Now there is a way to keep an official street address where you can receive mail, have that mail securely scanned and emailed to you to view online, and then forwarded to wherever you are or securely shredded. I used to make use of this service all the time (through Earth Class Mail) which afforded me a huge amount of freedom, and its surprisingly inexpensive these days. Not only is this awesome but if you are smart you can also save on income taxes. Check out the prices:

• USA2Me:
  usa2me.com
  BEST OPTION! Get a tax-exempt Texas USA mailing address, phone, and fax for your business, even if you’re overseas. Establish a VIRTUAL OFFICE and even distribute your products in the USA from overseas.

• Mailbox Forwarding:
  mailboxforwarding.com
  FL address option

• Earth Class Mail:
  earthclassmail.com
  Oregon address only

• MyRVMail.com:
  MyRVMail.com
  FL address option

• St. Brendan’s Isle:
  sbimailservice.com
  FL address

• Escapees RV Club Mail Sevice:
  escapees.com/mailservice
  TX address

And while you’re thinking about it, it might be worth considering travelling to and becoming a resident of one of the following tax-exempt states and getting a real street address there:

• Alaska
• Florida
• Nevada
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Washington
• Wyoming
• Tennessee (limited income tax on individuals – dividend and interest income only)
• New Hampshire (limited income tax on individuals – dividend and interest income only)

Please feel free to add your tips in the comments!

I practice what I’ll label the BIT methodof travel: Buy It There.

If you pack for every contingency—“better bring the hiking books in case we go hiking, better bring an umbrella in case it rains, better bring dress shoes and slacks in case we go to a nice restaurant,” etc.—carrying a mule-worthy load is inevitable. I’ve learned to instead allocate $50-200 per trip to a “settling fund,” which I use to buy needed items once they’re 100{a9f0d31f6175b3e4775e11a66c07db268fb74408d6095f6b46eeec420c0e9f62} needed. This includes cumbersome and hassle items like umbrellas and bottles of sunscreen that love to explode. Also, never buy if you can borrow. If you’re going on a bird watching trip in Costa Rica, you don’t need to bring binoculars — someone else will have them.

Tim also gives other tips on how to get what you want on a tight traveler budget, like negotiating a crazy cheap rate on a rental car or getting last minute dream accommodation in high season.

You can read his excellent article on his blog…