Do It: Quit your Job and Travel the World
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a lot of money to travel the world. Many people travel all over while hardly spending any money at all. I’ve traveled to more than forty countries. I have had three separate long-term travel experiences of six months or more. I did it without ever having never earned more than 30 grand a year. Many people balk when they hear this and say things like, I wish I could do that. Or, wouldn’t that be nice. Too bad some of us have to work. Well, in all likelihood, you can do it too. And you don’t have to be rich. Although you will probably have to make some changes and sacrifices in order to make your dream trip happen. Most people associate travel with vacation.
But long-term travel is not a vacation at all. It is deliberate way of living and experiencing the world around. On vacation, people commonly book flights, hotels, rental cars, stay at all-inclusive resorts, drink champagne, and eat gluttonously. The bill for a six-day vacation could easily exceed eight thousand bucks. By extrapolating, people assume you need somewhere around $200K to go travel the world for six months. But this could not be further from the truth. Long-term travel can often be cheaper than living at home. If you have been dreaming of traveling the world, here are the specific steps to make your dream come true.
The following is adapted from an article I wrote on world travel and is written for those wanting to travel long-term (for months or years).
This time last year I was making less than $30,000.
But with a meager income I still managed to quit my job, fly to South America, and have the year of my life trekking and exploring the Andes. You don’t need to wait until you are swimming in money to have the most adventurous year of your life. Here are ten things to do so you can live epically on a budget.
1) Plan ahead:
Set a goal. Set a date. Keep it specific, as in, “I’ll save $5,000 by September 1st and fly to Turkmenistan on my birthday.” Avoid, “I’ll travel when I have enough money saved up.” Make your goals and destinations as specific as possible. Keep your timeline less than two years. Planning further out than two years becomes fuzzy and begins to feel like a pipe dream. Without specific dates, you are more likely to put it off until life seems more in order. “Life is just kind of crazy right now. There’s a lot going on. Maybe next year.” Rarely is there a “perfect time” to quit your job and leave it all behind. There are many excuses that could keep you from living your dream. Concrete goals hold you more accountable and help keep you on track.
2) Live intentionally, set up systems:
Once you set your goal and your departure date, cut unnecessary expenses like big bar tabs, expensive meals, and shopping sprees. Scan your bank records and mark expenses that are not absolutely necessary. What monthly expenses you can eliminate? Look out for monthly subscription services you will not be using. A helpful tactic to help you save is to compare purchases now with experiences later. When tempted to buy something extraneous, it can be helpful to think “I could go out to dinner tonight, or have three days of snorkeling in Thailand.” Set the table for your big adventure by living beneath your means and saving. Use the time before your departure to put systems in place. Maybe that means automatically diverting a larger portion of your paycheck into your travel fund. Or maybe it means putting your house on AirBnB. Book your house on weekends and stay at a hotel. Work out the kinks while you are still available so you know the system while you are traveling. This alone could fund your travels while you are abroad.
3) Lighten your load:
Minimize your belongings. Sell your car. Have a garage sale. Set this money aside and save for when you return. You can always buy another couch later. Put the rest of your stuff in storage. The fewer possessions you have, the more mobile you are. Some possessions can be helpful and empowering, many possessions are just anchors. In the lead up to your travels, cut ruthlessly. It is a pretty great feeling to have your only monthly expense be a $40 storage unit.
4) Traveler, meet serendipity:
When you are on the road, make tentative, loose plans. Leave room for serendipity, a traveler and adventurer’s best friend. Under-plan and be over-curious. Travel with an open and curious spirit. Be willing to see what unexpected events may unfold and roll with whatever the surprising developments present. There’s no way to plan for all the fun surprises you will experience along the way. Often the most memorable experiences are the ones that seem to happen by chance. There is a surefire way to minimize spontaneity and reduce the likelihood of surprise adventures, and that is to plan too much in advance. Pre-booking hostels, transportation, and logistics removes opportunities for the unexpected. Most people want to avoid the unexpected. But that’s where the magic is.
5) Use tools that make life easier and cheaper: There are many tools available for travelers to travel safely and economically.
For example, Couchsurfing.com is a world-wide hospitality network of travelers that allows you to stay for free with locals all over the world. The network is extensive and consists predominantly of open and friendly people willing to host in exchange for nothing (except for maybe a bottle of wine or a free meal). This is great for the budget and offers a truly unique and fun way to experience new places (and it is much safer than you might think). Also, join a traveler’s club, such as South America Explorer’s Club. This can be really helpful for finding information on adventures without being sold a tour. It gets you off the gringo trail and networks you with other travelers.
6) Avoid hotels:
Regularly staying in hotels is the fastest way to drain your budget. But what’s worse, hotels isolate you. While you might be cozy in that fancy bathrobe, you will be insulated from the best parts of travel — the locals, the culture, the way of life of real people, and other travelers. Many hostels provide comfortable places to sleep, shower, and use Internet, while allowing for genuine interactions with locals and other travelers. Camping in the wild is always great, and really makes your budget go a long way. Camping is even a great option in many urban locations as well. While essentially non-existent in the US, many countries (especially in Europe) have popularized camping as a means of touring and city hopping. Campgrounds are common even in the world’s busiest cities, and many hostels have space for campers, too.
7) Go opposite of tourist season:
Prices will be lower. You’ll have more lodging and transportation options, and more negotiating power in the markets. Being in places that are not flooded with tourists makes it easier to experience a place and live like the locals. In high season of popular travel destinations, travelers and tourists simply become a commodity. It is much easier to have more human interactions with locals when a place isn’t busy. The locals are usually happy to see you.
8) Go slow and pace yourself:
Most people’s early mistakes in long-term travel come from being too aggressive with your time. This stems from most people’s experience of two-week vacations where they try to cram every possible experience from the guidebook into their days. But that is entirely unsustainable. Long-term adventure is a marathon, not a sprint. You do not need to see everything noteworthy. It is okay to skip things. Have lots of down time buffering your treks, climbs, and “wild days.” A full day sipping espresso and reading books is not a day wasted, but a day well spent. Cramming in too much is a sure-fire way to burn out.
9) Include a cause into your adventure:
It doesn’t take long before you don’t give a damn about another museum or monument. Sightseeing gets surprisingly monotonous. Endless days of leisure soon become boring and unsatisfying. Long-term travel is most beneficial when you include an element of personal meaning into your travels. Your trip should contain a “why.” This could mean volunteering for an organization, visiting orphanages and playing with kids, or actually writing that book you have been dreaming about. Having a purpose for your time can create a backbone to your adventures and keep you motivated on the days when you miss your own bed and a juicy cheeseburger.
10) Be willing to be uncomfortable:
Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Embrace 24-hour bus rides, dubious street food, explosive diarrhea, dirtbag hostels, cold, sleepless nights, feelings of loneliness and homesickness, and the thousands of experiences that will have you uttering, “This would never happen back home!” It is all part of the fun.
Be willing to go into the unknown. That is usually where the best, most memorable stuff is. That is what makes it an adventure.