Last updated: . This update adds current Airbnb payment and protection context; the guest family’s 2018–19 budget and travel plans remain historical. Date information added October 28, 2026.
A historical guest account, originally published April 7, 2019. Emily and Tyson Kuresa of Boys Beyond the Border shared how their family approached full-time travel during their 2018–19 trip. Their original words below retain the ages, itinerary plans, work, savings and costs they reported at that time.
The dollar figures are the family’s historical self-reported amounts. Their choices and encouragement reflect their circumstances, rather than current financial facts, tax guidance, typical costs or a promise that another household can achieve the same result. Future destinations in the original account remain plans, without a claim that they were later completed.
The original guest account includes an off-platform booking suggestion. For a booking today, follow Airbnb’s current pricing and payment policy: pre-booking communication and payments for Airbnb reservations must stay on the platform, with specific exceptions described by Airbnb. The policy prohibits offering or requesting discounts to move an Airbnb booking off-platform. Airbnb also explains that paying for a booking outside Airbnb loses its AirCover protection. Review the provider’s current terms before booking; the historical suggestion below is preserved as part of the guest’s account.
Hello and Talofa! We’re the Kuresa family and have been slow traveling internationally since September of 2018. Our family consists of: Emily (Mom), Tyson (Dad), Aiden (8), Connor (6) and Emmett (4). We’re originally from California but had a short stint in Utah before leaving to travel full-time. So far we’ve visited Thailand, China and Indonesia. We have plans to be in Malaysia, Hawaii, Cambodia and Vietnam over the next 6 months. We’re loving our new, unconventional path in life, but it’s not all glitz and glamour. We still have regular family struggles, anxieties and fears that we fight to overcome. We live a budget-travel lifestyle and know if we can make this work, any family can!
Watch the originally linked 7Wayfinders film: Airbnb VS Hotels: Which is Better When Traveling Internationally? This separate 7Wayfinders film accompanies the accommodation topic; the Kuresa family’s guest account continues below.
How do you afford it all?
Cutting straight to the chase, there’s three ways we are able to do this on a long-term basis.
1) Cut our revolving expenses:
We knew when we left on our new path, we wanted to rid ourselves not only of our past routines, but also our routine monthly financial obligations: rent, credit cards, student loans, debt. We made it a goal to pay off as much as we can so we didn’t have these over our heads while away. We paid off our credit card debt and paid a year for our storage unit. The only monthly expense we have while we are gone is a car payment since we want to have our car when we return and we’re getting closer to paying it completely off. Based on what we know now after 6 months of travel, we think it would be better to pay off cars, sell or lease them before leaving as we learned to not value those types of things any more.
Monthly savings by doing this: $500
2) Sell—or donate—most of our possessions:
It felt cleansing to go through all of the things we’ve accumulated after almost 10 years of marriage. You don’t realize how little you need in life! We took a houseful of what we thought we needed and by the end of going through it all, we ended up with a small set of “essentials”(loose term) that are now sitting in a small storage unit back in Utah. We actually ended up donating a lot of it, but having an estate sale will help you alleviate clutter and also help you net some financial backing.
Savings by doing this: Net $5000
3) Work!
Depending on how long you plan on traveling will determine how much you can afford. Since we are planning to travel for about two years, we needed active income as our savings wouldn’t allow us more than about 6 months realistically. We had a savings of about $10,000 in addition to what we made from our “estate” sale although we already booked our flights and accommodations for 6 months of our trip beforehand. Not much, we see families start with much more. But, having things planned and paid for already helped, Emily is a planner and likes to have things taken care of in advance if possible.
Tyson did end up quitting his main job back in America that he was working, but now works part-time online teaching English in the evenings. This has helped a ton as it’s our main, active source of income. He’s also working on a couple start-ups as well. Being free from the mundane, corporate grind has giving him the ability to explore new avenues of business and passions.
Some things to think about:
Here are some additional ways that have helped our family budget during travel while being able to still have amazing experiences:
We understand that each family is different, unique and our lives are all different. But, you’re here right? You’re reading this. This commonality of wanting to give your family an experience of a lifetime has brought us to these crossroads and how amazing is that?! Just remember, there’s many of us and plenty of us ready to give support and advice! Who knows. Like other families we’ve met while traveling, maybe we’ll also cross paths along the way!
Facebook: Boys Beyond the Border
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Blog: https://boysbeyondtheborder.weebly.com/
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