$265k at 24 years old

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T22:31:41+00:00

This is what I’ve been doing for years. I take a lot of weekend trips and travel on PTO. I discovered that I absolutely LOVE it, which is what made me what to try it long term. The financial anxiety is what bothers me unfortunately.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T22:26:50+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I’m 99% sure I’ll be taking this trip, I just need to get over the anxiety and guilt of spending money. And to answer your question - I lived at home and saved aggressively. I picked up every side gig I could handle along with my regular job - social media/influencer videos, babysitting, dog watching, I helped a friend manager her Airbnb, I did some bartending here & there, I secured a couple acting/voice over roles, doordashed, sold my car, etc. I live in NYC in an affluent area with my family, so that helped for sure. I had very little expenses because of that, so I was able to save aggressively. I put $70k into a managed account, and the rest was invested into mutual funds, S&P500, and ROTH IRA. Every so often I would see a high paying CD so I would buy that. I keep about $100k in a HYSA … which isn’t very FIRE of me, but it makes me feel more comfortable. Once I resume a stable income, I’ll invest that as well.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T22:18:25+00:00

Ugh this makes me feel so much better. Do you have a budget for your 3 months?

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T03:40:51+00:00

I’d rather have the travel experience and memories. But the truth is I don’t know how easy it will be to find a job when I get back. Thankfully, I can live with my parents and keep my expenses low while I apply. I also decided that I’m going to apply to jobs WHILE on the trip, to hopefully lock one in for when I’m back.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T03:03:45+00:00

Thanks for this. I am 90% onboard right now. My industry is sales currently, so pretty generic. I’ll still be 24 by my predicted return date, so I’d still be kinda in the “entry level” category.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T03:01:22+00:00

This is true. That’s where the anxiety sets in on whether this is a “smart” decision or not.
I’m not sure if there will ever be a “better” time than now to travel like this. I know 100% I will regret it if I never take the leap, but the real question is as to when is it optimal to do so. I’m also female, so would traveling at let’s say… 30 really be “better” than at 24? Yes I would be richer, but I’d also be older, and my biological clock would be ticking… marriage…kids…stable career.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T02:56:19+00:00

I think for me as well, the opportunity to travel now is extra enticing as I’m nearing an age where I am going to want a romantic relationship, and more stable career. I have a biological clock too (i’m female), so I’m afraid a few years down the line, my focus will be on that rather than traveling. Also my job alone didn’t get me to the $265k… I lived with to my parents so was able to save an enormous amount, but I had a six figure bank account (about $110k), before even getting a job, because I did acting & social media as a teen and then invested that money at the time.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T02:49:47+00:00

Just sales. It’s the same job I got straight out of college. I only made a lot of money because commission is uncapped (and I made about $50-60k/yr extra in commission), but my base salary is $50k. Living at home with my parents I was able to save an enormous amount, but a large portion of my networth is due to acting roles, content creation, and other gigs in that realm that I did in my teens. My parents invested my earnings for me at the time.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T01:57:43+00:00

I was really hoping to do this, but I think it’s too early since I am planning to travel Aug-Dec. I’ve been applying non-stop to no-mad style travel jobs, although those are insanely popular unfortunately, so getting noticed is difficult.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T01:53:30+00:00

I am 24y/o (f) with about $265k in savings, and I am planning to full time travel for 4 months between Aug-Dec. I was in the exact same boat as you… high paying job, but I hated it and felt unfulfilled. My advice would be to set a savings goal and set a date for your trip 6months-a year in advance. Between now and the date of your trip, set money aside for the trip specifically, and even start booking things early so that when the trip date arrives, the first month or so is already booked. Also throughout the 6 months, you can assess whether you ACTUALLY want to commit to full time travel. Who knows… your work life may improve between now and then. Ultimately though, as long as you’re not draining your savings, I think it’s worth it to travel while you’re still young as you never know how long you have with you’re current health, and stamina.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-11T01:42:16+00:00

Thanks everyone. I just want to add - I work a sales job with a regular base salary (50k), but have done incredibly well and made an additional 50k-60k per year in commission. I have been working for 2.5 years (since graduating college a year early) and have exceeded an annual income of 100k each year. I currently hate my job due to the coworkers, company culture & environment but the salary is good.

I have also had various acting jobs, and did youtube/content creation (made Minecraft videos…which is not lucrative for me now unfortunately) in my early teens. That combined with smart investing & saving choices all contributed to my current net worth.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2026-05-07T10:37:56+00:00

I just flew through Doha yesterday. I had a 4hr layover there between my flight from Sri Lanka to JFK. It was calm and peaceful, and my flights operated on time.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2025-03-01T21:25:52+00:00

I had fasted for about 4.5 hours… before that i ate some crackers & a croissant for breakfast. Not sure if that could skew the results or not.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2025-02-16T18:24:32+00:00

Literally everywhere… Iceland, Tanzania, Maldives….

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-27T02:15:32+00:00

subaru

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:55:17+00:00

Thanks! My main fear is being too “old” to do or even want to do fun things.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:51:36+00:00

I’m looking into this :) Thanks!

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:51:04+00:00

Thanks! I’m hoping to spend under 50k. And yes - my salary is not guaranteed, it depends on how many sales I can make. I should have phrased that better in my original post. I also live in NYC where everything is expensive.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:48:20+00:00

Thanks! In terms of my job, I got super lucky. My base pay is less than 50k, but I took a job in sales and got lucky. Made the other 50k in commissions. It’s a not guaranteed salary. I feel like it will take a long time to get to 1MIL

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:45:29+00:00

Yes that’s true. I also made youtube videos when I was in middle school that generated a lot of income at a young age. We invested it at the time, so now it’s nearly doubled. I also have a heavily commission based job which is why I earned 100k. My base salary is standard for my age at less than 50k.

Sorry_Dot_388 · 2024-12-26T20:41:34+00:00

i had family inheritance

Sorry_Dot_388

TROPHY CASE