PHOTOS: This Couple Sold Everything To Take A Dream Trip Around The World

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They sold everything and rented their home.

They sold everything and rented their home.

Before leaving San Francisco, the Garlottas sold all of their furniture and most of their possessions.

"We didn't sell our stuff so much to raise money for the trip as to not have the expense of keeping it any longer," Chris says. "When we realized we were going to be gone for a while, and weren't sure where we'd end up, why pay every month to keep stuff in storage and then realize later that we don't want it anymore?"

The money from selling their possessions went in the bank to finance furnishing a home at the end of their adventure, if needed.

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They've continued earning as they travel.

They've continued earning as they travel.

The Garlottas didn't make any extra effort to save for their trip, because they've both continued freelancing abroad: Chris for tech companies, and Danika for social media and online marketing clients.

Chris says that the logistics aren't that different from working stateside, where he mostly dealt with clients through emails and calls. "Most of the time I never met or saw clients. The fact that I'm sitting here in Berlin dealing with a client is exactly the same as being down the street. A lot of the people I work with have been clients for years, and they're aware that we're traveling. They don't see a difference, but we feel it."

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They changed their work schedule to fit their travel schedule.

They changed their work schedule to fit their travel schedule.

The Garlottas have banished the 9-5 workday.

"We found that we work more efficiently because we don't want to sit around and stare at the internet," Danika says. "We get it done, and then we can spend the day going out and exploring."

They're visiting places with lower costs of living than the US.

They're visiting places with lower costs of living than the US.

That said, the couple estimates they're earning about 40% of what they had been in San Francisco, but not suffering any decrease in their standard of living.

"Having clients in San Francisco, I'm billing San Francisco rates, but in Berlin, rent is 20% of the cost of rent in California," Chris explains. "In Indonesia, dinner is $2 a person."

They do have a savings account as a backup, but they don't plan to use it to fund their everyday lives.

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They rent apartments rather than stay in hotels.

They rent apartments rather than stay in hotels.

They've been gone for the better part of a year and estimate they've stayed in hotels about 10 nights. They save money by renting apartments through Airbnb, which Danika says gives them more space — and a welcome full kitchen — that they wouldn't have at a hotel.

"We come into a town, pick up our keys, and we'll be settled in at home that evening," says Chris. "We try to stay for a week at least, but some places, like Paris and Florence, we stay for a month."

They spend more time experiencing than traveling.

They spend more time experiencing than traveling.

The Garlottas say that while they love traveling, they hate the process of getting there. "We try to minimize travel time," says Chris.

"For instance, we were going to Prague from Berlin and saw the train was five hours, and we didn't want to spend all day on the train. So we looked at the schedule and saw it stopped in Dresden, Germany, and bought tickets to Dresden. We'll see what that city is like on our way to Prague."

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They're flexible with their travel arrangements.

They're flexible with their travel arrangements.

Danika says that the couple is particularly cheap when it comes to spending money on getting from A to B. "We try to find the cheapest, best option, but we hate to spend 12 hours getting somewhere that should take four," she explains.

While they planned out every ticket and every stop for their first four months, they now take pleasure in being spontaneous and flexible with their destinations.

They rely on free apps.

They rely on free apps.

On the road, the Garlottas get a lot of mileage from the free app MAPS.ME, which allows users to download maps from Google and use them offline — a godsend for travelers who are carrying smartphones but don't have access to Wifi.

"We get to the city and put a pin in the map in our apartment," says Danika. "That's how we know our address and how to get home. We can also put in little pins of sites we want to see, so if we're in a random area, we can check the map and see if there's anything we wanted to see nearby."

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They avoid paying for international phone calls.

They avoid paying for international phone calls.

To maintain a business without paying costly international call rates, they also rely heavily on Google Voice, which allows them to speak with international clients through their computers and for family and friends to call them at their American numbers.

They're diligent about finding low airfare.

They're diligent about finding low airfare.

When it comes to booking flights, they favor the app SkyScanner, which helps them figure out when it will be cheapest to move on to their next destination.

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They opened credit cards without foreign transaction fees.

They opened credit cards without foreign transaction fees.

After Danika and Chris started calling their credit card companies, they realized that their existing cards would charge foreign transaction fees, which was untenable for long-term travel.

They opened up a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and have been thrilled with how well it has worked out.

They opened a checking account without international withdrawal fees.

They opened a checking account without international withdrawal fees.

Another smart preparatory step they took was to open a checking account that doesn't charge fees for international withdrawals or currency exchange abroad.

After extensive research, they chose to open a Charles Schwab checking account, which reimburses them for all ATM fees and which they estimate saves them $20-$30 a month.

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They've embraced their life on the road.

They've embraced their life on the road.

A side effect of traveling that the Garlottas never expected was that it has made them healthier. Danika, who wears a Fitbit, finds that they walk an average 7-8 miles a day, and that they've both lost weight and been less stressed.

"Comparing our life in San Francisco, which I thought was so perfect and awesome, to how we're living now, we're both so much happier and healthier," she says.

They've learned to value time over money.

They've learned to value time over money.

"Some expenses have gone up, but we work less, make less, have twice as much free time, and can do all the same things we used to do," says Chris.

"I never thought we could go wherever we want on any given day and still make a living, but it's possible. I wouldn't have believed it a year ago," adds Danika.

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And they wouldn't put a price tag on it.

And they wouldn't put a price tag on it.

What would they tell would-be travelers? This kind of life is possible.

"People ask how much money you need," says Chris, "but I don't think there's a magic number. $5,000 or $50,000, you save whatever makes you feel comfortable, and as soon as you have it, you go ahead and do it."

The Garlottas aren't the only ones bitten by the travel bug ...

The Garlottas aren't the only ones bitten by the travel bug ...

10 Things A Startup Founder Learned About Money While Backpacking Around The World »

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