Au Pair? Au Contraire!

Hi Scott,
 
I’m 19, au pairing in the UK and preparing for a three-month backpacking trip around Europe. Living the dream, right! Except that by the time I get back to Australia I’ll have just about used up my savings. I have this little voice whispering in my ear that I should be working towards setting myself up for the future, and travelling definitely doesn’t feel like I’m doing that! I have an index fund and I save as much as possible, but I am having that classic existential crisis of what the bloody hell to do with my life now! And by ‘now’ I mean when I go back to Australia (and reality). So, what snippet of wisdom do you have for me, Scott?

Mindy
 
Hi Mindy
 
You know that little voice whispering in your ear?
 
It’s a very good thing. Most broke people don’t have that voice (instead they have advertisers and influencers whispering in their ears).
 
However, I don’t think you should listen to it for the next year or two. Fact is, you’re only 19 once, and this is your time to go out and experience all the amazing things this world has to offer.
 
Case in point: I often employ backpackers to work at my farm … they camp at the shearing shed, sleep in their vans, eat on camp stoves and have cold showers. Yet they look at me with my wife and four kids, and the basketball, ballet and cricket practice … and pity me!
 
When you’re travelling you’re growing as a person, both from gaining a more worldly perspective and from learning how to make your money stretch, which will pay dividends throughout your life.
 
My view?
 
Don’t bank dollars, bank experiences for the next few years. Australia will still be here when you get back!

Scott.