We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open – Jawaharial Nehru
If you’ve ever dreamed of leaving behind your 9-5 working life for a life of travel and adventure, you can stop dreaming and make it a reality! Switching routine for the open road is actually easier than you might think – all it takes is a bit of planning and research (and some saving) before you pack your life into a suitcase and hit the road.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover – Mark Twain
1. How to fund your travels
If you haven’t saved up enough money to travel long term/won the lottery, then don’t worry – there are other ways to fund your travels! Even if you work while you travel, you need to start off with some money in the bank so forward planning is key – start a savings account and live more thriftily to save your salary, take on extra freelance work if you can and sell your possessions (you won’t need them travelling).
2. Teach English
If you fancy living in Asia, Latin America or Europe, teaching English is the perfect job. You’ll get to experience a new culture, learn a new language, travel in your holiday time, and save up money to travel around the region once your contract’s ended. If you want to make the most money, head to Taiwan, South Korea or Japan.
3. Work on cruise ships or yachts
If you’ve got hardy sea legs, a job working on luxury yachts, where you get to sail around the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, could be for you. Job options include chef, working on deck and working as a hostess. Cruise ships offer a wider array of jobs – everything from photography to hair styling to gym instructor – and you’ll really get to see the world as you work.
4. Start a source of mobile income
Getting an income from location-independent work is the best way to fund world travels. There are so many different types of work you can do remotely – online marketing, journalism, software and web development, graphic design… the list goes on. If you have a skill set that will translate into freelance work, work on building a portfolio and contacts to get some stable work coming in before you start travelling.
5. Become a freelance travel writer
Being a freelance travel writer is the ultimate job for around-the-world travels. The more you travel, the more work you can produce! Making money off freelance travel journalism isn’t easy though – it’s a highly competitive market and the pay is often fairly low, meaning you need to write many articles every month to get by. It takes time to build up a portfolio and contacts with editors, but a good place to start is by launching your own travel blog. And if your travel blog is a big success, with enough monthly readers to make advertising revenue and sponsorships, you could live off blogging.
6. Plan where to go
If you’re going to be travelling for more than a few months, it would be hard to plan a full itinerary beforehand. Instead, pick a region you’d like to start in – say Asia – and choose your first country to land in. It’s a good idea to research travel routes (such as the popular South East Asia route of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) to find out where you’d like to go, but leaving some of your itinerary unplanned helps you to be spontaneous and decide where to go once you’ve started travelling.
7. Finding accommodation
If you’re on a tight budget, sleeping on couches for free is your best option. Sign up to Couchsurfing.com and find couches to sleep on in almost every country in the world. Other options for accommodation include house sitting (use websites such as House Carers and Mind my House) or renting a room in a shared apartment or house on Airbnb – much cheaper than a hotel or hostel room!
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is an organisation that links organic farms with travellers. Join the website and search for farms in many different countries that offer free accommodation and food in exchange for you working a few hours a day on the farm. You’ll make new friends from different cultures, live in the countryside and learn a bit about organic farming!