Straight into it today.

Here’s part 2 of my interview with author, publisher, comedian and master escapologist Rob Wringham:

(Part 1 was yesterday in case you’re playing catch up)

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Tom:  What would you say to suspicious minds who think escaping work is a privilege or not possible for everyone?

Rob:  Escape is often difficult but never impossible. You need to look at the things that might prevent your escape and either cut them loose or work out how to bring them on the journey with you. Either escape them or account for them. This balancing act can be reduced to cold hard maths if you’re of that persuasion.

Tom:  What common blunders do people make when they set out on their Escapology journey?

Rob:  I always say that you mustn’t mistake a love of cake for a love of bakeries. In other words, think carefully about the attendant duties of the new world you’re planning to escape into. If you like cake, do you really think that means you need to set up and run a bakery? Are you really sure that’s your dream? So think and plan first and be realistic. 

Another thing is to build failure into the escape plan: ask yourself how you’d bounce back if you had to, ask yourself if you’d be emotionally destroyed by this particular failure or if you could try again. Don’t fuck with your own spirit: wait until there’s a better moment or build a better plan.

Tom:  Could you share one or two interesting real-life Escapology stories?

Rob:  Actually, there’s a story in Issue 17 of New Escapologist about a university lecturer I had. He was an early example of a successful Escapologist to me and I only realised quite recently how inspirational he probably was to me. He was a lovely, cultured and gentle man and he hated his job because our university was a very bureaucratic and managerial institution and it didn’t prioritise the sort of critical thinking he valued. He saved his money and bought a yacht! He passed his navigation exams and literally sailed away one day. He went to Greece where he’d bought a plot of land for a smallholding. It was a very literal and direct escape with lots of admirable planning but obviously also romance.

I’m still in awe of Jacob Lund Fisker as well. He used his logical, mathematical brain to work out how to invest his humble salary efficiently while living in an RV and eating tuna sandwiches, eventually automating his income well enough to retire at 33. It’s all documented at his website:

https://earlyretirementextreme.com

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The third and final part of the interview drops tomorrow.

So don’t sail away into the sunset just yet.