So you’ve made the (fantastic) decision to travel, and you want to do it for as long as possible. Perhaps you have no idea of your designated end date, and you’re planning on winging it as much as possible. Even if you don’t have a full itinerary or schedule in mind, it’s still important to prepare and plan as best you can, as well as learning along the way.
So, how can you best prepare yourself for your ultimate long-term travel plans?
Get into Shape
Even if you’re planning on more luxury destinations with a relaxed feel rather than backpacking adventure, travelling from place to place can still take its toll, especially over a longer period. The longer you travel, the more opportunity there is for plans to change and new challenges to be met, which means ensuring that you’re at your optimum fitness levels is a good idea.
Once you have the start date of your epic adventure in mind, you can plan to hone your fitness in the months (or year) leading up to your departure and ensure you put more focus on being healthier and more active.
You could even incorporate a fitness retreat into the beginning of your travel plans, meaning you can still perfect your fitness skills whilst exploring a unique destination. Ultimate Fitness offer a wide variety of bootcamp locations, meaning Ultimate Fitness holidays could be the perfect start to your travel journey.
Decide on Your Budget and Job
In order to be able to travel comfortably and freely, you need to know how much you have to spend. It may be that you would like to travel for a year, but you need to ensure that your income allows for that. You also need to make a decision about your employment; does your employer allow time off for travel? Will you have a job to return to? Does your job allow you to work whilst travelling, such as freelance? Knowing your job situation means you’re better prepared in relation to income.
There are, of course, opportunities to work whilst travelling in order to top up your savings (you will need to research the required working visas for your destinations of choice) but you shouldn’t depend entirely on this, as it is not guaranteed you will find work when you need to. You should treat any paid work as a bonus for your budget, but ensure you have enough in place to begin with.
Consider Personal Relationships
Long-term travel isn’t just an experience for you; it affects the people in your life, too. If you’re single, you naturally don’t need to worry about a partner or children, but you may have parents you are close to who will miss you when you are travelling. You may have a close knit group of friends who you won’t see for a very long time. If you are in a relationship, will you be travelling with your significant other, or going long-distance for a while?
You won’t know if you will get homesick until you begin your travels, so it’s important to prepare before you leave in terms of how you will be able to communicate with your loved ones while you are away, and how to arrange everything with them before you leave.
