taking an extended trip

Tips: Taking an Extended Trip

A year to go around the world! A whole twelve months of scenes and curious happenings in far-off lands! You have thought of doing this, almost promised yourself that when you got old enough, and rich enough, and could "spare the time", you too would go around the world. Most of us get old enough; some of us get rich enouigh; but the time - to "spare the time", to cut loose from goods and lands, from stocks and dreary desks, quit clients, patients, readers, home and friends - ay, and our enemies whom we so dearly love! Full many a promise must be broken and few the voyagers round the world.
D.N. Richardson, "A Girdle Round the Earth", 1888

Realize that you may be able to take more time off from work than you?re allowed by the personnel regulations. Many people get permission to take sabbaticals from work. In some companies, sabbaticals are standard employee benefits. See my book picks for books about sabbaticals.
As work becomes more and more international, the skills you gain during an extended trip of the world may prove to be a career asset rather than liability. The British recognize this better than Americans. It is common ? and even often encouraged ? for young people just out of college to take a ?gap year? to travel between college and working full time. Many British employers believe that a gap year gives their workers a better ability to deal with other cultures and helps build more resourceful employees.
In contemporary Western society, you can take off time to travel at any age. Travel agents who sell extended travel plane tickets report that their clientele spans a wide range of ages, education levels, professions, and incomes. Approximately 300,000 Americans a year go on an extended trip outside of the USA. Many have families, careers, and other things that keep them at home. The real biggest obstacle to travel is your own fears. Some of the most adventurous, flexible, and enthusiastic travelers I know are over 65 years old. There are excellent resources in my book picks to help you arrange extended travel regardless of your stage of live or career.
One of the best times to consider traveling the world is when you are laid off. You can live almost anywhere outside of the USA, Western Europe, and Japan for under $1.000 US per month in relative comfort ($1,000 a month is roughly equivalent to $3,000 US in the USA). During the interim, you can learn new skills that will help make you more marketable upon your return, find internships that can help you explore new career options, and devote time to your favorite hobbies and volunteer work. If your savings peter out, it is even not that hard to find work abroad such as Teaching English or Journalism assignments (even though it will not be well paid) that will help you extend your budget further (see my book picks for books about these jobs). In addition, you will also be able to wait out the recession in your home country and return when the market for your skills is more open.
Many property owners finance their extended trip abroad by renting out their homes. If you live in a fashionable area, you can good money by arranging to rent your place on weekends through a real estate rental firm.
I have heard anecdotes about people who travel as companion for wealthy older widows all expenses paid. I would encourage you to look through want ads if you are interested in this type of travel arrangement (Please let me know if you have ever done this. I?d love to know more about the experience).
Extended travel will cost you between $20 and $75 a day anywhere in the world, if you are frugal. In India $30 a day will get you a private room, a choice of several good restaurants, and a range of tours. In North America, staying in a youth hostel, (which are increasingly populated by seniors and savvy middle-aged travelers) three simple meals, and a museum admission will cost at least $40 a day. Europe will cost $50-60 a day for the same lifestyle. However, I have never been anywhere that it would be impossible to travel relatively comfortably (even Japan) for more than $75 a day.
Communal accommodations (like hostels) are frequently more comfortable than you?d think (and are open to anyone at any age). They are often located in really beautiful natural settings (many old lighthouses in California with great ocean views have been converted to hostels) or in elegant old palaces and mansions. Some even have rooms with only 2-4 other guests. Even if you don?t stay in a hostel, hang around hostels once in a while. They are great places to arrange tours, find people to share the cost of an excursion, and locate short term jobs and apartments, etc.
The cost of airfare and transport doesn?t have to be that expensive on a long term trip. Since you will have time, you can spread out the costs over a lot of days. Generally all the pre-planning and air transportation costs for a trip around the world will cost around $3,000. If you travel for a year, this averages out to less than $9 a day. Less than you usually spend on lunch out of the office in the USA.
In the USA, you can finance an extended trip through many unexpected ways. For example, many retired couples make enough money to cover their travel expenses by driving Recreational Vehicles across country. Other people supplement their income by being mystery shoppers ? people who evaluate the quality of a business service by acting like they are regular customers and seeing what happens.

Notes:

I (Paul Heller, the founder of the Big Blue Marble) have prepared hundreds of travel tips like these to help you plan and enjoy traveling like a local experiences. These tips have been gathered during my 25 years of traveling around the world. If you'd like more tips, please buy one of my inexpensive and informative publications.
My website, the Big Blue Marble, also contains hundreds of links to other websites and book reviews designed to teach you how to travel-like-a-local inexpensively, safely, comfortably, meaningfully, and purposefully.
Do you agree or disagree with any of these tips? Do you know any great tips that should be added? If so, send your comments to me and I'll post them on my blog.

Tips: Taking an Extended Trip

Realize that you may be able to take more time off from work than you?re allowed by the personnel regulations. Many people get permission to take sabbaticals from work. In some companies, sabbaticals are standard employee benefits. See my book picks for books about sabbaticals.
As work becomes more and more international, the skills you gain during an extended trip of the world may prove to be a career asset rather than liability. The British recognize this better than Americans. It is common ? and even often encouraged ? for young people just out of college to take a ?gap year? to travel between college and working full time. Many British employers believe that a gap year gives their workers a better ability to deal with other cultures and helps build more resourceful employees.
In contemporary Western society, you can take off time to travel at any age. Travel agents who sell extended travel plane tickets report that their clientele spans a wide range of ages, education levels, professions, and incomes. Approximately 300,000 Americans a year go on an extended trip outside of the USA. Many have families, careers, and other things that keep them at home. The real biggest obstacle to travel is your own fears. Some of the most adventurous, flexible, and enthusiastic travelers I know are over 65 years old. There are excellent resources in my book picks to help you arrange extended travel regardless of your stage of live or career.
One of the best times to consider traveling the world is when you are laid off. You can live almost anywhere outside of the USA, Western Europe, and Japan for under $1.000 US per month in relative comfort ($1,000 a month is roughly equivalent to $3,000 US in the USA). During the interim, you can learn new skills that will help make you more marketable upon your return, find internships that can help you explore new career options, and devote time to your favorite hobbies and volunteer work. If your savings peter out, it is even not that hard to find work abroad such as Teaching English or Journalism assignments (even though it will not be well paid) that will help you extend your budget further (see my book picks for books about these jobs). In addition, you will also be able to wait out the recession in your home country and return when the market for your skills is more open.
Many property owners finance their extended trip abroad by renting out their homes. If you live in a fashionable area, you can good money by arranging to rent your place on weekends through a real estate rental firm.
I have heard anecdotes about people who travel as companion for wealthy older widows all expenses paid. I would encourage you to look through want ads if you are interested in this type of travel arrangement (Please let me know if you have ever done this. I?d love to know more about the experience).
Extended travel will cost you between $20 and $75 a day anywhere in the world, if you are frugal. In India $30 a day will get you a private room, a choice of several good restaurants, and a range of tours. In North America, staying in a youth hostel, (which are increasingly populated by seniors and savvy middle-aged travelers) three simple meals, and a museum admission will cost at least $40 a day. Europe will cost $50-60 a day for the same lifestyle. However, I have never been anywhere that it would be impossible to travel relatively comfortably (even Japan) for more than $75 a day.
Communal accommodations (like hostels) are frequently more comfortable than you?d think (and are open to anyone at any age). They are often located in really beautiful natural settings (many old lighthouses in California with great ocean views have been converted to hostels) or in elegant old palaces and mansions. Some even have rooms with only 2-4 other guests. Even if you don?t stay in a hostel, hang around hostels once in a while. They are great places to arrange tours, find people to share the cost of an excursion, and locate short term jobs and apartments, etc.
The cost of airfare and transport doesn?t have to be that expensive on a long term trip. Since you will have time, you can spread out the costs over a lot of days. Generally all the pre-planning and air transportation costs for a trip around the world will cost around $3,000. If you travel for a year, this averages out to less than $9 a day. Less than you usually spend on lunch out of the office in the USA.
In the USA, you can finance an extended trip through many unexpected ways. For example, many retired couples make enough money to cover their travel expenses by driving Recreational Vehicles across country. Other people supplement their income by being mystery shoppers ? people who evaluate the quality of a business service by acting like they are regular customers and seeing what happens.

Notes:

I (Paul Heller, the founder of the Big Blue Marble) have prepared hundreds of travel tips like these to help you plan and enjoy traveling like a local experiences. These tips have been gathered during my 25 years of traveling around the world. If you'd like more tips, please buy one of my inexpensive and informative publications.
My website, the Big Blue Marble, also contains hundreds of links to other websites and book reviews designed to teach you how to travel like a local inexpensively, safely, comfortably, meaningfully, and purposefully.
Do you agree or disagree with any of these tips? Do you know any great tips that should be added? If so, send your comments to me and I'll post them on my blog.