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Money is a tool. It buys you time, freedom, and memories with your favourite humans. As we wrap up 2025, we’re looking ahead to financial independence (FI) events in 2026, mapping our travels, and inviting you to plan your own adventures, big or small.
Back in 2016, we rocked up to our first FI event and met four legends – Mr. Money Mustache, The Mad Fientist, Mr. 1500, and JL Collins. Well we didn’t quite “rock up”, we travelled half way round the world from the UK to Ecuador!
An entire week of laughter, and a nudge towards index investing. By the end of the event we went all in, invested every spare pound, and changed the trajectory of our lives. Friends for life. Belief it was possible. Direction unlocked. If one event can do that, imagine a whole year of intentional experiences.
This post does two things:
- Shares where you’ll find us in 2026 (events we’re hosting, speaking at, or attending) and why we make our calendar public.
- Gives you the spark, and the tools, to design your own year of Financial Independence adventures without necessarily spending a fortune.
Why share our calendar?
Because FI is counter‑cultural and finding your people matters. When you can see where we’ll be, it makes it easier to meet, co‑create, and say “yes” to serendipity.
It also shows the how behind our choices, stacking events for community, weaving in creativity and health, and building in space for spontaneity. Transparency creates connection. And honestly… we love the impromptu hangouts with Rebels who message, “We’re in town, fancy a hike followed by brunch!?”
Where you’ll find us in 2026 (speaking, attending & scheming)
Extraordinary Richmond · 13–16 Feb 2026 · Richmond, VA, USA
A long weekend with the Donegans and Brad from ChooseFI dedicated to your version of extraordinary. What a wonderful way to spend a long weekend thinking about your vision, future and building extraordinary. Sold out already!
Event page & waitlist
Bali FI Freedom Retreat · 11–15 Sep 2026 · Bali, Indonesia
Indonesia Paradise + FI + incredible humans. Workshops, adventures, connection. We went in 2024 and this was a spectacular retreat. Amy Minkley runs it beautifully.
Tickets & details
Tribe FI Australia · Oct 2026 · Sydney, Australia
A welcoming four‑day retreat – connection, practical sessions, and a tonne of laughs. We went in 2024 and had a blast and we will be at Rob’s event this year in Sydney, Australia. Watch this space for the exact dates!
Events page
KiwiFi ·8-9 Nov 2026 · Christchurch, New Zealand
We’ll be in NZ in November for a new conference-style FI event, KiwiFi, put on by Bronwyn. Come along if you are in New Zealand or fancy a trip to the other side of the world! This is going to be epic!
Other fun in New Zealand · Nov-Dec 2026 · New Zealand
We plan on being in New Zealand for November and December 2026. We’re still figuring out our exact plans but expect hangouts with Ruth The Happy Saver and other Rebels around the country.
Talking of Ruth, she wrote a fabulous guide to FI events in 2026 if you want to see the full list: Ruth’s FI retreats guide
Make your own magic (it doesn’t have to cost much)
Some of the best “FI events” are the ones you create. Here’s a few ideas…
- Host a Rebel Finance School meetup at a local café. (Use our WhatsApp & Facebook community to find nearby Rebels and co‑organisers.) RFS Communities Page
- Build a DIY escape room at home like our friend Cathy did. (Warning: your friends may never stop talking about it.)
- Organise a hike, potluck, or board‑game night with like‑minded people.
- Run a mini‑workshop at your library: “Intro to Index Funds in 20 mins,” “Monthly Finance Meeting,” or “Spending Tracker Show‑and‑Tell.” Ask us for some of the slides!
- Spreadsheet sprint night: you all get together and work on your spending and net-worth spreadsheets whilst sipping herbal tea.
- Money Movie night – get together and watch The Big Short or a cool money documentary together.
- Call someone you love, or mildly enjoy and ask them for a walk!
Nothing happens unless you make it happen.
Need a mindset nudge? Start with Travel with Purpose – it’s how we choose where and why we go places: Travel with Purpose
Meet us on the road
We love meeting you and Rebel Finance School alumni as we travel. If we’re in your city (or you’re at the same event), message us – coffee, a gym session, a walk, or a quick mastermind can turn into the highlight of a trip. You’ll find our full adventure calendar below and keep an eye on Facebook/YouTube/community groups for pop‑up meetups.
The Donegans’ 2026 Adventure Calendar
Those are the events and this is our plan for 2026 as we know it so far…. Not having a home takes a lot of planning!
| Month / Dates | Where | What | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | Bogotá, Colombia | Christmas with friends and Ninjas. Planning the 2026 route. | Travel with Purpose |
| 9 Jan - 1 Feb | Florida, USA | Char’s 40th. Universal, Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Miami Heat game. | |
| 2–8 Feb | New York City, USA | Katie’s birthday week and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. | |
| 8 Feb - 4 Mar | Richmond, Virginia, USA | 13 - 16 Feb Extraordinary Richmond weekend with Brad from ChooseFI. Otherwise gym, friends, hiking and time on our projects. | Event page |
| 4 -23 Mar | Istanbul, Türkiye | First time in Türkiye. Markets, history, Middle Eastern food. | |
| 23–30 Mar | Billund, Denmark | LEGO Insiders Tour. Childhood dreams realised! | |
| Apr | Reykjavík | 5 day visit to explore Iceland! We are so excited. | |
| April/May | Vancouver, Canada | Creative sprint with our band mate Finn (Rebelutionaries) - new tracks brewing. Disney Alaska cruise with our friends! | Listen to the music |
| Jun & Jul | (Location TBD) | Rebel Finance School 2026 10 week course running 1st Jun to 3rd Aug (provisional dates). | RFS site |
| Aug | Western Australia | Western Australia. Catch‑ups with Rob and Aussie FI friends. | Events page |
| 11–15 Sep | Bali, Indonesia | FI Freedom Retreats – Bali. | Tickets & info |
| Sep & Oct | Sydney, Australia | Tribe FI – Sydney. Beachside community retreat. | Events page |
| Nov & Dec | New Zealand | KiwiFi, meetups with Ruth The Happy Saver and time to explore NZ. | Events page · Ruth’s guide to FI events |
Final thought: Plan your financial independence events 2026 now
Your future self will thank you. Open your calendar, block time for connection and adventure, and send that first message to a friend today. Big trips are great but small, local gatherings can be just as life‑changing.
How are you going to create an adventure for 2026? Tell us below. Let’s share ideas, links, and inspiration.
Let’s make 2026 epic together.
Sending Peace and Pineapples.
Alan and Katie
PS I had to share with you the homepage for KiwiFi from Bronwyn. It made our day! if you know you know….
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How do you join the watts app group please?
Hey Danny, the lists of them all are on the communities pages here: https://rebeldonegans.com/rfs-communities/ let us know if you find one…. Alan
Look forward to seeing you at the TribeFI events in Australia. I am already booked for them all.
We are also going to start a local chooseFI group in our region of Victoria and will take up your idea of combining RFS with it to broaden our audience.
Love that idea Paul! I do feel like we should do a deal with brad to cobrand them and make it even more inclusive and I love that you can just do it that way! That is so exciting we get to meet you in Australia next year. We LOVED our visit last year. it was amazing fun and we are excited to come back… Let’s share a coffee! Alan
I’m waiting for your FI calendar before booking any trips in 2027!!
So excited to catch up again in Sydney at TribeFI.
Going to have to do some planning for an epic adventure to one up meeting Jimmy the wombat…….
Hi Alan, Katie, I met you in London in June 2023. I have moved to Perth and would love to meet you again in Perth in August 2026.
Kala, that would be AWESOME> we haven’t locked down the dates yet but we would love that. We are so excited about coming to Perth! Alan
Hi we are traveling the world we would love to meet up with you in NZ for you have dates and venues
Andy that would be awesome. We don’t have exact plans yet. We will be at Bronwyn’s event and having fun out there but no specifics yet. We would love that as the plan becomes clear. You are awesome. Alan
Will you be at EconoMe again this year? I enjoyed meeting you there and seeing your presentation
Thanks Dave, we LOVED being at Econome but won’t be there this year. BOOO. Maybe we can see you at a different event or place? Alan