You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have the desire to travel, but work and other commitments often get in the way of this desire. An alternative? Becoming a full-time traveler! This allows you to experience more places than you ever would during just two weeks of PTO. That being said, figuring out how to get started can be a major adjustment that involves changing just about everything. Here’s how you can go about doing it.
Get Serious About Budgeting
It’s best to get all the boring details out of the way first. Most importantly? Money. You need to figure out how much money you’ll need for your travels. Know how long you’re going to be gone and what your expenses will be during that time. This will involve determining where you’re going to go and what you’re going to do while you’re there, since some places are definitely more expensive than others. This can be tricky if you’re more of a spontaneous person than a planner, but it’s necessary to estimate as best you can.
Think about other expenses you may have back at your permanent residence while you’re on the road. Will you keep your home? Will you keep your car? These fixed expenses will have to be factored into your budget.
You’ll have to manage your expectations. Traveling can get expensive without self-control. You may need to get creative on how to live as cheaply as possible. In the beginning, your budget will just be an estimate. You’ll likely learn more about how much it actually costs to travel full-time as you go. Adjust your habits as needed.
Make sure you leave places in your budget to continue contributing to savings and retirement as well as paying down any debt you may have. Just because living on the road is a more unconventional lifestyle does not mean you can afford to stop caring about these responsibilities. A lot of people choose to pay off all their debt before they permanently go on the road. This is definitely something to consider.
Move at a Slow Pace
You’ll quickly discover that transportation costs are one of your biggest expenses when you’re traveling. Because of this, if you’re moving from place to place quickly, you’re going to be spending a lot. But if you move slowly and thoughtfully, spending time really getting to know a place before you move onto the next one, you won’t spend as much money on transportation and it will pay off. You’ll be able to afford even more life-changing experiences on the road!
Set Goals
Goals are a crucial part of any lifestyle and being a full-time traveler is no exception. You need to have goals for what you’d like to see and experience on the road. Goals will help you determine how much money you’ll need on the road. Then you can create a plan for how you will get the funds you need for your travels.
Another important type of goal to set is relationship goals. Being on the road for too long can definitely be lonely and it’s easy to feel out of the loop with all your friends and family back home. Even if it’s hard, make sure you set aside time to catch up with them.
Free Yourself from Stuff to Collect Experiences
Things are far less meaningful than experiences. When you’re traveling, you won’t have the capacity to bring a lot of stuff with you on the road. And constantly buying things could hold you back from spending money on the kinds of experiences you want to actually have on the road. Make sure you have a buffer in your budget so you don’t overspend. Focus on enjoying what you have rather than filling your life up with more stuff.
In addition, you might want to think about downsizing the stuff that you own right now as much as you can. Clothes are usually something people have too much of, so that’s a great place to start. A lot of things you’ll have to donate, but you can also make some extra cash by selling items on Facebook marketplace, at a thrift store, or in a garage sale. You can use that extra money to finance more great adventures on your travels.
Get Good Internet
Internet is really the cornerstone of living on the road. Since you’ll be working on the road and relying on video chatting and social media platforms to stay in touch with loved ones, having reliable internet is crucial. It’s hard to find fast internet that will travel with you—but that’s exactly what Nomad Internet provides! Whether you’re in a small town or seemingly the middle of nowhere, your internet’s strength won’t change with Nomad. You could be working online or streaming a movie on Netflix and Nomad will still help you live your day-to-day life without a hitch.
Create a Second Income
If you’re always on the road, taking adventures and going places others only dream of, why wouldn’t you try to make a revenue stream from it? There are so many ways to capitalize on your travels nowadays. Just starting to share about your travels on Instagram or TikTok can lead to some exciting and lucrative opportunities later on. You might also try making vlogs for a YouTube channel or writing about your travels for a blog.
Another way to offset the expenses of traveling full-time is to get a second part-time job in your current location. You could try English tutoring, bartending, or nannying to help make ends meet. This is also a fantastic way to make connections so you don’t get too lonely on the go.
Stop Waiting—Become a Full-Time Traveler
With the help of these tips and Nomad Internet, you can become a successful full-time traveler! You’ll be able to see more of the world than you may have ever dreamed of. Remember: the most important thing is to just get started! The whole world awaits.