living travel life

How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started

Written By: The Planet D

Digital Nomads

Updated On: June 3, 2023

Recently we’ve received a lot of emails asking us how we financially supported our travels since we decided to take the plunge to live a life of travel in our unconventional life.

I realize that we’ve written a lot of inspirational pieces about following your dreams and pushing yourself to step outside your comfort zone, but we haven’t given real practical advice in quite a while. So we decided it was time to share some of our tips and tricks to living an unconventional life.

Table of Contents

How to Live an Unconventional Life of Travel

Our journey to becoming full-time travel bloggers was not a quick and easy one. We had many failures and setbacks along the way. It took time for us to find what we wanted to do with our lives and what would make us happy. We knew way back in 2003 and we wanted to be together traveling the world forever, we just didn’t know how to make that dream come true.

I realize that many people have that dream, but we felt it deep in our bones. It was more of a yearning than a fantasy. When we were traveling, we felt at home. We knew that on the road was where we were meant to be.

Another Backpacker

In 2004 we were like many backpackers traveling around South East Asia, but unlike the many others out there, we were already brainstorming with ideas of how we could continue to travel for the rest of our lives. We knew we wanted more than just a one-year escape.

We didn’t have the answers yet, but we knew that we couldn’t keep working at our current jobs for the next 20 years hoping that we’d one day be able to retire and finally live our dreams. So we started making plans. Check out more travel jobs by our pals at goats on the road .

Steps to Living a Life of Travel

1. change your spending habits.

We used to spend a lot of money on things that didn’t better our lives. We’d buy $4 lattes, go out to dinner several times a week and we’d buy new designer clothes. The more popular the brand name, the better.

On the weekends, we’d drop $200 on a meal and not even blink at the cheque, and then we’d go to movies spending a good $50 on tickets and popcorn.

Well, all that changed when we decided we decided that we were going to live a life of travel once and for all.

2. Find Affordable Things to do

It was a big decision but we decided to put away enough money to sustain ourselves for a year. We knew that once we took the plunge, we would have to go 100% into fulfilling our dreams, so we needed a nest egg while we worked to become professional travel bloggers.

We ate at home and cooked at home. We made our own gourmet coffees, and instead of going out to the movies all the time, we rented movies. When we wanted to go to the bar, we instead had a glass of wine at home and invited friends over, it was much more affordable.

Our activites changed from spending money on expensive meals and nightclubs, to doing free and exciting things on the weekend like mountain biking, rock climbing, or snowshoeing.

We didn’t drop cash at the bar, on expensive meals, or on expensive weekend getaways to a suite in Niagara Falls anymore. We did as many things as possible for free.

Wwe went camping and spent our time outdoors.It was much more fulfilling and a lot easier on our pocketbooks.

Note: At this time in our lives, we still didn’t know how we were going to become full-time travelers, we just knew that we wanted it to happen one day and that we had to be ready when we finally figured it out. By having a nest egg and by not having anything tying us down, we’d be ready to jump at any opportunity.

3. Downsize

People have often said to us “ I wish that I could do what you do, but I can’t afford it ” Well if you really truly want to travel. It can be really easy to save and build a nest egg. We sold our house and most of our contents and went back to renting a small one-bedroom apartment.

This freed up a lot of our income to put towards our travel savings fund. Getting a small one bedroom apartment that included utilities, cable and parking helped us plan our monthly budget.

4. Get Rid of Debt and Wasted Expenses

We also went down to one automobile. We used to drive two cars and paid an expensive monthly lease. But when the leases came due, we let them go and bought a used car. Our monthly payments were less, and our insurance cost less too because we no longer had to pay for the collision coverage since our car was so cheap. If our car was damaged it didn’t matter because we paid next to nothing for it anyway. We drove that car for the next 10 years.

5. Keep All Options Open

Like many people, we knew we wanted something more in life, but we didn’t know what it was that we wanted. We were frustrated. I remember always saying to Dave “ If I only knew what I wanted to do with my life, I know I’d be successful. ” The problem was, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing we both knew was that travel was to be a part of it.

So, we studied ALL THINGS TRAVEL.

We went to seminars talking about Teaching English as a Second Language , we went to travel trade shows, we watched travel shows like Pilot Guides and Don’t Forget Your Passport.

Little did we know we were honing our adventure skills

We took up as many adventures as we could. We learned how to rock climb, mountain bike, scuba dive, and snowboard. We became avid campers and built our adventure gear arsenal to an impressive list where we actually started to look the part of Adventurer!

We said to ourselves, “one day maybe one of these skills would come in handy.” At the time, we didn’t know it, but all those skills eventually came in handy. We used to call ourselves “ Jacks of all trades and Masters of none. “

6. Nothing is Waste of Time When Searching for your Purpose

We had doubts, of course, we did. We thought, maybe we’re wasting our time and energy trying new things all the time, but we knew that we had yet to find something that we truly loved.

We enjoyed everything, but we didn’t have the passion that some of our rock climbing or scuba diving friends had for one particular sport. Our friends found their passion and all they wanted to do was rock climb around the world, or go scuba diving when they went to a destination. They couldn’t care less if they saw the local culture or witnessed incredible landscape. They wanted to explore under the sea or a new climbing route and that was great!

It just wasn’t for us. We wanted it all. We wanted to be able to climb in one location, dive into another, and shop at the market in yet another. We realized that we wanted it all!

Our lack of focus helped us become true explorers. It was our “Jack of All Trades” mentality that eventually lead us to become travel bloggers.

7. Focus on Strengths

Once we decided that we wanted to have the word “Adventurer” on our business card, we made plans on how we were going to make that happen. After exhausting all possibilities we decided to focus on our strengths.

We had been working in the film business for a long time and learned from the successful people around us . I watched television hosts promote themselves and create their brand and identities and Dave picked the brains of photographers and cinematographers on the movie set.

We knew that we were good at self-promotion and that we knew the TV business well, so we decided to sell an idea.

8. Do Something Epic

We knew that we would have to do something epic to stand out from the crowd. In 2008, backpacking around the world was becoming very popular. When we did it in 2000, not many people were leaving their jobs to travel the world, but now it seemed to be that everyone was taking a sabbatical.

If we did something epic like bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town people would take notice. So that is what we did and Canada’s Adventure Couple was born.

We had a dream of turning our adventures into a TV show. We hired a publicist, sent out press releases, and announced our epic journey. We knew we loved traveling together and that we had the mental stamina to succeed in this race down the continent.

9. Make a Plan

We invested a good chunk of our hard-earned money into this cycling race. We saved for a year putting every penny away and buying new bikes, training, and investing in the entry fee and flights. We didn’t want to take part in an epic adventure only to return to our jobs and resume our lives.

We made a plan that within two years of signing up, we’d be traveling full time. That gave us something to focus on. Having a time limit and a plan to make it happen, kept us focus don our goal. We had no choice but to to figure out a way to keep the momentum going.

10. With Failure Comes Success

We tried pitching a TV series that had a lot of interest but eventually failed. That didn’t deter us though, we had made a lot of TV appearances and were becoming minor celebrities in the online world, so we decided to nurture our 15 minutes of fame and turn it into something bigger.

Drawing on our nearly decade of travel experience, we created a blog that had a focus. We decided to focus on being inspirational and to show people that happy couples are not obsolete and that marriages can last and that the opposite sex can have fun together.

Right from the beginning of creating ThePlanetD, we knew what our message was going to be. We wanted to show that adding a bit of adventure into your everyday lives can help you feel more fulfilled. We wanted to show people that if we can do it, anyone can.

It took us a long time to figure out our purpose, but we never stopped searching and if you really want to change your life, you can do it too. Don’t let age, money or fear stand in your way, if you want something bad enough, you CAN make it happen.

So the message is, never give up, never stop searching and seize the day. What are you going to do to live an unconventional life of travel?

• How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource
• 21 Ways to Get Paid to Travel
• How to Start a Travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps
• Our 27 Best Travel Tips from 10 Years of Travel
• How to Achieve Your Life Goals
• How Travel Can Change Your Life
• Best Travel Jobs to Spark New Ideas for Your Future Career

Travel Planning Resources

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Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

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Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

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Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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59 thoughts on “How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started”

Thank you for being a voice of positivity and inspiration in a sometimes negative world.

We too live an unconventional life. We have 13 children, work remotely, home educate and yes, we travel with ten of them too! It *is* possible to live a life of travel – we did two months of the Balkans earlier this year and are about to set off for another couple of months. Want to know more? Let us know!

Thanks for laying this out there. You guys and your adventures are always a huge inspiration to us! Love #3 “We kept all our options open” as we try to live by that same motto. It really makes things so much fun and introduces you to some crazy and exciting experiences of a lifetime. Happy travels!

Thanks John, I’m glad that you are living the life you want as well. We agree, keeping options open is very important. YOu need to be willing to try something new and be open to new experiences. It opens up a whole new world.

LMAO at the first pic:legendary!

Congrats, it has been awesome to follow part of your journey and thanks for the inside scoop 🙂

Ha! Glad you liked it. That’s Dave’s signature pose. At least lately, ever since we downsized, he does a lot of jumping like that.!

Looks like a very happy couple! You two are living with your dreams. I owe you a lot, very inspiring story. Thanks for sharing the tips, I find it really useful. You can manage to save and budget together. Congratulations!

Thank you Marie! Glad we could inspire you. If you really set your mind to something you can do it too. At one point in our lives we didn’t think we’d ever be able to travel the way we wanted to and yet here we are now. If we can do it, anyone can too!

That is a very inspirational story! My wife and I have managed to carve out a life of travel by working in Denali National Park 8 months per year and having four months off. Many of the resorts and tour companies are seasonal up here and it is perfect for travel.

I just need to cut out those $4 lattes and I can do even more…

Wow! that’s fabulous Jeff. Denali is beautiful. I know what you mean about the $4 lattes, we still love them too.

Thanks for this blog and for sharing with us. Me and my husband are planning for a trip to African countrie’s and its first time for us where we have to visit many countrie’s, so I am nervous about the planning that how do I mange everything but your blog gives me confident about the trip. Thank you so much.

LOVED this. Luckily, my boyfriend and I were students when we discovered our love for travel so we didn’t spend a lot of money or lived in an expensive way. That made it pretty easy to take the leap – and we’re actually able to have a better life than we did in Denmark and still spend less. 🙂

Very interesting post, though! And lots of great tips that we need to follow up on. Especially about gaining more recognition and create a brand like you guys have! So inspirational.

We kicked off our nomadic lifestyle with a bike journey as well – around Europe in 3 months on city bikes, normal clothes and no training. We made it and had an epic journey. 🙂

Thanks for sharing your advice.

Awesome article! I hope others will be inspired too to travel and to save, save a lot of money for they travel escapade.

Interesting read indeed! I think turning your lifestyle pretty much upside down and opting for a life on the road requires a certain balance. The biggest hurdle might be the monetary one, but it’s probably the same with all big plans and achievements: mindset matters! I think someone who can tick of the first points on your list is probably almost on the way… 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Oliver. You are right, all big decisions in life require balance and yes, any big plans whether travel related or not can follow these simple rules. It is possible to change your life if you are willing to sacrifice a little to achieve your dream.

Hi Guys: Enjoyed your article and great sense of adventure…I too, have been traveling all my life and now based part-time in the Philippines. I have 7 channels, with over 21 MILLION viewers from 87 countries. Take a look and learn from some of my videos….. Main channel: http://www.youtube.com/globalvideopro1 WEBSITE: http://www.globalvideoprotv.com

Great post! Great ideas! Thank you!

We left the rat-race and have not looked back. Who wants to be “normal?” Life is a journey not a destination. Live it! Take care.

Congratulations on leaving the rat race Curtis. All the best to you!

There’s really no need to clip coupons to save money; it’s not that effective anyway. The best way is to do what you did: downsize, minimize transport costs and cook. I love how you slowly realize what you want to do in life. It’s all about the journey!

Thanks Dela. You are so right, downsizing is key. So many of us in North America live beyond our means. I think back to how little I lived on fresh out of college. If we all kept living simply, we wouldn’t have the burden of all the money problems. For some reason, people feel that as they age, they need to have more ‘things’ and that just weighs them down. We are now in a good financial situation after 6 years of pursuing our dreams, but we have no desire to go back to buying a bunch of things again. Life experience is what we are loving.

This is an eye opening post. Makes one realize that we can all achieve so much with just the right strategy and not necessarily resources. Inspiring and it made me start booking amazing tours. The journey is the destination!

Congratulations! Good luck with your tours.

This is great advice, both inspirational and practical.

Thank you Mariellen!

Firstly congratulations for hanging on and living your dreams. Here I would like to speak about one of my uncles who loves to trek even at this age (he is in his 60s). He’s a quiet man. The only time I get to see a gleam in his eyes is when someone talks about travel… and I shout out in my mind…”I get that oldie..”

Sounds like you have an amazing uncle! I know how he feels, I can feel excitement come over me whenever I get the chance to talk about our own travels.

You two are an inspiration. I am so glad you are living your dream. Thank you for sharing these great tips!

Thanks Mary. I think the two of you have been living the dream as well! Congratulations right back.

Very cool post. Reducing down to one car is something I know our family needs to do if you want to start saving a significant amount, we’re just finding it so hard to bite the bullet on that one!

I know that it can be difficult to go down to one car, especially if you have kids and have to pick them up from sports or dance or hockey practice. It does save a lot of money though. Between car payments and insurance, it’s literally hundreds a month!

Very inspiring post. Traveling is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle and it is wonderful that you are now able to reach so many people to inspire them to add more travel into their lives through your adventures.

Thank you Katherine. That has been our goal in recent years. We want to let people know that it is possible. For so many years we didnt’ think it was possible to change our lives. Now that we have, we want to inspire others to take a chance and follow their dreams. If two regular people like us can do it, anyone can.

Thanks for your tips. Best of luck with your on going travels. Great read.

Great tips- that are good for day to day life as well!

Great Escapes , oh yes I have a number of interesting trips to choose from. I find it fascinating and also confusing when it comes to planning my travel, so I've opted for an unconventional way of travelling that can fund me while I spend time in the air, or on a beach.

Beautiful & Inspiring post!

There’s a point when you just gotta let it all go and dive right in, even if you have no idea what you’re diving into. I left my old work life behind to move down to Mexico about 9 months or so ago and I’ve never been happier.

Anyone can do it, and it doesn’t take a ton of money. It’s just as you said you need to change your perspective, your spending habits. It’s amazing how freeing it can be to not worry about little things like a tv(that’s what the internet is for), brand name clothes(you know you don’t need those $200 pair of jeans), or dining out all the time, even if that only means Mickey D’s. After that the money starts stacking up. 😉

If you wanna travel the world or just become an Expat the only thing stopping you is you, do whatever you can to achieve that dream!

Congratulations Devlin. Wow! It must be amazing living in Mexico. That is something we’d like to in the next year or two. Spend an extended period of time in Mexico. And you hit the nail on the head. Dropping a few of the extra expenses seriously helps the money add up. We had a lot of fun while still being able to save money, jut by changing our habits a little bit.

Good for you Don. Any great adventures planned?

Thanks for this post. Great to hear some behind the scene stories.

I left my home country a year ago, to move to London and last week I left London to travel the world – starting in Sri Lanka, where me and my boyfriend are at the moment.

It´s scary and amazing at the same time to follow your dreams. I will keep follow your adventures here 🙂

Wow! Have a great time in Sri Lanka, it’s one of our favourite countries. And congratulations to traveling the world! Well said to, it’s scary and amazing all at once, but that’s what makes you feel alive. Being comfortable can be very boring. A little fear keeps like exciting.

You are not a failure though at first you fail. But I can say that you became a successful traveler and writer. You are right at first it is difficult. It takes a lot of perseverance and dedication.

You said it Carl Joe, we didn’t have instant success, but when you know what you want, you will keep trying until you succeed and we have no intention of stopping. There will always be ups and down, but we’ll keep on working at what we want for the rest of our lives.

Saving and budgeting is indeed one of the best thing to do. Thanks for the tips that you’ve shared. I find it really useful

Thanks James, I’m glad we could share a few tips with oyu!

It’s always great to see people follow their dream and lovely to see Don’s comment about getting the travel bug at 60! 🙂

Agreed, it is never too late to get the travel bug and change your life. It’s a whole new world, you dont’ need to be 20 to follow our dreams.

Congrats on hanging in there and making your dreams to travel full-ltime come to fruition! AWESOME!!! We share the same deep passion for traveling and try to save our money to go to Europe about once a year. Our friends ask us the same kind of questions or take little "jabs" at us about the financial part and often ask how we can afford to do this. We tell them travel is "our addiction" and to feed our habit, we do many of the same things as you….such as eating at home and making lots of soups from scratch, only getting basic cable service, driving older & easy/low maintenance automobiles with great gas mileage, no big screen TV's or fancy electronics/phones, working from home, buying most of our clothes from second-hand stores, no beverages except for water when we go out for dinner, saving all our spare change, etc. Once we are on our adventures, we really enjoy staying in simple accommodations like small hotels and hostels, having "picnic" lunches and dinners with local foods from the grocery store and 'self-guiding" our trips with well researched itineraries and utilizing public transportation, whenever possible. All of this really adds up in the course of a year and equates to literally thousands of dollars!!!! We gladly sacrifice and make these relatively easy lifestyle changes, to have that money to travel!!! Best wishes for many more adventures, Cheers 🙂

Great advice, thanks for sharing Nora. You make a great point about water only when eating out. I think the most expensive part of the bill is often beverages. You can always go home afterwards to enjoy a glass of wine at a fraction the price. We don’t way to live like Paupers, but cutting back can make a big difference. I say, don’t cut back to the point of making yourself unhappy in life, but definitely cut back on the little things that you can do without. Best to you too!

Couldn’t agree more with you! More than saving and budgeting, I think the passion to travel should be there. Like I am very bad at saving, but I still manage to travel because I really want to!

Good for you Renuka, it sounds like you do well at making your dreams happen.

Awesome post, i'm just getting the bug for travel at the ripe age of 60, my wife has always loved to travel, but me not so much. I've just subscribed to your newsletter and i'm looking forward to reading more of your articles.

Thanks Don! Congrats on living your life to the fullest!

The reason we were able to leave the comfort of regular paychecks a little over 6 months ago is encompassed in your first 3 points. The last 2 are a bit of a work-in-progress, but it’s always encouraging to read about your success. Keep up the stellar work! Good luck!

Great article for all travel lovers! 🙂

Awesome article double D, shared on Twitter!

What’s amazing about all of these kinds of stories is how different they are with respect to their specifics and yet so very similar in their general approach. For the most part everyone who has ever done something like this tells a story of having a dream, shedding material things, and relentlessly working toward their goal. The execution of those steps all take different paths – some people write books, or barter web development services, or create promotional travel videos, or whatever – but they all basically had to first let go of the familiar and then chase after their dream with dogged determination. I know, because that is our story too.

Congrats you guys. Happy travels.

Well said Brian. It’s true, you need to let go of the familiar and chase your dream. Soon, the unconventional begins to feel comfortable.

How Choosing a Life of Travel Changed Everything

When I first published this essay in late 2016 on how living a life of travel changed my entire lifestyle, I had just turned wrapped up my first stint of long-term travel at 26 years old.

In the years since, my travel lifestyle has only continued to intensify: my husband Jeremy and I traveled full-time for more than 4 years, right up until 2020 and all of its wide-reaching consequences pushed us into signing a one-year lease in Austin, Texas.

Our life of travel is far from over, though: we consider it merely on pause (though our dog, Ranger, and the whole “running a business and not living off of savings anymore” thing will always keep our movements a bit slower than they were back in 2016).

I’ve preserved my original essay about chasing my travel dreams here–it still makes me smile to read it, and if you’re dreaming of a life of travel, I hope you’ll see a bit of yourself in it, too.

At the end of this blog post, though, I’m going to share more about where we are now, as well as some very personal specifics about what changed in us on the road–and it is a lot.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more detail.

How Pursuing a Life of Travel Changed My Life

Looking back on it, the long journey that led to me looking at Jeremy one year ago and asking, “How would you feel about selling our house and going on that RTW trip right now ?” started with a book about studying for the LSAT.

I was always going to be an attorney. From early adolescence, I confidently asserted my future plans: I was going to collect AP credits like merit badges in high school (did that), graduate early from undergrad (did that too), and head to law school (plan derailed here).

The summer before my third and final year of undergrad, I sat on the floor of the library on Oklahoma State University’s campus and pored through books about applying to law school and studying for the LSAT.

I can’t tell you the name of the book or the author, but I’ll never forget this paraphrased quote from the first chapter of the first book that I read:

“Before you decide to go to law school, think very hard about what else you could do with $100,000 and three years of your life.”

The author went on to give examples of other paths to take in life, including two that stuck out to me: a round-the-world trip, and living with a local family in a different country to become fluent in a new language.

I would be lying if I said that I had an epiphany right then.

Instead, I rolled my eyes and assured myself with the bravado that only exists in adolescence and very early adulthood that this dude clearly had no idea who I was.

I bought my LSAT study guide. I studied religiously, because that’s what good students do.

And every day, echoing in the back of my mind behind my study materials were thoughts about limited time on Earth and happiness and student debt and my then-boyfriend-now-husband and future motherhood and my fierce desire to see the world and my goal of learning other languages–despite them consistently being my worst subject in school.

Two weeks later, I announced to my family that despite almost a decade of just-as-confident proclamations that I would be doing the opposite, I would not be going to law school. I also had no idea what my career plans would be in place of that.

They were surprised, to say the least. Occasionally, years after the fact, I still have a well-meaning relative ask, “But… are you sure?”

Yes, I am sure. From the second that I made the decision, it has felt inexplicably right. Other than marrying Jeremy, not going to law school was the best decision that I ever made.

It did, however, thrust me into the directionless abyss of “What am I doing with my life?!” that is now popularly called the quarter-life-crisis.

While unnerving, it unlocked a whole new realm of possibilities.

The next 5 years of my life started with a post-grad job that I hated, and ended, several life changes later, with calling my parents with a new life announcement: “So… we’re quitting our jobs, selling our stuff, and going to travel the world for 6 months .”

Despite my best efforts to rework my 5-year plan to accommodate our new life of travel, since the moment that my 20-year-old self sat on the floor of OSU’s library and started considering seriously what adult life was going to look like, I have consistently failed to predict what my life would look like in a year.

This year was no different: despite our carefully planned and budgeted for round the world trip, life has thrown a curveball again.

Here’s the next twist: our planned time in South America is currently on hold, and we’re back in the USA.

There’s a long story associated with why–essentially, we had to come back to deal with our car, whose storage situation was no longer sustainable.

To take care of our beloved Honda Fit, we left Cambodia and are now temporarily back home, rather than flying to South America as planned.

We still fully intend to complete our South America leg, but coming home has given us the opportunity to spend a couple of months visiting family and friends, spend Thanksgiving with loved ones, and quite likely taking a couple of road trips around the USA–starting with a trip to the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival in New Mexico !

Once upon a time, this change of plans would have unnerved me.

Now, I find myself (mostly) embracing the unknown–after all, the unknown has worked out pretty well so far.

I don’t know where we will be spending Christmas, New Year’s, or 2017.

I don’t know what our income situation will look like (we can’t live off of savings forever, after all).

Honestly, one of the reasons that I procrastinated so badly on this post is because I originally intended for it to announce what was next, in addition to where we are now–but I still don’t have any concrete dates or booked trips to offer on that front yet.

What I do know, though, is that settling back into a cubicle for 40+ hours a week with very little vacation time each year is something that we are desperately trying to avoid.

As for the smaller part of me that’s not embracing the unknown?

Well, that part of me is busy anxiously calculating budgets, spontaneously planning trips to places that we may or may not actually visit for years, and stressing about the fact that I have officially given up on 5-year plans and 1-year plans and 6-month plans, and am now down to planning life just days at a time.

That’s just a tiny piece of me, though. I can manage that.

Because truthfully, despite questions of future sustainability, future income, and the stress of depleting savings, Jeremy and I are so happy with this unusual life that we are currently living.

For me, nothing has felt as right as this since the moment that I threw my carefully planned future out the window and announced that I wasn’t going to law school.

What Happened Next With Our Travel Lifestyle

So, all those predictions I made about completing our South America leg?

Yeah, that didn’t happen, though we did eventually spend a month in Colombia in early 2018.

Instead, we spent the first half of 2017 backpacking from Mexico City to Panama (mostly) using the money we got from selling the car we mentioned flying back to the US for, and then quickly became determined to make our life of travel last indefinitely–and we did.

Where Our Life of Travel Led Us

In the roughly 5+ years since I wrote this essay on living a life of travel, I am extremely proud to say that we have built a life led entirely on our own terms (until 2020 clobbered that naive assumption, but, I digress).

After visiting almost 50 countries on 5 continents, we are as enamored with our travel lifestyle as ever–granted, with a few more creature comforts these days.

Today, our lives are funded entirely by our travel blogs–and while I’m proud to say that, I’m even more proud to say it in 2021.

It was no picnic making it through 2020 in this industry, as you can imagine, but we absolutely made it through.

In addition to Our Escape Clause, we now also run Lone Star Travel Guide , about travel in Texas.

How Our Travel Lifestyle Changed Us

Running a travel blog to fund travel dreams is nice and all, but let’s be honest–that’s a pretty common story on the internet.

Outside of work (and it is  very  enjoyable work), though, there are some enormous personal differences in where we are now as opposed to where we assumed that our 2021 selves would be when I wrote this essay in 2016.

Here are just a few.

We don’t have kids.

I’m not saying we won’t ever have kids, but to be perfectly honest, we absolutely assumed we would have them by 30… and yet, we don’t find ourselves in a rush to have them these days.

We don’t own a home.

When we sold our home in San Antonio to travel the world, the plan was always to travel temporarily.

As much as we loved to travel, at the end of the day, we thought that by a couple of years down the road, surely  we’d want to be right back where we started, in a nice suburban home with our travel photos displayed on the walls.

Not so much.

We don’t use words like “never” these days, but homeownership is definitely not in our immediate plans.

We want to live abroad.

Not necessarily forever, but our life of travel has given us an intense desire to experience a full-time life abroad–specifically in southern Europe.

Living in a foreign country is absolutely different than traveling there, even compared to the slow travel that we did.

An apartment lease, a visa, bureaucratic headaches–we want to try out the good, bad, and ugly of living in a country other than our own.

We adore cities.

I almost laugh out loud every time I read one of our early blog posts where I mention we don’t like cities–LOL, no.

As it turns out, not liking commuting from the suburbs into a US city 5 days a week is not remotely the same thing as not liking cities.

We’re more adaptable.

… and patient.

If there’s anything that a life of travel will teach you, it’s those two skills.

Reading over those changes, it’s easy to imagine that our past selves would be utterly shocked to find out where we ended up in life–and they would have been.

It’s absolutely possible that given another 5-10 years, we will end up in that suburban house with 1.5 kids and our travel photos on the walls–but it’s also possible that we won’t, and 25-year-old me never would have dreamed of such a possibility.

To me, the craziest thing about the changes in our dreams, goals, preferred living situation, diet, and more that our travel lifestyle brought to us is how incredibly unexpected and yet, semi-permanent it feels.

Part of that is simply growing up, sure–everyone changes in their mid-to-late-20s–but for us, the bulk of those changes being set into motion has a very identifiable starting date: May 10, 2016, when we boarded a one-way flight to Madrid and set out to see what a life of travel would bring to us.

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About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

6 thoughts on “How Choosing a Life of Travel Changed Everything”

Hey Kate and Jeremy! I’m glad you guys are following your travel dreams! Where are you guys currently?

Thanks, Kara!

We are currently in the USA getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with family in a couple of weeks. At the beginning of December, we’re off to Central America for a few months, starting in Costa Rica!

Wow, that’s quite a story! I hung on to every word. You’re a great writer, and I love this journey you’re on. Looking forward to more of the unknown ahead!

P.S. Hello from a fellow Girls v. Globe 🙂

Aw, thanks Jessica! I appreciate it. 🙂 Glad to see another Girls vs Globe member over here!

I loved reading every word of this, thank you for sharing! It feels like it’s pretty rare to get multi-year updates like this. I hope you guys keep living your best lives. I’ll definitely be following along.

Thank you so much, Angela! We are definitely continuing to live our best lives. I’ll have to do another update next year! 😉 So happy to have you here!

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How to Live a Life of Travel

Introducing the “How to Live a Life of Travel” eGuide, written specifically for anyone who wants to turn travel into an actual lifestyle. If you’re not quite sure how to make it happen, this guide will teach you exactly what you need to know…

**Instant Download – 220 pages – Unlimited Support**

READ THIS GUIDE. TRAVEL THE WORLD!

What’s included:.

220 pages of detailed material designed to help you achieve your own travel goals

Follow the specific steps in this guide and you’ll eliminate months of research

Discover how to earn money around the world – real opportunities, work visas and more

How to travel for less money than you spend at home

How to travel long-term even if you’re in debt

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to travel on your own and how to easily make friends overseas

Learn how to sleep and eat for free in dozens of countries

Which countries offer the best value and are the most ideal destinations to begin your travels

Specific tactics and tricks to get the cheapest airfares possible

Why you shouldn’t wait until you save more money before starting your adventure

How to always stay safe while on the road and why travel is actually safer than you think

Money-saving details on banking and exchange rates

Best immunization and health insurance options

Cheapest ways to stay connected while traveling (wifi, phone, SIM cards)

Why long-term travel isn’t as big a risk as it seems

How to deal with people who think your desire to travel is ‘crazy’ or ‘irresponsible’

By the time you finish reading this comprehensive guide (which discusses even more topics that I didn’t mention above), you’ll know exactly how to travel, earn money overseas and explore the world.

You’ll literally be ready to turn travel into a lifestyle. Not in ten years from now. Not in five years. Right now.

Only $27 – Instant Download – Unlimited Support

YOU’RE NOT CRAZY

I’m perfectly aware that many people you know probably think you’re crazy for wanting to travel instead of settling into a typical 9-5 lifestyle.

It’s difficult for others to understand your goals.

Well, I certainly don’t think you’re crazy, nor do the thousands of other people out here in the world who are already living their own life of travel.

In fact, every traveler I know would agree that you’re only crazy if you decide NOT to go after your goals in life.

Luckily, the choice is yours to make, and if you’re already reading this, I believe you’ve already made the decision.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Is there any catch? No catch. I’ve worked hard to build this blog and there is no way I would jeopardize the community that’s been created by offering a product that didn’t offer exactly what it promised.

Does this material only apply to North Americans? Not at all. This guide applies to everyone, no matter what country you live in. Some information may be easier for certain nationalities to utilize but every person who reads this guide will benefit.

Am I too young or too old for this guide? There’s no such thing. Whether you’re in high school, university, your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s or any age whatsoever, as long as you have a strong desire to achieve your travel goals, this material is designed for you.

Is there a guarantee? After reading the guide, if you feel it’s not for you, just send me an email within 60 days and I’ll issue you an immediate refund. My goal is to help you travel. If I can’t do that, I honestly don’t want to keep your money.

What does a ‘life of travel’ actually mean? It simply refers to a lifestyle that involves as much travel as you wish. A few months of backpacking, a one year round-the-world trip, a decade of nomadic wandering…whatever you want, that’s what it means!

Can I contact you with questions? Absolutely! By purchasing this guide, you will have proven that you’re serious about travel and as a result, I’m serious about helping you in any way possible. In fact, once you have a read of the material, I encourage you to email me with any questions you may have.

IF I CAN DO IT…

I started traveling back in 1999, shortly after graduating from university. My plan was to backpack around Southeast Asia for three months and then return to the US to become a Sports Agent. However, just one week into that trip, while celebrating the Millennium at the amazing Angkor Wat temple in the jungles of Cambodia (go there if you haven’t already been!), I realized that three months of travel simply wasn’t enough.

The only problem was that I had less than $1500 to my name.

Fast forward to today… Over the past 15 years, I have discovered, and taken advantage of, endless opportunities that have allowed me to continuously live, travel, study, volunteer and earn money in over 85 countries around the world. And I’m still going strong, with no desire to stop any time soon.

The point is, if I can make it happen with $1500 and no idea what I was doing, you can make it happen as well.

And with the knowledge and experience that I’m about to pass on to you in this guide…you’re going to have a much easier path ahead than I ever did!

If you are constantly day-dreaming about travel and wondering how you can possibly achieve all of your travel goals during this lifetime, I just want to repeat that everything you’re dreaming about really can be achieved.

It will take some hard work and determination for sure, plenty of it, but at the end of the day, when you find yourself living or traveling or working overseas, enjoying rewarding experiences, you’ll be incredibly thankful that you decided to pursue a life of travel.

And I honestly can’t wait to meet up with you in some foreign land where we can swap travel stories over a beer or coffee or tea!

Remember, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can try out the guide risk-free and see for yourself if it gets you any closer to the life of travel that you want. (I’m quite confident it will!)

Kind regards, Derek

A Life of Travel Newsletter

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How To Live A Life Of Travel and Have A Traveling Lifestyle

W e have all seen them. The travel influencers and social media stars who have a traveling lifestyle. For many, the idea of having a life of constant travel feels like a pipe dream, but we’re here to tell you that you can make traveling your life, too!

You don’t need a million followers on Instagram, nor do you need to sell your home. There are many ways to live a life of travel without making huge life changes or putting in hours of work.

If you’re wondering how to live a life of travel and not sure where to start, in this guide we’ve shared some tips and tricks for adopting a nomadic lifestyle and becoming full-time travelers.

Pros of a Traveling Lifestyle

Cons of a traveling lifestyle, why we adopted a travel lifestyle, 1. make it a working holiday, 2. travel long-term in affordable places, 3. make smart spending decisions, 4. save well, 5. create a lifestyle around travel at home, 6. make travel your focus, 7. have a strong enough why, final thoughts, pin to save on pinterest, is a travel lifestyle for me.

Before we go into how to adopt a travel lifestyle, we do want to quickly touch on whether it’s a lifestyle you really want.

Whenever we tell people we travel for a living, we’re always met with “you’re living the dream! I wish I could do that! You’re so lucky” and don’t get me wrong, we are lucky. But most of that luck we created.

There are some things that you don’t see through the screen about a traveling nomad lifestyle. It takes dedication, commitment, an unwavering desire, and plenty of sacrifices.

First, the positives of a traveling lifestyle. Of course, you get to explore so many countries, which is the number one reason for adopting this lifestyle.

You get to experience different cultures , meet new people , get out of your comfort zone and live life to your leisure.

You can find a slower pace of life while traveling , since you don’t have to rush to beat the commuter traffic to your day job.

You get to live life on your own terms and set a time limit for how long you stay in each place.

The most important thing though, is that it teaches you a lot about yourself. By engaging with the local culture and seeing how other people live, you can reflect on your own life, your contributions to the world, and realign your values.

It allows you to look at your past selves and see how far you’ve grown. Travel can be liberating and freeing, but you don’t need to make it your lifestyle to discover this.

Relevant Reading 55 lessons learned from a life of travel and 10 ways travel helps you to uncover who you truly are

Packing up your things and hitting the road requires some sacrifice, namely your relationships .

This is not always the case, but most digital nomads will tell you that your friends and family may want to deter your plans and encourage you to come back, or harbour some resentment towards you for “living the dream” while they will continue their daily routine back home.

It does become much harder to maintain relationships when you can only communicate digitally, especially with different time zones.

That being said, there is always that family member or friend who supports you 100% and encourages you on your world trip – and who knows, you may find your relationship is stronger with distance.

It’s also a lifestyle that requires some discipline . You will want to go from one adventure to the next adventure, without thinking “oh, I need to earn some money for this.”

Most people who adopt a traveling lifestyle will be remote workers, which means you need to set aside adventure time and work time.

It can also be tiring . While a travel lifestyle is fun, it doesn’t offer stability , and after a few years on the road you may start to miss having a home base and not want to travel for the rest of our lives.

It’s an unconventional life, but we love it. Make sure you know the sacrifices you’ll have to make to create this travel lifestyle . Otherwise, you might quit on your dreams and travel goals.

I left home at the age of 21, with my 3-day old teaching degree, a backpack, and only a few thousand dollars.

If I can be honest with you, that money wasn’t even mine, it came from the bank (I don’t recommend you do this by the way).

I’ve been traveling ever since, purely because I love it. Traveling is my passion, and I always knew I wanted to travel for the rest of my life.

I created a life of travel for myself so I can do this. And now I’ve created a life of travel with, and for, my children.

This does not mean I have endlessly been moving from one country to the next . I often stop for work breathers, a place to stock up again before moving on. We love slow travel and immersing ourselves deeply in other cultures.

The pauses can be acts of discovery, exploration and fun synonymous with travel as well. We’ve lived in 5 countries but have traveled through over 50.

I’m not a big counter, I count the memories, the experiences and the friendships more, because that is why you really travel.

How to Live a Life of Travel

I am often asked how to live a life of travel, and you’ll be shocked to know that I am not wealthy – far from it.

A life of full time travel is not as difficult as you may think. There are many clever strategies you can employ to travel around the world for low cost and sometimes even free.

We have created a lifestyle of travel. It’s what we do everyday, even when we are not travelling. When we are ‘settled” (not sure how to define that) we still have our travel attitude on, which is a major part of what travel is.

But to get to the nitty gritty, here are our biggest secrets to help you live a life of travel.

What? You mean I have to work? Ain’t nothing going to come to you unless you work hard for it. Glinda the Good Witch is a fantasy.

If I have disappointed you, I’m sorry, you are probably reading the wrong post and were hoping I was going to say we were rich travel bloggers, because then you’d have a good excuse to not follow your heart.

But I won’t lie to you, travel has become increasingly expensive and your hard earned cash doesn’t go as far as it used to. Which is why a digital nomad lifestyle is so popular.

If you’ve not heard the term digital nomad before, it’s simply a term used to describe someone who travels and works full time.

Since the pandemic, many companies have adopted a remote work environment to save on office costs, so you can always start by asking your current employer first if you can work from abroad.

Don’t just quit your job, talk to your employer and tell them what you want to do.

If they say “no”, then you can either look for a remote job such as becoming a freelance writer, an online English teacher, or data analyst – or try looking for work in other countries to fund your travels.

The best way to earn money on the road is to work in expensive countries, such as Hong Kong, Canada, New York, or The Middle East.

It’s better to spend the local currency and save your own money for other adventures. I never could have travelled the UK and Europe on the Aussie dollar, so I lived in an apartment in London with many other travelers and earned pounds to travel on instead.

Craig and I have followed the working holiday through 5 countries since 1997. Some of our richest travel memories come from the experiences we had living in another culture. It is by far the best strategy to have a life of travel.

We’ve had a wide variety of working holiday jobs overseas including teaching, teaching English as a Second Language , working on a pearl farm , hospitality and working for the airlines. There are so many jobs you can do!

Use platforms like WorkAway to find volunteer jobs where they provide free accommodation and meals in exchange for your service.

• Do you want to live and travel in Australia? Here is our complete guide to the Australian working holiday visa.
• Here is information on the working holiday visa in the UK
• Here are 20 ways you can work and travel in Australia – one of the most expensive places to travel in the world. A working holiday will help you make it a reality.
• Here’s another cool opportunity, How to teach English online to Chinese students , from anywhere in the world.
• One of the best ways to organize working holiday jobs – with Global Work and Travel
• Best work opportunities for Australia

Choose the countries that are cheap to travel to for the long-term. Our long-term trips have taken us through South East Asia and Africa – countries where the budget conscious could get by on $30-$50 a day or even less.

It’s much easier to afford than places in Europe or Australia . Plus, countries such as Thailand have remote worker communities, such as in Chiang Mai , so you can meet other travel nomads like you.

Traveling in cheaper countries means you can do more and travel for longer.

Read More : 20 best travel tips from 20 years of travel

It’s all about how you choose to spend your money in order to prolong your nomad life.

Is that luxury 5-star vacation rental really worth it? Especially if you are out exploring from sunrise to twinkling stars? Can you go the comfy 3-star hotel and have a little extra cash for the fun stuff?

Do you need to eat in a restaurant for three meals a day or can you cook your own breakfast and settle for a picnic lunch?

What about that city tour, couldn’t you do a self-guided one?

Prioritize how you spend money. Spend the bare minimum and always have a number in the back of your mind of what you’re willing to spend on things.

Work out what you are willing to sacrifice and what you aren’t, and craft your travel experiences around that.

Some travel experiences don’t have to cost you a penny, allowing you to make your monthly budget go further.

My advice is to make sure you leave with enough money to cover you for at least 3 months.

Read more: The better you get at spending, the more you will have a life of travel. Click to read our 52 ideas on ways to save money on travel.

Yep, not only do you have to become master budget spenders, but expert savers as well.

When adopting a travel lifestyle, there are two questions you must ask:

• How can I create more money?
• How can I save more money?

Just be careful that when you create more money, you don’t suddenly start spending more! Take the extra cash and put it in your travel fund.

Remember you also need to save for insurances, taxes, and maybe putting into a retirement plan if you’re self employed. You may also need to make a big purchase at a later date, such as if you need a new laptop or book a last minute flight back home.

To create more money, you can:

• sell your possessions
• take on boarders/lodgers
• rent out your property
• work extra hours
• work two or more jobs
• invest wisely

Look at your expenses and work out what you can cull and then work to save money in all areas.

To save more money you can:

• move in with your parents or house share
• cut out luxury items
• live off one wage (if you are a couple)
• save your bonuses
• buy in bulk
• eat out less
• reduce your entertainment costs
• use reward cards and frequent flyer programs
• use coupons
• pay off bad debt

Read more: How To Get Paid to Travel and Make Money Travel Blogging

Digital nomads and those creating their own travel lifestyles are becoming more common. If you want a life of travel, discover how you can make it happen before you hit the road.

If your current job won’t allow you to work remotely, and you have to leave to make it happen, don’t panic. There are other ways you can travel extensively without having a full time remote job.

You can travel in your own backyard. Putting the traveler’s eyes on was one way we coped with reverse culture shock and the inability to travel. We now have another site on life in Raleigh and travel in North Carolina that keeps us traveling all the time! Think about why you travel – what feelings are you looking for. Create that with experiences in your own backyard.

A creative way to be able to travel and live abroad is to try housesitting . This is when you look after someone else’s property while they travel.

You can do this locally in your own town, to get more experience before taking on international opportunities.

However, sometimes it can take years to find a way to make your travel lifestyle dream a reality.

When we first hit the road, all we had was a very clear dream of what our ideal travel lifestyle looked like , then we became 200% committed to it, and we took small steps each day with passion and conviction.

And look what the Universe delivered to us a result.

Read more: We had no idea how to create this travel lifestyle through our travel blog. We had no special talents and definitely no money (Read I want to know your secret to discover the truth).

Many people want a life of travel, but they don’t make it their focus.

You don’t always have to travel far and wide. There are plenty of ways you can make travel a focus of your everyday life.

I like to say make travel your magnificent obsession. That means it fills your daydreams and night dreams. Every decision you make from now on is directed towards making that life of travel a reality.

Once you start focusing on something, you start planning, and then usually the Universe helps you by bringing what you need to make it happen.

The small steps start to grow bigger and before you know it you are living the life of travel you thought was only possible for the lucky ones.

I knew from my first travel experience backpacking Indonesia and then living in London when I was 21 in 1997 that I was going to do whatever it took to craft a life around travel. I didn’t know how but I made it a non-negotiable, and travel has showed up in my life ever since – no matter my lifestyle, and even when everyone said it wasn’t possible once you had kids. I’ll show you!!

My keynote will offer some great insights into how you can create a life you love!

Read More: 15 tips for planning a trip – a step by step guide

Constant travel is tough, as I mentioned earlier. I often want to quit, but I never will because I have this huge why – a gigantic urge that only travel can fill.

I’m happy to ride on the back of a pick up, or sleep in a van, and eat two minute noodles for weeks, if it means I can continue to explore and experience newness every day.

There’s no other life that makes sense for me so I continue to leap over the hurdles.

For many people a life of travel would suck! Different strokes for different folks . You have to decide WHY you are traveling. What burning need are you trying to fulfill? How will this life of travel make a difference and why is this important to you?

Work that out all your paths will fall into place.

That life of travel you desire can be yours.

Most people place the idea of a life of travel in the too hard basket, or a basket that’s only accessible for the wealthy or lucky.

I mean, really, how could it be possible for someone with average, or less than average incomes, to travel the world for weeks, months or even years at a time?

Is it constant travel from one country to the next you yearn for? Or is it a slower form, with frequent pauses for a sampling of the “settled” life before travel calls you back on the road?

Or do you want to just have more travel, even if it is only an extra 2-3 weeks a year?

We hope this guide helped you learn a few tips to help you find your travel lifestyle and gave you some insight into what it is actually like. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments.

20 Life Lessons from a Life of Travel

Before the world abruptly stopped and travel was put on hold, I had been travelling for the last eight years. My lessons from travel span an entire memoir.

I started a blog back in 2012 as a way to document my journey and before I knew it, writing about my travels has become my career.

I’m from a normal upbringing but my life these past eight years has been anything but normal. I’ve been climbing mountains in Pakistan , learning how to make pastries in the basement of The Ritz in Paris, staying with Buddhist monks in Japan and too many more experiences to count.

These experiences have taught me more than I ever realised.

That is, until now.

Home is wherever feels good

After eight years of living out of a suitcase, I finally decided last year that it was time to “move home”. But where exactly is home, when you’ve spent so much time away from it?

I bought a house, renovated it, and promptly realised the childhood town I grew up in did not feel like home anymore. Firstly, because I’d met a man in the Okavango Delta who I would later move to South Africa with. Secondly, because I had grown and changed so much since my departure, that my normal wasn’t so normal anymore .

The truth is, home is wherever feels good.

It is easier now than ever to live in a new country. If you feel up for it, give it a try. Nothing is stopping you but yourself.

Experiences are better investments than things

Has anyone ever told you not to buy a new car because of devaluation? The same could be said about new handbags, designer clothes, and keeping up with interior design trends.

Experiences are investments that pay more in life gains than possessions ever will.

Sometimes you need a trip to grow, find yourself, or find answers you’ve been looking for. Why not take one of these life-changing trips .

Some trips that shaped who I am include: renting a van and driving around New Zealand , 10 days in Pakistan and every single solo trip of self-discovery .

Money does not equal happiness

Growing up in a privileged country, I was conditioned to believe that money = happiness. How wrong I was. Having met people from all over the world who have much less than the average westerner locked into a mortgage, suffice it to say they are much happier than their counterparts.

What is it then, that warrants happiness?

Acceptance of your reality. Simplicity in all things. The gift of giving.

Quality trumps quantity

So the old saying goes; quality trumps quantity. The same is true in light of travel. The more you travel, the more you start to realise those snippets of a new city, country or culture aren’t quite enough.

The further you travel, the less you want to.

You realise it is better to know a place – like really know a place – instead of just know how to ride the metro. The more I explore, the deeper I want to get to know a place.

Gone are the days of my late teens country-hopping around Europe. I’d rather move into an apartment in Berlin for a few months or pack up my life and move to Cape Town.

Learning a new language

Growing up in an English speaking nation, learning a new language was not a necessity nor was it easy. Living in Australia leaves you isolated from foreign languages, cultures and traditions.

Travel is an easy way to break that cycle.

From German to French and a hint of Afrikaans, over the years it has become easier to learn the basics to communicate in foreign languages.

If you are eager to learn, try these language courses .

You learn to stop caring what people think of you

What is it about travel that forces you to leave your inhibitions at home? I can hardly remember my pre-travel self who was insecure, shy, and fearful of what others would think of me.

The woman I have become would not have been possible without travel. Without encountering strangers, meeting local heroes and discovering that everyone has a story to be told.

I care less now about what anyone thinks of me, despite having created a career where I live online. I’m susceptible to criticism on a daily basis but I’ve learned that if you don’t stand for something, you believe anything.

Own up to your mistakes

Another one of my life lessons from travel has been to admit my wrongs. Granted, I’m still working on this as we are often the last to admit our wrongs.

But who was responsible for catching a train from Munich that was westbound instead of heading East toward Budapest? Me. Whose job is it to fix the mistake? Mine.

Travel forces you to make mistakes and this makes it easier to own up to them. Especially travelling alone – no one is responsible for your mistakes but yourself.

You learn how to problem solve

Not only do you learn to own up to your mistakes, but you learn how to problem-solve as a knee jerk reaction.

Wrong train? Get off at the next stop and start again.

Booked a plane ticket for the wrong date? You’ll need to talk your way out of those change fees.

Mugged on the streets and suddenly your cash flow is halved? Time to start budgeting and cutting your expenses in half, too.

What is important in your life

After spending so much time alone exploring foreign lands, I’ve learned to value human connection and community more than anything else in my life.

As a Virgo who loves her alone time, I’m more than comfortable being on my own. I have however learned that too much time alone is not good for me – because what is life without human connection, interaction, and mutual dependence?

The more you learn, the less you know

The further I travel, the more I learn – or so I used to believe. The truth is, with all my prejudices and a Western mentality, the more I travel the less I actually know for sure.

The more I travel, the more I learn. But the more I learn, the less I know for sure.

I’ve been forced to question what the media tells us, how stories are spun for traction, and just face straight out lies.

Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness

I used to think being vulnerable was a weakness.

However being vulnerable is being yourself. After years of travel and meeting so many people the world over, I’ve come to realise that there is no greater power than just being yourself .

Being your most authentic self is a weight off your shoulders as you never have to try prove anything, you just are. This gives you all the time and power back to work on what really matters to you.

Books are just as much of an escape

Sometimes you just can’t escape. Whether you’re stuck in the office or have used your holidays for the year, often we have the urge to go somewhere but we just can’t yet.

I have found over the years that books provide just as much of an escape. Hence, launching my book club for travellers .

You don’t have to know someone a long time for a deep connection

Some of my greatest connections with people have been accomplished in a day – some even less.

You don’t need to know someone for a long time to have a deep connection with them. You can connect in such a life-changing way with someone who tells you just what you need to hear at the right time you need to hear it.

You can travel without leaving home

Now more than ever, I’m learning there are some great ways to travel and fulfil my wanderlust without leaving home. Whether it be trying a new recipe from a foreign cuisine you love or virtually visiting a museum, there are some great ways to travel without leaving home. Here are my favourites .

You learn to invest in yourself

While we’ve already learned that experiences are a better investment than things, only in recent years did I learn to invest in myself.

Whether it be learning how to make French pastries in a kitchen basement in Paris or investing in life-changing books on entrepreneurship , the greatest investment is yourself. If you never stop learning, you never stop growing.

Long-distance works if you want it to

I’ve had a few different experiences with long distance relationships after 8 years living out of a suitcase. Some have worked and some haven’t.

The truth is, long-distance works if you want to. It’s like any other relationship – you make sacrifices, you make it work. This is one of the lessons from travel I’d rather not admit to – but we can only learn from our mistakes.

Silence speaks as loud as words

Travel has a way of bringing out the best and worst in people. Unfortunately, the good comes with the bad and we have to learn to deal with it.

In travelling with my partner more recently, I’ve learned that silence speaks as loud as words. Sometimes not saying anything really says it all.

Travel is really just about perception

The old saying goes: you see what you want to see.

Travel and your experience abroad really come down to perception. Had a bad day? It could be worse. Life on the road will throw you many curveballs but is all about how you deal with them. Choose to be positive. Opt to be optimistic. If you want to have a great experience, you will.

Your twenties are practically made for travel

I used to be scared by that window of time between living with my family I grew up with and creating my own. But the truth is, this window of time is the perfect opportunity to go out on our own and discover ourselves for the better.

I used to be scared by that window of time between living with my family I grew up with and creating my own.

I never would have shaped my own world view without taking this time to go out on my own. Just because my parents taught me a certain way of living, doesn’t mean I need to follow it. Sure, I will always hold dear the way I was brought up to see the world – but I had to go out and add my own flavour to it.

You won’t always be alone so enjoy the solitude

After spending a lot of time alone, human connection becomes more and more desirable. But the truth is, you won’t always have this time to yourself. You won’t always be able to be selfish. To choose yourself. And to do all the things you want to do and skip all the things you do not. Enjoy the time in your life where you can be alone. It won’t always be this way.

Brooke Saward founded World of Wanderlust as a place to share inspiration from her travels and to inspire others to see our world. She now divides her time between adventures abroad and adventures in the kitchen, with a particular weakness for French pastries.

Find me on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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How To Travel Like A Minimalist: Packing List And More

Traveling like a minimalist means striking the balance of finding comfort while away from home, but not being weighed down by excess stuff either. Choosing minimalist travel has changed my packing process entirely and made everything easier for me.

Hi, I’m Ryan

Having a minimalist mindset while traveling has taken all the hassle and headache out of my traveling experience. Packing light allows me to have what I need without being weighed down, and focus on the experience of the trip itself.

What Is Minimalist Travel?

Minimalist Travel Packing List: Essentials Only

When I’m packing for any trip, I divide my needs into smaller categories to make the packing process more manageable and keep track of what I actually need. I start with my travel capsule wardrobe, then pack my toiletries. I prefer to organize things into packing cubes to keep the chaos at bay while on the move.

Minimalist Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Traveling with a well-planned capsule wardrobe is the move for any vacation, especially if you’re trying to travel like a minimalist. Clothes are a major culprit that take up a lot of space in a suitcase or bag. Create your own capsule wardrobe to minimize your luggage.

To do this, you’ll want to think through several things. Check the weather for the entirety of your trip, and choose items that will work with the climate you’ll be in. It’s also important to pack high-quality, staple pieces that can be worn more than once, especially for longer trips where you’ll have access to a washer and dryer.

Similar to personal uniforms , capsule wardrobes work best when you have a few base pieces like neutral shirts and pants, and then accentuate with only a few pieces that can give the outfit an entirely new look.

A Basic Travel Capsule Might Include

• Two T-shirts
• Two long sleeves or tank tops
• Two pairs of shorts or jeans
• One dress or suit
• Sweater or swimwear
• Four pairs of underwear
• Four pairs of socks

My own capsule wardrobe is pretty simple, but you can make it as decorative or basic as you prefer. Of course, this basic list will need to be adjusted based on the weather on your trip, if you have plans to go out somewhere fancy, or any other trip-specific clothing needs that might come up.

Minimalist Travel Toiletries

Toiletries are probably the second biggest category of travel items that can suck the space from your suitcase. Of course, it’s different for women and men, and it also depends on how basic your daily routine is.

If I’m going to a place that doesn’t provide basics, I tend to pack a two-in-one bar that can I use as my shampoo, bodywash and facewash — my favorite is the Duke Cannon’s Midnight Swim Bars or their Shampoo Pucks in Gold Rush Scent .

For the larger bar, I cut a chunk off to suit the length of my trip put in a Matador flat pack soap bar bag . The pucks come in a small tin which is super convenient. I’m not one to overcomplicate things with multiple products, but I also don’t have temperamental skin or hair.

Basic Toiletries To Pack As A Minimalist

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Conditioner
• Facial cleanser or wipes
• Razor and shaving cream
• Basic makeup
• Daily medications
• Feminine products

When it comes to packing my toiletries as space-consciously as possible, I use Gotoobs to hold my liquid toiletries , which have never leaked on me, and I put that in a bag inside my larger toiletry bag where I keep everything else. This saves me space and keeps my liquid toiletries separate to help prevent leaks or spills in transport.

Toiletries You Can Travel Without

• Extra lotions or skin creams
• Entire makeup bag
• Multiple hair styling tools
• Hair accessories
• Nail polish
• Essential oils or perfumes

Ryan’s Minimalist Toiletries

My personal toiletry kit has a two-in-one soap puck, deodorant, razor, comb, tooth brush, toothpaste tablets, and a nail clipper. I use the shampoo puck as body and face wash, then also use it for shaving.

The two white tablets in the photo are mini hand towels that expand — those along with the face wipes are a godsend when you’ve been traveling for a long time and need to wash up when you don’t have access to a shower. The Purell packets are also good because their size won’t bring much attention as a single use packet going through airport security.

For longer trips, I’ll often add shaving cream, a mini sewing kit, and lotion.

Minimalist Daily Travel Essentials

One of the best things to do when it comes to packing the rest of your miscellaneous daily items is to have a central location in your home where these items live regularly. This could look like a catchall tray, a storage bin, or a backpack or travel bag.

Keep daily essentials like chargers, electronics, a water bottle, and more in this spot. Then, when you’re preparing for a trip, you can move all of your essentials to your luggage quickly. You’ll save yourself the mental space of having to fish through your closet or under your bed for your lesser-used items that are still essentials.

Daily Essentials For Minimalist Packing

• Charging cords
• Keys and wallet
• Cash and credit cards
• Identification (license/passport)
• Refillable water bottle
• Book/notebook
• First-aid kit

Ryan’s Daily Minimalist Essentials

When I’m packing my minimalist travel bag, I usually put all of these daily essentials in a separate travel bag than my clothes and toiletries. If I’m flying, this is what I fill my carry-on with for easy access. Even if I’m road-tripping in a car or travel van , I usually put these items in a carry-all pouch that goes in my backpack.

Ryan’s Daily Items Packing List

• Modern Coup Admin Pouch
• Benchmade Bugout Pocket Knife
• Smooth Precision Pens – Bolt Action Pen V2.2
• Anker Compact737 Charger
• Herschel Slim Men’s Wallet
• Field Notes Notebook
• Griffin Mini-Cable Kit
• Human Gear Go Bites Duo Utensil Set

Trip-Specific Items For Minimalist Travel

Once I’ve covered all my daily essentials and basic needs, I usually have about half a suitcase of room left to focus on items specific to my trip. This could be anything from ski gear to a surfboard to your bridesmaid dress to a nylon tent and off-grid camping cookware .

I don’t know about you, but the process of packing always feels super tedious and mentally draining to me. Covering all of your basics first is one of the best ways to pack like a minimalist and make the packing process way less daunting. You knock out all the more thought-intensive categories first, then just focus on the fun stuff.

How To Pack Like A Minimalist: Best Travel Gear

In addition to having a packing strategy and following a packing list, using savvy packing gadgets can help you travel light. Investing in these simple products can make your minimalist packing life a whole lot easier.

Four Piece Packing Cube Set

GoToobs And GoTubbs By Humangear

Packism Clear Toiletry Bag

Like I mentioned in my advice above, when I pack my toiletries, I like to separate my wet toiletries from my dry toiletries. These small, clear toiletry bags by Packism are an ideal size to store all my liquid toiletries and then nestle into my larger suitcase or carry on.

Matador Toiletry Bag And Soap Bar Case

General Medi Store First Aid Kit

Nomader Collapsible Leak-Proof Water Bottle

Build A Minimalist Travel Backpack For Solo Travel

For me, traveling solo has been something that has set me free and given me experiences that I could never have had by just staying home. In the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of traveling 23 countries including Canada , Australia , and several European and Latin American countries .

Best Minimalist Travel Backpacks For Solo Travel

Fitting all of the belongings I need into a simple travel backpack always provides me with a deeply freeing feeling. Choosing a minimalist travel backpack that will support you fully, last for years without tearing, and have room for all your travel gadgets and gizmos is a must.

I have a couple of personal favorite travel backpacks that I would recommend for regular use. The first one is the GoRuck GR1 . The GR1 is ridiculously sturdy and ideal for strenuous hikes or camping trips. I also love the Osprey Porter 46 Travel Backpack . It has an extremely strong hip belt and sturdy shoulder straps, and multiple compartments for storing all the gear you might need.

Other Popular Minimalist Travel Backpacks

• Minaal Carry-on 3.0
• Tortuga Travel Backpack 40L
• Matador SEG42
• Zpacks Nero 38L ROBIC
• AER Travel Pack 2

How To Pack Your Minimalist Travel Backpack

Figuring out how to pack your travel backpack is a whole other can of worms. Of course, this will also heavily depend on where you’re going on your trip, how long you’ll be gone, and what your essential needs will be.

There are a few things I make sure to always have with me when I pack my minimalist travel bag for camping, off-griding, or any kind of basic travel.

Travel Backpacking List

• Basic hygiene supplies
• Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
• Water treatment supplies
• Snacks/food
• Map/compass/GPS
• Small tools/repair kit

Does Minimalist Travel Make Life Better?

• How will you pack like a minimalist on your next vacation?
• What items will you pack verses go without?

Thanks for this article. I’m planning to visit some family living in Mexico and bought a overhead suitcase to use for traveling..made a stateside trip and and stuff it with what I thought I’d need for a 3week trip..with your list ideas, I’ll make smarter packing & weight decisions..looking forward to hassle freely out of country trip more now..

Great post. Very helpful. Thank you.

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How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling

In September of 2017, one year after we met, we were sitting at North Avenue Beach in Chicago and I told Gordon; hey, what do you think if we try to make money while living a life of full time traveling? That’s all it took.

Let’s rewind.

A couple of weeks before that day at the beach, a friend introduced me to a family who was traveling the world full time with their kids and documenting their adventures on YouTube and Instagram ( @thebucketlistfamily ). I watched like 10 of their videos and that’s when the seed was planted. Fast forward to that day at the beach, I asked G if that was something he’d consider doing with his life. To my surprise, he said yes.

I honestly thought he didn’t mean it. He would have to quit his job as a consultant and start a new career as a videographer/photographer/content creator (while not liking cameras LOL). However, that evening we came home and started working on a spreadsheet with a list of all the places we wanted to visit and what we wanted to accomplish from our crazy adventure. Our lives changed after that day and it all felt so right.

We opened a bank account together in October 2017. We started saving money like crazy (read more about how we did it here) . But, shortly after, we realized we needed more than money if we were going to -at least try- to turn our 2 years of traveling into our full time jobs.

We weren’t sure how to make this post useful for anyone out there getting ready to travel the world full time and try to make a living while at it. That’s why we decided it was better to divide everything we did into 4 categories: Skills, mental, finances and health.

Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

• Ready to learn about what we did before full time traveling? Let’s do this!

Table of contents

Videography and youtube, seo (search engine optimization) & this website, the planning stage, where do we stand with our trip today, telling our friends and family, finances // how are we going to save all this money, health // how are we going to stay healthy while traveling full time, did you learn anything about full time traveling please share it on pinterest, ps: in april 2018 we posted our full time traveling announcement video on our youtube channel:, skills // things that will help you make money online while living a life of full time traveling.

First we asked ourselves, how on earth are we going to make money with full time traveling? Is anyone out there successful at this?

We read a million posts. Some mentioned teaching English or working abroad as bartenders. Others mentioned online marketing, house sitting and a bunch of other things that didn’t feel like the right fit for us. That’s when we decided to look at our own strengths. We made a list of the things we were good at. Then, decided that we were going to try to make money with a YouTube channel , Instagram and this blog.

What exactly did we learn before our trip?

Ok, so we were like yes, this is so cool, we are going to be digital nomads. Cool. What does that even mean? Well, we had to learn some things from the very beginning. Having a strong foundation was our #1 goal.

We started learning about videography. Making videos and editing them. Practicing with a camera, asking all of my videographer friends for tips and we watched A LOT of YouTube videos. We also got a membership with Skillshare and did many courses about videography and photography. Learned about story telling and how to edit videos in Final Cut Pro X. Some of my favorite YouTube channels for video tutorials are Mark Harrison , Daniel Schiffer and Thomas Alex Norman . I also had to learn about YouTube SEO and strategies, which I learned form this YouTube channel.

Speaking of SEO…. Somehow despite having had a blog for almost 5 years I completely ignored this basic skill (I’m embarrassed to admit it). This time I was not going to make the same mistakes, so we dove in. And deep. We learned so much through the Goats on the Road website. We even did one of their paid courses! I also watched every video on Cathrin Manning’s YouTube channel (and her blog ) and pretty much read every blog post on Keysearch’s blog . This is just to name a few. SEO was by far the skill we invested more time and money into.

This website was another thing that took a few months to put together. We started (and almost finished) a website with Squarespace at first. Then we learned -a few months later- that if you wanted to be serious about SEO, WordPress was the way to go. So, we had to make the decision about making the switch and start all over again. It was frustrating but we know it will be worth it.

All the structural work was done by us at the beginning. Then, we hired someone to add some final touches we couldn’t figure out on our own. We did it this way to save money and because building a website on our own would force us to learn about the basics. This is very valuable when you need to hire someone later on. It’s important that you know more or less what you are talking about, so you don’t get screwed like I did with my blog ‘ Ways of Style ‘ many many times.

We dove deep into the business of online marketing. Understanding algorithms became second nature and we familiarize ourselves with all the ways we could possibly make money online while traveling full time. I did a couple of courses on Instagram with the Professional Traveler that I cannot recommend enough! Even if you are a ‘established’ blogger or influencer. I had my Instagram as my main source of income and I didn’t know a lot of the things she teaches in her course. She’s brilliant!

We are not even close to being experts on any of these subjects. But we’ve been learning what we need in order to get started and we hope to get better over time. It was important for us to have a solid foundation on how exactly we were going to capitalize our 2-year world adventure and most importantly, make it a lifestyle. Sure it sounded fun to everyone, but we meant business. And we were serious about it.

What took most of our time while getting ready for this trip was planning it. If you don’t have an unlimited budget, you have to be smart about which destinations and activities to include. Plus, all the logistics involved in putting together such a long trip. We mostly did all the planning because we needed an estimate of how much this adventure would cost us, however, we don’t plan to stick to every little detail. We will try to stick to our budget instead.

Basically, all of our free time since October 2017 was invested towards something related to this trip. We had a lot of time to get ready, but some things we’ll have to figure out while on the road, which should be (mostly) fun.

We were set to leave on January 2021, but because of COVID-19, green card and passport issues, we are still waiting on things to align so we can start living our dream of traveling the world full time. One thing we know, we are ready to leave. We already sold all of our stuff and are living a nomad life because we are both able to work from wherever there’s a good internet connection.

COVID-19 of course, is going to have an impact on the way we travel. We need to get the vaccine as soon as possible and instead of hopping from country to country, we are planning on staying at least 2-3 months in each place.

July 2021 update: we both got vaccinated, G already quit his job and we are getting ready to leave in September. Stay tuned for more!

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The mental part // How on earth are we going to tell people about our life plans?

I don’t know how old you are, but as a socially acceptable responsible adult, you cannot say to other adults you are going to spend your savings traveling (not at 33 & 35). The thing is we NEVER intended to spend our life savings traveling, but to most people this whole making-money-online thing sounds like a scam. And I get it. I didn’t know much about it until I saw other people being transparent on how they were doing it.

The mental part was intense. It still is.

Getting mentally prepared to have no income, no home, basically no material things, living out of a suitcase, jumping from plane to plane every month, all while trying to build a meaningful and successful business together, has been slow to sink in.

According to most social standards, we are not in an age where we ‘should’ be traveling. Instead we ‘should’ be buying a house and thinking about having a family, or saving for retirement. Don’t think for a second it hasn’t been hard for us to deal with all of this. All of our friends are super stable and seem to have it all figured out, while we are just here thinking of investing all of our money on this crazy trip. It was not an easy decision to make, but we hope everything will be alright in the end.

Telling our friends and family about our new travel lifestyle wasn’t easy at all either. I think we can safely say that while everyone we love, does support us and think this trip is a cool idea, they also deep down think we are crazy and that we might be risking too much.

At times, it may seem like we don’t value the advice of all the smart people we have around us. The thing is though, we happen to believe in what we are doing so much and our vision for our life is so clear , that we still decided to move forward and at least try to build something together that is ours. We owe it to ourselves to at least give it a try.

We are getting older and of course we are terrified, but we’re also brave. It’s inevitable to think about the million things that can go wrong and panic. That’s why instead, we recently started to think about all the things that can go right.

What if. ..

We are actually able to execute our vision?

W e are able to live exactly the life we dream of living?

We can actually make the world a better place?

The answers to those questions act as our compass and motivation to move forward.

Naive? Maybe. Not trying? Never.

We wrote about this subject with a lot more details here. We share everything we did in this blog post.

Saving money was not easy. In fact, it was the reason why we had to wait over 3 years to leave and then some more because of COVID-19 and my green card.

We didn’t really have any money saved when we opened our savings account together. It was frustrating and felt impossible at times, but if we learned anything over these past years is that patience and consistency always pay off. For whatever it is that you are trying to save money for, remember that it all starts with $1.

We watched a lot of YouTube videos and read a million blogs to see how much money exactly we were going to need. Initially, before doing any research I guessed we would need like $100k per year LOL, but turns out you’ll be just fine with $35-40k/year. That’s the minimum for us, based on our traveling styles. You can do it for a lot less though. Trust us, we’ve learned about people who have traveled with just $10k and somehow survive one year. Again, it all depends on how you travel, where you go and what you’re willing to sacrifice.

Be sure to read this blog post to learn how exactly we saved money for our trip around the world.

Our health has always been very important to us, but it became even more important when we decided to leave.

Our health is not something we think about lightly or as a short-term thing motivated only by physical results (that’s only like 30% LOL). We started getting physically ready by going to the gym regularly and eating very healthy at home, which also helped us save some money. We love hiking, being in nature and being active. That’s why it was our top priority to be in good shape to do all the things we want to do and not have physical restrictions.

Do you guys usually take advice from older people? Well, I read somewhere that you should take advantage of your youth. That’s when you are strong and healthy to do all the crazy hikes, diving, trips, overnight buses, etc. Because when you are older, your travel style will definitely change. I’m honestly fine with that, but I do want to make sure to do all the crazy things while I still can.

Being healthy became part of our lifestyle. We do not intent to forget about that while we are on the road. We plan to work out and eat healthy most of the time while we travel too. It will be very hard because we both love food and cocktails, but hopefully we’ll find a good balance over time. It’ll be important for us to remember that we are not on vacation. We are permanently traveling and we want to grow old together and stay healthy.

Final thoughts // Are you thinking about traveling the world full time?

We hope this post gives you an idea of all the work it took to get ready for this. We didn’t think about it lightly. Just like a lot of people, we are risking everything in order to make our dream happen. All we can hope, is for it to be worth it.

* Learn how you can support the work we do *

By sharing all this info, we don’t mean to discourage you if you are thinking of doing the same. On the contrary, we are testimony that if you work hard towards your goals and stay focused, your dreams can become a reality.

“It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

There’s nothing special about us. If we can do it, so can you. It will take determination and discipline, but if you want it badly, you’ll do whatever it takes.

We have no idea what will happen after 2 years. We might come back home and start from zero, get a 9 to 5 job and start working like crazy to recover from spending all of our savings traveling. Or we might be able to build a business out of Ways of the World and continue to travel for years to come, who knows? One thing we know for sure, we are being bold for facing our fears and for trying something new we believe in our hearts is right. That’s something we’ll never regret.

Hope you guys follow our adventures on YouTube , Instagram or here. Either way, we hope to answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Thanks for stopping by,

Aimara & Gordon

Related posts you may also like:

• How to save money to travel – Our story, how we did it & useful tips
• How COVID-19 impacted our plans to travel full time
• Learn how you can support the work we do here at WOTW
• More about what Ways of the World is all about

2 thoughts on “How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling”

Awesome tips. I knew one must save money in order to full-time travel but I didn’t think about preparing physically for it. You guys are right. Being in good physical condition is important to keep traveling. Kudos on taking the leap.

One of my dream jobs is to shoot walking videos in different cities. They seems very popular in YouTube. Just put record on and walk, then publish. No editing needed. Easy as ABC, Great post, thank you for sharing 🙂

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Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond!

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Home » Articles » How to travel the world for life (and work while you travel)

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?

written by Benny Lewis

Reading time: 16 minutes

Published: Jul 10, 2014

Updated: Jun 29, 2023

How to travel the world for life (and work while you travel)

Today, July 10th , is my 32nd birthday! But it's also my 11 year travel anniversary .

Back in 2003 I left Ireland this day with no return ticket, and 132 months / 574 weeks / over 4,000 days later, I'm still on the road with no home or place I can call a base. Everything I own in the world weighs 23kg/50lb and comes with me.

On my 8 year travel anniversary, I wrote my site's most popular post ever by sharing the 29 most important life lessons I learned while travelling the world. And last year on my 10 year anniversary, I took those top-10 life lessons and presented them in a professionally edited video to summarize my travels visually.

This year, I'm doing something different and sharing my most practical tips on how you can travel the world (long-term) like I have, without winning the lottery (or having a mega savings). All throughout my travels – for over a decade – I've paid my way from money I earned while travelling .

So, how do I travel the world?

First, you don't need to save up money for years before you can travel the world. So many people make this mistake in mentality, and as a result they put off their travel goals for years unnecessarily. In fact, starting a travel lifestyle right now is well within the possibility of many people. I realize that there are exceptions, and some people might not want to travel the world long term like I do, so today I want to give you a heap of ideas for how to manage your own travel goals, whatever they may be.

I'll tackle four key points:

• How to lead a cheap travel lifestyle
• How to score cheap flights
• How to get the cheapest (and sometimes free) lodging
• How to work while you travel

If you're really serious about starting a travel lifestyle, I'll also share the best links for further reading on travel hacking. To get you started, you can't get better than checking out Nomadic Matt , since I learned a lot of the strategies I now use myself from his book How to travel the world on $50 a day .

(Oh yes – since it's my birthday, as a present request I'll ask that you share this post on your favourite social media site ( Facebook wall, retweet , Google+ share etc.) if you found it useful. Thanks! 🙂

How to travel the world for cheap

Before we discuss how to travel cheaper, it's very important to tackle how to live cheaper . This applies to you right now, even while you are settled.

If you have expensive habits now in your settled life, those habits will follow you into your travel lifestyle and rack up unnecessary expenses. It doesn't need to be this way.

So how expensive is your current life? Before you start travelling, track your actual expenses now and see where they go. Do you eat out a lot? Spend a lot on fuel costs? Does most of your money go to car or home insurance payments?

The good news is that if you start travelling for the long-term, you can live cheaper in part because you'll no longer need to spend hundreds of dollars of month to pay for your car, its insurance, its gas… and all the other major expenses that comes with leading a settled life. When you think about it, with all of these major expenses, leading a settled life is expensive!

But if you're finding that the biggest sticker shock comes from your lifestyle habits, then you'll have to make some tough choices.

Can you cut back on coffee, cigarettes and beer in exchange for extra cash you can put towards train tickets to the distant corners of the world?

Not everyone can, or wants to. But if you can save just ten dollars a day by living a cheaper lifestyle … just 10 dollars a day! … that's enough to pay the cost of your entire monthly rent for a hut on the beach in India or Thailand.

Think about that for a minute.

You might consider making other cheap lifestyle choices, like keeping a vegetarian diet and learning to cook from home. In a lot of countries, you can rely almost entirely on the use of public transport instead of a car, or get around on a bike. You can share accommodation costs by having room-mates. You can choose to be happy with the current technology and clothes that you have instead of updating them every few months.

These changes can increase the amount of your expendable cash dramatically .

After you learn to decrease the cost of your life in general, this will absolutely spill over into savings for your travel life. Then, I recommend you:

• Follow these 25 travel on the cheap tips from myself and Graham Hughes (who has visited every country on earth on a shoestring budget)
• Get rid of all your stuff. Use sites like Ebay , craigslist , gumtree , go to 2nd hand shops, the options are endless. There is no physical item that you actually can't live without unless it is the clothes on your back, food, or your means of earning money (for me, that's my laptop). This will both give you a financial boost and allow you to travel with all your posessions and not need to pay for storage or rent back home.
• Learn how to travel with everything you own carried along with you.
• When eating in a country, don't forget to try to get a place with a kitchen if you can (many youth hostels have one) and cook your meals. Otherwise, try to eat out at lunch time instead of dinner, since many places do lunch specials. Cities like Berlin and Paris have great “business lunch” options that offer several courses for just a few euro. Also, do indeed visit tourist sites, but leave the area when it's time to eat, since you'll be paying tourist rates. Find out in advance where the locals eat .

My number one biggest tip by far for how to travel for cheap is to learn the local language . This will save you heaps of money. I honestly feel this is one of the main reasons that I've been able to afford to travel so long – I've avoided paying the “English speaking tax”, and trust me, that tax exists pretty much everywhere that English is not the native language.

How to find cheap airfares

When your general lifestyle is less expensive, the next biggest expense people imagine is flights .

Flights, I'll admit, can cost thousands of dollars. But if you know where to look, there are several ways to make these dramatically cheaper than you think. Here are some rules to live by when checking out flights.

• Never go to the airline's own website. Instead, use “meta-search engines” while check and compare the rates for multiple travel sites at once. Also, try to book tickets around 3 months in advance, and choose flexible criteria – especially for the exact day of travel. See what the cheapest day is during the week or month around when you can fly. You can save hundreds of dollars by flying even a single day earlier or later! And try multiple searches on several of the following websites until you get the best results:
• www.skyscanner.com
• www.momondo.com
• www.kayak.com
• www.expedia.com
• www.hipmunk.com  [This site ranks flights by “Agony”, taking inconvenience into account]
• For long-haul, cross continental flights, use  flightfox.com. For $49 they can save hundreds or get you nice upgrades. Definitely worth it for many people. I got Lauren's return flight (from US to Spain to live with me for 3 months, then from Ireland to US for Christmas) for $450/€330, because of some strange rule where we added an extra leg to Canada 2 days after she landed in DC that she didn't even take. This website did the research for us in a way you wouldn't get on the above meta-searches.
• If your goal is to fly a lot, you can use “Round-the-world tickets”, which can cost about €3,000+ depending on the number of continents you want to visit. You can book through  airtreks.com  or flightcentre.com , but it's better if you can save miles through credit card sign-ups. This is more appropriate if you want to travel the world for a year and know where you want to go in advance. Using the above options and buying individual tickets still tends to work out cheaper most of the time though, and allows for more flexibility.

How to find cheap or free lodging

For those of you travelling very fast and moving around once every few days, travel will be more expensive, but you can reduce costs by getting last-minute prices on hotels on sites like laterooms.com ,  lastminute.com , hoteltonight.com , priceline.com ,  hotwire.com  (name your price – you won't know where you'll stay until you've paid).

I can understand why people think long term travel is not possible for them, when they think it's a $1-200/night hotel stay, but the fact of the matter is that long term travellers do not tend to stay at hotels .

Instead, we:

• Stay for free with couchsurfing , servas (reference letter required, mostly US senior travellers), hospitality club , globalfreeloaders ( I use Couchsurfing a lot for its search feature to find language learning partners too )
• If you speak Esperanto, Pasportaservo.org is like the above sites with the only catch being that you communicate with your hosts in a language you can learn in a few weeks ! ( Here's how well my girlfriend did with just an hour a day for 6 weeks )
• Use wwoof.org  (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – about €20 per country membership – you work on a farm and get free accommodation, as well as the amazing experience)
• House-sit at housecarers.com ,  mindmyhouse.com ,  caretaker.org – This is more suited to stays of a month or longer; you get free accommodation in exchange for keeping an eye on pets, gardens, and other chores.
• Stay in youth hostels – as low as just $5/night in countries like Thailand, cheaper across Europe. Find your options on hostelworld.com or hostelbookers.com .
• For stays of a few days or a few weeks, I highly recommend staying in a serviced apartment. For mid-range budgets this is my go-to choice. Find your home away from home on 9flats.com ,  airbnb.com ,  homeaway.com , roomorama.com , or wimdu.com .
• Go camping! You are only paying for the space and can access water, electricity and other services as required in specialized campsites for a fraction of the cost of alternatives.
• Here is more on how I find accommodation while travelling

How to work while travelling

Most people think they have to save their pennies for months or years in advance until they have “enough” money to travel and live off of for a while. Unfortunately, this can only last you so long (unless you have won the lottery, in which case send a donation my way! 😛 ). The fact is that you can earn while on the road.

There are two ways to do this:

1) Get a job on-location

If you are an EU citizen you can do this automatically in any other countries in the EU. In most other situations though, you need to obtain a visa in advance.

As an Irish citizen, I got a J1-visa to work in America twice when I was a student (this was part of the 6 months of travel I did before my 11-years-non-stop travel, so I am actually approaching 12 years depending on how you count it…) I applied for this through the Irish organization USIT . They also offer Irish people working visas in many other countries. Your country may have an equivalent service.

In most other situations, you may have to see in advance what your options may be. If you are a student, your university most likely offers study abroad options, and definitely use your network of friends and colleagues to see if any of your fellow students have experience working abroad.

If you are looking for a job on your own, it is actually usually much easier to get hired by a company  before  you travel, and then have that company arrange the visa. This was a possibility for me the first time I went to the US, because I worked as a summer school teacher for a university, which was experienced in hiring foreigners, so I actually didn't need to arrange the working visa myself.

Finally, have a look at the country's embassy website and see what they recommend for working visas.

What work can you do on-location?

The easiest way by far that English speakers can work abroad is to do it as an English teacher . In countries were English teachers are in high demand, the school will arrange the visa and all logistics for you.

I've done lots of work as an ESL teacher myself, all based on an initial weekend affordable TEFL certificate I got from i-to-i , and then building upon my experience earned to get me higher paid jobs with time, eventually working for prominent schools like Berlitz and Wall Street Institute. I've also worked the following jobs on location, to give you an idea of your options (your options expand immensely if you learn the local language – don't forget to sign-up to my newsletter for a week long crash course if you aren't sure how):

• Youth hostel receptionist
• Store manager
• Photographer
• Basic office work
• Engineer (what my undergraduate degree was in – in this case I worked as an intern)
• Go Kart race controller
• Computer repair / on-site tech support
• Lots of English teaching
• On-site translator

You may find other work depending on your work skills and the opportunities available.

2) Get a location independent job

I worked on-location for my first years travel, but the catch was that my wages remained stagnant for all work other than teaching English, since I moved every few months and had to start over from scratch again.

That's why the future of many jobs (not all of course) is that they can be based online , and you can take them with you around the world!

Here are a few ideas:

• If you are good at languages, and willing to go through training for it, become a freelance location independent translator . I found my initial work on proz.com
• Teach your native language online . You can become a teacher on italki for instance and take your students with you wherever you go. My girlfriend did this for her first months of travel with me, and was working full-time with the work she got.
• Become an online coach – while I do this myself to help people expand the popularity of their websites and craft their language learning projects, there are many ways you can implement this. I once met someone who earned her living coaching people to give up smoking (her background was in psychology) over Skype!
• Write an e-book or sell a course online. My site fi3m premium supports this completely free blog (no spammy irrelevant advertising anywhere here – that's a really poor way to do anything but cover hosting costs) through a video course and resource database. I used to sell an e-book too. You can distribute this yourself if you put the time into creating a really high quality free site/Youtube channel/podcast or similar that sends traffic to it. You can also sell it directly on Amazon (self published) or through various other channels. Note that traditional publishing is not a good way to earn a living for most people – my book is an international best seller and this does not translate into money in my pocket because of traditional publishing logistics.
• Take a skill that you have and see if it works online. Here is a list of 64 ideas to work online depending on the skill. You can also see if job openings are available through various online advertising boards, or a job outsourcing site like Upwork .

What kind of working visa do I need?

The question of how you manage the logistics of working online is tricky because there are no international laws that govern such things. What many of us do is simply set ourselves up legally and officially in our home country – so we have a bank, and pay taxes there.

Then we stay in a country on a tourist visa – a grey line depending on where you go. I actually have a business visa while I'm in America right now, since its immigration tends to be the most strict about what I can and can't do here – this is despite the fact that I am not actually technically employed for any of my time here, but my book tour is business of sorts. In most countries though, a tourist visa is OK for online workers. (Disclaimer: Please don't take what I'm saying here as legal advice – I accept no responsibility if you run into issues!)

You aren't legally working in the eyes of many countries as you are not taking any money or employment from its citizens, only spending, as any tourist would. In case you are wondering, the “3 months” in my blog title comes from the 3 month visas I typically have as my limit in most places 😉

How do I set myself up as a business?

Whether you should operate as a freelancer or start your own business depends on too many factors for me to cover here, most important of which being the kind of work you'll be doing, but you can contact a lawyer in your home country if you are unsure.

You can receive payments directly to your bank account (when I was a freelance translator, my clients were European and bank transfers within Europe are free – working with American clients is a pain in the ass to be honest because they are one of the few first world countries that still insist on printing your money on dead trees, i.e. snail-mailing checks/cheques).

Another solution is to set up a pro or business paypal account, but keep in mind that you do pay fees for many transactions and withdrawals.

When everything is combined – working and travelling long-term is easier than you think

A really cool benefit of working location independently is that you can earn in a strong currency like the euro/dollar/pound and spend in a cheaper country where that money will take you really far. Leveraging currency differences is another thing that allows “technomads” to travel so extensively.

The combination of everything I've said in this post, namely

• SPENDING less through a minimalistic lifestyle
• Finding cheaper flights through a bit of research
• Finding cheaper or free accommodation, especially through slower travel
• Working online and earning in a stronger currency, while spending in a weaker one

Means that long-term travel is absolutely sustainable. I break some of these rules sometimes, like this year I'm travelling very fast on my book tour, and accommodation is much more expensive as a result, but flights are still cheap, we eat in as often as possible, we earn online, and we generally don't spend much otherwise.

This kind of fast-travel wouldn't be sustainable for me in the long-term, but we'll be back to three month stays later this year, and back to saving plenty for intensive periods like this.

Benny Lewis

Founder, Fluent in 3 Months

Fun-loving Irish guy, full-time globe trotter and international bestselling author. Benny believes the best approach to language learning is to speak from day one .

Speaks: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Esperanto, Mandarin Chinese, American Sign Language, Dutch, Irish

Have a 15-minute conversation in your new language after 90 days

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• THE BIG IDEA

Why travel should be considered an essential human activity

Travel is not rational, but it’s in our genes. Here’s why you should start planning a trip now.

In 1961, legendary National Geographic photographer Volkmar Wentzel captured two women gazing at the surf off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. This and all the other images in this story come from the National Geographic image collection.

I’ve been putting my passport to good use lately. I use it as a coaster and to level wobbly table legs. It makes an excellent cat toy.

Welcome to the pandemic of disappointments. Canceled trips, or ones never planned lest they be canceled. Family reunions, study-abroad years, lazy beach vacations. Poof. Gone. Obliterated by a tiny virus, and the long list of countries where United States passports are not welcome.

Only a third of Americans say they have traveled overnight for leisure since March, and only slightly more, 38 percent, say they are likely to do so by the end of the year, according to one report. Only a quarter of us plan on leaving home for Thanksgiving, typically the busiest travel time. The numbers paint a grim picture of our stilled lives.

It is not natural for us to be this sedentary. Travel is in our genes. For most of the time our species has existed, “we’ve lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers moving about in small bands of 150 or fewer people,” writes Christopher Ryan in Civilized to Death . This nomadic life was no accident. It was useful. “Moving to a neighboring band is always an option to avoid brewing conflict or just for a change in social scenery,” says Ryan. Robert Louis Stevenson put it more succinctly: “The great affair is to move.”

What if we can’t move, though? What if we’re unable to hunt or gather? What’s a traveler to do? There are many ways to answer that question. “Despair,” though, is not one of them.

In this aerial view from 1967, wall-to-wall seaside sunbathers relax under umbrellas or on beach towels in Ocean City, Maryland .

A 1967 fall festival in Guadalajara, Mexico , starred traditionally costumed musicians and dancers.

We are an adaptive species. We can tolerate brief periods of forced sedentariness. A dash of self-delusion helps. We’re not grounded, we tell ourselves. We’re merely between trips, like the unemployed salesman in between opportunities. We pass the days thumbing though old travel journals and Instagram feeds. We gaze at souvenirs. All this helps. For a while.

We put on brave faces. “Staycation Nation,” the cover of the current issue of Canadian Traveller magazine declares cheerfully, as if it were a choice, not a consolation.

Today, the U.S. Travel Association, the industry trade organization, is launching a national recovery campaign called “ Let’s Go There .” Backed by a coalition of businesses related to tourism—hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, airlines—the initiative’s goal is to encourage Americans to turn idle wanderlust into actual itineraries.

The travel industry is hurting. So are travelers. “I dwelled so much on my disappointment that it almost physically hurt,” Paris -based journalist Joelle Diderich told me recently, after canceling five trips last spring.

(Related: How hard has the coronavirus hit the travel industry? These charts tell us.)

My friend James Hopkins is a Buddhist living in Kathmandu . You’d think he’d thrive during the lockdown, a sort-of mandatory meditation retreat. For a while he did.

But during a recent Skype call, James looked haggard and dejected. He was growing restless, he confessed, and longed “for the old 10-countries-a-year schedule.” Nothing seemed to help, he told me. “No matter how many candles I lit, or how much incense I burned, and in spite of living in one of the most sacred places in South Asia, I just couldn’t change my habits.”

When we ended our call, I felt relieved, my grumpiness validated. It’s not me; it’s the pandemic. But I also worried. If a Buddhist in Kathmandu is going nuts, what hope do the rest of us stilled souls have?

I think hope lies in the very nature of travel. Travel entails wishful thinking. It demands a leap of faith, and of imagination, to board a plane for some faraway land, hoping, wishing, for a taste of the ineffable. Travel is one of the few activities we engage in not knowing the outcome and reveling in that uncertainty. Nothing is more forgettable than the trip that goes exactly as planned.

Related: Vintage photos of the glamour of travel

Travel is not a rational activity. It makes no sense to squeeze yourself into an alleged seat only to be hurled at frightening speed to a distant place where you don’t speak the language or know the customs. All at great expense. If we stopped to do the cost-benefit analysis, we’d never go anywhere. Yet we do.

That’s one reason why I’m bullish on travel’s future. In fact, I’d argue travel is an essential industry, an essential activity. It’s not essential the way hospitals and grocery stores are essential. Travel is essential the way books and hugs are essential. Food for the soul. Right now, we’re between courses, savoring where we’ve been, anticipating where we’ll go. Maybe it’s Zanzibar and maybe it’s the campground down the road that you’ve always wanted to visit.

(Related: Going camping this fall? Here’s how to get started.)

James Oglethorpe, a seasoned traveler, is happy to sit still for a while, and gaze at “the slow change of light and clouds on the Blue Ridge Mountains” in Virginia, where he lives. “My mind can take me the rest of the way around this world and beyond it.”

It’s not the place that is special but what we bring to it and, crucially, how we interact with it. Travel is not about the destination, or the journey. It is about stumbling across “a new way of looking at things,” as writer Henry Miller observed. We need not travel far to gain a fresh perspective.

No one knew this better than Henry David Thoreau , who lived nearly all of his too-short life in Concord, Massachusetts. There he observed Walden Pond from every conceivable vantage point: from a hilltop, on its shores, underwater. Sometimes he’d even bend over and peer through his legs, marveling at the inverted world. “From the right point of view, every storm and every drop in it is a rainbow,” he wrote.

Thoreau never tired of gazing at his beloved pond, nor have we outgrown the quiet beauty of our frumpy, analog world. If anything, the pandemic has rekindled our affection for it. We’ve seen what an atomized, digital existence looks like, and we (most of us anyway) don’t care for it. The bleachers at Chicago ’s Wrigley Field; the orchestra section at New York City ’s Lincoln Center; the alleyways of Tokyo . We miss these places. We are creatures of place, and always will be.

After the attacks of September 11, many predicted the end of air travel, or at least a dramatic reduction. Yet the airlines rebounded steadily and by 2017 flew a record four billion passengers. Briefly deprived of the miracle of flight, we appreciated it more and today tolerate the inconvenience of body scans and pat-downs for the privilege of transporting our flesh-and-bone selves to far-flung locations, where we break bread with other incarnate beings.

Landscape architects work in their Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , studio in 1955.

A tourist photographs a towering century plant in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1956.

In our rush to return to the world, we should be mindful of the impact of mass tourism on the planet. Now is the time to embrace the fundamental values of sustainable tourism and let them guide your future journeys. Go off the beaten path. Linger longer in destinations. Travel in the off-season. Connect with communities and spend your money in ways that support locals. Consider purchasing carbon offsets. And remember that the whole point of getting out there is to embrace the differences that make the world so colorful.

“One of the great benefits of travel is meeting new people and coming into contact with different points of view,” says Pauline Frommer, travel expert and radio host.

So go ahead and plan that trip. It’s good for you, scientists say . Plotting a trip is nearly as enjoyable as actually taking one. Merely thinking about a pleasurable experience is itself pleasurable. Anticipation is its own reward.

I’ve witnessed first-hand the frisson of anticipatory travel. My wife, not usually a fan of travel photography, now spends hours on Instagram, gazing longingly at photos of Alpine lodges and Balinese rice fields. “What’s going on?” I asked one day. “They’re just absolutely captivating,” she replied. “They make me remember that there is a big, beautiful world out there.”

Many of us, myself included, have taken travel for granted. We grew lazy and entitled, and that is never good. Tom Swick, a friend and travel writer, tells me he used to view travel as a given. Now, he says, “I look forward to experiencing it as a gift.”

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So, you’re thinking of living the RV life. Here’s what you need to know

Apr 2, 2021 • 16 min read

Cara at @caraostara is a full-time RVer who has experienced the lifestyle both alone and with a partner. After realizing her successful career was no longer making her happy, she took a chance to pursue solo RV life. Now in her third year of living this n Photo courtesy of @caraostara, via Instagram

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In the last few years, RV sales have skyrocketed as more and more Americans decide to live nomadically while traveling the country. We decided to dig into the lifestyle by interviewing six individuals or couples experiencing it themselves. Here’s what you need to know.

Why do people typically choose an RV over other methods of long-term travel?

There are many ways to experience long-term travel in the US. People have lived in their cars, gotten into #vanlife, or have even survived by moving from vacation rental to vacation rental. Why did those we interview decide to go with RV life?

In a nutshell, the answer was space.

• Partners need room to do their own things:  Whether it’s space to work creatively or to have simultaneous work meetings, having just one room doesn’t work for many couples.
• Friends and family can visit:  Many RVers went into the lifestyle thinking they wanted family and friends to be able to visit and travel with them. Having a bigger space like an RV meant they could convince more to do so.
• Keep all your traditional conveniences:  Those we interviewed wanted to travel more but didn’t want to give up the convenience of spaces such as a kitchen, living room, and bathroom. For some, switching to something smaller than an RV, like a van, would have been too much of a leap. For the amount of time they anticipated traveling, it made sense to get a bigger space they would be comfortable in.
• A place to call home (that actually feels like a home):  One of the biggest reasons for RV life is for something to come back to at the end of the day that felt like a home, rather than just a suitcase or a small vehicle.

Where do you sleep?

There are quite a few places you can park your RV at night. These are the most common.

• Campgrounds:  Using campgrounds that provide hookups is the classic RV parking method.
• Boondocking:  Boondocking refers to finding a piece of land to camp on where you’re not hooked up to anything. It’s much more affordable than staying at a campground but does require some investment up front. Being self-sufficient in an RV is often synonymous with things like solar panels, extra batteries, extra water tanks, and extra fuel tanks. Boondocking is infinitely easier to do out West.
• Moochdocking:  Moochdocking is where you set up camp on a friend or family member’s driveway.

What type of RV should you get?

While selecting your RV is a very personal choice, there are a few things everyone should consider.

• Power to get over mountain passes:  One of the couples we interviewed used to have a class-C RV that had trouble with this task. They began to feel limited on where they could travel – the exact opposite of their intention in buying an RV.
• Personal safety considerations:  One RVer who used to travel solo said she loved having a drivable RV for the safety aspect. When she parked somewhere for the night, she had the ability to simply move into the back to go to sleep. She didn’t need to walk around outside in order to access her bedroom.
• Ease of use while driving:  Fifth wheels are going to be easier to tow than travel trailers as they are less tricky to back up and generally shift less in the wind. Keep in mind length corresponds with difficulty of driving.
• Age of the RV:  A newer vehicle will likely need less renovations within. However, older RV electronics can be easier to maintain for those without a lot of RV knowledge. Newer rigs are generally more complicated, often requiring you to go to the dealership when something breaks.

How do you finance your RV?

For the most part, there are two options for buying your rig:

• Purchase it outright

It’s very similar to a car purchase, and financing makes breaking into the lifestyle a realistic achievement for those without too much in savings.

How much does RV life cost?

The cost of RV life will depend heavily on how, where, and when you prefer to travel.

• Daily cost:  Daily cost of living for items like food, campsites, and gas will vary wildly depending on the area you’re in. If you’re seeking out big destination areas (as many travelers like to do), you’ll be spending more money than elsewhere.
• Speed of travel:  No matter where you park your rig, slowing down can help you save money. Oftentimes, campgrounds will give discounts for weekly or monthly stays, compared to nightly rates. You’ll also spend less on gas by traveling more slowly.
• RV life can work for every budget:  In general, however, you can spend as much or as little as you want. Some get into RV life to save money. Others find themselves breaking even when compared to their previous life. Others find themselves spending more. You can make RV life work for whatever kind of budget you’re comfortable with.

What do RVers do for income?

The answer is a wide variety of things. Some have their own businesses that allow them to set their own hours. Some make money from YouTube, Instagram, and their blog.

Many work regular full-time corporate jobs that are remote. Some work just part time to cover daily expenses. Some work seasonal jobs and travel the rest of the year. Others live off savings for a while.

People make their transition all different ways. You have to figure out for yourself what will give you the independence to live in your RV while still making enough money to meet your financial goals.

What safety essentials should you consider?

Everyone has different levels at which they feel comfortable, so not all of these items will seem essential to every reader. But these are all safety measures taken by at least one of our RVers. Take a look and see what speaks to you.

• Wasp spray:  Wasp spray can be used as a personal defense item. With a similar use case as pepper spray, this type of spray doesn’t dissipate into the air as easily.
• Firearm:  A few of the RVers we spoke with are registered firearm carriers. Depending on the type of RV and the state you’re in, your home may be considered a domicile rather than a vehicle. This makes it simple to travel with a weapon of this sort across many state lines (but not all).
• First aid kit:  Do your best to be prepared for small medical emergencies by purchasing the classic safety essential, a first aid kit.
• Home security camera:  See who (or what) is outside your RV without needing to open the door. You can also use a security camera inside to keep an eye on your belongings or pets while you’re away.
• Motion sensing security lights:  Just like many homes have, motion-sensing lights can be placed on the outside of your rig.
• Alarm system:  You can have the same alarm systems installed for your RV as you would your stationary house. Get alerts to your phone if there’s suspicious activity.
• Built-in GPS for the internet:  Having GPS connected to your internet allows you to see where your rig is as well as how fast it’s moving. This can be useful when you take it in for service. By utilizing this tool, some RVers have discovered that their mechanics have not treated their RVs properly.
• Bike lock:  If you have a bike, be sure to get a good lock. Bike theft is one of the most frequent criminal acts RVers encounter.
• Fire extinguishers:  Yes, fire extinguishers plural. Keep one in all areas in which your path to the exit could be blocked. Don’t forget to learn how to use one before you need it.
• Automatic fire suppression systems:  There are now fire suppression systems that will automatically deploy. These can be installed in places such as your refrigerator or battery compartment.
• Kingpin:  A kingpin is a locking mechanism that stops someone from simply coming over and taking your towable RV.

What are automotive essentials associated with RV life?

Many who enter RV life don’t know anything about RV or vehicle maintenance, and that’s ok. It’s important to know the basics, however, and have a general awareness of what’s going on. The most essential thing you can do is monitor your RV (and truck if you’re towing) so you can address a problem right away.

One RVer equated RV maintenance to house maintenance. Just like you’re always fixing something for your stationary home, so too will you always be fixing something on your rig. Engage in preventative maintenance as much as is reasonable, have tools on hand in case of a tire emergency, and know you will likely end up becoming a little bit more handy once you’ve been in your RV for a while.

• What to monitor:  Be sure to regularly monitor tire pressure, check fluids, inspect the seals on your windows, check your brake and turn signal lights, and keep an eye out for leaks or cracks that are forming.
• Stay proactive:  Staying proactive on things like oil changes, power steering, and tire rotations will help you avoid problems in the future.
• Tools to keep on hand:  You may want to consider keeping the following tools with you: a general tool kit, tire pressure gauge (perhaps even a remote tire pressure monitor), air compressor, and all tools necessary to change a tire.

What are helpful resources for those either thinking about RV life or those in it already?

• YouTube:  The number one answer: YouTube. With everything from maintenance how-tos to people speaking about their RV life experience, YouTube has got answers to practically all of your questions.
• Instagram:  Instagram was used by those we interviewed for a wide variety of RV-related tasks, including finding a rig to buy. It can also be used for research. Learn tips and tricks by following accounts of those who live the lifestyle. People are happy to help you with questions if you message them! You can also reach out to fellow RVers on Instagram who are in your area in order to make friends in person. One of the individuals we interviewed has met over 100 people this way.
• Facebook:  Facebook Marketplace is a useful tool for selling items before you move (or while on the road if you realize you brought way too much stuff). You can also find RVs for sale there. Facebook groups such as those surrounding RV life or working remotely can also be helpful!
• Craigslist:  Craigslist is a great tool in finding RVs for sale.
• Campendium:  Campendium is an app that helps travelers find places to camp in the US, Canada, and Mexico. It features user-generated reviews and cell service reports.

What are the best parts of RV life?

• Seeing friends and family:  Living in an RV makes it much easier to see friends and family. As one couple put it, they’re now able to visit with family they would normally only see at weddings and funerals.
• Spending more time in dream destinations:  When you work a traditional 9-5 with limited PTO, your travels are also limited. Over the course of a year, you may go to a couple destinations for a week at a time. Because it’s a lifestyle rather than a vacation, living in an RV allows you to stay in these places for longer stretches. It also allows you to see so many more places than you can with just a few weeks off a year.

What are some challenging aspects to living on the road?

The first few months of transition during which you’re learning the basics can be difficult. Here are a few areas in which those we interviewed struggled.

• Small living area:  There are many things you don’t think about when you imagine taking off in your rig down the road towards some of America’s most beautiful public lands. One of those things may be the fact that you’re going to be crammed into often less than 300 square feet. RVs are usually much larger than vans, but they’re still tiny in comparison to the stationary homes people leave behind. It takes some getting used to.
• Personal space and communication:  Managing personal space can be a significant challenge. When you’re upset with someone, you can’t necessarily go to a separate room like you can in a regular house. Learning to honor and respect each other’s space is crucial. If you’re traveling with others, communication becomes essential. It’s easy to see this lifestyle leading to strained relationships if you don’t learn to be patient and communicate properly during frustrating situations – and you’ll have them, trust us.
• Weather and seasonal differences:  Living on the road, you're at the mercy of the weather. Your life becomes much more connected to the elements. Becoming weather-aware is critical, especially because you likely won’t be used to a lot of the weather you encounter. Not every season of living in an RV is equal. Winter can be a difficult time to live in a small space. The days are shorter and the temperatures are colder, forcing you inside more frequently.
• Planning exhaustion:  When you’re constantly traveling, that also means you’re constantly planning everything from where you’re going to sleep at night to what hikes you’ll doing that week. At the beginning, always thinking about logistics can be taxing. As you practice and figure out what tools you like, planning will become easier.
• Campground scarcity:  Because the lifestyle has become so popular recently, some things have become more difficult. It can take time to get repairs and parts. Additionally, campsites are filled far ahead of time in some areas of the country. One couple we spoke with said they have sites booked out six months in advance because of how saturated the campgrounds on the East Coast are.
• Slight changes in daily chores:  There are also much smaller daily challenges. One of these is laundry. It can be a hassle to spend a whole day washing your clothes at a laundromat when, before, you simply threw them in the machine at home. You also have to tweak your mindset when it comes to groceries. For many RVers, a full-size fridge is a luxury they don’t have. Additionally, while many grocery stores have similarities, there are also differences in layouts and brands across the country that can have you shopping for far longer than you intended to.

What should you do before hitting the road?

• Financial planning:  Make sure you’re entering this lifestyle responsibly. Ideally, you should begin with as little debt as possible. When you’re traveling the country, you don’t want to be stressing about credit card payments. It’ll only detract from the experience.
• Decide what to do with your home:  If you own a home, decide whether you’re going to keep it or sell it. Many sell theirs, but it’s also possible to keep it and rent it out while you’re away
• Determine your residency:  Many keep their current residency, some establish residency in a state in which they have close family, and some utilize residency programs for people who work remotely such as the one in South Dakota.
• Downsize:  You will need so much less than you think you will. Downsize, downsize, downsize. It’ll save you weight, you won’t encounter nearly as many headaches when it comes to organization, and you’ll have more space. Anything you don’t bring with you can be easily purchased while on the road.
• Organize:  When you have such a small space to work with, organization is key. If you do it right, you won’t feel like your space is small because you’ll be able to fit so much. Set yourself up for success right at the beginning by investing in storage solutions that not only allow you to fit everything you need, but also make those items easily accessible.
• Prepare to make mistakes:  As with anything you try for the first time, there’s a learning curve during which mistakes will happen. Don’t beat yourself up about them or let the idea of them hold you back. Things will go wrong. Mentally prepare yourself for these and cut yourself some slack when they do inevitably happen.
• Dive in:  The only way to learn everything you need to know about RV life is by jumping in. There’s only so much preparation you can do ahead of time.

Do I have to get rid of every material thing I love?

The easy answer to this question is no! Absolutely not, in fact.

An RV really is like a mini house, so you’ll likely not give up too many items. Those we interviewed brought things like board games, books, blenders, office supplies, diffusers, espresso machines, and framed photographs.

For sentimental or irreplaceable items, many RVers use storage, whether it be storage at their family members’ homes or in a storage unit.

What should you do if you’re on the fence of joining RV life?

• Rent a rig:  Before you head to a dealership (or Facebook Marketplace) to buy your home on wheels, consider renting an RV. This will give you a taste of the lifestyle before you dive in with a purchase.
• Live in the driveway:  Whether or not you try living in an RV before purchasing one, take some time to test out your rig before you hit the road full time. First, live in your RV while it’s stationary. Get a feel for the space and learn what you do or don’t need in daily life. This step is especially important if you have pets. They need to get accustomed to the new space so they’re as comfortable as possible when it begins to move.
• Go on a test trip:  Once you’ve gotten a little more comfortable, go on a month-long trip far from your home base. This allows you to get out of your comfort zone and get a taste for what full-time RV life is like while still allowing you the opportunity to fine-tune things before you head out permanently. After this point, you can bail if you decide RV life isn’t right for you.
• Commit to a time frame:  If you’re still interested in the lifestyle, set a time frame that you’re going to commit to before you hit the road for real. There’s going to be an adjustment period, so it’s recommended you commit to at least six months.
• Consider the worst-case scenario:  Lastly, ask yourself what the worst-case scenario is. Realistically, it’s that you don’t like living in an RV, you sell it, and you move back into a stationary home. Doesn’t sound like the end of the world, does it? In fact, it sounds exactly like what you were doing before.

Finally, here are a few parting words of advice from those we interviewed:

• If this lifestyle was easy, everyone would do it. That means there will be challenges. If you think it’ll make you happy despite those challenges, do it.
• Fears of the unknown are normal, and you may simply be fearful that it’s unknown. The more you educate yourself, the less scary things will be.
• RV life isn’t for everyone, but it says a lot about a person if they’re considering this lifestyle. If there’s something inside of you that makes you want to do it, chances are pretty high you’re going to like it.
• It’s important you remember why you’re getting into this lifestyle. The highs are going to be high, but the lows are going to be low. Remember your why throughout it all.
• Society doesn't set you up to live in an RV full time, so things will never feel exactly right. Because of this, you’ll never feel perfectly ready. You just have to make the leap.

Sponsored by GEICO

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This story was crafted collaboratively between GEICO and Lonely Planet. Both parties provided research and curated content to produce this story. We disclose when information isn’t ours.

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