Couple who travel the world full time reveal how they budget for crazy lifestyle

A couple who spend their days travelling the world have revealed how they budget for it.

At the age of 55, Shelly and Shayne Peterson decided to sell their home, cars and businesses and bought a one-way ticket to Bali.

But the Americans hadn’t gone and done this on a whim - it was the result of ‘years of dreaming, planning, and figuring out what [they] truly wanted’ from the rest of their lives.

And since leaving Arizona and flying to Indonesia two years ago, they’ve lived quite the crazy lifestyle, seeing the globe on a ‘limited budget’.

Before starting their travels, they ‘sold everything’ and cut their ‘expenses to the bone’ in order to use their savings to fund the adventure.

But with four daughters and nine grandchildren all under seven years old, they did end up buying a ‘home base’ in the US to stay in when they return and rent out while they’re away.

Shelly and Shayne Peterson have spent the last two years travelling the world (Instagram/@jetsetpetersons)

For Shelly and Shayne, cutting things down was essential to keeping them afloat while they travel.

“We didn't win the lottery or stumble into early retirement,” she wrote for Business Insider. “We are not rich. We simply got clear on what kind of life we wanted, and then built a plan to support it.”

Explaining for Travel and Leisure that they weren’t retired or ‘trust-fund babies’, she added: “We were just determined to squeeze every drop of meaning from the time we had left.”

So, while visiting the likes of France, Thailand, Spain and Cambodia, they ‘tracked every dollar’ and cut their ‘expenses to the bone’.

The couple set a monthly budget of $3,000 which they’ve mostly stuck too, even in places like Barcelona and Mexico.

“We let the deal determine the destination,” the gran explained.

They've seen the likes of Australia, Vietnam and Thailand (Instagram/@jetsetpetersons)

“That means choosing locations not only based on airfare, but also on affordable lodging, local transportation, food costs, weather, and visa limits.”

They also try and avoid the high season and only stay at places with a kitchen so they can cook their own food.

“Our lifestyle is simpler now, and we seek out low-cost or free experiences like walking tours, free museum nights, farmers markets, and long afternoons on the beach,” she added.

The couple have so far travelled over 120,000 miles across 15 countries, and have learned how ‘little we need to feel fulfilled’.

Their travel blog, Jetset Petersons, has also helped to fund their travel as well as swapping ‘dinner dates with $1 noodles’.