Yesterday, it became 2 months until I leave for my year of travel. As I thought about how quickly 2 months go by, I started going through a checklist of everything I need/needed to do to prepare for my travels. Planning to travel long-term is exciting and extremely overwhelming. But if you have an idea of how to go about your planning, you'll be much less stressed out. So, I put together a checklist of everything important that will need to be done before leaving on a big trip.
Validate your passport
You're not going to get far without a valid passport! And if you don't have a passport yet, it is time to get one. Make sure that you have enough room in your passport for all of the stamps you'll be collecting.
Apply for needed visas
Not all countries will require a visa, but it is safer to just be prepared and search to see if the countries that you are visiting require one.
Go to the Doctors
It's important to make sure that you can medically handle this trip. This will also allow you to make sure you have all your vaccinations needed to enter certain countries. Schedule appointments with your dentist, eye doctor, general doctor, etc. to make sure you are all set to go.
Make copies of important documents
Passport, driver's license, visa, and anything else important. Make 2 copies of these; one to bring with you (and keep in a separate place from the originals) and one to leave at home with your parents or other family or friend that you trust. That way if you happen to lose the original, it will be a lot easier to get you a new copy.
Sell your stuff
This is a good way to get rid of all your extra belongings that you're not bringing along and a quick easy way to get yourself a bit more cash for your trip.
Re-direct your mail
If you can, re-directing your mail to your parents would be the easiest option. But for the most part, you should be able to re-direct any important mail to your email instead of getting a hard copy. This will make your life way easier.
Get travel insurance
This is so important. You never know when things will go wrong. And when they do go wrong (cause let's be real, they probably will) you want to be prepared for anything. Having travel insurance will help you get any medical attention that you need and help you get home in case of an emergency.
Get foreign currency
It is so much easier and way less expensive if you get the foreign currency at your bank before you leave rather than at the airport. Just have a small amount of currency with you when you land and you should be good.
Notify your bank of your travels
Let your bank know that you will be overseas for a long period of time. If you don't let them know, they may think that your account has been stolen, and they may freeze your account until you get in contact with them. This could definitely put a damper on your trip if you're trying to use your card and it freezes.
Notify your employer
This one, I have yet to do. And frankly, I am so nervous about this! You'll want to give your employer at least 2 weeks notice. If you are resigning from your position, I also suggest writing a letter of resignation. I'll let you know how this one goes for me.
And there you have it! I hope this checklist helps you as you plan for long-term travel! Also, I am (obviously) back from my blogging hiatus! It's been a few months without blogging, but as my trip gets closer, there's just so much more to blog!
This past August, I decided that I wanted to change the course of my life and travel the world solo for a year. The decision may have been made official in August, but my heart knew far in advance what it wanted.
And, as with everything in life, many people had their different opinions about my plans. A lot of my friends and some of my family were super supportive in this. But some were not totally on board with it. My parents, for example, were quite against me traveling the world on my own when I first told them. It took a lot of convincing, and basically telling them that there was no way that I was not doing this, before they finally realized that this was going to happen. After that, I told them the logistics of my plan, why I wanted to go, and showed them the community of people who travel solo. And soon, they were just as excited for my trip as I was. Now my parents are fully supporting me and really encouraging me to follow my travel dreams.
Unfortunately though, there are still some family and friends who have told me that I ought to re-think my world travel dream. So how does one deal with that and try to show them why this is so important to you?
Well, I'm currently trying to figure that out. I think I am going to try my best to open up their eyes; show them that, while this world does have a lot of hate and violence in it, it also still has a lot of love. That's one of the things that I want to show people. Yes, there are bad people in the world which we live, but not every soul is bad. I'm going to try to get my point across to all of the naysayers and make sure they know that I believe in myself and my journey. I understand that not everyone will get it, but I do want my family to believe in me and the path that I have chosen.
I guess I just don't understand why they think this won't be my best choice. I am choosing to do something that is not considered "normal" for a 20 year old girl, but that does not mean that it is the wrong path in life. Those who have had a negative opinion about my travels have even tried to tell me that I am just running away from life, or that I'm "lost". But the truth is that I'm running towards life and creating my own reality. Instead of living in the norm, I will be out exploring the world and taking in different cultures, experiences, and life lessons. What path could be better than that?
I'm going to gather up articles and blog posts from other solo female travelers and travel bloggers in general, and make a list for all of my non-believers to read (if they want to). And if they still think that all of this is not a reasonable thing after reading about other's journeys, hearing my reasons for following my heart, and realizing the world is not as terrible as they think, then I've done all that I can.
While I would love to have all of the support in the world, I went into this knowing that was not going to be the case. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is perfectly fine.
In the end, this is my journey. I have done extensive research (for over a year now!) on travel and solo female travel, and all of the countries in which I'm planning to visit. I know what I am capable of. I have a good head on my shoulders. I have confidence in myself AND I DON'T REALLY CARE IF NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES. I know I can do this and my heart if fully in it. That's all that truly matters.
Has anyone else ever dealt with this? If so, how did you handle it?! Please let me know!
xx
THE LIST!!
Not all those who wander are lost - World of Wanderlust
The Solo Woman Traveler Manifesto - World of Wanderlust
Everything you need to know about solo travel - World of Wanderlust
Don't be afraid to walk alone - Lauren Marinigh
Why all women should travel solo - The Blonde Abroad
How to make friends while traveling solo - Adventurous Kate
Top 10 travel safety tips for women - Adventurous Kate
7 common travel myths that are wrong - Nomadic Matt
Women shouldn't be afraid to travel alone - A Wandering Sole (via Nomadic Matt)
Why I became a solo female traveler - Be My Travel Muse (via Nomadic Matt)
Hello! I feel like it's been quite some time since I wrote a post. But here we are now!
On Friday, I went to this cute little bookshop in Houston to attend a book signing/talk for Matt Kepnes's (Nomadic Matt) book, "How To Travel The World On $50 A Day", and it was pretty awesome.
I've been a reader of Matt's for a few months now. Once I found his site, I literally spent weeks reading every post on there. Anything that I had questions about, or was concerned about when it came to traveling, was all in his posts. When I needed to decided which travel credit card to get, the first place I went was to Matt's post on credit cards. When I was trying to pick out a backpack to travel with, the post on how to pick a good one helped lead me to my perfect match.
Also, when I was very much doubting myself and considering not taking the year off to travel, because no one was supporting my decision, I emailed Matt and he very quickly responded and calmed my nerves. He probably doesn't know this, but he gave me that little push and boost of confidence to follow through with what my heart was set on, even if no one was supporting my decision at the time. (Now my family thinks that it is the best idea ever and are behind me 100%!)
So, as you could imagine, I was pretty excited to go to this book signing. I met some cool people there who are all on different travel journeys of their own. Some where very seasoned travelers, while others, were just about to start their journey, like me. Oh, and there was free wine!
Before signing everyone's books (there was quite a large turn out!), Matt gave about an hour talk on the book and just traveling in general, and then let us asks questions. I really enjoyed this, because it was much more personal. He told us some awesome stories about some of his early adventures as a traveler, and the mistakes that he has learned from. Hearing Matt's stories and knowing that he started out just as some of us have, made me really feel like I can do this.
Oh, and we also talked about our favorite places in New York to get pizza! No one can top NY's pizza! (And bagels, but that's another story..)
The whole event was great. I left there feeling more inspired and confident in my decision to travel then ever before. And when I got home that night, I nearly finished the book.
One of the praises for the book says "The bible for budget travellers.", from BBC Travel, and they could not have summed this book up any better. If you are trying to travel on a budget, whether it be for 2 weeks, or a year, this book is your go to for everything you need. It is broken down into 3 parts; Part One: Planning Your Trip, Part Two: On-The-Road Expenses, and Part Three: Breaking It Down By Region. And it also has appendix's for travel companies, a suggested packing list, and vaccinations. The book shows that even if you are not rich and don't have a lot of money, you can still travel! It all comes down to budgeting, saving, and learning how to find everything at a price you can afford, while still being comfortable.
All in all, this book is amazing. If you need tips or suggestions on almost anything while planning a trip, I highly recommend getting Matt's book AND reading his blog. It's pretty cool how someone can run a successful blog and write multiple books just by living out his dream.
To any traveler out there who hasn't read any of Matt's stuff, you're missing out on some of the most helpful tips you can get! Thanks for all the inspiration and help, Matt! See you on the road!
xx
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Oh, the dreaded, dreaded, B-word. BUDGETING.
No one likes to have to cut back on their favorite spendings, but in order to save the money I need to travel in October, I've been cutting back like crazy.
Since I first started saving for my journey later this year, I've been researching and practicing little ways to cut back and budget my money. And let me just say from the get-go, it can be hard. But let me also say, it makes it so much easier knowing it will all be worth it.
Here are some ways in which I've been cutting back these past few months
Cutting out the Starbucks I used to get Starbucks probably about 4 times a week. Or just get a coffee anywhere I could. I was spending a lot of money on coffee in a week. Cutting out Starbucks/any other bought coffee from your budget will do wonders. Instead of buying your coffee everyday, it's a whole lot cheaper to just make your own at home! I have actually started to decrease my coffee intake all together to cut my spending even more!
Bring your lunch to work Instead of going out for lunch everyday at work, I started bringing my own lunch from home! This help me save at least $50 a week. This also helps you eat a lot healthier!
You only need the essentials If it is not absolutely essential to your life, let it go! Things like your gym membership, Netflix (I know, that's a hard one), and going out every weekend are not necessary to your life. Only pay for what you need to survive day to day. Everything else is just an object standing in the way of you and your dreams!!
Avoid the Mall And Sephora... Buying that bag, or that coat, or those jeans, is not getting you any closer to your budget goals. The day I stopped wasting money on pointless material items, I started saving so much more money. I used to be in Sephora at least twice a week buying some new makeup that I saw someone else wearing and thought was the best thing on Earth. I spent so much time (and money) in there that the employee's knew me by name. That's not good!! I now learned that none of that will make me as happy as traveling.
It also helps to make sure you are aware of where every penny of your money is going. Don't spend it if you don't have too! And honestly, I am still having to tell myself this! Everyday!!
Budgeting your money and making a game plan can be difficult. But you can make it fun if you just keep telling yourself that every dollar saved is going towards another day of discovering the unknown, living the adventure, traveling.
xx
