Unfortunately, most people don’t think they can afford this kind of learning experience.

Plane tickets and hotels can be expensive. However, when done frugally, extensive travel can be a lot cheaper than most people imagine.

Consider the Soul Travelers family. This amazing family of three from Santa Cruz, California has been on a worldwide adventure since 2006. They’re off to explore Europe, Spain, Russia, Africa, Egypt, and many other places around the globe. The cost? Only $25,000 a year.

It may sound like a lot for a “vacation.” But, when that figure includes all of your housing expenses, food, plane tickets, and everything else you need to live for a year, it’s not much. If you can telecommute or work over the internet, you could start your adventure at any time! Or, if that’s not a possibility right now, consider starting a savings account especially for your adventure. Driving an older car for a few more years is probably worth a year of life-changing experiences.

If a 52-week journey sounds a little daunting, you may want to take some smaller trips first. Tim Ferris offers some helpful suggestions for shorter getaways in his book The 4-Hour Work Week.

Tim isn’t exactly Mr. Frugality. But, the cost for his learning-packed, month-long vacations are still in the range of most people.

A month-long “mini-retirement” in Buenos Aires including two hours of daily private Spanish instruction, two hours of daily private tango lessons from professional dancers, and no-expense-spared food / living accommodations set him back only $1,533.20. Including airfare.

Adventure learning experiences are very attainable for most Americans. For a few, traveling abroad may even cost less than maintaining a lifestyles at home.

Now that money isn’t holding you back, what is?