I'm interested in hearing how others make their long-term travel fulfilling and purposefull.

I (30M) have been planning a long term trip through SEA & India, together with my girlfriend. We're leaving next year and looking at doing a one year tour. I've done long term travel before (6 months through the Andes-countries) and lived abroad, but while I'm looking forward to this trip it feels a bit hollow - like it's lacking depth, purpose, or a sense of fulfillment.

Maybe it's just me leaving my 20s behind, but I feel like I need some more self-development or a way to contribute to society while I travel. I had this in my previous trips, though work opportunities and language learning, but I'm not really seeing those opportunities in the countries I'll be visiting now (though they’re fascinating places to me). I'm done teaching ESL and don't feel attracted to a yoga/meditation retreat nor do i have a deep intrest in the local languages (plus they're quite divided). The volunteering opportunities I'm seeing don't appeal to me, either because they’re not relevant to my field or they feel like “been there, done that.”

Someone suggested reaching out to universities and propose to do a workshop/lectury on my current field (education policy), which sounds cool but feels a bit 'out there'.

Has anyone else wrestled with this feeling? What do you do to add purpose to your travels? Any tips?

Hi everyone. Since I (36M) was a teenager, it's been my dream to travel the world for a year or more. I traveled for 2 months in India and had the time of my life. I came home and shortly after had a child who is now almost 13 years old. I've been separated from his mother since he was 5. He's my world so my primary goal right now is to support him and his development.

But with him approaching his teen years, I've been thinking about what I'm going to do with my life when he's grown and off to college. I really don't want to get married, I don't have much family, and the thought of working in IT, in this house, in this boring little town for the rest of my life sounds like hell to me. I figured I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Live, work, die....right? Not since last August.

Through life circumstances, I now receive around $2,000 per month (tax free, inflation adjusted every year) until the day I die. This seems like a golden ticket ticket to travel to me. I currently live in a low cost of living area and make $88k with my job alone. My plan is to use the $2k to pay off my debt and save a large chunk of cash over the next 6 years (I'll be 42) . Part of it will be for emergencies and my "soft landing" money for if/when I return to the US. The remaining will go towards my son's education and paying for him to come and visit (he loves to travel). I'll use the $2k for my actual living expenses while traveling and living in places like LA, Africa or SEA.

This dream has breathed new life into me. I'm optimistic for the future like when I was in my early twenties. But I can't help but feel like I'm abandoning my fatherly duties, even though I will continue to financially support my son and will be a phone call away. Also, I feel like this could be a terrible move career/retirement wise.

Just wanted to bounce this idea off the community. Has anyone done something similar? Any major oversights in my plan?

Background:

Im a young man (early 20s) and have lived my entire life in Sweden and have been pretty much isolated by my family(immigrants) which is dysfunctional. They are pretty religious and have a lot expectations from me and are very religious. Whatever I do they hang over me like a dark cloud and cant go anywhere without informing them and that is the reason I have never tried to leave because my religion forbids to cut any contact with family and why I have only existed but never lived whatever step I take has to told in advance. There is so much more like abuse and having to share everything but dont want to go through it but you get the picture.

Plan:

What I have always wanted since I was a child was to travel the whole world, explore, have adventures, try diffrent things, experience diffrent cultures and LIVE on my own terms. But my family being dysfuntional, my parents never having a job and wasting every cent we got (even money we children saved on our own) has made it HARD to travel and go forward. Even struggling financially during our upbring as soon as we became adults we have take the responsiblity and I NEVER even agreed to it and its mainly my brothers and me, my parents were suprisingly leanient with my sister then us and dont put as much presseure on them as us. I used to think that I just have be patient get a stable job and then fullfill my desires, BUT NO Im not allowed to even move out and I have to get married if I want to. So by the time I can do my travels I will be to old and have a family of my own.

Now I have decided that I want to save up at least 11k usd and that would take me around a year. Then I want to some major city in Europe and disappear and I will travel around a lot from country to country, city to city and when Im finally done I will settle in the place I loved the most.

Questionmarks:

I want to this in a leagal way but im not sure how I can because my family will hunt for me. I first thought changing my name legally and then leaving but i think they will find out very quickly since they see who in the registry for everyone living at home. And I really want to avoid them for the rest of my life and if i have to get dirty so be it.

The money I save up will last me over year if I spend correctly and its from my fulltime job and I thought a side hustle like Copywritting would make possible for more money but if there is no side hustle and just my saved money, what options do i have when i run out of money and where can I go to recharge?

My plan for now is traveling thorough eastern europe - Turkey - Georgia - Central Asia and then to Southeast Asia. I have to how can I travel between all of these countries by land and remain undetected? Which countries wont bother you too much and which ones will?

And finally i just want practical advise i can use and point out any flaws with this plan.

I (28 m) plan to travel to Europe in either June or July of 2025, for an extended, undetermined amount of time.

First month- Ireland and The UK

Next three months - mainland Europe (schengen zone)

If I still have the money / energy to travel after 4 months, I could either go back to the UK for 2 months (Americans are allowed a 6 month travel visa) or I could take off to Vietnam or Thailand for the winter. I’ve also thought about trying to stay in the somewhere in Europe through the winter, working at a hostel or something to get a work visa. To save money, I plan on camping out 4 to 5 days a week. I’m aware this is illegal in many countries, and will do my best to remain within the law, or at least out of sight. I also have friends I can stay with in Germany, France and Italy. For around $1200 you can get a 3 month continuous l eurail pass, which I plan to do. I’m either going to use a bivy / tarp combo or a hammock / tarp combo. I basically plan on just riding the trains, following good weather all summer.

Although I’ve thought about this a lot, it’s still very loosely defined, I’m not even sure when to leave. I’m leaning towards leaving in July, so that I can be in Germany for Octoberfest. I’m looking for any and all advice or criticism!

I need a solution. I’ve spent a fortune for data. I travel and do some Workaway’s and some work (for myself) and every Workaway I’ve been to is TERRIBLE WiFi. (I’ve done about 11). Even when I rent air b and bs it’s mostly been really bad service. I’ve had to use a hotspot (Glocal me) and buy esim from Airalo. But it’s like every few days that I have to buy a new package. Even air b and bs that promise good service is usually spotty and disconnects (in my experience). It’s very frustrating. I mostly have to have zoom calls.

What do you do? I’m tired of asking my hosts to please provide service . For example I’m in an air b and b now, where WiFi worked for one day and that was it. It no longer works and they’re not even trying to fix it.

Thx for any help.

I'm looking at this bag for long term travel (probably 1-2 years). I'm 26F and need it to big enough for everything (think clothing for casual, hikes, something smarter, and ofc comfies, couple of pairs of shoes, sleeping bag, tech wise I'm not taking a lot, and some hobbies (crochet, drawing), plus toiletries).

I will most likely be doing a few weeks/months in one place at a time OR be in a van which is why I'm looking at a duffel thats packs down, and not needing hip straps. I'm not worried about it being carry on size/weight as I've already come to terms with paying for the hold. I'll also take a regular backpack and small sling bag for everyday use. I'm also a keen packing cube and little bags user! Everything will be organised within the duffel.

Bags I'm looking at are Cotopaxi Allpa 50l (I really like the blue), and Patagonia Black Hole 55l

My main questions:

• Does this sound like the right size bag for me?
• Are there any other brands that I should also look at?
• Any other advice from people whoe have done similar travel

Just curious.

I have a reliable car but I just want to go state to state, what good online jobs are there or other ways to earn income

I'll be visiting Japan for the first time as a mid-20s guy excited to do lots of clothing shopping, eating, appreciation of history, and meeting locals! How's this:

Osaka (5 Days) - Added extra days because so many day trips

• Kobe + Himeji Castle (Day Trip, back to Osaka)
• Nara (Day Trip, back to Osaka)
• Hiroshima + Miyajima Island (Day Trip, back to Osaka)

Kyoto (3 Days)

Tokyo (7 Days)

• Kamakura + Enoshima (Day Trip, back to Tokyo)

Hokkaido / Sapporo (4 Days)

• Otaru (Day Trip, back to Sapporo)
• Noboribetsu Onsen (Overnight, back to Tokyo for flight home)

This is for Nov 22 - Dec 14

My partner and I M31 F30 from Australia are quitting our jobs in June next year to take 1~2+ years off life and travel around Europe. We are going to base ourselves in Scotland (that is where I was born and have family there). We are trying to save a large amount of money to allow us to travel and only work odd jobs here and there. When we were 25 we spent 3 months touring Europe and went from England to Russia ticking off many of the big ticket items in Europe. I would love any tips or insights from anyone who has done something similar, anything from cool places to go, must eat foods, must-do experiences, things to avoid, things you wish you knew before you did your trip. Any helpful tips? Thanks.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself, “When was the last time I truly felt at home?” It’s weird, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how much my sense of home has shifted over the years. Especially after moving around so much, it’s not as tied to a place as it used to be. Have you guys ever felt that way? Like, home isn’t a place but more of a feeling you get from certain moments or people?

Hello all,

I’m going to Australia for a year as a work holiday. My children will be living here in the US. I need to pay their college tuition fees, while living in Australia.

If I just have the tuition charged to my credit card, can I pay that credit card with Australian dollars?

Do I have to transfer money to a US bank account instead?

As much research as I can do, I still worry I might find a scam job get the job go to the country and end up bankrupt stranded and desolate. What is the best way to look for jobs in France? I was thinking of going through the French embassy but not sure that’s the best way. I know they are looking for English teachers amoung other things. I just don’t know where I can look without being tricked too easily. I plan to become a French citizen so I would have to endure only 5 years of working visa renewals.

My back up plan is to be a writer artist if I can live comfortably with that set up.

I wanted to ask the advice of the community here regarding a business I'm thinking of starting up related to long travel. BTW, this is not a promotion of anything, as I don't have the business currently and am really just looking for feedback on the concept, so I can decide whether to go forward with it. I hope its alright with mods that I post it here and get some feedback from long travelers.

Every year I tend to stay in one or two locations for anywhere between 2-5 months each. Some of the places I've spent extended periods include France, Spain, Czech Republic, Greece, and Italy.

I've become somewhat of an expert at knowing what I have to do initially to get established in a new place, for example: find a medium-term apartment/room, understand the positives and negatives of different neighborhoods to live in, get good local health care, get connected socially with locals/expats, find a gym, get involved in activities that suit my interests, and so on.

I'm thinking about starting up a business where I offer consulations and helpful information for people wanting to get started in a new country, typically for anywhere between 1-6 months (although it could be longer). Basically, I'd offer several phone consultations with the client to answer questions and give advice to help them prepare for their stay, and also speak to them after they arrive to help them with issues they might be facing as they get started. There would be a ton of personalized resources included as well, like groups/events/language schools, a checklist to help them prepare, and a map of the places they should visit.

What do you guys think about this idea in general? Obviously, a lot of people in this group are quite independent and resourceful in arranging their own longterm travel, so a service like this isn't as necessary for all of you. But generally speaking, what are your thoughts on it, could it have some appeal to people? Any suggestions on what aspects to focus on so it can appeal to people?

Thanks very much! And thanks to the mods for letting this be posted so I can hear some opinions from the community!

This is the situation that I am in. I am a 23 year old male, I have no personal obligations that would keep me in America, I have $10,000 dollars saved, a paid off car, and I get out of the Marine Corps in 10 months. I've decided that I want to use the GI bill to live in a different country for a year after I get out. If you were in my position, which country or region would you decide to live in? The GI bill gives you a non taxable ~$1,000 a month to live off of if you take enough online classes. So my only stipulations for choosing which country to travel too are as follows...

• I must be able to live off ~1,000 USD a month

• I must have access to reliable wifi so that I can take my online courses

• This country must be relatively safe

hey im looking for advice on my current situation. in 2022 id been living in hawaii and left to go travel for a year and a half and it was the best experince ever. Ive been back in hawaii for 9 months now and the only thing i can ever think about is going to colombia and travelling again full time and working seasonal jobs during the summers. i think i can make it work finacially but Im wondering if i should go next month or wait until christmas. Logically it seems like i should wait but my current job as a server i havent been making much money at all and i feel like im gunna soon start losing money by staying so if i stay i have to find a new job except i keep looking and cant find a new job. Im afraid people will be mad at me for leaving again because they say i always just run away. My heart is telling me to go now but my head is telling me to wait until after christmas time. There seems to be more pros to sty a few extra months aside from not having a stable job nd im very worried that its just going to get worse at work. If i decide to stay i have no choice other than to find a job or im going to lose alot of money. What should i do?

I’m heading to South America soon and have this idea of grabbing some unique local items and selling them back home (hopefully for a profit). I thought about doing it last year in Southeast Asia, but my bag was already stuffed (rookie mistake). This time, I’m saving space for something cool. My question is: has anyone done this before? Did it work out for you? And what platforms would you recommend for selling stuff once I’m back? Would love to hear your experiences and tips!

My husband takes pills against high blood pressure and we would like to go on a long-term trip. We are planning to go for about 10 to 12 months and to many different countries.

• His medication is a normal high blood pressure medication. Nothing that is banned in any countries, but at least in the EU it is only available by prescription, not over the counter.

• He has a letter from his doctor.

• The medication would be still in the original packaging.

• He has to take one tablet in the morning and two tablets in the evening, so he would need to carry 1100 tablets with him.

What can we do to prevent any possible problems?

Me and my wife are quitting our jobs to travel long term. We are starting off in SEA and we’re wondering, from people who are experienced traveling that part of the world, what vaccines you recommend we get before travel. I know we could look it up but I’d like to hear what others have to say and how they went about it. Like if I go to the doctors and say “I’m going to be traveling SEA what vaccines do I need” will they know what to give me?

Thanks in advance

My wife and I are over the corporate world. We have saved up a bit of money and are ready to travel long term. We plan on traveling SEA and we’re wondering how long $50k USD might last us if we’re decently frugal and don’t make any money the whole time. Also, $50K is just for travel as we have a separate fund for when we may have to return to normal life.

I'm looking to spend a few months in an East Asian country starting in October. I've been looking at Vietnam, but I've heard good things about Cambodia and Thailand. Ideally, somewhere that's a little bit smaller, I'm not much of a big city guy, has great access to outdoor activities like hiking. If there's opportunity to get involved in the community such as volunteer work that'd be a bonus as well.

I really want to spend time in Borneo, but I haven't heard many stories of people that have done extend stay there.

I'm not sure if someone has a perfect place for me to spend a few months, but any recommendations are appreciated! Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’m wanting to travel indefinitely. Slowly working my way through countries in Eastern Europe, Middle East, and south east Asia. I’m totally fine to work throughout this process to help keep me going. This being remote work, working in person overseas, really anything. I know teaching English is a concept I hear about often. Does anyone have any personal experience or suggestions on this? I’ve heard of people just picking up random cash jobs along the way. Is this sustainable? Thanks!!

I just lost my job less than two weeks ago. It was mentally exhausting and took a lot out of me for over 3 years. Before re-entering the rat race, I would love to travel a bit and take some time to figure out my passions. I live in the US but am open to going anywhere. I would prefer to go abroad.

I have a dog and do not want to part with him. Also, being unemployed, I am trying to save as much as possible.

I have been doing research but haven’t found what I’m looking for -

1. Are there inexpensive pet friendly hostels?
2. Are there communities where you can help work within them in exchange for a place to stay with your dog? Or any similar deal with working in exchange for a place to stay?
3. Is it odd/unreasonable to use trustedhousesitters and want to bring a dog?

Any ideas or advice at all is helpful!

My partner & I have planned ~1 month for trekking in Nepal in late September & October 2024. We are both fit and fairly adventurous. We have contacted various operators that have kindly offered us all in packages but the responses thus far have lacked colour.

So I’d like to throw out the question to this sub Reddit; what would be your ideal trekking itinerary for the above specs?

I'm looking for a unique travel tour. Month long stay in a long stay hotel with a small cohort. A mix of organized activities and free time to explore the locality on our own. Has anyone heard of such a thing or have recommendation?

Hello Merry folk,

I've recently finished cycling from Belgium to Istanbul and back (roughly), and I feel ready to explore what lies beyond Asia Minor. I plan to fly in to Istanbul around begin/mid September, and then make my way through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India. However, unlike my first trip, this will involve some Visa juggling and border crossing issues, so I've come looking for some wisdom from my seniors.

Iran: From what I've read, to cross the border by bicycle, I need a 'Letter of Introduction (LOI)' for a specific Iranian Embassy (In my case, likely Ankara), so I can obtain my visa from said embassy. standard Visa's seem to be 30 days, but should lady luck smile on me, I might get a 60 days one. It's also possible to get the visa extended in Iran, but you need some ID pictures and the like to do it.

To apply for this E-Visa/Letter of introduction (LOI), I could do it through the official website ( https://evisa.mfa.ir/en/ ), but it seems this can take a while with a moderate chance of being denied one. Another more successful option seems to be to obtain the LOI through a tour operator, which brings me to my first question:

Question #1: Does anyone know a tour operator they can recommend, to obtain a Letter of Introduction for Iran?

I can find a handful with a quick google search, but can't find many useful reviews concerning them.

Pakistan: It seems there are 3 border crossings between Iran and Pakistan ( https://caravanistan.com/border-crossings/pakistan/ ), but I only found info regarding the Mirjaveh – Taftan border cross. This one seems to involve multiple armed escorts (which can take up to 3 days) until you reach Quetta.

Question #2: Does anyone have information or experience crossing the border between Iran-Pakistan?

I've got a feeling that Pakistan generally allows EU citizens to cross their border from Iran, but it would we a sad sight to be locked out, since their is nowhere else to go from there (except maybe a speedrun through Turkmenistan and then beyond)

Question #3: Any info regarding Iran and/or Pakistan would be most welcome. To do's, To don't, recommendations, websites or forums, gear tips, weather situation around October-December ... you name it.

I always like to have a plan-B ready whenever misfortune snuggles it's way into my plans, hence the long post. Or to say it differently: I don't like being caught with my pants down, so I always wear a belt.

Cheers and beers from Belgium!

• Tom

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I’ve been planning to leave my current job for about 1 year to travel solo for a year or two. As I get closer to the date I’m worried about leaving a job I’ve only been at for 1.5 years and being able to find work when I’m done. Does anyone have experience returning to work after travel? How did employers view travel upon returning? (More specifics below)

I have a reasonable resume with 5 years experience (selling medical tech) across 2 companies. During this time I demonstrated a track record of success and consistently had promotions at about a year in each role I was in.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to immerse myself in a Buddhist monastery for about a week to recharge and learn. I'm interested in attending meditation courses, participating in seva (voluntary work), and experiencing the monastic lifestyle. I'm open to paying a fee for programs or courses.

Has anyone had experience with Buddhist monastery retreats in India? I'm particularly interested in recommendations based on your personal experiences. Any insights on the monasteries, the programs, or what to expect would be incredibly helpful.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

Ayo people, I'm heading to Australia in a couple months. I was pretty optimistic about things but the more I look into stuff the more daunted I become.

I've got about $5-5.5k AUD but no work lined up and am worried to shit about how I'm going to fare out there. Everyone keeps talking about job crisis, people describing how they struggled for months not to get work. My hope was to use this as a way to see somewhere new and earn money which would allow me to travel in SE Asia (rinse and repeat) yet it's starting to feel like a pipe dream.

I could bail, however there's a chance it could work out. A friend of mine went out there with the bare-bones minimum and somehow she has stayed liquid, traveled most of the country, and made friends/connections from coast-to-coast. (Sadly, we are different people though).

Any sage wisdom, words of advice, or anecdotes would be greatly appreciated. This is kind of a major thing in my life. I can't afford to go out, go broke in a matter of 1-2 months, then go back home with almost nothing and start to rebuild again.

🙏🖖

My dream has always been that after I finish my studies I'll live as a backpacker working from my laptop and travelling the world. I want to know other cultures and countries but mostly I love nature, camping and hiking and scrambling. Last time that I was in the woods camping (something I do and have done regularly for the past six years, alone and with friends) me and my friends had the most terryfing experience of our lives. We saw and experienced some shit while we were out there that I didn't believe in before, I'm talking campfire horror story material (if you believe that we were high or need medication then that's your deal). Since that happened it has been difficult to feel comfortable going outdoors again, something I used to feel very confident in and is a huge part of my life. I just hoped that maybe someone had some advice on how to regain my confidence. Thanks.