So You Think You Can Travel: Where to Begin
- Vittoria
- Aug 23, 2017
- 7 min read
Me and my boyfriend have decided to quit our full-time jobs, leave most of our possessions behind and hit the road...INDEFINITELY. We will be leaving our beautiful flat in London where it is, pack our bare necessities in 1 backpack each, and go off the grid for a lifetime of travelling in 6 months time. THERE I SAID IT!! It feels so liberating to finally saying it out loud. We didn't wake up yesterday with this idea, we have always had the dream to go travelling someday and finally we are committing to make it happen.
If you are here is probably because you are in a similar situation and you are just curious to find out how we are planning on moving from a life full of commodities and certainties, to surviving with little belongings out in the world. You are probably looking at your flat full of things, Google Maps for a destination, and your empty bank account thinking:"How are they going to do it? And how can I do it too?"
Or maybe you are in a position to drop everything today, buy a one way ticket to the first place you see at the airport and then figure it out on the way! I wish that was the case for everyone, but for most people life is more complicated than that.
Are You Really Sure?
One of the first things we had to work out was if we were really committed this time, or it was just another phase. So, have you really thought about the consequences of this choice? You will probably have to leave your job, as many workplaces don't encourage sabbaticals; if you are renting you will have to leave your accommodation, re-home all your possession or get rid of them. Do you have kids? Do you have pets? Do you have a partner? If so, is your partner coming with you?
I don't want to make you doubt that little certainty you have right now, but you have to be 100% committed to the process otherwise you won't be able to do what is necessary in order to leave your life behind. So the first thing you need to figure out is: Are you really sure this is what you want? Sometimes life is hard and we wish we were somewhere else, but I can ensure you your problems will follow you wherever you are. You can't run away from your troubles (someone very wise said that for a reason).
However, if you are really committed to travel, listen to what your heart is trying to tell you: we all have that one dream hidden somewhere inside us, that tends to get squashed behind a mountain of responsibilities and obligations the more the time goes by. We let our lives take over our passions and use our routine as an excuse to hold us down from doing what we really want. Don't let your rational side push your dream back in the closet. I know it can be overwhelming to shut down that fearful, nervous part of you that has sat in comfort for a really long time; but if you break down the task ahead into little decisions you can go from zero to a full plan, one bit at a time.
An organised mind can accomplish the impossible!
Find Your Reasons
Another important step is to answer the question: WHY? Why do you want to travel?
Are you tired of your job?
Have you just ended a long-term relationship?
Do you hate the sweaty summers or the freezing winters of your town?
Do you want to have a work experience abroad?
Are you curious about other cultures?
Do you want to learn a new language?
It could even be a combination of the above or you simply want to do something spontaneous and see the world.
Think deeply about your motivation, even if you think it's influential, your reason will be the path that leads you back on track when you will doubt yourself and won't make you loose sight of what is really important to you. It will also be the key to shape your travelling experience. You don't believe me? Check out my blog post "I Changed My Mind!"
Our motivation is based on the desire to live off the grid out of society's model. We want to step away from consumerism, limit the impact we have on the Planet by living minimally and sustainably. And most importantly we want to give an example of how we can achieve this lifestyle while we travel and explore the planet so we can spread our message of a more eco-friendly life.
How Long?
Now that you know why you want to leave, how long for? If you want to have a break from your life and see few places while you regroup, you might consider 1-3 months. However, if you want to see an entire country, few countries or even the whole world, you will probably need a bit longer; 1-3 years! How long can you live with just a backpack? Do you have a place you can store all of your things? Can someone rent your place or look after it while you are away? If you have your own business how long can someone else cover for you?
These are all things to consider, however this shouldn't stop you as you can take this chance to look into what is happening in your life and what is not making you happy. This is an opportunity to revolutionize your life and finally committing to what you want.
For us the answer is, hopefully, indefinitely! We want to make travelling our full time lifestyle and in order for us to do that we are looking into a very long-term plan that will allow us to sustain ourselves wherever we are. We are leaving everything behind so we can pursue our true dream.
When Can You Leave?
Another important question is best to have answered sooner rather than later is: when is best to leave? If you are renting you might pick the day your contact ends, same with mortgages. If you have a working contract you can speak to your employer and ask if you can take few months off. Besides, are there any events in the near future you have committed to? Like a friend's wedding, a planned trip, or organised holidays with your family? Otherwise you can simply pick a date based on your ideal weather when you arrive at your new destination, or based on the time you think it will take you to put together your budget.
Since we have some incredible lifestyle changes to make in order to switch to a life of nomad travelling, we probably need more time than someone who wants to travel for 3 months. We have opted to leave in 6 months, because it will give us time to save some money, buy a reasonably cheap ticket, sort through our possessions, and spend Christmas with our families before we say goodbye.
Your Budget
If you are leaving for 1-6 months you can calculate a rough budget and what you want to spend, depending on what sort of experience you want to have and if you want to live more simply or do all the activities you can think off while you are there. Example: you can jump from hotel to hotel (or hostel to hostel); you can camp in designed camping sites; you can volunteer in sanctuaries, farms, or people's homes for a roof and some food; or even do a bit of all the options you think feasible. You might want to take a course, do some tour-guided walks, go for an excursion, or party like an animal!
Plus how much can you reasonably save from here to when you want to leave? Do you have a property you can rent to fund your trip?
Our concern is mostly with setting up a business online and network as much as possible before we leave so we can fund our travelling by working while we are abroad. We will also try and save as much as we can from here till the day we will jump on the plane. Our lifestyle is more frugal and minimal than most people, so we account to experience the most we can while spending the least amount of money.
Where To Go?
You probably already have a rough list of places on your bucket list that you always wanted to see, or countries you have heard about from your friend's travels that have really intrigued you. Open google maps and start scoping around: in comparison to you current location, where is the closest place to you that you really want to see? Do you want to go somewhere warm or somewhere cold? Now that you have your budget, where can you afford to go? Do you want to get lost in busy cities? Explore nature? Lay on a beach?
Your destination might make you revisit some of the decision you already made so be open to re-evaluate your original plans (when you can leave, for how long and especially your budget) without loosing sight of your motivations.
It took us few days of on and off discussion to formulate a solid plan. My advise is to start from the things you are definitely sure about. We knew we couldn't leave before 6 months, and that we wanted to go somewhere warm and reasonably cheap that wouldn't break our budget after 1 month. So we settled for Thailand, even because it was already in the books as our next holiday.
And Now What?
Well first of all: well done! Take a moment to look at your plan and be proud, the first step is completed. Sleep on it for few days and see if it still gives you butterflies the next time you look at it or if you feel you need to change something about it. If you hate it don't get discouraged and start the process from scratch. It's best to get it right so that you won't have second thoughts in the next phase. Take as long as you need to have a great plan that makes you happy, excited and also not too nervous.
Now that you your plan is formed it's time to look into the second phase: THE DETAILS! Please check my next blog "6 Things To Do ~ 6 Months Before Travelling" to find out more.
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