I just got back from Chautauqua in the UK. Chautauqua is a special meetup where a group of FI minded folks gather out for a week. In between conversation about passions, VTSAX and the meaning of life, Chautauquans eat good food and tour exotic places.
UK Chautauqua 2019
I arrived in London at about noon on Saturday. First, I headed over to Tower Bridge:
I then went to the London debut of Playing With FIRE:
About 200 FIRE fans attended the debut including these two goofballs:
After a night at a staging hotel, we headed over to Ettington Park. In my day-to-day life, I’m not above budget chains like Motel 6. Attending Chautauqua is the opposite of the Motel 6 experience:
In between talks and deep conversation, we toured this beautiful corner of the UK:
And we ate amazing food:
FI Peeps
What makes Chautauqua special are the interactions. Where else can you get together with 30 new friends and talk about your net worth, your fears, and your dreams late into the night? (Sleep, what’s that?)
In between talks:
And a roundtable where we discussed our next steps:
Attendees shared great conversation. And this is where the magic of Chautauqua is. It’s wonderful to visit a new place and eat fancy food. It’s also amazing to meet folks like JL Collins and Mad Fientist. However, connection with new members of the tribe is what attendees will come to value most.
It’s not often you can open up to someone about your net worth within 30 minutes of meeting them. Most fellow humans just wouldn’t understand. But this happens all the time at Chautauqua.
However, life is about so much more than money. Money is a tool and nothing more. The most interesting bits about Chautauqua come when folks start to figure out what the rest of their life is going to look like. It’s amazing to see it unfold.
I’m confident that lives will be changed as a result of this week. Some may not know it yet, but they will go home and take a course of action that they wouldn’t have if they hadn’t attended Chautauqua. Maybe they’ll start that photography business, start painting or move to Longmont (I nudged this one along with more than one attendee!). This week will have been an inflection point.
I know this to be true because Chautauqua changed my life. I met Alan Donegan at my first Chautauqua. He inspired me to take up public speaking which has turned me into a different person. I’m no longer shy and timid. I can meet new people and not freak out. I’m more confident and a better person. All because of one week at Chautauqua.
2019 Chautauquas are sold out. If you’re interested in attending the 2020 edition, sign up for the email list here.
Join the 10s who have signed up already!
Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.
*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.
Jamie V says
June 24, 2019 at 7:28 amLove it! Someday, we’ll get to one of those! Since it’s taking a while, we’re just going to go ahead and start up our businesses in the mean time ’cause we’re sick of our cubicles. 😀
Tommy T says
June 24, 2019 at 7:52 amJust being petty, but in London we call that Tower Bridge. London Bridge can we found half a mile up river.
Mr. 1500 Days says
June 24, 2019 at 8:39 amDah, I knew that too! Whoops! Thank you for keeping me honest.
SavingNinja says
June 24, 2019 at 8:34 amSounds awesome! I’ll have to sign up to their email list.
It was great meeting you at the movie premier 😀
Was good fun, there was no ‘faffing about’ 😉
Mr. 1500 Days says
June 24, 2019 at 8:38 amHave fun in California! I sent you an email about Yosemite right after we met. If you didn’t see it, check your SPAM folder!
Gwen @ Fiery Millennials says
June 24, 2019 at 10:43 amI can confidently say attending my first Chautauqua in Ecuador changed the course of my life. The cost is a bit high, but I have reaped so much from that week that it’s laughable to worry about the cost. I made the best of friends, learned a ton and had A LOT of fun. The second time I went was even better. I encourage anyone and everyone to go if they can!
Gwen @ Fiery Millennials recently posted…The Four Stages of my FIRE Journey (so far)
Cathleen Cooks Stuff says
June 25, 2019 at 10:39 amI have no idea why this is not letting me post any comments- but, hopefully, no one else is seeing 2 other comments from me: Sounded like a great time, but one of those vacations you need a vacation from to catch up on sleep! Being with like minded people are the best,
Mr. 1500 Days says
June 25, 2019 at 11:10 amHmm, dunno what happened to the comments! And yeah, it’s good to get back to normal life sometimes!
Cathleen Cooks Stuff says
June 25, 2019 at 2:03 pmFound out I can’t indicate “comment luv” (which, btw, is awesome that you’re doing that- is it a plug in for wordpress?). Funny that you shelled out big bucks to go to a fancy castle and fly there and everything…to talk about saving money. I even tried to do it for the reply comment- and my computer hates me, so it’s not working.
Elisabeth says
June 25, 2019 at 6:23 pmWhat an amazing week it was! Hanging out with you was a highlight of the trip. 🙂
That pink post-it was Simon’s advice for me. Sage wisdom.
Mr. 1500 Days says
June 29, 2019 at 7:14 amElisabeth!
Holy cow, It’s been almost a week and I’m not sure I’m fully recovered yet.
I hope that our paths cross again soon! In the meantime, keep killing it!
JRobi says
June 29, 2019 at 8:31 amThe quote: “I’m not above budget chains like Motel 6. Attending Chautauqua is the opposite of the Motel 6 experience” made me think about the importance of aligning spending with values, which you do quite well. F.I. isn’t about a life of squalor, but a life of real abundance; meaning an abundance of meaningful time and experiences that you can’t have hanging out at a job all day, every day. Good for you guys. Keep up the great work and motivation for me and others…
JRobi recently posted…Vacation(s) Summaries…
Triplet Mom says
July 2, 2019 at 1:07 pmWhat you taught me is now my mantra “Optimize Happiness” I’m so glad Chad and I got to meet you in person. You are just the nicest person and one awesome speaker (ahem) in my opinion. I love that my children’s love for dinosaurs has met a kindred spirit. So glad I packed my dino shirt 🙂 for this trip. Didn’t feel awkward. Felt more like a badge. Hope to cross paths with you again if you are ever in our neck of the woods!
Brian says
July 14, 2019 at 4:40 pmGreat post. It was good meeting you at Chautauqua this year. I’m still recovering weight-wise from eating three full meals a day with dessert (…which was worth it by the way). Parts of your presentation still stick in my mind, but nothing beats hanging out in the afternoon with Simon’s guitar playing.