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

things worth spending money on

    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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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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  • This summer has been filled with a lot of hard work so we can continue the adventure.

Working odd jobs and picking up work that we aren’t necessarily *passionate* about (sorry to break it to you, Santa, I didn’t love being a Christmas elf at the mall during the holidays) isn’t always easy.

Working hours at the office, doing data entry, reception, and cleaning out the fridge every Friday isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Nick doesn’t love driving a truck for 11 hours a day, or getting home at 1am. 

But we are committed to the cycle, we are passionate about alternative living, and we want to see the world.

We don’t work hard so that we can have a margarita at the beach (although that’s fun too), we work hard so that we can experience different cultures, try different cuisines, learn about different climates, connect, and grow as people.

Travel to us is more than bright blue waters and aesthetic IG photos, it’s about the experience, and we can’t wait to see more.

__

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

Tags: #notluxe  #camperlife #camperlifestyle #vanlifeproject #vanlifeculture #tinyhome #tinyliving #vanlifediaries #travelgram #livetoexplore #vanlifeculture #budgettravel #worktotravel #traveljobs #travelblogger #vanlifestyle #vanliving #livingoutdoors #campinglife  #vanlifevirals #vanlifeideas #vandwelling

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  • Yeah, the first ever “odd job” I took in order to afford travel was as a Christmas Elf at the mall.

I worked this job on top of my regular 9-5 so that I could afford to pay off my existing credit card debt and move to Cambodia. It was my first step away from the ‘big girl jobs’ I was used to working, but I had a dream to live abroad and a bank account that didn’t match, so I had to do something about it.

The next few jobs I’ve done either part or full time over the years.

💻 REV: I’ve worked as a transcriber on Rev for a few years now. The pay isn’t great, but I’m a super fast typist (80 wpm who!?) so I figured it could be a way to pass the time & earn extra income.

🐶 Rover: This summer, we’ve ventured into caring for dogs on Rover. While we can’t do this in our van, we are currently staying with my brother and between all of us, there’s always a dog here. If I had learned about Rover prior to moving out of our apartment, I would have definitely offered my services years ago.

👩‍🏫 Teaching English online: Many people know that we taught English overseas - but only long-time followers of the YouTube channel would know that teaching ESL was my job beyond that. Unfortunately there were major pay cuts within the company that I worked for (PalFish) so I quit, but I still teach on Cambly and Outschool (more on that in part 2).

We don’t have a lot of money but we have expensive dreams, so we’ll do anything to make it work. What odd jobs have you done to earn some extra cash?

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

Tags: #notluxe #vanlifecouple #vanlifecouples#tinyhome #vanlifers #vanlifevirals #vanlifemovement #vanbuildout #vandwelling #vanlifediaries  #vanlifemovement #vanlifeexplorers #traveljobs #vanlifejobs #workontheroad #digitalnomad #budgettravel 

++ Keywords: van life tips, travel tips, van life travel, van life youtube
  • Anyone who knows our story knows that we have been working throughout our entire travels. Seasonal / temporary work has afforded us a lifestyle filled with travel and adventure. ✈️

We have explored temp agencies, Craigslist ads, used websites like Airtasker (Australia) and Kijiji to find our temporary/seasonal jobs. But in the US specifically, there are some websites designed specifically for this type of work. 🌲

Here are 3 websites designed for seasonal work (mostly U.S. based):
1. Vagajobs: a resource for seasonal & year-round work with a heavy focus on travel/adventure jobs. Some jobs posted on Vagajobs include staff housing.
2. CoolWorks: job opportunities in great places - from national parks to ski resorts, summer camps, to national parks. Some jobs posted on CoolWorks include staff housing.
3. Occupation Wild: job board for the outdoor / adventure and travel industry. Hiring all sorts of positions at ranches, camps, resorts, conservation areas and national parks. 

Outside of the U.S.? Same (kinda). Our main go-to in Canada is Indeed (search by job type & select contract / seasonal)

Do you have any seasonal job boards to add to the list?
Drop ‘em here. ⬇️

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

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++ Keywords: van life, van life virals, camping lifestyle, outdoorsy,  travel, travel jobs @vagajobs @coolworksjobs @occupation_wild
  • If you’re in Ontario, you don’t want to miss this next year ✨ 

This was our first time visit the Hamilton night market and it was so worth the visit. Come along with us! @hhnightmarket 

Have you tried stinky tofu? ⬇️ 

—

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

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  • Shoutout to anyone who does these tiny (or big) builds on your own 🤦🏼‍♀️

We all have different strengths, right?… 

What’s your most dreaded part of DIY? ⬇️ 
_

➟ follow @nickandraychel // full-time tiny living & budget travel 

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  • Saying goodbye is the hardest part about travelling.

We have said dozens and dozens of goodbyes throughout our 20s. We have met countless new faces, made a ton of connections, and have shed a lot of goodbye tears.

Even a visit ‘home’ comes with the looming feeling of saying goodbye again.

We wish we could take everyone we love and put them in our pocket.
But we know that everybody has a different dream, a different life. 

When we take our next flight or fill up the gas tank to our next stop on the road, they go off on to see the world for themselves, to raise their families, to chase their career goals, love lives, or whatever else.

And we are so stoked to be able to stay in touch online.
But it’s definitely the hardest part of living nomadically.

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

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