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Man who sold entire life on eBay to buy island set himself 100 goals to complete in 100 weeks before purchasing

Man who sold entire life on eBay to buy island set himself 100 goals to complete in 100 weeks before purchasing

Ian Usher managed to complete 94 goals while traveling the world

The man who sold his entire life on eBay set himself a list of 100 goals to complete in 100 weeks after leaving everything behind.

Ian Usher flogged all of his belongings along with his house, car, motorbike and jet ski and ended up using the money to buy his own island in the Caribbean.

But before he decided to settle down in paradise, the Brit set himself the challenge of ticking off 100 goals in 100 weeks.

Ian Usher sold his entire life on eBay (Vanessa Anderson)
Ian Usher sold his entire life on eBay (Vanessa Anderson)

Ian then spent two years traveling the world as he checked off one goal at a time.

These included things like whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River, indoor skiing in Dubai and riding in an elephant parade in Thailand.

Some more unusual goals that Ian achieved included spending the night in a Tokyo capsule hotel, joining the Mile High Club and even meeting Richard Branson.

However, not all of his goals were achievable and Ian finished the two years having completed 94 of the 100 he’d set.

The ones he didn’t manage to do were driving a car into water off a jetty, taking a submersible to see the Titanic wreckage, learning how to lucid dream, watching a baby being born, raising $50,000 for Bowel Cancer Research and gathering five Ian Ushers into one room.

The most this Ian Usher managed to achieve was getting four of them together.

After his stint of traveling, Ian decided to settle down by snapping up an island in the Caribbean.

Ian took part in an elephant parade in Thailand (Boaz Rottem/Ian Usher)
Ian took part in an elephant parade in Thailand (Boaz Rottem/Ian Usher)

Six years after selling his life, documentarian Ben Fogle caught up with him where Ian revealed that he was happier than ever in his new life.

In an episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, the Brit featured along with partner Vanessa on their tropical island, Bocas del Toro, just off the coast of Panama, where he explained: “I’ve always been a bit of an adventurer and so have always spent a lot of time pursuing outdoor activities such as climbing, canoeing and diving.”

Though he may not have had running water or electricity, he could pursue all three of his outdoor activities.

Usher shared: “We're not completely self-sufficient here on the island. We do grow coconuts, pineapples, yukka, sugar cane and almonds but we haven’t yet perfected the art of growing other vegetables on our land.”

His story was featured in a Ben Fogle documentary (Channel 5)
His story was featured in a Ben Fogle documentary (Channel 5)

While they had chickens for eggs and buying the occasional fish from a local fisherman, Usher admitted that everything came ‘from the supermarket in town’.

He’d bought the island in 2011 for $27,500 when it was overgrown and neglected, and spent four years working on improving it.

In 2015, he managed to sell the revamped island according to his official website, where he has shared every aspect of his journey since selling everything he owns.

He noted that he has nothing tying him down as he was debt free after the sale, and looking for a new adventure.

He and Vanessa globe-trotted for seven years before buying property in Burgundy, France.

The couple chose to settle there and is where they were based at the time of their last update in 2021.

Featured Image Credit: Vanessa Anderson/Channel 5