Many of us dream of traveling the world forever and finding lasting happiness along the way – we’re all stuck with a serious case of wanderlust. Luckily, now that digital nomadism is something most of us have access to and air-travel is becoming increasingly affordable, satisfying our wanderlust is easier than ever. Long-term travel is something that seems like the perfect fairy-tale that will automatically lead to our happiness. And because we can now work from our laptops from anywhere in the world, running out of money no longer has to be the obstacle keeping you from realizing that dream. However, there are some minor complications that come with long-term travel that is better avoided. By following these useful tips, you avoid falling into the traps and ensure you have a fulfilling long-term travel!

Know Your Reasons

If you find yourself sitting on that plane wondering what on earth made you throw your life away and start a new one – no worries, you are not alone. Embarking on a long-term travel experience can seem incredibly daunting and extremely scary, especially if it’s your first time traveling alone or being away from home for so long. To calm your nerves and keep your head cool (especially when hundreds of kilometers above ground), it’s important to know your reasons for embarking on this journey. Why do you want to spend your time on long-term travel? Do you want to get to know yourself better? Learn from new cultures? Meet new people? Find lasting happiness? Whatever it is, keep that reason close to your hearth and remember it during your trip. It will help you with making decisions, show which way to choose when you’re not sure and set an overall goal for your trip – overall, it will prevent you go home disappointed!

Travel lightweight

The last thing you want to get from long-term travel is a hernia. Therefore, embrace your inner minimalist and pack light! Only carry what you really need, and maybe an item or two with incredible sentimental value. It helps to own items that serve multiple purposes and that are of high quality – they will save space in your bag and prevent you having to buy a ton of new stuff along the way. Also, carry a minimal amount of clothes, and instead get your hands dirty with washing them a little more often. Less is more, people!

Travel slowly

If you truly want to embark on long-term travel, you’re going to have to travel slow. Going too fast is the perfect way to run out of money within the blink of an eye, and before you know it you’ll be spending your last bit of money on a plane ticket home… Don’t make that mistake, and invest more time and less money in one place. Get to know the culture, the people, the daily rhythm of the place! I love to travel slow, and I think those very real experiences and friendships made are worth a lot more than another stamp in your passport.

Keep Track of Expenses

Money can get quite confusing during long-term travel. After a while, you’ll have had to deal with so many currencies that calculating the exchange rate in your head has almost become a second nature. To make sure you don’t lose track of what you’re spending and encounter an unexpected red number on your bank account the next time you visit an ATM, try to keep track of your expenses. Write down what you spend and what you spend it on, and make wise choices while shopping. Save that money for another week in the neighboring city, or treat yourself to a meal in a local restaurant tonight. Spend your money wisely, and suddenly it will become a whole lot more valuable.

Stay active

It can be very tempting to ditch your exercise routine altogether when you’re on the road. Especially during long-term travel, those missed hours of being active can quickly add up to form a serious lack of fitness… To avoid this and keep the mind and body happy and healthy, make sure you have some way of working out while traveling. Running or yoga, for example, can be done anywhere in the world and don’t need too much equipment, so taking up one (or both) of those practices is a great way to stay in shape! And after running for 30 minutes followed by an hour of yoga, you’ll feel a lot less guilty about eating another one of those local delicacies.

Following these tips are sure to help you have a fulfilling long-term travel! Of course, everybody is different and will need different things to stay happy and healthy while on the road, but I think these tips can be helpful for everyone. Let me know if they helped!

What do you do to make sure you have a fulfilling long-term travel experience? Let me know!