Practical Guide to Long Term Travel Planning
Planning a long term trip can seem like a daunting task. And at some level, it is. Our travel guide aims to put the weight off your shoulders. Here's everything you need to know when you start planning long term travel, including tips from our personal experience.
Long term travel is quite a vague term. No one can tell where is the exact line when the regular short-term travel we usually call vacation turns into a life-changing experience that lasts much longer.
But no matter whether you can take three months or a year off, planning will be similarly essential as spending so much time on the road requires a lot of things to know.
It is not only about the actual time on the road, but equally important is the mindset and thorough preparation before the trip even begins.
Even though it might seem that long term travelers do not need to plan that much, you might get a feeling that these hippies just go with the flow; the opposite is true.
Yes, it is unnecessary to plan everything in advance, but based on our experience, we see long term travel as a huge logistical mission, and if you skip one step in the planning process, you might later regret it.
If you've decided that long term travel is exactly what you need, or you just want to get out of your comfort zone, we are super-excited on your behalf.
Nomadic life is amazing, although in our opinion, only for some time, and traveling indefinitely is certainly not something we would wholeheartedly recommend.
We were traveling for a year in New Zealand, for months in Southeast Asia, Canada, etc. But the biggest challenge was a year we spent in South America and Central America.
Some decisions we made along the way were absolutely unplanned (this is the advantage and difference from a few weeks long holidays), while some of them were carefully planned, several months ago.
In the end, we knew we made a few mistakes, and in this travel guide, we would like to share with you everything we learned along the way.
Consider this post as a guideline that should help you to travel the world long term and adjust it according to your needs as you please.
Here's everything you need to know for planning long term travel.
PLANNING THE TRIP
Planning a long term trip has several stages. The very first one is the idea itself. The idea that occupies your mind, and you start thinking whether is long term travel even doable in your situation.
For some, it is only a dream that will stay unrealized until the rest of life, but some travelers decide to take action. Well, hello, you guys, congratulations.
You're about to experience something extraordinary, something you will never forget. If there's something we really cherish about long term travel, it is the memories and the sense of freedom.
But the idea of traveling long term is not enough as there is much more to know to execute it successfully. Let's dive into it.
BE REALISTIC
Before you start planning your trip, we recommend you to read this post on everything you need to know about long term travel.
The thing is that people usually have a romantic image of how life on the road looks like, and reality is often a bit different.
Yes, it is wonderful most of the days, but there are also lows you should be aware of. But that's not all. Before you set off for a journey of a lifetime, evaluate your existing situation.
Can you afford to travel abroad for that long? Now we do not mean if you can afford it money-wise, but rather, are you in a stage of your life and career when several months off won't be a mistake?
Certainly, we do not want to encourage anyone to quit their job without thinking about it. What will you do with your apartment? Do you have a place to store your stuff, or will you have to sell everything?
Is there any way your employer could give you unpaid time off and wait for your return?
There's a lot to evaluate.
We won't tell you that we started traveling without realizing the situation.
Our first long term trip to New Zealand, where we spent 15 months, was spontaneous, but the second one, when we moved to Calgary, was much more systematic, and we were aware that it does not have to work out.
Simply put, no matter how we think long term travel is wonderful, do not let the idea itself overshadow everything else. We feel this advice is super-important.
GET INSPIRED
The truth is, it is hard to imagine life on the road without the actual experience. Nevertheless, we are convinced that it is important to get inspired.
Read travel blogs, travel guides and magazines, travel locally, watch nature documentaries on Netflix, learn a new language, dive into photography, check out travel books from famous writers, or enjoy reading inspiring travel quotes to ignite your wanderlust before you go to bed.
We find this stage quite important too.
You will set your spirit to a goal, and although there are a few things you need to plan and do before you set off, keeping a positive mindset will help you overcome struggles.
CHOOSE YOUR TRAVEL STYLE
Before you take a taxi to the airport and start the long term trip, the next step is to think about your travel style.
In general, we would say there are two types of travelers, who decide to travel long term.
The first group is the backpackers (solo travelers, female solo travelers, couples). This group is not defined by age but by the ability to live frugally on the road.
These people seek experience over comfort and can often live on a low budget as it allows them to stay on the road longer. It was actually our case on our last long term trip.
The second group we met on the road were usually couples either shortly after the wedding or in their fifties or sixties, who decided to see the world, usually many countries in a span of a few months, who normally spent on their trip more than the majority of us.
On their RTW trip, they usually want to see only bucket list attractions in every country. If there's one thing we think is worth knowing, it is impossible to travel long term without cutting off some costs unless you are a rentier.
Therefore, make sure you know what you are committing to. You will hardly spend several months on the road without sleeping at least once in a dormitory, tent, or without having a proper shower.
CHOOSE A TRAVEL DESTINATION
The first part of planning long-term travel that a bit resembles the reality is choosing a travel destination. Southeast Asia is popular for a reason. In comparison with other destinations, it is much cheaper.
Therefore, for many backpackers, it is the first place where they are headed for their life-changing travel experience.
You can meet many young people, usually even recently graduated, who want to fulfill their dreams before returning to reality.
Countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia or Philippines are surely worth visiting.
Also, South America and Central America have been lately growing in popularity as travel costs are still reasonable, and the diversity is absolutely incredible.
The USA and Europe are also worth considering, but these destinations for the majority of us lack the exotic feel, plus countries on these continents are more expensive.
Another thing you should check out when choosing the right destination is the weather conditions.
When planning your trip, the chances are that you will visit several countries with different topography during different seasons.
When we started thinking about our trip to South America, we made sure that we do not get to Patagonia in the winter (June to August) as we would not be able to enjoy it that much as we are not experienced mountaineers.
Also, we tried to balance the travel cost.
This is why we wanted to be in every country, possibly in the shoulder season that would guarantee us great weather, few visitors, and reasonable prices.
There's a lot to think about, so you also need to roughly plan how long you would like to stay in each country. The time you dedicate to the research will greatly improve your travel experience later on.
SAVE MONEY FOR TRAVEL
One of the biggest misconceptions is that long term travel is very affordable. When you count your spendings per day, long term travel is, for sure, cheaper than a regular vacation, but it still does not mean you can have a zero on your bank account.
There are several ways to save money for travel, but you must know how much money you will most likely need before you start working on it.
It is impossible to know the exact amount as long term travel brings unexpected expenses, but you should at least have an idea of how much things, in countries you want to visit, cost.
The longer you want to travel, the more money you should save, just in case. It is also a good idea to find out another way of income before your trip.
Research options on how to start a travel blog, teach English abroad, or become a guest post writer - these gigs can allow you to stay on the road longer.
When we planned our long term travel, we knew from our previous experience that we could live on the road quite frugally.
Still, we saved more than we assumed we needed as we knew unexpected things could happen.
Someone stole my phone in Bogota. Martin broke his phone on the way to Laguna Paron, so we needed to buy a new one. We decided on the very last moment to camp in the Peruvian jungle for a week, which was quite expensive.
These were moments we were glad we did not set off on the road right after we had enough money, but we decided to save a bit more.
CREATE A TRAVEL ITINERARY
Once you know when you want to travel and know your travel destination, it is time to create a travel itinerary.
The advantage of traveling long term is that you do not have to create a day by day itinerary; it is actually impossible. Still, you should have an idea of what places you want to visit.
There are several types of travel destinations. Ultimate bucket list places, a must-visit attraction that no one wants to miss, whether it is a vacationer or long-term traveler.
Then, some places are attractive only for certain types of travelers, and lastly, there are low-key destinations that only a few people visit.
How to create a perfect travel itinerary? As a long term traveler, you have several options.
For every country, we wrote down all places we wanted to visit. We searched for more points of interest nearby, that regular travelers do not visit because of lack of time.
As we had the luxury of not being pressed for time, we also searched for off the beaten path destinations and then evaluated whether it is worth it to travel there.
The great thing about creating an itinerary for a long term trip is that you can change it quite often and even extend your stays if you find an amazing destination.
Long term travel is often a synonym for slow travel, and it is actually the closest you can get to travel like a local and perceiving the world as a local, which we value a lot.
We really think you should not skip this step in the process of planning a long term trip.
Travel fatigue truly exists when on the road for too long, and it is much easier to plan an itinerary at home than in a shabby hostel room when the initial excitement wears off.
CREATE YOUR TRAVEL BUDGET
So you saved money for travel, but now, you need to create a travel budget for every individual country. If you know exactly that your trip will take a year, it is quite easy to get an everyday budget.
Simply divide the money you have on a bank account by the number of days on the road. But if your plans are vaguer, it gets more complicated.
We did not know how long we will be traveling; our goal was to see as many countries and places as possible before money runs out.
Therefore, there was only one thing we could do. We traveled as cheaply as possible.
We're not gonna lie to you, after six months on the road, it is quite challenging to sleep in a hostel that looks like a nightmare and eat in the cheapest local eateries, but we were always able to motivate ourselves as we knew the more we save, the more we'll see.
The equation could not be more simple. We set a budget of around $50 for both of us per day.
Some days were more expensive, such as the actual travel days, and then visiting top places in South America such as Machu Picchu, flying over Nazca Lines, or activities such as canyoning in Costa Rica.
But we always knew we had to compensate for the most expensive days with the cheaper ones.
RESEARCH TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
The rule of thumb is to search for transportation options when it comes to the very first destination. It is an essential thing. We usually search for flight tickets via multiple search engines that are able to find the best connections and deals.
We're not able to say whether it is best to buy a plane ticket a long time in advance or to wait for last-minute deals. We simply buy the tickets when we finally decide on a trip.
We flew from Calgary to Colombia and bought the tickets three months in advance.
Then, we traveled mostly by buses, but to the destinations such as the Galapagos Islands or when we needed to cover large distances like from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, we booked the tickets at the very last moments, sometimes even days before the departure.
Some countries such as Jordan or Iceland are more suitable for a road trip, and it makes sense to rent a car.
The good thing is that train or bus tickets usually do not have to be bought in advance, which gives you the flexibility you need.
When we arrived at a new destination, we always bought a ticket for another place straight away, if we knew we would stay only a day or two. If we were not sure, we simply left it to the last moment.
Always compare the time you'll spend on the road and the transportation cost. Had we known in advance that a flight from Cartagena to Medellin costs almost the same as the bus, we would have skipped this tiring overnight trip.
Probably the most tricky part is to get from the airport to the city. It can usually get expensive when you do not read tips on saving money in advance, so pay attention to this detail when planning your long term travel.
If you do not want to haggle about the taxi price, check out GetYourGuide or Viator, where you can often find very reasonable alternatives that can be booked well ahead.
BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION
Traveling to a foreign country where you do not know what to expect can be quite difficult, especially if you've just embarked on a long term journey.
That's why we think it is absolutely essential to book a hotel room at least for the first couple of nights, possibly for the first week, so you'll feel more confident as there will be at least one thing arranged
Personally, we love using Booking.com for choosing the best accommodation.
We always reserved rooms in our next destination two to three days in advance, when we already knew that our plans will most likely work out.
Admittedly, we do not book non-refundable offers unless we are already on the bus because it happened to us a hundred times that we changed our plans very last minute.
When you plan a trip, always check out public holidays and other special events. Traditionally, no matter where around the world you travel, peak season is during school holidays, Christmas, New Year's, or Easter.
For example, Popayan in Colombia and Antigua in Guatemala are famous for their Easter celebrations. We had a chance to see the celebrations in Guatemala, and it was a wonderful travel experience.
However, these are periods where you should book your accommodation well in advance because rates skyrocket and good deals are gone within a second.
During the trip, we skipped Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, as we wanted to explore the city on a budget and avoid the crowds.
CREATE A CHECKLIST
When working from home, we love to stay organized, so it should not surprise you that we always create a checklist of things to do before traveling abroad.
It does not matter how many times we've already gone through the process; it is always better to write everything down.
First of all, make sure you have a valid passport and all documents in order, such as a visa. Also, always photocopy your passport and visas and keep them in online storage for easy accessibility.
If you want to visit super-popular places where the number of visitors is regulated, make your reservation well in advance.
We are now talking about destinations such as Inca Trail in Peru, Milford Track in New Zealand, or W Trek in Torres del Paine. Another thing worth knowing is whether you need a vaccination or not.
We knew there's a compulsory yellow fever vaccine to enter South America, so we had to arrange it a few weeks before the trip.
As it is super-important to stay safe, always check all travel warnings and not be afraid to change your plans if a situation in a destination where you want to travel worsens.
You should check so many more things before the trip, like practicalities that relate to your apartment, monthly payments, etc., but you can read more about it in our more detailed post.
PACK LIGHT
Packing for a long term trip is one of the toughest tasks, and it is certainly something you should plan carefully.
You will likely visit many different places during your trip where you will experience different temperatures, wet and rainy seasons, or even different altitudes.
The rule of thumb is not to overpack, which can be quite hard. Though there are some essential things we never leave home without.
In one year, we explored beaches in Tayrona National Park, climbed Nevado Santa Isabel, visited Sao Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world, cruised around the Galapagos, toured the salt flats, experienced insanely humid parks in Costa Rica, hiked in Patagonia, and we could go on and on.
In a nutshell, we needed everything from a swimsuit to a down jacket, from flip-flops to hiking boots. How did we manage to pack it all?
First of all, we had to accept the idea that we won't look like from a catalog.
We packed only a few functional t-shirts, trousers, shorts or leggings, focused more on layers, and made sure we were ready for severe weather conditions such as rain, snow, and wind.
In case you forget something or destroy your favorite jeans, it is always possible to buy them.
BE READY TO IMPROVIZE
Improvisation is part of long term travel. There's rarely a day when everything goes as planned. Do not take it as a failure, though.
When something does not go according to a plan, it is simply part of the journey.
No matter how essential good preparation is, it would be a bit boring without occasional downs, right?
Is Inca Trail booked out? You can still do the Salkantay Trek or day trips from Cusco. Is the road to fascinating Peruvian ruins closed? Well, you can try tomorrow.
For us, it is usually important to know we did a maximum to succeed, and if something does not work out, we can learn from it.
If anything else, traveling long term is a journey in every sense of the term. It is about visiting new places, but it is also about getting to know yourself as a person - next time, you'll know better.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE
Finally, when planning a long trip, you should by no means forget about travel insurance. Yes, it is quite expensive, especially if you travel for a year or more, but believe us, if something happens, you'll be glad you have it.
It is very reckless to travel without travel insurance nowadays, and you can even end up having a lifetime debt.
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.
Luckily, we used our travel insurance only a few times during our shorter or longer trips, but the idea of leaving our home country without it actually never crossed our minds.
It is great to have a stress free trip, so it is wise to do the maximum to stay safe.
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.
