At 25 years old, Garrett Gee is living the globe-trotter's dream. After co-developing an app that Snapchat later bought in a deal valued at $54 million, Gee decided to take the road less traveled. He sold most of his belongings and has been exploring the world for the last nine months with his wife and two young children.
Gee hasn't even touched the undisclosed amount he made from the Snapchat deal yet.
In fact, he said that other professionals can enjoy life more by selling some of their unnecessary belongings and putting that money into a travel fund.
"Start selling some of your stuff and go for a mini-vacation," Gee told CNBC on the phone while in Portland, Oregon. "And if you like that, sell more and go on another vacation."
"Try it, just go for it," he said.
I wanted to design my life, so I created a career around that.Garrett Geeco-founder of mobile app Scan and The Bucket List Family blog
Gee's adventures started about a year or so ago when he and his family were living in Silicon Valley.
"I got a feel for what some people call the 'rat race' of the business world," Gee said. And more and more, he wanted to "step out of the race and step into something more meaningful — something good for me, my marriage and my family."
Investors were ready for Gee to launch another business venture, offering to fund his work. But he turned down the immediate offers, choosing instead to travel and spend more time with his family.
The family sold most of their belongings for $50,000 to fund a trip around the world. They also started a blog called The Bucket List Family, which now provides enough income to support their travel. In addition, Gee is developing an app while on the road.
"I wanted to design my life, so I created a career around that," Gee said.
They live out of two backpacks and two carry-on bags and have visited places like Turks and Caicos, Thailand, and Tahiti.
While Gee recognizes that this type of life isn't for everyone, he encourages people to set aside money to take more adventures.
"I think life is better when you're trying new things," Gee said.