How to travel more?
I ‘ve always wanted to travel more. Discover places, meet people, use foreign languages and just experience MORE. As a kid I dreamed of traveling around the world and visiting every country. There has just always been this single question: how to travel more?!
Unfortunately, rather than more, my family traveled less each year! So I waited to be an adult to travel without them. And, yes, I finally did it, but I was also studying and working full-time, so the trips I could take were never enough for me. I was dreaming of traveling more again.
Years have passed and here I am. A full-time traveler and digital nomad. A person who sometimes dreams about traveling less than more ;) Over the past years traveling has become my life. But it didn’t happen overnight. I was stragling and looking for solutions that could work.
Well, then, how do you do it to travel more?
There is no one right way to travel more. Everyone must find a method that works for them. But don't worry, I won't leave you clueless. There are several tactics that will allow you to travel more often or for longer periods of time. Pick the one that suits you or maybe try each of them if this is what you need.
Quit everything and spend savings on travel
Let’s start with maybe the craziest one. It will be a perfect choice for those tired of everyday life, overwhelmed by living in a big city, or burned out at work. Quitting everything (at least for a little while) can be a relief for those who have lost the joy of life. It can also be a fantastic experience, freeing and changing perceptions of the surrounding reality. After it, you will not be the same person. Although, without any preparation, it can bring a lot of stress and anxiety. Take some time to reflect and learn from the experiences and advice of others who have tried it.
Of course, it is not an option for everyone. If you feel sick at the thought of lack of stability, daily routine and daily meetings with friends - don't do it. Look for a more balanced solution.
Travel more while working full-time
If you work full-time and feel happy about it, but the only downside that worries you is lack of time for travels, then we need to look for some tips for you. Working full time doesn’t mean you cannot travel a lot. Of course, you will have limitations but hey, after all most people in the world work like that and somehow some of them travel much more than others.
Sure, your residence will matter here. In some places you don't have a guaranteed vacation, while in others you can disappear from work for two months and it will be totally within the rules. However, let's take a look at some fairly universal ideas.
Weekends & holidays
First of all, you can surely use weekends and holidays. They are totally fine to organise a trip to another city, closest mountains or sea. Thanks to cheap flights, city breaks became extremely popular. If you own a car, you probably can spend an active weekend in nature, hiking or photographing.
There are 52 weekends in a year, each with 2 days, totaling 104 weekend days annually that you can use for travels! I’m sure none of us can spend all that time only for recreation but if you use even a small percentage it should be fine.
Adding single days off to weekends & holidays
Probably everyone knows this trick but not all of us can use it effectively. My friends are masters in it. They travel so much while working as managers in corporations, that I believe their photos only because in each new picture their daughters are getting bigger and bigger.
However, if you don't know what I'm talking about let me explain. You can prolong your weekend by taking Monday or Friday off. But it will be even much better to use extra holidays. If a holiday falls on a weekday, you can request days off between that holiday and the weekend. For example, by connecting the holiday Thursday with the weekend, by taking Friday off, you use only 1 day of vacation, and have 4 days to travel.
As I mentioned before, the ease will depend on your country and the company you work for. In some cases it can be much easier than in others. Fingers crossed for you!
Business trips
Do you go on business trips? That’s great! Maybe you can use them as an opportunity for sightseeing and exploring something new? Instead of sitting in a hotel in the evening, you can visit an interesting area. Or maybe there is an option to prolong a trip for 1 or 2 days for personal use - just talk about it with your manager. Traveling with a group of poeple? How about suggesting them going for a short trip after doing business or eating dinner in a local restaurant instead of a hotel one. Think about it: how can you take your work situation and turn it into an exciting excursion?
Workation
More and more companies allow their employees to work remotely. Sometimes only for a few days, other times for months or even permanently. There are organisations that accept working not from home or office but from other city or a foreign country. Why not make use of it?
Workation has become so popular that there are books, videos and entire blogs on the subject. On Airbnb hosts inform you about Internet speed or extra desk for comfortable work. It’s getting easier and easier to organise it.
But if you don’t have this option at your job, you might consider talking about it with your manager or HR. Maybe it's just that no one has ever brought up the topic. Asking is deffinitely worth trying!
Use your days off wisely
Most people working full-time have a vacation limit (although unlimited vacation is becoming an increasingly popular benefit!). You can use these days to take an extended vacation, run errands, or clean the house (my mom's case - don’t ask). You decide. But to use them wisely you NEED TO make a decision and commit to it.
Sometimes to be able to go for a dream trip you need to be careful and save valuable days off. But maybe this year you'd rather skip a longer trip in favor of a few shorter ones. Think about it at the beginning of the year and make some plans. Check what works for you the best. If you are traveling with someone, make arrangements in advance. Book your flights or train tickets. Make reservations.
Treat your travels with high priority - it will increase your chances of unforgettable travel and satisfaction on New Year's Eve.
Travel more & earn money while traveling
If your first choice is quitting your job and traveling much more, but you cannot imagine doing that without money, earning while traveling can be an option for you. There are thousands of people who don’t have normal jobs but instead they travel and earn money in a meantime. How?
Among others:
seasonal jobs: usually physical work such as grape picking, camping or hostel work, painting fences etc.
work-aways, meaning performing various jobs in exchange for lodging and food, but often also a small pay, to see the offers look at workaway.info,
temporary jobs, such as teaching English, running animation, providing assistance in preparing a new project etc.
casual jobs related to your skills, like making photo shoots for tourists or videos for hotels
Just look on the Internet or ask at the reception of the hostel where you happen to be staying. Talk to people around you and stay open. Opportunities sometimes appear suddenly and unexpectedly but you will increase your chances by being proactive.
Become a digital nomad and work remotely
Being a Digital Nomad is a dream of many people. It is a lifestyle that allows you to travel a lot whithout resigning from your career. Thanks to remote work, often as a freelancer, you can decide how and where you want to carry out your tasks. You earn decent money and can spend it on traveling, as well as other apsects of your life.
Digital nomads usually stay in one place for a longer time. Month, a few months, some even a year or more! It allows them to do a deep dive into a culture they want to experience. When they feel ready, they just hit a road and change places.
This style of traveling is completely different than the one we know from two weeks holidays. Here, you usually need to work during the day and can go sightseeing or enjoying the neighborhood in the evenings or during weekends. You also need to find an accommodation with a desk and good internet, or at least use a nice coworking space. At the same time you have a chance to observe local people, their routines, learn the language or gain more knowledge about politics or problems of the area. If that's what appeals to you, there's probably no better way to travel.
There are of course many pros and cons of this lifestyle. Being a digital nomad myself I will discuss this topic on the blog quite often.
Travel (almost) for free
Last but not least, traveling on a very tight budget can be a solution for those who have lots of spare time but cannot say the same about money. If you want to travel more but the limitation lies in money and less in time, you may consider low budget travels. Luckily for you, there are some great tips on how to travel cheaply or even almost for free!
Transportation
First aspect is transportation, which costs can be lowered thanks to use of:
cheap flights and great deals,
buses, which can cost relatively small money, especially if you make a reservation much earlier,
BlaBlaCar to share costs of traveling with other people in one car
Accommodation
When you finally get to your final destination, you need to find a place to sleep. Accommodations usually take up the largest part of travel expenses. That is why travelers search for alternatives.
Let's look at some of the free accommodation for travelers:
Couchsurfing: stay in someone's place for a night for free, bring some small gift and spend an evening together for a great cultural exchange
Workaway: help your host in the house, garden or with some projects in exchange for room and board
Facebook groups: there are lots of like-minded people who offer their guest room for travelers in need; you can find them in Facebook Groups, where they meet and discuss details of possible stays (example: Host a Sister - for women only or Coachsurfing groups dedicated to particular regions)
Volunteering: volunteering programs organised in different places of the world allow you to not only support a major initiative but also spend a great time, meet new people and gain memories for your whole life
Petsitting: stay in someone's place to take care of their pets during their vacation
Housesitting: stay in someone's place to take care of their house (garden, plants, etc) during their vacation
Au-pair: stay with a family for a few months and take care of their children
If you prefer to stay independent, the cheapest option will usually be a hostel. Shared bunk bed in a room with other travelers is not a luxury but can give you possibility to meet great people and keep your budget on track. And from more practical perspective - hostels offer shared kitchens where you can prepare your meals instead of going to (usually quite expensive) restaurants.
But hostel is not the only option. If you travel with a friend or as a couple, renting a hotel or even an apartment can be cheaper than two beds in a hostel. Don’t forget to check the accommodations located outside of the city center. Maybe there is a good public transport or you have a car? Staying a few kilometres further will not make a big difference in your schedule, but for sure will make one in terms of the price.
Sightseeing
So you are in your dream destination and have a place to rest after a long day of sigtseeing but you still don't know which attractions to visit. Some of them can be extremely expensive. While another will be for free.
If you don't want to spend all your money in tourist sights, you should make a research and decide what matters to you the most. Look for inspirations and opinions on blogs or YouTUbe videos. Take into considaration your interests. Check what can be worth visiting and what you can resign from without feeling pity. You always have a choice!
Traveling on budget is a huge topic. It's impossible to share all the tips at once, so keep it as a sneak peak of what will appear on this blog in the future.
So how do I travel more?
I’ve tried most of mentioned ways and found the one that suits me most. I’m not going to tell you that it was easy! Looking for your own methods for a fulfilling life can be a challenge but I ensure you, it is totally worth it! This can also change during months or years. For some time you can enjoy being a free spirit and traveling on a tight budget but then you start missing a luxury and prefer to come back to an office and go on vacation to a 4 star hotel only from time to time. Also your life conditions might change and you must take it into considaration.
Actually, you never know how your body and mind will react to what you do. Travels change us. They change our perspectives, likes and dislikes, needs and even dreams. Simply listen to yourself and try out what sounds the best today. And then just let it flow. My experience shows that the more you travel, the more you travel ;)
