- Hawaii: Island hopping! Hilo, Kauai, Honolulu, Kauai, Maui
- Washington D.C.
- Miami, Florida.
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Chicago, Illinois.
- Portland, Oregon (My favorite state, after California).
- New Orleans, Louisiana (One of my favorite cities in the U.S).
- Colorado Springs, Colorado (2 good friends are in Colorado).
- Glacier, Montana (for Glacier National Park).
- Utah (For the National Parks).
Destinations I’d like to experience living within, outside of the United States:
South/Central America
- Cartagena/Cali/Medellin, Colombia: If things go as planned, this should be my first destination, probably in April 2021.
- Peru (Iquitos and Lima)
- La Paz, Bolivia
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Costa Rica (Liberia, Tamarindo).
- Dominican Republic
- Trinidad
Europe
- Greece: Not Santorini.
- Germany: Not Berlin.
- France: Not Paris.
- Glasgow, Scotland (in the summer).
Asia
- Singapore
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Maldives
- Jeju Island, South Korea
- Kerala
- Koh Lanta, Thailand
- Japan
Africa
- Zanzibar
- Port Louis, Mauritius
Let’s talk travel on my Instagram! Message me @ritika_leeks
