I hear this one a lot.

"I wish I could travel like you, but..."

But work. But bills. But life.

And every time, I tell them the same thing.

You can.

Then I watch their minds shut off. It's like a mental block. They've already decided travel is a big, complicated event that turns their whole life upside down.

Here's the truth. I don't have more time than you. I just set up my life so leaving takes almost no effort.

Travel isn't something I squeeze in. It's my default.

Think about what usually stops a trip. It's rarely the flight. It's the stuff at home. Who feeds the cat. Who pays the bills. What happens to the mail. What's going bad in the fridge.

Handle those once, and saying yes to a trip gets a lot easier.

So here's a sample of how I did it. This isn't the full system, just a few of the basics. None of it is fancy. That's kind of the point.

Nothing at home needs me.

I don't have pets. I don't have plants.

I know that one isn't for everyone. If you have a dog, I'm not telling you to give him/her away. But it's worth knowing that every living thing in your home is one more thing to plan around before you leave.

Food is the other one. I freeze a lot of my food so nothing goes bad while I'm away. No coming home to a fridge full of science experiments.

And here's a trick I love. Before you leave, freeze a cup of water. Once it's solid, put a coin on top of the ice and leave it in the freezer.

When you get home, check the coin. If it's still on top, good sign. If it sank to the bottom, your power went out long enough for everything to thaw. Throw the food out.

But here's the catch. If your freezer only thawed partway and refroze, the coin can still sit on top. So treat it as a warning sign, not a green light. If anything looks or smells off, toss it.

Money on autopilot

All my bills are on autopay. Every single one.

That way I'm never on a beach somewhere wondering if I paid the electric bill. I don't have to think about it, and that's the whole goal.

If autopay makes you nervous, turn on payment alerts from your bank. You'll get a text every time money goes out, so nothing sneaks past you.

I also don't have a car payment. I drive a Honda Accord that's fully paid off, and I'm going to keep driving it until the wheels fall off.

Believe it or not, that's a travel decision. A car payment is money every single month that could be a flight.

Mail on pause

This one's easy. I use USPS Hold Mail.

It's free. You set it up online, and the post office holds your mail for anywhere from 3 to 30 days. When you get back, it all comes at once, or you can pick it up at the post office. No overflowing mailbox telling the whole street you're gone.

For longer trips, I've heard from other travelers who swear by mail scanning services. They get your mail, scan it, and send you a photo so you can read it from anywhere. I haven't tried one yet, but if you're gone for more than a month, it's worth a look.

Covered wherever I go

I use SafetyWing travel insurance for my trips, so I'm covered if something goes wrong.

Quick note: I'm partnered with SafetyWing. But like I said back in March, shop around and read the fine print. Find the plan that actually fits your trips. You can check out SafetyWing here.

The point is, it's one less thing to figure out every time I book.

Work from anywhere

My job is fully remote.

I know this one isn't possible for everyone. If you can't change it, skip it. Everything else on this list still works.

But if you do have the option, here's what I've noticed. When you work from home every day, you start wanting to get out of the house. That restlessness is a great reason to book something.

The big calendar

Here's where it all comes together.

I have a giant calendar. It's called The Big A## Calendar (yes, really), and it shows the whole year on one page. Every day gets its own box.

Trips go on it. Birthdays go on it. Anything important goes on it.

When I can see the whole year at once, I can spot the open stretches. That's where the next trip goes.

The takeaway

You don't need to do all of this. Honestly, you don't even need to do most of it.

Pick one thing. Set up autopay. Put a coin in the freezer. Hang a calendar where you'll see it.

Every little thing you set up now is one less reason to stay home later.

And this is just the start. There's a lot more to how I set up my life to travel, from how I pack to how I pay for trips. I'll be covering more of it in future issues.

What's the one thing in your life that makes leaving hardest? Hit reply. I might have an idea.

Keep Traveling,

Andrew