Some people dream of making long term travel their reality. However, few people have the intention to make it anything more than a dream. Only a handful of people actually set out to do it. If this is something you really want to do, then it’s time you started looking into ways of making long term travel work for you. Here you’ll find some invaluable information that will help you along the way!
Learning How To Overcome Your Fears
The first thing you need to do if you’re going to make long term travel work for you, is overcome your fears. This can take so much time. You’ll want to do as much research as is humanly possible, reading every guidebook you come across. Watching YouTube videos and any other resources you can possibly think of is a good idea too. The one reason so many people don’t travel in the long term is because they are frightened of the unknown. You need to get over that. Learn as much as you can so that it takes a lot of the fear and unknown out of it. Most of all, learn how to become comfortable with the unknown. Stepping into the unknown can be exciting, and it is definitely character building. You’ll expand your comfort zone and learn so much about yourself. Rather than being scared about it, get excited. Rather than thinking about what could go wrong, think about what could go right!
Saving Enough Money To Do It
Saving enough money to go on a long term travel adventure is the next most important thing. This will depend on so many factors. It is possible to enjoy long term travel on a shoestring budget, but you must be willing to be strict with yourself. Work out how much money you think you’ll need by knowing what certain things cost in the countries you’d like to visit. Then you can start planning/saving accordingly. You’ll need to be strict with your savings goals. You may need to cut back on luxuries. You don’t need those pumpkin spice lattes and other luxuries, and it can all make a huge difference to how much you actually save in your travel fund. You might get lucky and get a huge payout from something or other, maybe you’ll even win big. Most people don’t, though, and that’s why saving up more than enough is crucial. The more research you do and the more money you save, the longer you can extend your trip.
Finding The Time To Travel Long Term
Long term travel to you might be a few weeks or months. To some, it’s a few years. Finding the time to do it can be difficult, depending on your career, family, living situation, etc. But if you really want to do it, you’ll find a way. Ultimately, you’re taking a leap of faith. You might quit your job and sell your place. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to take some time off your job and rent out your living space. It can help knowing that you have a home and a job to come back to, but some people do it anyway without having that security. Most backpackers you speak to will tell you how happy they are that they finally left the hamster wheel, the 9-5 lifestyle. If you can work out a plan, you’ll likely be able to use the time you have traveling to re-energize and grow from your experiences. This will help you in any future careers and life moves!
Making Money As You Travel
One way to seriously extend the length of your travel and feel comfortable about it, is making money as you travel. A handful of people manage to enjoy long term travel and get paid for doing different things as they do so. If this is something you dream of doing, here are some suggestions:
- Start a travel blog. It may not necessarily make money right away, but they have potential. You can advertize on them, and you might even get paid to write posts or advertize for a company.
- Writing about your experiences and giving tips in eBooks could also make you money. The best thing about this kind of money making scheme is that you only need to write a book once, but it can make you money over and over again.
- Freelance writing for other companies could be an option.
- Any job that allows you to work remotely could allow you to travel. You could be an online assistant, social media manager, or something else that suits you.
- Become an extra in a film. This could be possible in many different parts of the world.
- Teach English to foreign speaking people.
- Get a job on a cruise ship. This allows long term travel while making a lot of money, but it can be very hard work!
- If you have knowledge to share, you could focus on online coaching and consulting.
- Landing jobs in the places you travel if you plan on staying for a while could be a good idea. However, bear in mind it’s harder to get jobs in places like Thailand than it is to get in places like Ayia Napa.
- Busking could be an option if you have an instrument and enjoy playing music.
- The key is to get creative with your talents and things you like to do. If you have a massage qualification, offering them on beaches could make you a fortune. Brainstorm some ideas to make money as you travel!
Budgeting For Your Travels
Although there’s a good chance you’ll now be making money as you travel, budgeting is still in your best interests. You never know what might happen, so keeping as much money as you can is a good idea. Work out a plan for your spending and stick to it. However, there may be some luxuries that it’s worth spending a little more on as you travel. If you really want to do something and it costs more than you’re used to spending, do it! You may only get opportunities like this once in your life. Doing things like http://hermannwinetrail.com/wine-trail-events/berries-barbq-wine-trail/ as you travel could be a lot of fun and something to tell people about.
Are There Any Downsides?
Of course there are downsides to long term travel. It isn’t all sunshine and roses! You need to be prepared not to see your family and friends for as long as you travel, unless you plan on using Skype. Then you need to remember all of the goodbyes you’ll have to say on the road. You’ll meet so many people, but staying detached from them is crucial if you don’t want to make this a heartbreaking experience. Also, you’ll soon realise that long term travel isn’t special, and there is no secret to it. If you’re hoping to do this just for your ego, you might want to rethink! Apart from that, the benefits of traveling definitely outweigh the downsides.
Keeping To A Schedule/Itinerary
Keeping to a sort of schedule or itinerary for your day is a good idea. Having a set time for bed and getting up, as well as any work you do will help you to feel better about traveling. Although you’re traveling because you want to get away from the norm, it can also be hard not having anything to stick to. Setting yourself a schedule for the day will help you get into the swing of things and keep you sane.
Watching What You Drink
It can be tempting to stay out until the early hours drinking, but you should avoid doing this too often. You can actually come back from long term travel with health issues and a beer belly if you don’t limit your alcohol consumption. Not to mention some of the more dangerous things that could happen. You can find more information at http://www.tmvc.com/travel-health/travel-health-tips/youre-away/watch-drink.
Staying In Hostels Or Hotels
Staying in hostels is a good idea to save money, but avoid staying in the big chain hostels. They’ll eat up more of your budget, and you might not like the people you end up staying with. If you’re lucky, you may even be able to land a job in the hostel you’re staying in. If you have a larger budget, staying in a nice hotel could make your trip even better!
Staying Fit And Healthy
Even if you weren’t big on health and fitness before you left your hometown, you should try to get into it as you travel. Going for runs on the beach and maybe even visiting the odd gym will make you feel great. You’ll be fit enough to climb the great wall of China, walk around tons of cities, and make your way up a mountain. You’ll also be less tempted to stay out drinking all night if you have a gym session planned for morning.
Anybody can make long term travel work for them if they are committed. How committed are you?
