Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
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Not Luxe ☼ Travel
  • ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL
  • WHY “NOT LUXE”
  • Cambodia
  • Australia
  • Travel
  • Teaching ESL
  • Move Abroad
  • Travel Insurance

how to spend money on experiences

    things worth buying as a minimalist for travel

    Things Worth Buying as Minimalist Nomads

    by Nick & Raychel April 28, 2020

    As perpetual travellers, we often give tips on how to own less, how to save money, and things we no longer buy. But before we’re perceived under the wrong light, we LOVE to spend money!! We just choose to spend money on things worth buying as per our own goals and life standards.

    So what are some of the best purchases we’ve made in our lives? We’ll list ’em below.


    Prefer to watch, not read? Find the video on our YouTube channel!

    Plane tickets & travel expenses

    If you know anything about us, it may not come as a surprise to you – but we love to spend money on travel. For that matter, travelling is the main reason when it comes to why we save money in general!

    We live a pretty minimalistic life. We don’t own a lot of things, but travel is just one of those things worth buying for us. After all, we wouldn’t be who we were without all of these amazing experiences.

    Camera, lights & laptop

    I bought my camera (the Canon 60D) when I was accepted to film school in 2011. This camera has taken me through thick & thin – through cringe-worthy group projects, to my first paid gig and beyond. Lenses & audio equipment have come and gone, but this camera body has never failed me! 

    In addition to my camera, we also have studio lights and a MacBook Pro that just makes our lives so much easier.

    Our beloved HAMMOCK

    When we moved to Cambodia to teach English in 2018, we were ready to embrace the relaxed lifestyle. After finding the perfect apartment, we realized that a hammock would complete our sunroom. 

    That hammock was $30 USD from a local market, which felt like a lot of money at the time and under the circumstances we were in. That said, we used it every single day. When we left Cambodia to move to Australia, we passed the hammock along to our friend.

    things worth buying - hammock - nick and raychel

    Best. Purchase. Ever.

    Concert tickets

    When it comes to things worth buying, concert tickets have always been important to us. Many people leave these on their “Things I Stopped Buying” lists, but we simply don’t agree.

    As two music lovers, we always love to support bands & artists we love by purchasing tickets to their concerts. We love live music and there’s no price tag you can put on that.

    Tattoos

    Yep. We buy them. We love them. We spend a lot of money on them.

    Our retired ambulance

    We bought a retired ambulance which we started working on gutting  to convert it into a tiny home on wheels! This is still a newer purchase under the works, but we are so excited for our next journey with it.

    More on that soon. Follow our journey on Instagram!

    Engagement ring (wedding bands to come!)

    For those who didn’t know, we’re ENGAGED!! The proposal was incredibly special and personal, and the ring is to die for.

    In addition to purchasing an engagement ring, we will also be spending money on wedding bands & other wedding expenses for next year. This seems to be a crazy subject in the land of the internet, but having a traditional wedding is just simply important to both of us.

    We are so excited. 

    Sushi making set 

    It seems silly but it makes me happy.  I couldn’t make sushi without it. And I save A LOT of money by making it at home.

    Skateboards & gear

    Although Nick is now a sponsored skateboarder and no longer has to pay for gear. He says:

    “Any skateboards that I ever bought in the past. Nowadays, I am fortunate enough that the company I ride for will send me stuff when I need it. But when I was younger I would buy skateboards all of the time and I started going through them really fast as I progressed and got better at it. I’m happy I saved any little money I did have to buy skateboards, because it shaped my life and got me to where I am. Even to meeting Raychel. I’m so passionate about it and I’m really happy that I stuck with it.”

    And if that isn’t the perfect example of a great investment, I don’t know what is. 

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Nick & Raychel
Nick & Raychel

In 2018, we sold everything we owned and moved to Cambodia to teach English.

Let’s make this clear: this journey didn’t start with money. This journey started with a desire to see the world and to do something different for a change.

We’re not going to fool you with photos of floating breakfasts and private jets. We know what it’s like to be on a budget. Although we like to take pretty pictures, we aren’t going to wake up at an ungodly hour to give you unachievable travel jealousy. We aren’t going to censor ourselves or lie to you.

What we are going to do is stay in cheap hostels, find ways to make money, give the advice that we would want to hear, and share our experiences with you honestly.

Are you in?

Not Luxe

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CATEGORIES

ABOUT NICK & RAYCHEL

About Us Hi! We’re Nick & Raychel, the Canadian travel couple behind the brand ‘Not Luxe’. Far before we were married (and on a mission to see the world), we were working…

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Instagram

  • We’ve lived nomadically as full-time travellers for 5 years. This is how we save money & afford to travel.

•Travel slowly - spending 6+ months in many of our travel destinations 
•We don’t have a stationary home - we travel in our self-converted ambulance
•We fly on a budget (budget airfare guide in our story highlights)
•Offering our services as house/petsitters (also in our story highlights) 

Any questions? ⬇️ 

—

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #traveltips #budgettravel #cheaptravel #budgettraveltips #gapyear #travelblogger
  • What it’s like stealth parking in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(Spoiler: it’s like stealth parking just like anywhere else.)

Nick and I spent our first 1.5 years of van life stealth parking in British Columbia. We got really used to finding parking spots where we wouldn’t be disturbed & given that we used to live in the city, we’re used to the sound of cars, sirens, and people passing by.

To us, stealth camping is just a part of van life & we absolutely love staying in an otherwise expensive area (like Cabo) for free.

Any questions about van life in Mexico? 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouple #vanlifecouples#tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vanlifemovement #vanbuildout #vandwelling #vanlifediaries  #vanlifemovement #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlifemexico #vanliving #travelcouple #budgettravel
  • TWO MONTHS IN MEXICO >>> 

The other day we celebrated our two month anniversary in Baja and we honestly feel like it’s just beginning.

Nick and I have always been advocates for travelling slow, taking it in, and calling (almost) every place we travel home. I can say that after two months, we’re starting to get the hang of things.

Now that we’re planning our travels for the rest of the year, we have decided that we have more of Mexico to see (hello Mainland? 👀) before we gear up for our next international adventure.

What are your travel plans this year? And where would you like to see us go? ⬇️

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

—

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #vanlifemexico #travelcouple
  • Remember how in the last video our 3 day total was $0? Well, it’s looking a little different this time as this was a very expensive day while travelling in our van in Baja California Sur.

Would this be more or less than you’d expect for a pricey van life day?

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

—

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #travelcosts #vanlifetravel #vanlifemexico #vanlifebaja
  • What we ate in a day as a couple living in an ambulance in Mexico. 

Some days we cook all of our meals in the van, but on days where we’re in a bigger city (or an even bigger one like Cabo San Lucas), we like to switch it up. 

What looks the best to you? 🌱 

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 
__

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouple #vanlifecouples#tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vegantravel #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedvlog #veganeats #mexicotravel #veganvanlife
  • This is what an evening is like sleeping for free on a beach in Mexico.

Evenings usually consist of a few things:
✨ Finding a place to park using iOverlander
✨ Cleaning up our van to make it as cozy as possible
✨ Stretching our legs one last time before heading to bed
✨ Drinking wine & watching Survivor 

Evenings in a van aren’t that different than evenings in our old apartment, just a few adjustments help us feel right at home.

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time van life & budget travel 

__

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries  #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vandwelling #vanlifemexico #vanlifebaja #eveningroutine
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