Traveling is not the same as a vacation. Vacations include taking time off from work, traveling to a beautiful destination, staying at a luxurious hotel and ignoring all of your responsibilities. It’s a little more difficult to travel.
You need more than just impulsively booking a flight to develop a travel lifestyle where you explore new places and immerse yourselves in other cultures. Prepare yourself financially and mentally for a long but rewarding journey. Here are some ways you can adopt a travel lifestyle depending on your situation.
Saving Money on Travel
Make adjustments in your home life to save money to travel, whether you are planning to quit your job or take a short break. You can sell or donate unwanted items like stereos or sports equipment or expensive clothes that are stuffed in your closet. Get rid of your expensive Netflix and gym subscriptions. By the end of the calendar year, you can save hundreds by not buying coffee each morning.
Sell your car, and walk or bike to work if possible. Avoid going to expensive nightclubs and cook your own food instead of eating out. Rent out an extra room on Airbnb or share a cheap apartment with another person. Sign up for a travel rewards credit card and earn points toward flights. You can save a lot of money by adopting a more frugal way of life.
Earn Money While Traveling
You can make money while traveling to prevent your savings from being drained too quickly. Online, you can generate income by blogging, selling photography and travel guides, forming partnerships with brands, earning commissions through affiliate links and taking on freelance travel writing. You can make money while documenting your travels if you are good at these digital tricks.
Choose A Traveling Career
You can also adopt a travel lifestyle by choosing a career that allows you to travel. Working as a tour guide or hospitality expert, English instructor, graphic designer, Social Media Consultant, translator, or a social media consultant allows you to travel.
You can also work abroad for a company that will pay you to travel. Whether it’s in the fields of sales, marketing or finance, or government and foreign affairs; sustainability is just one example. You may need a visa to find paid work abroad, but if you want to travel, this is a necessary step.
Work exchange
You can also work temporarily abroad in other ways. World Wide Opportunities on organic Farms, or WWOOF is a great option. You can exchange your work on a farm for food and accommodation with this program. WorkAway allows you to contact hostels, hotels and farms around the globe and exchange manageable shifts for accommodation.
These jobs may not be paid, but the cost of living in these countries is so low you spend very little money. The work exchange is a great way to learn new skills while living in another country for a few months or weeks.
Enjoy a Nomadic Lifestyle
Mobile homes are the most convenient and affordable way to live if you’re truly committed to long term travel. You can explore places like the USA and Europe with a trailer or RV, as you don’t have to pay for expensive public transportation and you can drive wherever you want at your leisure. Airstream trailers are available for purchase, so you can renovate your mobile home to your liking and then hit the road.
Travel for Cheap
Couch surf and stay for free with a local instead of staying in expensive hotels. Instead of taxis, use public transportation, hitchhike, bike or walk. Instead of eating out, shop at street markets for cheap goods and prepare your own meals. Avoid buying water every day by using reusable bottles. Look for discounts and free or cheap attractions in various cities. You can travel longer and spend less money by following these frugal habits.
Consider your destination in its entirety. Visit poorer countries such as those in Southeast Asia and South America to make your money go further than expensive countries like Australia or Canada. Skyscanner can help you find cheap flights. Try to travel during off-season, when attractions and flights are cheaper.
Keep an open and positive mind, no matter what you decide to do. Budget travel means embracing the intangibles and sacrificing material possessions. If you are willing to work hard and save money, you will be able to enjoy traveling as a way of life. You won’t need vacations again.
