13 Travelling for
your pension

Money, money, and more money. It's nice to have, but if you have too little of it, you can become quite short of breath. I had graduated with my master's degree and it seemed only a matter of time before I would start earning some nice money. In retrospect, I hadn't thought enough about the financial implications of switching from ecologist to programmer jobs. No matter how hard I tried to learn programming, it took a lot more time than I thought to make a good living from it. And so a savings plan was forced to be created. Many hours were spent at the Vilente care home and for two years all money flows were mapped.

Obviously I don't hope that you will ever end up in financial problems, but if you do, here are some useful tips: Be careful with your belongings and if clothing gets stuck, have it repaired. When you receive your payment, decide what you want to spend and set the rest aside. Throw away as little food as possible, cook for several days, use food storage containers and a (thermo) bottle. Buy soap bars. Don't drink alcohol and if you do feel like having a drink, do so at your friends' house or invite them over. Invest in items that you expect to use a lot, such as hiking boots. Search through old items. I came across an old computer mouse, batteries, toothpaste and shoes that I now travel with. Exercise outside or find a hobby that is not too expensive, such as dancing or learning a language in my case. If you are going to buy something or eat out, take the time to look for a store or restaurant. Don't go to the first restaurant you come across, but also look one street further. It is often not only cheaper here, but also tastier. Check your subscriptions and provider, and keep an eye on promotions. And don't forget to treat yourself every now and then.

Fortunately, I got a lot of help from my mother, my brothers and friends. I am very grateful for how many people have supported me along the way. If you know Jorrit as someone who often attends parties and then hardly goes out anymore and spends a lot of time in front of the computer, then that is of course quite a big change. Luckily the standard of living in Peru is a lot lower than in Barcelona. You don't have to be a mathematician to see that if you pay 10 euros for a bed and 5 euros for food, you are doing good business. Having a bit more space to breathe, it seems that this chapter can finally be closed. It was a tough period, but strangely enough also a period that brought me a lot.

Living on the edge of the Amazon in Tarapoto helped me think about what I could do with small amounts of leftover money. Spending immediately is an option, but I also think it would be wise to build up something so that I hopefully never have to go back to that tight wallet again. Leaving money in the bank hardly yields anything and buying a house is of course impossible without having any money. Suddenly I found the Dutch podcast 'young investing', in which it was explained that your savings can grow exponentially if you invest it over several years. My younger years are now behind me, but provided I retire, I still have about 37 years left. Over that long period, small amounts could well grow into a nice pension.

Where our grandparents used to go to the stock exchange in Amsterdam to buy a share of a company, today investing is something that everyone can do from the comfort of their own home. In the Netherlands, you create an account on degiro.nl and you are good to go. I personally found the 'discord' community 'slowly richer' very useful, where you can easily exchange information with other investors. The podcast advised not to start buying individual shares but with ETFs (exchange-traded funds). You then invest in a group of companies, which means you run less risk. These ETFs are largely maintained by smart algorithms, which also means you pay lower maintenance costs than, for example, with an investment advisor. The Invesco QQQ ETF appealed to me because it contains many companies such as Nvidia and Microsoft that invest a lot of time in the development of artificial intelligence. The fact that our society is becoming increasingly digital naturally offers growth prospects for this technological ETF. I am of course very curious whether it will yield anything.

Now that we are discussing the financial picture. I saw on my bank statement that Rabobank charges 8% transaction costs when I use my debit card in Peru. After a short conversation with chat GTP I ended up at the Revolute bank, where, to my great surprise, you only pay 0% transaction costs. It's ridiculous that the bank you are familiar with makes you pay so much while the other bank does it for free. Moreover, arranging that Revolute card is free and a piece of cake. When I download an app from Peru, I receive a 'virtual' pass that I install on my mobile and top up via ideal, free of charge. What a bizarre money grab from the Rabobank and I am glad that I no longer waste money on this outdated exchange rate tax.

Maybe I'm a terribly stingy Dutchman, but I enjoy paying a little attention and building a more stable future. Once this investment pot has started a little further, I will not immediately be a millionaire, but I will have a buffer that is slowly growing. So that I will hopefully be able to loosen the reins a bit during this trip. For example, to travel to a friend who also happens to be travelling in South America. To explore Peru's nightlife or to finally buy some nice new clothes. And maybe when I'm a little older, I'll decide sooner to use the invested money. For example, I think it would be great to later start a bed and breakfast somewhere where people can come on holiday. It would really be fantastic if that works, partly because I am doing this journey now. Or that I will later hand over an inheritance to my grandchildren and mention, don't thank me, I have left this money from one of the most beautiful periods of my life.