There are a lot of guides out there about vacationing for a few days all the way up to a week. However, there’s something special about being able to just step away from your home culture and dive headfirst into a completely different one for several weeks up to even several months at a time. Think this is something that’s only for the super rich? Think again — regular everyday people are jumping in on the long term travel game with great results. It’s much cheaper once you really disconnect from the classic hotel conception and think about solutions that are a bit more local than you expected. Essentially, there are three points to keep in mind as you begin planning out your upcoming long term travel.
First, you definitely want to make sure that you are giving yourself enough time to actually plan. It can be tempting to just pack up today and move out to some island paradise tomorrow, but this will usually only end in disaster for you. It’s better to stop and actually figure out what you want to accomplish, as well as when you actually want to accomplish this goal.
In addition, money will definitely be a factor — you want to make sure that you have enough money set aside where you can actually stop and enjoy the beauty of your new host country. Some people can indeed take their skills and translate them to a local market, but you will want to make sure that you can acquire a work visa in order to actually do that. Of course, if you run your own internet-based business, then the entire world is your office anyway. Still, it never hurts to actually look at every possible legal angle involved with living in another country.
Next, you will want to make sure that you stop and think about where you actually want to live, as well as how you will live. Long term travel is all about getting away from the hotel environment, so you will want to avoid the temptation to go with a sterile hotel or extended stay — it’s better to rent an apartment or house. Of course, there’s a definite cost savings to be had, but the benefits of renting an apartment overseas has another benefit attached to it — you will be able to actually live like the residents of the local country and experience a side of the local culture that is hard to get when you’re doing things in the traditional tourist way.
Finally, you will want to make sure that you handle any legal paperwork early — if you don’t already have your passport, you will need to get that in order to actually begin traveling. In addition, you will want to make sure that you have the right wardrobe to actually make the best impression possible on the people that you will be living around. Remember that you will actually be living there for a long period of time — usually about two to three months is what most long term travelers plan, so you will not want to pack up every piece of clothing that you own just to make the trip. You can always buy clothes once you arrive and get settled in.
All things considered, planning out a long term trip overseas doesn’t have to be difficult at all. If you really stop and take the tips in this guide to heart, you should have no problem getting the great long term trip that you deserve!
