Long Term Travel: Everything You Need to Know
Long term travel seems like a fairy tale. Traveling indefinitely became a lifestyle people adore. But how is it like to travel long term? Is it really so perfect? In this backpacking travel guide, we want to share everything you should know before traveling long term, all the pros and cons. How to plan long term travel, and is it even worth it?
First of all, before we will talk more closely about things we think are relevant to know before you start traveling long term, we should probably explain the term.
What should you imagine under traveling long term? Is it a month? A year? Two?
We do not believe there's an exact definition, but according to us, the line between short and long term travel is somewhere between three to six months.
However, the most common period is about one year. Taking a year off to explore the world is one of the most popular ideas between travelers.
It is the time when the excitement of moving permanently fades away a bit, and the new reality takes over.
In case you were caught by the idea of traveling for a more extended period of time, that's awesome.
We've done it several times ourselves - in New Zealand, then in Southeast Asia, and most recently, in South America and Central America.
The longest we’ve spent on the road without any (working) break was one year, which led us to think about it as a separate discipline and a phenomenon worth writing a dedicated post about.
Long term travel really is different from a one or two-week-long vacation. Actually, it could not be more different.
This is why, before you set off, you should be well informed and we believe reading our long term travel tips will help.
Even though no reading of guidebooks and travel blogs will prepare you for the trip 100%, it will at least give you an idea of what to expect, and you will later deal with all the pros and cons more easily.
What is important to say, by no means do we want to trick you.
This is why you'll never hear from us that long term travel is the best way to explore the world. We'll never persuade you to ditch your job and start traveling indefinitely.
It’s ONE of the ways to explore the world. And to be honest, we love all types of traveling. From one day trips to year long adventure.
On top of that, long-term traveling as a lifestyle, at least according to us (and apparently according to many others we met on the road), is unsustainable.
Long term travel is challenging, tiring, and yes, a thing like travel burnout exists.
On the other hand, long term travel also has many positives. Otherwise, it would not be such popular.
In this blog post, we would like to share with you everything you need to know before traveling long term. Everything that you can expect on the road, tips we think are essentials, and details you should not forget.
Let's dive into it!
WHY TRAVEL LONG TERM?
Before we jump in, let's talk about the idea of long term travel.
First, you should ask yourself, why would you want to travel long term?
Are you ready to give up the comfort you have back home? Your job? Flat? Income? You also won't see your friends and family for quite some time.
Yes, these questions are not very pleasant.
But it's better to be honest with yourself before you make life-changing decisions than regret it later. If you are not the best decision-maker in the world, make a list of pros and cons. It might help a little bit.
Being said that, the only way to find out is to begin your journey.
LONG TERM TRAVEL IS NOT FOR EVERYONE
Well, let's say it aloud and right before we start talking about long term travel in more details.
Long term travel is not for everyone.
The truth is that many travelers discover this fact on the road, and although without this very experience, it is tough to tell how this lifestyle will affect you and whether you are going to like it or not, it is worth it to give it a thought.
The best thing you can do is to review memories from your past travels.
How do you handle moving every couple of days to a new location? Do you mind a bit of discomfort? Can you imagine sleeping in dormitories? What about planning and arranging stuff constantly?
Do you find it overwhelming?
If there's one thing we love about traveling, it is the fact that it teaches us a lot, and everything can be taught, even handling the situations we've mentioned above.
The important thing is that long term travel and situations that inevitably come with it should not deny your personality and who you are.
It is ok to deal with uncertainty and discomfort for a few weeks, but it is really challenging to experience it repeatedly for many months.
Long term travel means you will commit to something new and exciting, and it is only you who should profit from this experience.
In case you are not sure from the very beginning if this is the right path for you, we recommend taking a few longer trips to test yourself.
Although it might sound boring, we do not think that long term travel should be done completely spontaneously.
Best decisions are well-informed ones.
YOU CANNOT SEE EVERYTHING
One of the misconceptions about long term travel is that you will see everything. Well, once you do, let us know.
Sure, you will most likely see more than average travelers, but on the other hand, we could read about people who traveled to twenty countries in ten months.
What is important to realize, long term travel is not about ticking places off your bucket list.
It is also not a race.
Travel is about the journey and yourself, which we actually perceive to be sometimes more significant than visiting actual top attractions.
Before your trip, make a list of top things you want to see - Machu Picchu in Peru, Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina, Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. These should for sure be in your travel itinerary. But it would be a suicide to attempt to visit every Inca ruin in Peru, every glacier in Argentina, or every beach in Brazil.
We'll talk about planning more closely later in this post, but make sure you won't be exploring each country like crazy.
Long term travel is about taking it easy, not about visiting every single place in a guide book.
TRAVEL COSTS MONEY
Long term travel costs money. Period.
No matter how many articles online try to persuade you that everyone can travel and that it is possible to do it with almost no money, the truth is a bit different.
Sure, we travel on a budget, which in our vocabulary means we travel as cheap as possible whenever we can.
And no, 100 dollars per day per person is not ‘traveling on a budget’ in our big book of travel.
But that does not mean we did not spend a lot of money on this passion of ours. It also does not mean we do not splurge from time to time on things we think are worth it.
In case you really want to stay on the road for more than a couple of months, you should start planning on saving money for travel.
Try to figure out how much money you will need for every destination and choose a travel destination that is not super expensive.
Read blog posts such as this one where we described our Iceland travel budget to get an idea of how much things cost and Iceland on a Budget that includes tips on saving money while traveling around this particular destination.
It is also necessary to include in your budget activities that are more costly such as a flight over Nazca Lines or volcano boarding in Nicaragua.
When you decide on traveling long term, it is clear you cannot do bungee jumping in every single place you visit, so choose only a location or a country where it makes sense.
When we toured the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni, we started the tour in Bolivia and crossed the borders to Chile on the last day of the trip. Not only was it better for acclimatization, but it was way cheaper.
The tour's ending point was San Pedro de Atacama, which is also famous for tours to volcanoes, flamencos, and salt flats.
Obviously, we skipped the tours from the Chilean side as it would make zero sense, and we would basically see the same things we had just seen.
Also, it is more than clear that everyone has a different budget.
We are used to travel frugally and have a system of saving money on the road, and what is more important, we can maintain this travel style for a while.
In case you are not sure how much money you need, always budget more - it is also good to have extra cash in case of emergency.
BE STRICT ABOUT YOUR BUDGET
Once you create your travel budget, stick to it. Be strict; do not change it.
Sometimes it needs a lot of mental strength not to buy dinner that costs twice as much as usual or to sleep in a nicer hotel.
We were always worried that if we did it once, we would be tempted to do it again as it always hurt to go from a higher level of comfort to the lower one.
We usually set a budget for a country, we roughly knew how long we wanted to stay, and it gave us a daily budget.
Sure, some days were more expensive than others, for example when we had to pay for bus tickets or a tour, but the point was to balance it with the spendings on the cheaper days.
Yes, it sometimes sucks when a couple you meet tells you that there's a cheap restaurant just behind the corner, and you will later find out it costs four times more than what you usually pay for all meals a day.
But remember that memories are not measured by money. And you cannot compare yourself with holidaymakers who overall spend more in a shorter period of time.
LONG TERM TRAVEL IS TIRING
The biggest downside of traveling long term is that the process will become too tiring after some time.
Pack you stuff, hop on several hours long bus journey to a new destination, get from the bus terminal to a hotel, unpack, go out and explore (you also need to research what to see first), find a restaurant or go shopping, buy a snack for the next day, get some sleep, pack again, and go to the bus terminal.
Rinse and repeat.
This is, in short, how the everyday reality looks like. Yes, there are days when you stay somewhere longer, but the truth is, only a few days are not enough to recover after some time on the road.
After a year of traveling non-stop, we were exhausted, both physically and mentally, and when we were asked repeatedly what we would do when we get back home, we did not have the answer ready.
We just wanted to be at one place for a week or maybe even a month, do nothing, and most importantly, not plan anything every day.
YOU CAN SEE PLACES FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
It sometimes seems that long term travel brings only difficulties and challenges. But it surely has many advantages. One of them is the fact that you can see places from a different perspective.
Long travel will give you a chance to try a new travel style, called slow travel.
As the name suggests, thanks to traveling slowly, you can explore places more thoroughly.
You do not need to rush. So wait, after all the day-trippers leave, and enjoy the unique atmosphere.
We can give you as an example towns such as Barichara or Guatape in Colombia.
These popular colonial towns are awesome day trips from either San Gil and Medellin, and regular travelers visit them for only a few hours.
But you can take advantage of the time you have; these places will reveal their real face.
When you can spend more time in a town, you do not have to visit just the guidebooks' highlights. Instead, wander off the well-trodden path.
This is the reason why traveling long term is so popular.
PLANNING IS ESSENTIAL
Even though people who travel long term seem very relaxed and you might get an impression that they go wherever they want, we cannot emphasize how important the planning part is.
Of course, it is impossible to plan a year-long holiday day by day, but you should have at least a rough idea of what you want to see and when.
We planned our big trip around South America for six months.
It was quite challenging to figure out the seasons and make sure we do not arrive in Patagonia at the beginning of winter.
Indeed, we left many things for the last moment, such as booking tours or accommodation, but we knew what we wanted to see, the highlights we did not want to miss, and then we just added a few unexpected detours on the road.
In case you want to visit places such as Galapagos Islands or hike the Inca Trail, it is something you need to plan in advance, no matter whether you travel for two weeks or two years.
We are sure you do not want to arrive in Torres del Paine and learn that the famous W trek must be reserved several months ahead.
Except for the weather in every destination, it is worth checking out national holidays as these days are often busy and accommodation more expensive.
We always tried to book all the services a couple of days ahead. The most important is to book a hotel in your very first destination - this will give you peace of mind.
Simply put, thanks to planning, you will enjoy the time on the road much better. And you will save tons of money.
YOU'LL LEARN A LOT
Traveling will change your life for the better in every case. But long term travel will teach you an awful lot. Every day is like reading a textbook. You learn a new language, geography, culture.
On top of that, long term travel will also teach you how to communicate with others, how to deal with unpleasant situations, how to live without routine.
It is just you (and maybe your friend or partner in case you are not a solo traveler), and you have to take care of yourself.
And believe us, sometimes it is much harder in a foreign country than in a place where you know all the customs by heart.
The statement that you will return as a different person might sound exaggerated, but it is not far from the truth.
When we came back, many things we deal with in everyday life seemed like a piece of cake. We became more confident, know our strengths and weaknesses.
But we are also more conscious as we realized how privileged we are to be living in a European country.
It is really different to see poverty in Bolivia on the news and then walk the streets and see it with your very own eyes. Or to hear about Colombia's problems, and then to see all the police force and soldiers on the streets.
If there was only one reason we should give you why to forget your fears and get ready for long term travel, it would be that this lifestyle will broaden your horizons and put many things into a completely new perspective.
TRAVELING IS SOMETIMES BORING
Admittedly, long term travel can be sometimes boring. Instagram is full of wonderful beach photos of snow-capped mountains, but you can rarely see what is happening behind the scene.
A lot of waiting, a lot of time spent on a bus, plane, or stations of all kinds.
When you multiply this with the common attitude in some of the less developed countries, where a bus rarely comes on time, be prepared for moments that are not super exciting.
At the end of our trip, we were almost dreading another bus journey that should have been longer than six hours because we knew it would be simply too long.
We developed a few games we could play, we read a lot on the bus (we recommend purchasing Kindle before you go), or tried to sleep to kill time.
YOU WILL SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THE ROAD
Is this really something that surprising? Isn't it obvious? Actually, it's not that easy to imagine how much time you spend getting around.
Well, even though we weren't newbies before our year-long trip, it took us by surprise how many hours we spent moving from one place to another.
It was a never-ending hassle, and it’s one of the things you should know before traveling.
And it was definitely the least favorite part of the entire journey.
THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY
Some people handle uncertainty well; some of them don't. Well, it is good to know that uncertainty is something that will accompany you almost every day when traveling long term.
You will often not know where you will spend the night, how to get somewhere, or how much things should cost.
One of the reasons why people usually abandon the idea of traveling indefinitely is just the lack of stability.
In case you find out that you need a bit of stability, there's nothing easier than to spend a week or more at one place, somewhere where you feel comfortable and where you can practice routine for a while.
FIND A ROUTINE
This brings us to routine. People usually travel long term to escape routine, but the truth is that human beings need a system after some time.
Once the first excitement wears off, you will likely start seeking the routine you had back home.
Learning a new language at a certain time, jogging, but even having the same breakfast every day will be something that you will most likely miss.
To avoid travel burnout, it is essential to find a routine - something you do and look forward to every day.
It might be a short walk, jogging, or cooking a familiar meal; just find what makes you happy and try to incorporate it into your schedule on the road.
Of course, it is often not possible, but it would be a shame not to try it at least.
IT CAN GET OVERWHELMING
Long term travel can easily get overwhelming. There are so many things to see and do every day that it is almost impossible to process them all.
Add the necessity to move around all the time, and it must be clear that no one can withstand the pace for several months in a row.
Travel can get overwhelming in the positive sense of the term as well.
I still vividly remember our last trip to Patagonia.
This part of the earth is so beautiful, and there's a new view behind every corner that it was impossible to stay concentrated all the time.
FLEXIBILITY
Traveling for longer periods opens up new opportunities, and one of the opportunities you should enjoy to the fullest is the flexibility.
Apart from the ahead planned activities, there's nothing that limits you, except for the bank account.
If you find out that Cusco is a destination that is worth exploring, base yourself here for two weeks.
We like visiting new countries and know it is unlikely we would return to many places we had visited, therefore we always gladly take the chances that allow us to stay somewhere longer as we know this probably won't happen again.
Long term travel gives you real freedom, and you should enjoy it to the fullest, not to be pressed for time for once.
IT IS NOT VERY HEALTHY & STAYING FIT IS HARD
I think we survived long term travel quite well, but if there was one field where we were struggling, it was in maintaining our eating habits and staying fit.
In general, we care about what we eat, but on the road, it is often impossible to eat healthy, especially on a low budget.
This is problem number one. Problem number two was to have a routine. Or the lack of routine to be more precise.
One day we ate almost nothing, the other day late at night, then we had breakfast at 3 AM, and we could go on and on.
We became masters of planning, so at least we always had a banana in a backpack that would help us survive unforeseen situations.
Had we had a higher budget, we would have probably been able to eat a bit healthier, but this way, it was often no fun.
What is probably even harder is staying fit. Yes, you will walk a lot. We did plenty of day hikes.
We even did a few multi-day treks as this one in Los Nevados National Park in Colombia or Salkantay Trek in Peru, but it is simply not that kind of exercise a body needs regularly.
When we were traveling long term, it was also for the first time when we put up some weight despite our efforts.
IT WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP
No matter if you are with your partner a month or a year, the moment you set off for a several months-long 'vacation', you will learn a lot about your relationship.
And it can also happen that you are not going to like it.
We met several couples that broke up on the road - and it is something you should be aware of.
Long term travel is about being together almost 24/7; some situations are unpleasant, you will be tired, and there will be no room where you could escape.
Traveling is very different from your everyday life, where you meet only in the evening, chat for a while, and then spend more time together only on weekends.
On the other hand, we think this information should not put you off traveling together.
We think if you survive a multi-months long journey, you will survive everything.
Plus, you will also have memories and stories you can share for the rest of your lives.
YOU WILL MEET TONS OF NEW PEOPLE
At first, the idea of meeting new people might sound like one of the best reasons to start your long term journey around the world. And it's true.
Traveling connects people from all around the world and throughout all social backgrounds. You will meet all sorts of people, some nice, some less nice, but that's part of the experience.
Dormitories, common areas in hostels, or organized tours are packed with people who love traveling and want to share their stories and meet new people the same way you do.
If you are more of an introvert, these opportunities might help you get out of the comfort zone, and you will have a chance to meet someone new every day. If you are an extrovert, well, you are going to love this.
However, there is only a small catch.
These exact positives can quickly turn into negatives. Yes, it gets tiresome after a while.
YOU MIGHT GET TIRED OF MEETING PEOPLE
If you are not a millionaire, you will likely stay in budget hostels or cheap hotels, where you will meet many people, even if you do not stay in dormitories.
Inevitably, you will talk to many of them.
And although meeting new people is one of the advantages of traveling, it can get a bit tiring after a while.
First of all, most of the people you meet on the road have similar experiences, they had done similar stuff, and therefore you often talk about the same topics.
Where are you from? What do you do for living, where are you heading next, etc.
It is fun for a while, but unfortunately, we did not feel in the mood to repeat ourselves over again after some time.
And it is not just us; we met several people out there who had the very same experience.
How to get out of it? Either stay somewhere remote for a while so you'll start missing company, or book a room in a better hotel, where you can enjoy more privacy.
HYGIENE
Let's say it aloud; your standards will have to adapt when it comes to hygiene on the road.
Traveling long term is challenging in many aspects. One of the hardest things was not having a hot shower every evening. There are simply days when it's not possible.
We still remember the 22 hours long bus ride from the Atacama Desert to Santiago de Chile.
Even though we had usually access to a shower every day (except for a few days when we were on tours such as camping in Pacaya Samiria for a week or hiking multi-day treks), inevitably, we felt after a few months on the road dusty and unclean.
On top of that, washing clothes in the sink was also not the most popular activity ever.
Thankfully, there are laundries almost everywhere now. That's a true lifesaver. Since then, we know how to appreciate clean clothes and bedding.
PACK LIGHT
One of the burning questions most travelers want to know is what to pack for long term travel. Even though we will soon bring a post dedicated to this topic, we would like to share a few thoughts.
First of all, we recommend packing as light as possible.
Once you decide on what to bring with you, go through the list once again. In the end, you are not going to need five t-shirts, three pairs of jeans, or shoes for every occasion.
It is necessary to realize that the more frugally you pack, the lighter the backpack will be.
We found packing for the South America trip quite challenging as we knew we would visit beautiful beaches, explore the deserts, stay in the cities, and hike in the snowy mountains.
In other words, we needed clothing for every climate you can imagine.
Still, we managed to have a backpack of 10 -13 kilograms each, which was still quite comfortable to carry.
And after we returned back home, we discovered a few items we haven't used for the whole year.
What are the five essentials we think you'll find useful for a long term trip?
Packing cubes are a must-have to keep your bag organized, though the regular ones tend to be quite heavy. This Osprey Ultra Light Packing Cube Set is a much better solution.
Old fashioned rain poncho that will keep dry not only yourself but your backpack as well.
Even though it might sound obvious, invest in a good backpack. This is something we can't stress enough. After all, you are going to carry it day and night.
Despite the fact that we have excellent and comfortable backpacks, we developed a love-hate relationship with it. After a few months on the road, you will see by yourself.
Merino underwear is also a must. When we are on the road, we always use merino underwear as it's comfortable and also dries quite quickly.
Last but not least, we would never leave home without a water bottle as it is important to stay hydrated.
We also want to be more cautious about the environment and reduce our plastic consumption, and carrying your own water bottle is a great way to achieve it.
You will find more tips on this topic in this blog post: Eco-Friendly Travel Packing List for Sustainable Travelers.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Traveling long term can get you disconnected from the world you used to know that well.
Thanks to social media and many communication apps, keeping in touch with friends and family has never been easier. Although it is sometimes not that easy to communicate because of poor connection, it is always worth it.
When we put aside the apparent need for maintaining the bond between yourself and your relatives or friends, there's one more reason why you should not shut all the doors.
This reason is safety.
We can not stress enough how important it is to share your plans and approximate whereabouts if something happens.
STAY SAFE WHEN YOU TRAVEL
Staying safe while long term traveling is one of the most important aspects of the entire adventure. If you are choosing your next destination, choose carefully.
There is a reason while backpacking around Southeast Asia is so popular. And there is a reason why South America has a bad reputation.
We picked these two destinations to give you an example as they are both perfect for long term travel. Inexpensive, packed with amazing places.
And even though it seems that Southeast Asia is safer, you can enjoy a trip to South America as well without experiencing any major issues.
Listen to locals what they say about the places you want to visit. Read the safety advice. And most importantly, use your common sense when traveling.
On the way from Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, we were accidentally dropped off at the northern part of Chiclayo's town.
One of the locals immediately told us that this place is not very safe, and we shouldn't use our phone on the street and not wander around this area too much.
We got similar advice about this part of the town when we first arrived at the main bus station.
That was just one small example, but if you don't like similar situations, make sure you know as much as possible about your next destination. Otherwise, you might not find traveling enjoyable.
Also, when traveling long term, you might want to bring a camera, laptop, Kindle, or an expensive smartphone.
The more stuff you have and the more expensive it is, the more careful you have to be, and the bigger will be your fear of losing your things.
Stay safe!
YOU NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE
We were quite surprised by how many people travel without insurance. Well, except for the fact that it is highly irresponsible, we also think it is not very smart.
Simply put, if you cannot afford travel insurance, you should not travel at all.
In our opinion, it is not an extra expense, and getting travel insurance should be as natural as buying anything else.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
We call ourselves lucky that we used our insurance only a few times on our trips, and it was never anything serious.
However, even those small incidents would cost hundreds of dollars.
Even though we hope your trip will be without any hiccups, unfortunately, things happen, and you surely do not want to be put in debt until the rest of your life only because you wanted to save a few hundred dollars.
Always make sure your insurance coveres the activities you want to do abroad.
Activities such as skiing or canyoning might require some additional fees.
Also, when hiking in high altitudes, make sure the travel insurance covers the specific altitude.
For example, when trekking the Annapurna Circuit, we had to purchase insurance covering accidents that happen over 5000 meters above sea level, as the Tilicho Lake and Thorong La Pass lie above this altitude.
MISHAPS HAPPEN
No matter how well you plan everything, it would be a miracle if your trip would be completely perfect.
Mishaps simply happen.
You can miss your bus, a place you wanted to visit can be closed, or your valuables can be stolen.
Yes, all of that happened to us, plus we had to deal with many more unpleasant situations
My phone was stolen in Bogota, Martin dropped his phone on the rock while hiking to Laguna Paron, our bus to Arequipa was involved in a car accident, the road to Kuelap Ruins was closed, the hotel in El Chalten didn’t have our reservation, and we could go on and on.
At the end of the day, it is essential to realize that this bad experience is only one small part of the whole journey, and we are sure that all the pros and great memories will always outweigh the bad ones.
BACKUP YOUR PHOTOS
It mind sound a bit shallow, but we would be heartbroken to lose our travel photos.
Sure, one can object that we travel for the experience and memories, but in all honesty, we think we are not the only ones who love to go through all the travel photos at least once in a while.
That's why we took backing up our photos quite seriously.
We had one external disk with us, but as we knew about the risk as these things can get lost or be stolen, we always in the evening uploaded photos online.
This is another investment we think is worth it, and you should consider purchasing a space online such as Amazon Prime.
WRITE A JOURNAL
When we talk about backing up photos, we cannot fail to mention backing up your travel memories. Even if you are not a travel blogger, it is a good idea to write a travel journal.
You might think that you will remember everything. Well, we can tell you that it is highly unlikely.
This is one of the best travel tips in this article, often overlooked as unimportant.
We are now talking about those small details - if you plan on being on the road for several months, if not years, a journal is your only chance.
Some people like writing notes on a phone, but we like the old-fashioned paper journal better.
We are also convinced that a person needs a hobby on the road. Writing a journal might be exactly the hobby you will enjoy. Or, like us, you can decide to start a travel blog.
TRAVEL FATIGUE
When traveling long term, we think it is super-important to take a break from time to time. It can be for a day, for two weeks, or take a break more often.
Only this way you will avoid travel fatigue.
Naturally, after some time, you will have a feeling that you've seen it all.
Another waterfall, another ruin, after a few months in the same continent, the excitement will certainly wear off. What more, you might even get lazier.
Mayan ruins in Mexico, beaches in Brazil, markets in Ecuador, hikes in Patagonia, colonial towns in Colombia, and suddenly, you are thinking: "If I see one more ruin, one more beach, one more market…”
This is exactly when we found taking breaks helpful.
Do not think about travel; do not see anything new; just focus on your well-being. This way, you will ignite the wanderlust soon.
YOU DON'T ESCAPE YOUR PROBLEMS
Long term travel is a solution for many things, but do not expect you will escape your problems. You might postpone them, but long term travel is not a miraculous elixir for everything.
At the end of the day, traveling broadens your horizons, and you might find new ways to deal with everything you might be escaping from.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
Long term travel has one more huge advantage. You will travel slowly, therefore you will travel more sustainably.
Buying fresh veggies and fruits from a local market, eating out in small eateries, staying in family-owned guesthouses, getting around by public transport, taking tours with local guides.
Simply put, making sure that the money you spend along the way stays in the local communities is something that makes sense.
YOU GONNA LOVE IT
It can easily seem that long term travel has more cons than pros. We would not say that.
It probably has more challenges than a traditional two-week long vacation, but on the other hand, it is many times more rewarding.
Thanks to traveling long term you'll see many new places, meet people with different background, learn a lot about customs and way of life, but most importantly, you will discover yourself as a person.
And believe us, this is a non-transferable experience.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
