Planning to Travel Long Term?
When you finally make that decision to pack your bags and go on an extended trip there is so much to think about. What do you need to do before you leave, and once you arrive. What should you do to make sure you have the most enjoyable experience?
To take the stress away, I’ve written this article – Long Term Travel Tips to provide some thought and ideas about what you should do before leaving and whilst on the road.
Should You Quit Your Job?
I think there’s more options to travel long term now than ever before, and this will only increase in the future with the advancement of technology and more flexible working habits. Some people quit their job as they want complete freedom.
A number of people now are becoming digital nomads. This allows one to earn money as they travel, maybe staying in one place for a couple of months before moving on.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s been proven a lot of us can work from home, or remotely. We are no longer restricted by the office. Speak to your employer to see if working remotely is an option.
Decide if this is something you may enjoy, it wont be for everyone, but you should consider it. It’s a different kind of travel, but knowing you’ve got money coming in, is one less worry, and you don’t have to save thousands before your trip.
Another alternative may be to take a sabbatical. Knowing you’ve got work to come back to can make for less stressful travel, and is less ’risky’. This will be a great option for those looking for maybe a 6 month break from the rat race.
How to find the cheapest flights and accommodation
Booking the Cheapest Flights
One of the most important long term travel tips I want to share is regarding flights. Most trips will start with a flight to somewhere, and this can sometimes be one of your biggest outlays, so make sure you don’t pay more than you need to.
When researching flight prices, I always use skyscanner.net. This website checks all airlines for the best deals, and one of my favourite features is the option of selecting a whole month, rather than specific dates. Prices can vary quite considerably from day to day, or week to week.
For this reason, give yourself some flexibility and you can easily save hundreds of pounds straight away. For example, travelling mid-week is often cheaper than at weekends. Also try searching for a country, rather than city, as there can also be big differences between neighbouring cities, and sometimes not much difference in terms of distance.
When you use this site, always use incognito or private mode on your browser, as if you keep searching for the same destination or dates, it is rumoured that the prices get bumped up (I have seen this happen to me in the past).
Providing Proof of Onward Travel
When you are travelling long term, in places like SE Asia, or Central America, you might not necessarily know exactly when you will leave a country, you want to have some flexibility.
In such instances, you may not have any onward travel booked at the time you enter a Country. Often this isn’t a problem, but occasionally it can be. I’ve been asked for proof of onward travel when entering the USA and Costa Rica in the past.
There is a couple of options you can use to have this proof of onward travel, but still maintain your flexible schedule.
- If you book a flight on expedia.com, they allow you to cancel your flight within 24 hours, for a full refund. Make sure you use the .com website, rather than .co.uk or other regional variations. You can filter on ‘no change fees’ and then select an appropriate flight that includes free cancellations. Make sure there is a tick next to free cancellations when you select the flight. You may need to upgrade the ticket from the basic, but it doesn’t matter as you will cancel for a full refund anyway.
- If 24 hours isn’t enough time, there is another option. In the past I have use a company called onewayfly.com. The company essentially books a ticket for you and then provides you the genuine ticket that you can show to immigration or the airline if asked to do so. The ticket is valid for two weeks, and costs £20. I presume they then cancel the ticket with the airline so they incur no additional costs.
- A final option may be to try and book a cheap flight to a neighbouring country. This might cost you more than £20, but if you don’t feel comfortable doing either of the above, this could be another option.
Booking the best accommodation
When searching for accommodation, my go to preference is booking.com. This site has thousands of hostels, hotels, and B&B’s. If you use them regularly you can attain ‘Genius’ status, and benefit from further discounts, or later check-out times.
Always read the reviews to get an idea of the place. I place most importance on customer reviews.
Another option for accommodation is Airbnb.com. I have found that depending on the location, sometimes Airbnb can be a lot cheaper than traditional hotels. In other cities, it’s similar pricing, so compare the two.
The main downsides with Airbnb is having to wait for the host to reply to your message. One way to avoid this delay is to only select ‘instant booking’ available options. If you’re booking a week in advance, this doesn’t really matter.
Often when I’m travelling I only book one or two nights in advance to keep my options open.
Things to consider before you leave
I’ve written a separate article you might like called How to save money for travel, so check that article out if you haven’t already.
1. Travel Insurance
This is the single most important thing you should do before you depart. You never know what will happen, hopefully you won’t need to use it. If you’re away for a long time, it’s even more important.
Make sure you have insurance that covers multiple countries. It gives you massive peace of mind. I recommend World Nomads, I’ve used them myself, and they have many get reviews (I’ve never had to make a claim thankfully so can’t discuss that personally).
2. Vaccinations
When you know what countries you are visiting, check your local health service about what vaccinations they advise such as Malaria or Yellow Fever. Do this two months before you travel.
3. Redirect your mail
If you’re away for a long time, it’s a good idea to redirect your mail, as there may be important documents you still need to deal with. Think about family or close friends that could help.
4. Declutter
This is the perfect time to review everything you have, do you really need it? You will need to store your possessions somewhere, maybe at your parents, or more likely in a storage unit. The bigger the unit, the more it will cost. See if you sell things you don’t really need.
5. Learn the language
I always think its nice to learn even just a few pleasantries if you’re going to a foreign speaking country. A ‘hello’, ‘thankyou’ and ‘please’ can go a long way.
6. Plan as little as possible
This may sound a little counter-intuitive but let me explain. You should plan what countries you want to visit, research the top attractions you want to do, and have an idea of the rough direction of your travel.
Don’t worry about planning the ins and outs of what you’ll do each day. Wing it a little. When you arrive in destinations, you might pick up tips from other travellers about things you didn’t even know.
You don’t want to miss out on experiences as you have your next 30 days accommodation all planned out. Enjoy the freedom, make decisions only a couple of days in advance. The exception to this rule may be for attractions that have long waits, such as the INCA trail, where you typically need to book 3 months in advance.
7. Unlock your phone
Make sure your phone is not network locked, it can often be best to buy a local sim for internet access and calls, and just slip it into your phone.
Mental Health on the road
From the outside, it can look like people that travel non-stop are having the time of their lives, not a care in the world.
In reality, travel can be lonely, stressful and sometimes overwhelming.
This article by Georgi Todorov discusses some of the pitfalls of travel and provides tips to improve your mental health.
Read the article to be aware of some of the considerations and how to deal with any concerns.
You've landed, what now - Top Travel Tips
When you land in a new country, you want to experience everything it has to offer. This means keeping an open mind, and immersing yourself in the local cultures and traditions.
1. Try Local Food
I hope you didn’t travel all this way just to go eat a McDonalds! I love to find traditional street markets, where the food is usually delicious, and very affordable. Look for stalls that are popular with locals, that’s usually a good sign of quality
2. Download music and movies
When you have WiFi at your accommodation, think about downloading some entertainment. This can be used on long bus journeys or wait’s at airports.
If you really love your music consider taking some portable bluetooth wireless headphones with you. You’ll be the life of the party in the hostel (be considerate when it’s lights out time!).
I use Sony SRS XB-23 speakers and love them, the sound is great and they’re easy to pack into your backpack.
3. Keep important docs in hand luggage
Always keep your passport, money, some credit cards and other important documents with you at all times.
4. Appreciate your surroundings
Some of my favourite time is when I just sit down and have a coffee or a beer. Take a time out, people watch, and really take in your surroundings.
5. Take your time
I prefer slow travel if possible, which is easier when you’re on a long trip, as you normally have more time than money. I really struggle on shorter trips as I want to see everything.
Be realistic with your itinerary, you don’t want to rush around everywhere and not really take it in. Always build in a few spare days so you can slow down if you find somewhere you really like.
6. Check-out check list
When you check-out, double check the bathroom, check under the bed – never use the bedside drawers or wardrobes (unless staying for a while) to make sure you don’t leave anything behind.
7. Post souvenirs back home
If you’re on a longer trip, post some souvenirs back home. Alternatively buy something towards the end of your trip that really reminds you of your experience (you don’t have to carry it around with you then either).
8. Take good photos
Souvenirs can be great, but nothing will be as memorable as your photos. When you get home, you can print some t and hang them on the wall, personalised souvenirs.
9. Travel in shoulder season
I rarely travel in peak season, as it’s more expensive and more crowded. Shoulder seasons can often still have great weather so consider these times if possible.
10. Foreign currency
Don’t change currency at the airport, try to get a little before your trip. If you’re going to multiple countries, you will need to withdraw money from ATM’s so make sure you find one that doesn’t charge fee’s. If you’re based in the UK, try Starling Bank, who has zero foreign exchange fee’s.
11. Prepare the night before
If you’re staying in a dorm room, and you need to leave your accommodation early in the morning, prepare the night before. No one appreciates that person rummaging around in their backpack at 5 in the morning turning the lights on!
12. Plan for the must-do trips
Set some money aside for the must-do trips. For example, what’s the point of saving to get to Bolivia, then you can’t afford to do an amazing trip to Salar de Uyuni? Think about the big ticket items you won’t negotiate on, and put that money aside.
13. Embrace the local customs
One thing I love about travelling is seeing how other people live and work. Don’t judge people for being different from what you’re used to. Try to engage and learn more if something really interests you.
14. Get Lost
Leave Google Maps in your pocket once in a while, I’ve stumbled across some of my city highlights when I wasn’t looking for them.
15. Get up early
Beat the hordes of coaches arriving mid-morning by getting up early, and having places all to yourself. You can actually take better pics, and get around a lot quicker and easier.
16. Google Translate
Translation Apps can be a life saver. I often use them to scan a menu to understand what’s in front of me. You can even download off-line versions so as not to use your data.
17. Pack a toilet roll (or half)!
Wherever you go, packing a toilet roll can always be helpful. We tend to use public toilets a lot more when travelling, and even if you’re hiking, you don’t want to be caught short.
18. Pack some basic medicines
I always take some Aspirin, Paracetamol and plasters, just in case.
19. Wing it occasionally
You don’t always have to book your accommodation before you arrive. Depending where you go, and what time you plan to arrive, you can check out hostel or hotel rooms before committing, and you’re likely to get a better price booking direct, than online.
20. Keep your back pockets empty
Don’t put any valuables in your back pockets, it’s a pick pocketers dream. The last thing you want to happen on your trip is to lose your phone or your wallet.
21. Use free WiFi
If you don’t have access to your own data, you can usually find free Wi-Fi in most towns, look for a McDonalds or Starbucks or something similar.
22. Personalise your luggage
Putting a ribbon, or sticker on your luggage to make it easily identifiable can be a great help at the airport carousel. Put your contact details on a card inside your luggage, just in case it does go missing at the airport.
23. Trust people
This is probably one of the hardest things to do, as I often feel like everyone is out to scam me when they know I’m a tourist. In most cases, the locals will be all too happy to help you.
You need to be sensible though, any time people approach you talking about parting with your cash for any reason whatsoever, walk away. In Vietnam, if someone tells you their daughter or niece wants to learn your language, and can you meet them later, politely decline. I got asked this 3 times on Ho-Chi-Minh, I’ve still no idea what the scam was, but rest assured, there was one!
24. Charge your devices
Always charge your devices as soon as you get to your room, nothing worse than running out of juice and having to wait around while they all get charged.
Right at the top of every travellers travel items should be a power bank. The worst thing that can happen when you’re in a place you don’t know if your phone to die.
I highly recommend the Anker PowerCore 10,000. Its small, lightweight and will charge your phone battery at least twice.
25. Try something new
You might find something you really enjoy, such as cooking, surfing, or paddle boarding
26. Track your spending
There’s nothing worse than having to return home early or missing out or things you really wanted to do. have a weekly budget and stick to it
27. Don’t forget to exercise
Keep up some form of exercise on your trip. Stretch after a day of walking.
28. Local tourism offices
You can doo all your research online, but often you’ll still find new things at the local tourism office for some inspiration. Pick up a local map and ask them for the best things to see and do to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
29. Share your itinerary
Let some friends and family know your rough itinerary just in case something were to happen, they would know your recent movements.