A lot of folks wonder how I’m able to travel around the world for so long and seemingly “not work.” Full confession: I work. Next full confession, I’ve been known to return to my hometown and live with my parents. Anyway, below are some tips for those who want to go backpacking, take a career break or a gap year, travel long term or simply GTFO. After this, take a look at my Resources for the Working Traveller to get an idea of where you can earn money on the road (hint: just about anywhere.)
Get a job
But no one said it has to be in your hometown, province/state, country or continent. Pumping gas is an abysmal occupation… unless you’re new to the country. Same with driving a taxi… unless you’re new to the country. And then all of a sudden, everything becomes an adventure. A lot of counties have begun offering working holiday visas in an effort to attract cheap labour, er, the money-spending kids, er, I mean, adventurous folks. Whatever the case, Wikipedia has a list of countries that offer the visa. Teach ESL, translate online (or in person), teach scuba diving, or sell your sperm, but if you keep bringing in an income you can keep going. Take surveys online (scam!) or freelance (get ready for months of no income!), just keep the money a comin’ in. I’ve written about working and travelling before.
Save
This is probably the most popular and most boring way to fund your travels. Geez, imagine that, cut your spending and put the money into a savings account (which will accumulate interest until you take it out). The more you save, the less you have to work and/or worry about money while travelling. Of course, once you run out money, if you’re from North America or any developed country, don’t worry, the banking system has created a spectacular device called a credit card…
Credit cards are your frenemies
Use them wisely and you’re rewarded with all kinds of stuff. Abuse them and, well, 20% interest adds up over time. Pick a card that offers points. In Canada, we use Air Miles or Aeroplan, but Choice Rewards also offers some travel perks. Mastercard is generally accepted in most places but you’ll need a Visa card or three in parts of Africa. If you’re savvy, pick one of those low or no-interest rate cards and balance transfer some cashish into your accountish and then set up your checking account or whatever to pay off the balance over the next few months. Hey, it’s how big businesses finance many of their operations, why can’t you?
Pick a cheap destination
If you have an open-ended ticket, you might want to include regions such as South America, SE Asia or Eastern Europe on your itinerary. CHEAP accommodation + CHEAP food = living long time no expensy wensy. If you really want to party in France or dive the Great Barrier Reefer in Australia, then you’ll have to get a fucking job (see above). Or work online.
Travel light
You really don’t need have of the shit you plan on taking. Seriously. A few pairs of gitch, two pairs of shorts (one doubles as a bathing suit), maybe a pair of enclosed shoes (you’ll buy sandals when you’re in a hotter region), hygiene products and maybe a few condoms. Bring a comfortable backpack. I’ve been using the same simply, two piece backpack for the last five years and it’s served me well. Like, really simple, basically a day pack and a larger, two pocket bag. What more do you need? The more you spend, the more pockets you get. Yey.
Some electronics
If you don’t have a big “steal me” camera like the moneyed folk, all the better, you’re less of a target. A simple point-and-shoot camera will capture a lot of the places you’ve been in addition to not costing a lot to replace when you drop it in a Thai bucket. Get a generic mp3 player, cheap headphones, a small laptop, an external harddrive or two, a small camera and you’re set. You’ll probably be able to find adapters as you go. If you can’t, chances are the country doesn’t have the electrical supply to support your wants anyway. You do not need your curling iron and you don’t need all that many books, especially if you have a laptop.
Travel insurance
Yea, some say it’s a scam but it’s good for “just in case.” I got bit by a dog (luckily not a “crazy dog”) in Vietnam. My insurance ended up paying about 75% of my expenses. Granted, I had to pay up front, but I got most of that money back. I suppose it heavily depends on what you’ll be doing. Oh, and insurance doesn’t cover STDs, so do be careful.
Keep a journal
Whether it’s a small notebook or a larger sketch book or even a blog, whatever you do, keep track of what you’ve done, where you’ve been, who you met and what you’ve seen or experience. The temptation with starting a blog is often to try to monetize it which then leads to failure and then complete discouragement. You do not need to keep a blog nor, if you do, do you need to monetize it. You can do the same if not better offline with a pen and paper and maybe a few photos.
That’s all I can think of right now but it should be a pretty good start.