Traveling long-term sounds like an item on everyone’s bucket list. Hitting the road and forgetting about your life for a little while – the dream of every living person. However, the reality is completely different. There are things we need to sort out before we even get on the road. The first and foremost thing to carefully think about is the budget. OK, you can sleep in your car sometimes, but this does not mean you can sleep in your car or on the beach all the time. So, we’ve put together a few must-know tips for you on how to spend your long-term travel comfortably.
Make the Travel Plan
Check All of the Prices Online
Your travel will most likely depend on the budget you have, and to this end, the destinations you are about to visit depend on this factor. Do not be super clumsy and make moves that will cost you a lot. Instead, it is much smarter to check all of the prices online so that you have a detailed understanding of the prices before you even go on a trip. If you are planning a trip for weeks on end, then you should start by making a list of countries you wish to visit. Some countries are more expensive than others, and it can influence your pick a lot. For instance, a dorm bed in Australia starts at $19, while in Columbia it is $6. Some continents are much cheaper than others, while the countries within some continents or areas can vary wildly.
Facebook Groups Can Help You a Lot
Facebook groups can contain a lot of useful information when it comes to travel planning. You should not be afraid to chat with bloggers on social media or even join some of the Facebook groups where you can ask for a couple of pieces of advice. For instance, if you are a girl and you want to travel all alone for a longer period of time, visiting groups such as Girls V Globe or Girls Love Travel will provide you with tips about their own countries and about the places they have visited. Finding Facebook groups where you can find tips about trips is as easy as typing the keyword in the search function.
Check Out Cheap Flights
The only way to visit some countries is by plane. You are aware that plane tickets to certain destinations can be extremely expensive; however, fear not, there are a couple of useful apps you can use to search for much cheaper flights, which will have a significant impact on your budget. If you are flexible with your dates and destinations, you have a much better chance of catching some super convenient flights. During your destination research, you should also look up the transportation and determine what would be the best way for you to reach it.
Do Not Forget the Accommodation
If you are going for a long road trip, you can spend a couple of nights in your car and avoid paying for accommodation. Or, you are one of the ones having their own custom enclosed trailers where you can spend all of your time. Yet, sometimes it is not possible for you to sleep in your car, so you need to give accommodation options a good check. While you are searching for accommodation, you need to pay attention to the reviews of the places as well, so you can manage to avoid awkward encounters with bugs and dirty sheets. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Backpackers and world travelers enjoy leaving comments and sharing their travel experiences. So, thoroughly read them.
Jump on the Saving Tips Boat
Downsize
Have you ever thought that you simply have way too many things you want to get rid of and that they take up way too much space? You should try to sell these things, and there are a couple of useful things you can do. You can simply have a garage sale, use the buy-and-sell groups, or take full advantage of Facebook. You should get rid of as many things as possible. Also, there are a couple of reasons why you should do this. First, you will make some cash, and then you can put all of the money you made into your travel savings account. You should bear in mind that $20 will not get you much in your country; in some other countries, it can be your entire budget for the day. So, even a single dollar makes a huge difference.
Save Every Single Penny
When you are planning a big trip, you need to make sure that you are controlling your daily spending. Changing some of your spending habits drastically will result in some fantastic time spent abroad. One of the greatest problems is that we normally spend our money impulsively. Although there are some essentials we need to buy so we can live, there are usually more of those things we absolutely do not need. This leads to an absolute waste of money you could make better use of in some foreign countries. There is something very charming about making small sacrifices for your trips, and if you are dedicated enough, you will surely save enough money to afford yourself a long-term trip.
Set Your Daily Budget
The key to reaching your travel goals is to set limits and make a budget for your trips. This will help you spend less and invest your money in other, more unique adventures. Just as you were prior to the trip, you should be disciplined with your spending during the trip as well. Before you even leave for your trip, start writing down everything you spend and set a spending goal. In addition, there are some useful apps that will estimate and program your daily spending and will also put all of it into separate and special categories. Apps like this are super useful because they will help you analyze where your money is going and how to cut back. Using these apps on your trips will help you save money and spend it more wisely while having fun.