I’m in my fourth year living overseas as a nomad and long term traveller. Although I left England with no intention of returning to live in the country full time, I did anticipate that I would have returned for a visit by now. However, the pandemic derailed my plans to travel across Europe and reunite with family and friends last year and as such elongated my time abroad. It made more sense to stay put in Georgia, make Tbilisi my ‘home’, and ride the situation out.
Besides spending 18 months living in Georgia I spent a little over a year in the Southeast Asia region and one year in New Zealand.
Travelling indefinitely takes some groundwork. In terms of preparing for long term travel, there’s no need to plot out your entire trip and leave with 365 days plus worth of travel itineraries and 365 nights plus of pre-booked accommodation. But as a major lifestyle change, there are a handful of areas that require some thought in advance that will make your adventure more straightforward.
As I prepared to leave England, I was engulfed with panic not about hitting the road for a life of perpetual travel on my own or about the specifics of the journey, but about failing to establish a location independent business that would make this dream sustainable (and as a result, running out of money). While I poured all my waking hours into juggling three jobs to save money to fund my initial travel and researching how to set myself up as a freelancer, I pretty much overlooked the travel element of the long term travel thing.
Almost four years and one pandemic later, with many long night bus journeys and solo road trips around New Zealand behind me, I’ve had more than enough time to reflect on how to prepare for long term travel based on what I did right and what I did wrong.
Table of Contents
Preparing for Long Term Travel in 6 Steps
This guide pulls together my advice on preparing for long term travel based on my own experiences and useful tips and tricks I’ve picked up while travelling. As I’m now preparing a pitstop back to my original country before heading to a new continent, it’s useful to sit and think about gaps that I overlooked that I need to handle better this time around.
The advice is divided by category rather than chronologically as the long term travel process is gradual.
I spent around a year preparing to travel as a digital nomad. As I said, most of my preparations were consumed by launching my freelance business and I’m sure that at some point I’ll write more about that experience separately.
Step One: Determine your travel style
There are so many branches of long term travel and different ways to approach prolonged or indefinite travel. Determining your personal long term travel style isn’t the same as deciding your travel itinerary or making reservations, but rather it’s deciding the mindset and pace of your trip. Regarding preparing for long term travel, this topic deserves some consideration before you leave as well as while you travel.
As a long term traveller, you might be taking a gap year before university. Alternatively, a career break or sabbatical. Perhaps an extended honeymoon or bout of retirement travel. Maybe you want to write a book while travelling or spend your time volunteering. Or you could be jumping into the digital nomad lifestyle.
Maybe you are travelling solo, or maybe with a friend, partner, or a young family. Your budget will also dictate your travel style, whether you’re on a shoestring or luxury trip or somewhere in between.
There are differences in how you travel and if you intend on working remotely at the same time you need to find a way to balance your business with your exploration and transit. It’s something that I still struggle with even after years. As a digital nomad, you can choose to follow the conventional Monday to Friday, 9-5 pattern or mix things up. This will depend on the type of remote work you are doing and how much autonomy you have over your hours.
Another way to travel long term is by participating in work exchange schemes such as Workaway, HelpX, and WWOOF, or other volunteer programs. House or pet sitting as well as working holiday visa schemes are other options to explore. These types of travel are perfect for travellers who want to get more involved in community initiatives, have more of a home base, explore your passions, and save on accommodation costs. As forms of slow travel, you will be required to stay put for a number of weeks or even months.
In regard to plotting out your time abroad, as a long term traveller, you really don’t need to have everything set in stone when you start your journey. Some people thrive off itineraries and booking places to stay in advance while others prefer to wing it and travel off the cuff. You can meet in the middle which is what I tend to do. There’s no right or wrong; long term travel isn’t a conventional lifestyle so you can call the shots and you might change your style as you travel.
A mistake that I made in my first few months while in Vietnam was panicking about finding enough freelance work to keep me afloat, saying yes to every assignment that came my way, then working more hours than I did back in London. At the same time, I felt guilty about not spending as much time sightseeing as texts from family and friends suggested I ‘should’ have been doing.
I recommend taking the time to adjust to the long term travel lifestyle that suits your personal needs. Find a way to balance sightseeing with your other priorities, and find your own feet without feeling pressured.
Step Two: Admin Essentials
While you muse over how you want to travel you can fling yourself into some of the more administrative parts of preparing for long term travel. In no particular order, these are some of the most pressing housekeeping matters to take care of.
Get your house in order
Whether you rent or own your own property, you’ll need to decide what to do about your living space early in the preparation.
I’ll start with rentals as this was the situation that I was in and is one where I have experience.
If you’re renting a place, you will need to check out your terms of how many months notice you need to give your landlord or agency. If you are under contract, there might be a way to wriggle out before your tenancy is up, providing that you can find a replacement ‘You’. The great thing about renting is that assuming you haven’t damaged the place, you’ll get a nice chunk of cash back in the form of your returned deposit. Which is lovely right before you head out on your wanderings!
I cannot comment on the logistics of renting out a home you own as it’s something I have no experience of and I imagine that all countries have their own rules and regulations to follow. But, if you do own property, this might be an awesome way to finance your trip.
Downsize
You will also need to sort out your possessions. As I counted down to leaving England, I started to sell, donate, and store my personal effects. Sort out your things in plenty of time into the three categories and start the process early, particularly if you want to sell any of your stuff.
You can try to sell items online via eBay, Facebook Marketplace and the like, as well as at car boot sales (which feel exceptionally British). Selling things online is time-consuming and can be slow so it really helps to make a start as soon as possible so that you’re not saddled with this in the final month when you’ll be busy with other tasks.
Banking
Another important factor when preparing for long term travel is how to access your money without getting stung with fees or the risk of your card getting gobbled. Every time I withdraw cash from an ATM overseas, I’m struck with fear that the machine will swallow my card. It’s never happened but the fact that I travel with a plethora of banking cards gives me some reassurance.
You will need to consult your bank’s own terms about their overseas travel protocol and fees. Most banks require their customers to notify them ahead of travel to a foreign country otherwise you are at risk of getting your card blocked. In terms of preparing for long term travel, it’s worth having a chat with the advisors at your local branch to figure out the best way of letting them know your whereabouts.
If the fees attached to your current account and credit cards aren’t favourable, you can shop around for alternatives that do not charge you. Make sure you allow sufficient time to apply and get approved.
If your bank has an app available, I recommend downloading it prior to departure. Otherwise, you might struggle to activate it while abroad as sometimes they will contact you by phone for security. As a technophobe and dinosaur, I resisted apps for a long time before realising that they would make keeping an eye on my finances and accounts significantly easier.
In addition to traditional bank and credit cards, I recommend applying for one (or two) borderless accounts with contemporary fintech firms. Both are reputable companies and I have never encountered any issues.
I have a Standard account with Revolut (the link is my referral link). This is a prepaid currency card which means that before you make any purchase you need to link your account to your regular current account from which you can transfer money into your Revolut account. The account is accessible via an app that is free to download. You can set up Google Pay to purchase goods in shops and order a plastic card (available as either a Visa or Mastercard) which also works similar to a debit card and permits cash withdrawals.
The Standard Revolut account bears no fees when making transfers within the Single European Payments Area. Withdrawals are capped at £200 per month, after which a small fee is applied.
Besides Revolut I have an account with Wise (formerly TransferWise) which I use to pay for services and goods at a low fee and transfer money between my foreign bank accounts. As with Revolut, Wise offers the best exchange rate on the market. Wise recently launched their own currency card which enables you to pay for goods and withdraw money from your Wise balance. I have yet to use my card as it’s waiting for me in England. Wise supports more countries and currencies than Revolut and so it is a better contender for certain nationalities.
If you want to sign up, my Wise referral link grants your first transfer fee-free up to 500 GBP.
Documents
It’s pretty obvious but making sure your passport is still valid is a biggy and as you prepare for long term travel it can easily be forgotten.
Most countries exercise the right to deny entry to travellers with less than six months of validity in a passport. When preparing for long term travel, you need to make sure your passport has got a little more life left in it. If you are travelling with no end date in sight, you might want to consider renewing yours if you are in the final few years of your passport. As passport renewals are timely and costly, I recommend taking care of this early in your planning stage.
Visas are another important element not to overlook and that also need to be taken into account throughout the course of travel. If you are an aspiring digital nomad then you’ll probably end up adding a couple of visa runs into your travels now and then but bear in mind that some countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, are clamping down on regulations regarding travellers who exit for one day or a weekend and then return.
One essential document if you are intending to drive a car or motorbike is an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). This is essentially a translation of your regular driving licence and they cost as little as £5.50 in the United Kingdom and are available to buy at post offices. Not all countries require this, but a high percentage do and you are breaking the law if you get behind the wheel without one.
I was on it with my passport and in general, was okay with keeping on top of my visa requirements and not overstaying. I did spectacularly mess up my Indonesian visa (a notoriously complex visa among the long term travel scene) which meant that mere hours before my flight from Bali to Auckland, my passport was in the clutches of the Indonesian Border Police.
One thing that did escape my long term travel preparation was the IDP. I was entirely in the dark about their very existence and so revved up my motorbike in Koh Lanta with no knowledge of the fact that I was driving illegally, and more alarmingly, invalidating my travel insurance policy should an accident have happened. I didn’t know about it until after many months of motorbiking around Southeast Asia. Fortunately, no accidents occurred.
Closer to departure, you will need to make photocopies of your passport photo page and other documents. I also recommend taking some photos and having these saved on your email so that you can access them if you lose your stuff. I lost a plastic file that contained pages of important admin in the first few weeks of my trip so having everything backed up digitally was a lifesaver. Well maybe that’s a stretch too far, it was useful.
One-Way Flights
Closer to leaving your home country it’s worth making a mental note to think about one-way travel tickets and how these impact travel plans (or a lack of, more fittingly). Certain countries require an exit ticket and retain the right to refuse entry to passengers travelling on a one-way ticket. Southeast Asian countries are particularly rigid about this and you may be asked to show a ticket at check-in when travelling by plane or at land borders.
This isn’t ideal when you are a long term traveller as you might prefer to keep your plans fluid but there are few ways around this detail.
Firstly, you can book a refundable flight ticket. But only do this if you have it in writing that you will get all your money back and note the terms of seeking a refund.
Secondly, you can book a land ticket, via bus, train, or boat. This will sometimes work out far cheaper so it’s not the end of the world if you cannot get a refund or do not use it.
Thirdly, you can purchase an ‘onward ticket.’ This is a fake reservation on a flight and is valid for a limited number of hours or days. There are a couple of companies that offer this service, such as Onward Ticket. There is some risk involved should border control investigate the ticket thoroughly but the service does claim to register your name in a way that it is verifiable with the airport.
I personally used Onward Ticket once when travelling on my Indonesian Social Visa and the flight reservation was accepted without any issues.
Step Three: Travel insurance
Travel insurance is such a vital stage when it comes to preparing for long term travel (or any type of trip) and thus, it gets its own section in my guide. Each to their own, but I’m genuinely baffled by people who do not take out travel insurance. My rationing is that, say I wind up an accident or have all my worldly possessions stolen while on the road. If the experience itself didn’t kill me, my mum would see to that when I next see her if I don’t have travel insurance to bail me out.
Especially if you want to enjoy outdoor pursuits like scuba diving, skiing, rafting (see photo above of me getting knocked out by a tree/fellow rafter’s oar simultaneously), or mountain biking (even light hiking has its risks), travel insurance is so important. Yeah, it’s a lot of money to spend in one go but once it’s done, you can file that email away, avoid your bank balance for a few days, and put it out of your mind.
As well as getting insured for my long term travel, I’ve always purchased travel insurance for any short trips and longer holidays. But, without fail, I buy it at the very last minute and end up tearing my hair out while trying to choose the best package. For weekends away and holidays in my pre-nomadic life, I’d usually snap up the cheapest, most economical option available just for peace of mind that it would cover any cancellations or theft or emergencies. As a long term traveller I now typically spend a little more for more security.
There are some fantastic providers out there who cover long term travellers and who permit customers to extend or take out new policies while on the road. World Nomads is one of the most well known and reliable. Although it’s not a company I have personal experience with, I’ve heard nothing but good feedback about World Nomads and my understanding is that they settle claims fairly and hastily.
I personally use True Traveller who offer a similar set of packages (budget, mid-range, and top tier) albeit a fraction lower in cost and exclusively for residents of the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands. Their website is a doddle to navigate and you can customise your quote based on what you want to cover. True Traveller is a pleasure to communicate with and has reimbursed me for several medical situations including an unexpected surgical procedure unrelated to travel.
Both World Nomads and True Traveller cover long term travel and allow you to take out cover while you’re already abroad, which is such a lifesaver (literally, you might say).
When I left England, I took cover with Insure and Go who I have also used previously for holidays and they have always been easy to deal with and have handled any medical claims. As they would not let me extend or take out a new policy while I was in New Zealand, I briefly switched to SafetyWing (I never made a claim so I cannot give a complete recommendation) before I was introduced to True Traveller.
I recommend researching the best travel instance for your requirements at least a few months before you leave. That way you can factor the anticipated cost into your travel budget when preparing for long term travel.
Step Four: Health & Medical
Vaccinations
Depending on which countries you are heading to first, you might need some vaccinations before you depart and a prescription for anti-malaria tablets. This will really depend on your intended destinations so the best thing to do is book a doctor’s appointment or visit a travel clinic to discuss exactly what you need.
Coming from England, most of the vaccinations that I needed for my travels in Southeast Asia were covered by the NHS. However, as my travel plans were vague and I wasn’t travelling as per an itinerary, my doctor recommended some additional injections that I had to cough up and pay for at a private clinic.
These additional injections left a dent in my travel budget and were fairly last minute. It’s worth getting a handle on these as soon as possible so you can factor the costs in early while preparing for long term travel.
First Aid Kit
Another medical point is to try and stock up on any prescription medication that you rely on. Some drugs are available in pharmacies around the world but not all. For chronic medical conditions or birth control requirements, it is worth talking to your doctor about a bulk prescription if possible. You can also seek advice about any countries where your medication may not be available, although your doctor might not have this information at their fingertips.
If you are travelling with large quantities of prescription drugs you may also need a written note from your doctor to show when crossing borders. Certain countries will not consent to certain medication passing through security and so it’s also ideal to research your specific drugs when making onward travel plans.
Generally, I haven’t struggled to find over the counter items such as painkillers, antidiarrheals, and antiseptic creams, but I have struggled to find other medications that I like to keep in my First Aid Kit in case of emergency (UTI remedies and Deep Heat spring immediately to mind).
Even suncream can be complicated to pick up in some countries so this is another thing worth grabbing before you go. I skipped it and planned to buy it in Vietnam where I had a difficult time finding a decent bottle in Hoi An. I didn’t recognise the brands, all the bottles were tiny, and I struggled to find my preferred factor. Plus, it was extremely expensive in comparison with what I could have spent in England.
My final medical-related tip is to add some quality probiotics to your medical stash. These help your stomach handle unfamiliar foods and meals that have been prepared with lower hygiene standards. Speaking as someone who has eaten at many a fly-studded tropical buffet, taking a probiotic every day seems to do the trick.
Step Five: Equipment
Invest in quality gear
One of the things that I messed up when preparing for long term travel was using lousy gear. I bought the cheapest waterproof and cheapest main backpack (made cheaper by the fact that both were on sale) and snubbed spending on hiking boots over wearing my historic gym trainers.
It’s no wonder that I ended up getting soaked to the bone with my not-so-waterproof waterproof, locked myself out of my main backpack when the zipper got jammed, and sprained my ankle so badly while hiking in the Bornean jungle during a downpour that it took months to heal.
When it comes to such products as your luggage, day pack, hiking boots, sunglasses, and so on, it’s worth investing in quality. This way your items will be more comfortable and give you a far longer lifespan. In hindsight, I would have worked one final month at my job in order to blow that entire month of extra pay on decent gear that I’ll still gallivant around the globe with when my hair turns grey.
Speaking as a budget traveller, I’m not going to recommend buying the most expensive gear out there but you can get savvy and snag your gear for less.
When you start making plans for your bout of long term travel, do some research into what brands and products speak to you. There are heaps of incredible outdoor gear brands out there but it’s important to find items that best suit your body shape and personal preferences. For example, I have wide feet which affects the types of footwear I’m comfortable and my light sensitive eyes feel like they’re burning unless I wear polarised sunglasses. I’m also not a fan of top loading backpacks (well I wasn’t until I belatedly discovered packing cubes).
Once you’ve sussed out your dream brands, sign up for their newsletters so that you can swoop in on any end of season sales. You’ll often find sales during summer, around Christmas and New Year, and on Black Friday. You can also investigate local outlets that sell outdoor and travel gear at discount.
It’s a long shot but keep an eye on your local charity and second-hand shops and follow your closest Facebook marketplace groups. Having acquired some quality brands second hand, I can say that they gave me so much more than the flimsy stuff I bought new every did.
Get Appy
As someone who resisted smartphones for years and remains tech shy, I was pretty slow to clock onto the joy of apps for travellers. Having an arsenal of nifty travel apps is actually a great way to streamline your experience and to help you save money while travelling.
You will continue to refresh your library while on the road. For every country, you will end up deleting apps that are no longer relevant and downloading new ones that are specific to your new location. You can pick up destination-specific tips about what apps to download on travel blogs, in hostels, and as you encounter local residents and other travellers.
To get you started, these are my go-to apps for travellers:
- Podcasts: Not everyone loves podcasts but these are one of my favourite forms of entertainment, shortly after reading. Once you’ve downloaded a few podcast episodes, you can listen to these while in transit on long bus rides and flights.
- Local ride share apps: Ride share apps exist all over the world and countries will either have a couple of the big firms in operation or local initiatives. It’s worth Googling in advance in case you need to hail a taxi from the airport. For example, in Georgia you can download Bolt, Yandex, and Maxim, New Zealand uses Ola and Uber, while most Southeast Asian countries use Grab plus at least one other service (PassApp in Cambodia and Gojek in Indonesia).
- Google Translate: It’s worth downloading the app rather than relying on the web browser as I did for far too long as it’s far more functional.
- XE Currency: Again, this is one that I resisted for (literally) years and would just Google every time I needed to convert my currency. The app takes up minimal space and works far more efficiently.
- Duo Lingo: As a long term traveller you might want to pick up more than just a few token phrases. Duo Lingo is a fun, user-friendly app that makes it easy (or easier) to study languages while on the go.
Step Six: Hit the Road
That concludes my guide on preparing for long term travel. All that’s left to do is pack your bags, say your farewells, and start your adventure.
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