There’s a big difference between preparing for a week-long trip with friends and preparing for an extended solo trip with no predefined return date. Here’s how to plan it out for a more relaxed and rewarding experience.
Taking an extended trip and engaging in some long term travel sounds like a world of adventure (and it certainly is) but many people are intimidated by the idea of such a trip because of all the planning required and all the logistics of being away from home and on your own—but it’s absolutely worth it. If you’re thinking of taking off for a while, but you’re not sure where to begin with all the planning, these key points will help you streamline the whole process.
Narrow Down Your Ideas
The first thing you should do once you decide you want to go on a longterm trip is to put your thoughts on paper. Do some preliminary planning by merely clarifying the what, where, and when:
- What do you want to do? Do you want to skydive over the Great Barrier Reef or maybe go on a safari to spot sleepy lions in the wild? Do you want to rent a van and make it your traveling house for a few months or perhaps experience life on a tropical island? Make a list of the main activities you want to do on your trip and use them as your points of reference.
- Where do you want to do it? Whether it’s diving at night or climbing a mountain, there are different places around the world where you can do those activities you’ve listed. Do the research and take notes of a few locations where you’d want to go and live the experiences you so badly desire. Remember, these are just options; you will make the final decision once you’ve done all the necessary research.
- When do you want to do it? You don’t need to have a precise departure date just yet, but it’s good to have a rough idea of when you’d be able to leave. This can help you create a general timeline for your plans and set budget goals.
Now that you have a clear foundation for your travel plans, you can start looking for more relevant information. Go through an elimination process until you reach a final decision about your destination(s), your departure date, and your budget size.
Do Your Research: Decide on a Destination
When it comes to longterm traveling, your budget should be the number one concern at all times. If your funds aren’t unlimited and you’re looking to leave sooner rather than later, you will have to make careful considerations about the location(s) that can fit your expectations as well as your budget.
Six months in Australia or New Zealand, for instance, translates to a whole year in Southeast Asia or South America. If you’re just looking for nature and warm weather and your bank account isn’t particularly bountiful, maybe sticking to developing countries is the best option for now.
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To keep your mind from wandering into unrealistic territory, use your points of reference to guide your research and start working on an estimate of your travel expenses. These are the main points you should focus on:
- Cost of living: Find information about the prices of accommodation, transportation, food, tours, bike rentals, and anything else you might want to spend money on while you’re there. Look for travel guides, read travel blogs, and join location-specific Facebook groups for expats or tourists to get more accurate information or even make acquaintances before you even get there.
- Seasons: Visiting a place during high season comes with the guarantee of good weather and fun events, but it also means everything is more expensive and there’s less room for spontaneous decisions along the way. Traveling during the low season might not sound as appealing, but it doesn’t mean your experience will necessarily be bad. You just need to set your priorities and decide accordingly.
- Visas: Rules and regulations are constantly changing when it comes to visas, so it’s good to make sure you get the latest information regarding your entry to the country (or countries) of your choice. While some allow you to get a visa on arrival, others require you to sort it out in advance. Figure out what you need and when you need to do it, and add it to your timeline. New to the world of visas? Check out our handy guide here.
Do Your Research: Start Preparing
Once you decide where you want to go, you can begin to prepare for the big adventure. This is probably the least exciting part of the planning process as it entails e-mails, phone calls, appointments, documents, and paperwork, but it’s the most important one.
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Source : How to Plan for an Extended Trip
