12 Steps to Life Changing Travel

The life you have lived doesn’t have to be the only life you have. – Anna Quindlen

You’ve decided you want to take a year off and go travel.  A sabbatical you’ll call it, or a gap year.  The thing is, you’re in your mid-30s with a house and a career and responsibilities. This isn’t an early 20s selling your thrift store furniture, breaking your lease and leaving a minimum wage job as a sales clerk kind of decision.  Well, we’ve decided to do the same thing and have some tips for you to follow to take 
some of the stress off so you can experience life changing travel.

Commit to this decision

Things are about to get real.  You (and your partner/spouse) need to be fully committed to your trip in order to deal with all of the planning and real life decisions that are about to come.  This is a serious, important, life changing decision.  Don’t disappoint yourself or your partner by planning this adventure and backing out at the last minute.

Show me the $$$

Carefully considering your finances will reduce your stress, allow you to be bolder, and hopefully mean you won’t be flat broke when your travels are over.  Some things to consider are:

• Will I have any fixed expenses to pay while I’m gone (like mortgage, HOA fees, storage, car storage or insurance, utilities, property manager, safe deposit box, life insurance, health insurance, etc)
• If you’re leaving mid-year, how will you file your taxes next year and what are the tax rules for your situation while out of the country.
• How much will you likely spend on travel, including flights, buses, trains, ships (always over-estimate).
• Are you a budget traveler that can do $30 a night in hostels and cheap hotels, or do you want to look for more full service accommodations or airbnb?
• What are the food and entertainment costs like in the countries your are visiting? Use a site like Numbeo.com or Expatistan.com for comparisons.
• Will you need Visas in the countries you want to visit?
• Are there any big budget excursions you definitely want to budget for?
• What kind of daily walking around money will you want?
• If you won’t be returning to a job, how much will you need to get by until you have income again?
• Budget a little extra for an emergency trip home.
• What credit/debit cards do I want to bring? Do they charge international fees or ATM fees?

Set a date

You’re actually doing this and now there’s a date on the calendar circled in red!  There’s no turning back now.  Setting a date makes this commitment real.  It also lets you plan backward to make the planning process a little less daunting.

• 1-2 days out – Throw a going away party.  Better yet, get your friends to throw one for you!
• 1-2 weeks out – move belongings to storage and finalize your housing situation (ie. renting your home, leaving a rental, selling your house, etc)
• 1-2 weeks out – give that notice at work if you haven’t already.  Some companies no longer let employees work after they give notice, so understand your companies policies to plan the best date.
• 2 months out – Apply for travel health insurance and make sure your initial flight tickets are bought, you have a place to stay when you arrive, and your Visas have been applied for.  Also this is a good time to make sure all of your immunizations are up to date.
• 3-6 months out – Begin planning your packing list and slowly buying things you need that you don’t have yet.  Every blog ever written has a packing list suggestion, so read as many as you can before your brain explodes and then make the decisions for yourself about what you need.  If you will be buying a lot of equipment, the 3-6 month window gives you time to look for sales and spread out this expense. Also, make sure your passport is up to date.
• As soon as you decide to go – Start thinking about the budget and give yourself as much time as possible to plan appropriately.

What to do with your biggest asset?

If you are a homeowner, this is a huge decision.  If not, well, that’s one huge step that you can just breeze on past.  As a homeowner, you have to consider this: do I love my home and want to return to it?  If you don’t and the market is good, consider selling, but do not spend all of the house money on your trip unless you can’t afford not to.  You’re going to have to live somewhere when you return.

If you aren’t going to sell, you can let your house sit vacant, rent it on AirBNB or similar, or rent it out with a traditional lease.

• If you’re going to be gone less than 12 months, you may want to let it sit vacant or try renting it as a vacation rental, as it will be tough to get a tenant for a shorter lease.  You’ll still have to pay that mortgage though if you don’t have tenants, and you’ll be paying all of the utilities and upkeep.
• If you’d rather have a consistent tenant, we strongly recommend using a property management company.  You will be in a different country.  You won’t be there to assess damage, supervise a repair, deal with a tenant that is breaking the lease or not paying on time, and any other multitude of issues that can come up when renting a home.  A good property management company will charge at least $100 per month; quite a value for peace of mind.  Make sure to shop around, look at reviews, and negotiate this well in advance of your moving date.

Career planning

Well, presumably you’re leaving a job.  That means you’ve got to think about whether you’d like to return that job when you return, look for something else, or make a complete career change.  Whatever your plan is, don’t burn those bridges.  Your employer doesn’t have to know what your plans are and some companies even allow for 6-12 month sabbaticals or leave.  When you discuss your departure with your management, consider the following:

I am not a real scientist.

• Ask if they would be supportive of you as a re-hire when you return.
• Ask them to write you a letter of recommendation now for future potential employers.
• Even if you are so ready to shake the dust of that company off of your shoes, leave with dignity and thank them for your employment.  After all, they did give you paychecks that are funding this awesome adventure.
• Develop your narrative of this decision.  Are you preparing for a return to school, spending some time researching a new career, trying your hand at online work or consulting?  Any of these sound to employers, and later potential employers, as thought out and valid, even if your real reason is you just can’t take adulting for one more day.
• Take advantage of the time you have during travel to really identify what you see yourself doing with your future.  This is like a second chance to start fresh, so make the most of it.

Medical

• Get travel medical insurance. There is no reason not to.  Basic plans are inexpensive and if you can’t afford this, you can’t afford to take a year off to travel.  Depending on the plan you choose, you will be covered for accidents, illnesses, transport to better hospital facilities and treatment there, repatriation back to your home country, and much more.  Some companies to consider are World Nomads, Cigna, BlueCross or IMG.
• As of 2019, you will no longer be penalized in the US for not having US based insurance, but if you have questions about possible implications, discuss them with your tax advisor.

Communication

Chances are you will want to keep in touch with people back home.  The world more connected than ever and WiFi is readily available in just about every country you could go to.  Here are some ideas to consider:

• Will I have a blog or need the internet and a good computer for online employment of any kind?
• If I’m just using my computer for entertainment and basic web use, could I get by with a cheaper Chromebook or tablet that will take up much less room?
• Is my cellphone unlocked so I can use new SIM cards in each country?  Verizon for example no longer locks any of its 4G phones unless they are a pre-paid plan.
• Consider getting a VPN.  Plans are around $10/month, but less if you buy a longer contract. (I just got mine for 3 years with Nord VPN for only $99)   It might help you access streaming media while outside the US, but more importantly, it will allow you to look at things like your bank account while using public WiFi without risk.
• If you really like your family, or are continuing to do business while traveling, you might opt for an internet based phone number.  For example, you can get a 12 month number from Skype for just over $50 for a year.  As long as you are connected to the internet, you can receive calls.  To keep your current number, you can probably port it to Google Voice, which will allow you to forward your calls to any number worldwide.

Where are you going?

This very well could evolve.  Our first plan was to live in Italy for a year, until we realized how difficult Italy makes it to get a resident visa and decided we really wanted to see more of the world anyway.  So now we’re starting in South America and then traveling to S.E. Asia, followed by Italy, more Asia and Africa and then more Europe.  Whew!  What you do need to plan up front is where you’ll be going first, what Visas are necessary, and rules like the Schengren Visa rule for Europe (for US citizens, we can spend up to 180 days/year in the EU, but no more than 90 days in each 180 day period).  This will also help you know what vaccines you will need to get and the type of health insurance you want to purchase, not to mention your overall budget.

Plan anchor activities

Want to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu (us) or eat at El Celler de Can Roca in Spain?  You’re going to need to reserve your space somewhere around a year in advance.  Leave plenty of room for spontaneity, but make sure you aren’t disappointed on the big items.

Packing

This is the part where things get really fun!  You’ll have to decide if you’re backpacking or taking a roller bag, carry on only or checked.   I’m pretty sure no matter what you’ll want to take more than you should and you’ll be coming home with more than you left with.  We have a separate post for our packing lists.  Actually, two because we’re going to make a quick trip home between South America and Europe/Asia/Africa, so we’ll be able to make a few swaps.

• You will definitely buy things, so leave room.  Whatever you bring will be on your back or with you as you go from place to place, so decide how absolutely necessary that DSLR or extra pair of shoes really are.
• Bring basic medications and your prescriptions, but most medications can be purchased abroad.
• You can find an outlet converter on the cheap in every country you visit.  You don’t need to lug the big ones around.
• Bring a few trinkets from home like stickers or post cards to trade with other travelers you meet or to give to kids.

Plane tickets

Wouldn’t it be nice to get away with not having to pay for your plane tickets?  Well, this is the time to get creative.  Some ideas to think about:

• Do you have any airline miles?  Even if its a different airline, if they are a partner to the airline you need, you might be able to book a free flight with miles.
• If you don’t have any miles but are considering a new travel friendly credit card, many of them will offer huge mileage for signing up.  Or take this to the next level and try your hand at travel hacking.  I’m not an expert there, but look at The Points Guy or Extra Pack of Peanuts for more info.
• Do you have that one relative or friend who works for an airline and you’ve always wanted to ask them about their travel benefits?  Well, depending on your relationship with them, you might want to ask if they would be willing to share a buddy pass with you for one of your longer flights.  You will be flying standby and will still have to pay some fuel surcharges, but it’ll save a ton of money.
• Play with different routes.  Sometimes the prices vary dramatically flying through a different city.  For example, we are flying from Brazil to Nicaragua through Panama City.  The flight with an 8 hour layover was about $400 more per person than booking it as a multi city flight with 3 days in Panama City.  We don’t mind.  Now we get to check out Panama and we’re saving $800 in the process.
• Google Flights, or their older ITA Matrix, is a great place to start when looking for tickets and they let you see a full calendar of fares to find the absolute best day.

Leaving your friends and family

Saying goodbye to your house is a little nostalgic and worrisome.  Leaving your job can be elating or tough.  Leaving your friends and family behind is the most difficult part.  They will all plan to visit you, most of them won’t.  They will all promise to stay in touch; don’t blame them too much if they are slow to reply to your emails.  Before you go, have a get together with all of your friends to make sure they all know you are going to miss them, and thank them for being so important to you.

My favorites

• If you have a blog, make sure they all have it saved on their computers.
• Get emails for everyone.
• Collect addresses and send at least 1 post card every couple of months.
• Consider getting an online phone number so they can call you without international fees.
• For those closest to you, set up regular appointments to Skype, FaceTime, etc. and don’t let the physical distance keep you apart.

Bonus♦ Kids

We don’t have kids. Honestly, raising them while traveling the world might be the only way we would want to have kids.  Tons of families are figuring out how do to just that, including schooling.  Don’t let kids be a deterrent to traveling the world.  Here are two websites to look at as your start your search for information about worldschooling and traveling with a family.   World Travel Family is a family from Australia traveling the world and homeschooling their children.  They have a ton of resources about traveling with kids, budgeting, ideas, and information on the Australian and UK school systems.  2TravelDads is written by Americans also traveling the world with their children.  They have some great information on homeschooling and travel from the American perspective.  Good luck!!