Terri Ramsey Beavers Traveling gives you a wonderful opportunity to see the world and enjoy amazing experiences. But once you’ve got the travel bug, it can be difficult to give it up. So what’s the answer? How about extended travel?
Taking the opportunity to enjoy some extended travel could be an experience you’ll never forget. This way, you’ll get to enjoy exploring places for longer and immerse yourself in the culture far more than you could with a shorter stay.
Interested in enhancing your travel experience? Here are some tips for traveling for an extended period.
Come up with a plan
You’re going to need a plan if you want to travel for a long period of time. You’re going to need to think about paying for your travels, leaving work, taking care of things like your house or car, and other commitments that will need to be dealt with before you disappear for months or even years.
Take the time to map out your plans. Think about where you want to go and for how long. A travel planning app can be a useful tool for helping you to set out your itinerary. You don’t even need to know everywhere you want to go, but having an idea of key locations can help you plan your transport and help give some structure to your ambitions.
Do your research
When you’re planning the trip of a lifetime, you need to make sure that you see and do everything you want to do. Some places you might never visit again, so you should make sure you fit in as much as possible. Other places like Malaysia need a second visit because it’s a tropical country, full of beautiful beaches and adventure spots that guarantee you’ll have a great time; so if you want more details, you can visit the iVisa website.
By doing your research, you could find that you end up finding places you’d never considered going, to and others you might want to think twice about after looking into them further. Read travel blogs, watch travel shows and buy some guidebooks to give you a great overview.
Start saving
Going traveling for a year is easier said than done unless you’re made of money that is. You’ll need to save for all kinds of things, including your flights, accommodation as well as food, entertainment, and the cost of excursions during your trip. Whatever you think you need for your trip, you’re probably going to need more, so some emergency funds will also be useful to you.
Travel doesn’t have to be expensive – it is what you make of it. You could budget to stay in expensive hotels, travel first class, and eat in top restaurants each night but if like most people, your budget is a bit tighter – check out some of the ways you can save money when traveling.
Ease yourself into the traveling lifestyle
Those first few weeks of traveling can be some of the most exciting as you ease into a life without the 9-5 grind and get the chance to start enjoying new places and new surroundings. Allow yourself a couple of weeks to let loose and have fun – book some nice accommodation and do some of the big touristy things your chosen destination is famous for.
As things start to calm down, you can start looking at your longer-term travel plans. If you’re going to be based somewhere for a while, it could be more cost-effective to find an apartment or a room instead of living out of hotels or hostels. When traveling in Asia, for example, you can find some affordable rentals which will give you your own space and give you somewhere to feel more at home for a little while. Searching for Rumah Kontrakan, Indonesia (rented houses), will show you the kind of places that are available, helping you to work around your budget. This will help you to prepare meals for yourself and will allow you to rest on the days you don’t feel like exploring.
Establish a routine
Being away from home means you can quickly lose your routine, but that could lead to some poor habits that could be hard to shake when you eventually return home. There are different ways to create a routine when traveling, but you can start by making sure that you get up in the mornings and have a good breakfast.
It’s important that you maintain some healthy habits when traveling. Remembering to exercise can be difficult, but by doing workouts you can do anywhere, you’ll soon get used to it. Why not take up running and get the chance to run beautiful routes all over the world?
Be sensible with your approach to food and drink
One of the best bits about traveling is the food. Exploring different places to eat and drink can be a fantastic way to enjoy the local culture, and it’s good to try local delicacies. It’s easy to find travel food blogs that offer incredible recommendations for where to go, what to try as well as some hidden gems that are off the beaten track.
However, eating out a lot can soon take its toll on your waistline, as well as your funds. You should aim to stick to a food budget where possible and try to cook for yourself regularly, as well as making use of local supermarkets.
The same can be said for drinking. Having some drinks and enjoying the local nightlife can be fun, but it can soon become expensive. Being drunk also reduces your inhibitions, which can mean that you take more risks than you might do at home. Be sensible with drinking, you wouldn’t want it to ruin your trip!
Work on the move
If money starts getting low, then you might want to think about finding some work while traveling to keep the funds topped up. It can be difficult to find much work locally, due to visa restrictions and so on, but you could find the occasional bit of casual work to tide you over.
Alternatively, you could consider becoming a ‘digital nomad’ and working on the move. Provided you’ve got a laptop and are willing to give up some of the traveling life to earn some money, it could be a good way to fund your travels.
Keep in touch with back home
When you’re away from home, it can be easy to lose touch with the real world. Staying up to date on current events is important, as is keeping up with your friends and family. Fortunately, this is much easier thanks to the internet and social media, allowing you to stay connected even when your thousands of miles from home. Keeping some connection to back home can help you feel less shell-shocked when you return, and could also help you feel less homesick.
Don’t be afraid to leave it behind
Long-term travel can be amazing, but it can also be very difficult. Not everyone is suited to being away from home for long periods of time, while finances can easily run out. If it’s not working out for you, you can always go home and there’s no shame in that. It’s better to have given it a go than regret not going. Returning home also comes with its challenges, but you can soon adjust to life after traveling. Keep yourself busy and who knows, maybe you can go again someday?
Wherever you decide to travel, why not take a bit longer to enjoy your trip? You won’t get many opportunities in life to travel for long periods, so this could be your chance to make the most of it and relieve your itchy feet! With some thorough planning and an attitude that leaves you ready for anything, you’ll have what you need to have the time of your life. So the next question is, where will you go first?