When I left the military in 2013, the VA rated me at 80% disabled. I walked away with severance pay, sold off nearly everything I owned, and—after my stepmother passed— inherited a house that I ended up selling well below market value just to move on.
That 80% rating gave me about $1,400 a month (tax-free). In the U.S., that’s barely survival money—rent alone would eat most of it. But I had a different plan: turn that modest check into a passport full of stamps and memories.
Southeast Asia: Where $1,400 Felt Like $5,000+
I quickly learned that $1,400 in the United States is impossible to live on comfortably, but in Southeast Asia? It stretched far. Between low cost of living, cheap street food, and budget travel hacks, my dollars punched way above their weight—more like $5,000+ in U.S. terms when you factored in housing, meals, and adventures.
I made hubs in places like Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, planning trips months in advance. Every cent went toward “investing” in experiences: flights, hostels, local buses, and the occasional splurge. I made plenty of mistakes—overstaying visas (passport pages filled up fast), bad budget calls, small financial pinches—but I also built a network of friends who bailed me out when things got tight.
Nobody’s perfect. The real breakthrough came when I developed my own formula: save where it counts, but don’t sacrifice the fun. Once I nailed that balance, I add a little more “stress” (the good kind) to keep life exciting.
Take diving in Malaysia. Not the cheapest hobby to pick up, but I invested time upfront—researching deals, trading advice for discounts, paying in advance when it saved big. The secret? Pay it ahead before you show up. Front-load the costs, negotiate, barter knowledge or favors, and suddenly expensive things become doable on a VA budget.
Pandemic Pivot: Japan, Injuries, and Fighting for 100%
Fast-forward to the pandemic. I moved to Japan right as the world shut down. No safe place to land, job market frozen (government gigs weren’t hiring), injuries from my Army days flaring up, and costs higher than Southeast Asia. It felt like everything could collapse.
But Japan treated me well—I earned permanent residence (PR), which opened doors. Still, the higher cost of living and ongoing pain pushed me to reach out to the VA again. I documented everything, fought for what I deserved, and by 2021 they increased my rating from 80% to 100%.
Never give up on claiming what’s yours. Persistence pays off.
There’s so much more to this story—specific hacks, favorite spots, lessons from the road, even how the rating jump changed things. I’ll save those for future posts.
Traveling Warrior 