Perpetual travel

[free4now]

I used to think I wanted the perpetual traveller lifestyle, but after 7 months of travelling around the world by myself I was ready to come home. For a while the stimulation and excitement of travel is invigorating, but after a while you want to have the same bed to come home to, and be able to own more things than fit in a backpack. You want to be an insider rather than an outsider. As a traveller you are always on the outside looking in, and after a while that gets old.

 

[audreyh1]

As a traveller you are always on the outside looking in, and after a while that gets old.

Interesting. I think that might be very true if you are traveling solo. I wonder if it would have been different if you had a companion.

The nice thing about RV travel is that you DO get to sleep in your own bed every night - makes a huge difference. Also, you are not an outsider, because you are always parked around other RVers, so you always feel part of a community even though it is a very dynamic one.

Audrey

 

[dex]

Audreyhi1,
I agree with you about RVing. It provides the best of traveling - a familar home enviorment and the traveling experience.

I think perpetual traveling life is difficult without a comfortable place to lay your head and just chill out.

 

[MJ]

I returned from SEA late August and I am off again to Thailand in 2 weeks. For me, it is a new and continuing experiment. I haven;t had an apartment for 1 1/2 years and just sold my 15 yo camry. I am traveling solo which I find a bit lonesome. I am trying to remedy that this time bringing not only my folding bike but a new laptop, 80g of downloaded music, which I missed greatly on my last long trip.
I usually keep a 1/2 an eye open for a possible [-]miracle [/-]female traveling companion to share my adventures with.
Unlike some other single male PT, I am not interested in boozing or whoring. I just want a simple and enjoyable life somewhere[-] over the rainbow[/-].

MJ

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

one of my considerations in whether or not to sail singlehanded or solo perpetual land-based travel is the possibility of finding a mate. i tend to think i'd have a better chance to meet someone if was renting apartments as opposed to living on the hook in some lagoon but maybe i am making too big a deal of it. i do know that when ever i think of billy and akaisha, i get really jealous. and when i think of my past partners dying on me, i get really pissed off. i'm also not real interesting in boozing and whoring, well, full time at least. but i'm even less interested in being sober and frigid. hopefully along the way i will find some balance.

I used to think I wanted the perpetual traveller lifestyle, but after 7 months of travelling around the world by myself I was ready to come home. For a while the stimulation and excitement of travel is invigorating, but after a while you want to have the same bed to come home to, and be able to own more things than fit in a backpack. You want to be an insider rather than an outsider. As a traveller you are always on the outside looking in, and after a while that gets old.

the type of perpetual travel i envision for myself is minimum 3 months and more likely 6 months to a year in a place. i think that would make a big difference when compared to traveling around the world in 7 months. i would think this especially true for single travelers who would then have the time it takes to form relationships.

 

[toofrugalformycat]

JamesInSanJose wrote "Has anyone else explored extended travel?"

I traveled around the world, taking 14 months, with my spouse in the late 90's. Whether you travel perpetually or just to a couple of countries, I recommend Lonely Planet guidebooks. They have a good web site too. They are aimed at independent travelers, and they try to help you be polite and thoughtful of the local customs, and assume you have the ambition to use local transport.
I suggest you make a list of places you want to go. If there is more than one continent, chances are a round-the-world ticket might save you a lot of money, if you want to plan that far ahead. There are "bucket shops", travel agencies that specialize in consolidating airline tickets for the big hops. Back in the late 90's they were mostly in London and Bangkok, but I don't know about now.
Then again, if you have no hurry, you may choose to take trains, buses, bicycles, and boats and skip the airplanes.

 

[haha]

I traveled around the world, taking 14 months, with my spouse in the late 90's.

Too frugal,were you already retired then, or was that travel before you became enmeshed in your careers?

ha

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Then again, if you have no hurry, you may choose to take trains, buses, bicycles, and boats and skip the airplanes.

recent ad from Crew Wanted

U.S => EUROPE / AFRICA. World Bicycle Tourist refuses to take an airplane! I am in Virginia, seeking transatlantic working passage. Not picky! Will ride to you. Some sailing experience, quick and eager learner, very capable and willing. Adventurous hardships are no problem! Fluency in Spanish & French. Stories to tell, fun to be had, friends to become! Please check out www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/worldtour07 and keep me rollin'! black_leopardstealth@yahoo.com (11/3/07)

 

[toofrugalformycat]

haha wrote: Too frugal,were you already retired then, or was that travel before you became enmeshed in your careers?

I was burnt out, but spouse and I didn't have enough saved yet to retire. We planned to return to work afterwards. We did work after but for only a few years. We had more money when we came back than when we left! We rented out the house, traveled on the cheap, and the 90's stock market rise didn't hurt either! I'd like to say it was skill, but a lot of luck was involved.

 

[TickTock]

Any resources on frugal travel? DW wants to travel (both US and abroad), but thinks we'll need much $$$ to do it, which would delay ER by several years...

For the US, I'm thinking maybe RV. Or, if we find we don't care for that, what other options?

For abroad, I"m not sure (I do own Billy and Akaisha's CD, but it's a bit short on specifics).

 

[JamesInSanJose]

Boots n All is great!

FlogBlogger, thanks for turning me onto boots n all, I have been going through the website and forum. A great resource!

What is your connection with Semester At Sea?
Also, do you have a blog? (Since Blogger is in your handle.)

James

 

[FlogBlogger]

What is your connection with Semester At Sea?
Also, do you have a blog? (Since Blogger is in your handle.)

I'm looking at semesteratsea for early retirement travel--currently on hold until such time as the Phoenix real estate market recovers.

No, no public blog to share as yet.

Bootsnall is a great resource for the perpetual traveller.

 

[Moemg]

Any resources on frugal travel? DW wants to travel (both US and abroad), but thinks we'll need much $$$ to do it, which would delay ER by several years...

For the US, I'm thinking maybe RV. Or, if we find we don't care for that, what other options?

For abroad, I"m not sure (I do own Billy and Akaisha's CD, but it's a bit short on specifics).

Tick Tock ,
I travel frequently so I 'm always looking for a bargain . In bigger cities I've used Priceline with good results .I also use Kayak for bargain airfares .
Travelzoo is also a good source for bargains .If you travel slightly off peak there are a lot of good buys out there .For example ,Florida in November or early December great weather ,low crowds and lots of bargains .

 

[TickTock]

Thanks!!!

 

[Billy]

Dex

I think perpetual traveling life is difficult without a comfortable place to lay your head and just chill out.

The speed at which one travels is crucial to one's comfort level. When we first retired in 1991, we moved to Nevis and stayed there 6 months. Did a bit of travel between that and buying our rig and we RV'd for about 2 years. Then we went to Mexico with the idea we would stay 2 months, but we stayed 4 years... etc. etc.

Billy and I move pretty slowly, because constantly being on the move is exhausting. One must really find the style and speed that supports stability and movement at the same time, IMO. Like Audry1 said, RVing is 'perfect' because you have your own bed and kitchen, but your view changes all the time. Plus there is lots in common with your neighbors.

Congratulations MJ for selling your car! See you again in Thailand soon...

Lg4n

i do know that when ever i think of billy and akaisha, i get really jealous. and when i think of my past partners dying on me, i get really pissed off.

There is no doubt that if I lost Billy, my style of traveling and living would be altered. I am independent, but I'm no female road warrior... LG4N I'm so sorry for your losses...

Tick Tock

Any resources on frugal travel? DW wants to travel (both US and abroad), but thinks we'll need much $$$ to do it, which would delay ER by several years...For the US, I'm thinking maybe RV. Or, if we find we don't care for that, what other options?

1.)Housing and transport are two large areas of expenditure. If you modify your lodging expenses you will save much money. Try Couchsurfing or Home Exchange to aid you in this..

Favorite ER Links

2.)Consolidate your trips to one area of the globe at a time, or slow down your pace. There's no point in going from Kansas City to the Maldives then back home to Kansas City, wait a few months and then going to Vietnam.

3.)Decide to be either a traveler or a tourist. Tourists spend more $$ in a shorter period of time.

4.)You could also try crewing on a boat or taking up part time employment overseas at bed and breakfast places, hostels, and so on, which provide lodging as part of your salary.

For abroad, I"m not sure (I do own Billy and Akaisha's CD, but it's a bit short on specifics).

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify: Our 3rd Edition is much more detailed, due in part to our Readers writing to us with specific questions. We added 8 new chapters, extended the ones that were already there, added a links page to bring you to some of the sites we discuss in our book, tell you specifically what equipment we use and give you links for those items as well. We specifically extended our chapters on finance and housing.

Table of Contents

Be well,

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[Retire Soon]

We've done a lot of traveling since retiring a year and a half ago. All of it has been in the U.S. and Canada. We purchased an RV and plan a trip around the U.S. in April. I have read John Steinbeck's, "Travels with Charley: In Search of America" and found it very inspirational. By the way, for those you who are not familiar with this novel, Charley was the author's dog. We were further inspired when we visited the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, CA and saw the camper that John and Charley used for their journey. A couple of things will be different when we take our trip: DW will be with me and I won't have a dog. Our eight year old Rottweiler passed away suddenly yesterday. Just the same, we're really looking forward to the trip, which we will expect to take two months. We do not plan to be perpetual travelers, but do plan on doing extensive travel within the U.S. and some outside the U.S.

 

[jIMOh]

Two or three points

1) I have heard of 180 day "round the world cruises". That sounds like fun to me.
2) I have a cousin which traveled south america... worked on farms to earn enough money for next "trip", switched countries, found work repeated. He also worked as a bike messenger in NYC and on a fish boat in Alaska one summer. So another way to travel is to work as you go. He has a blog, I will look for it to see if it has any details.
3) Make sure you research travel rewards. For example I had coworker travel to Austraila with 3 friends. 3 of them paid for their tickets and basically got a free trip with FF miles for paying for the one long trip. The 4th used FF miles to get to Austrailia and he mentioned he had hassles getting flights.

 

[TickTock]

Tick Tock


1.)Housing and transport are two large areas of expenditure. If you modify your lodging expenses you will save much money. Try Couchsurfing or Home Exchange to aid you in this..

Favorite ER Links

2.)Consolidate your trips to one area of the globe at a time, or slow down your pace. There's no point in going from Kansas City to the Maldives then back home to Kansas City, wait a few months and then going to Vietnam.

3.)Decide to be either a traveler or a tourist. Tourists spend more $$ in a shorter period of time.

4.)You could also try crewing on a boat or taking up part time employment overseas at bed and breakfast places, hostels, and so on, which provide lodging as part of your salary.



Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify: Our 3rd Edition is much more detailed, due in part to our Readers writing to us with specific questions. We added 8 new chapters, extended the ones that were already there, added a links page to bring you to some of the sites we discuss in our book, tell you specifically what equipment we use and give you links for those items as well. We specifically extended our chapters on finance and housing.

Table of Contents

Be well,

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

Akaisha,

Sorry for the time lag in responding - I do have your third edition bought and downloaded (also get the email updates from your site!) - I'll go back and re-read. Thanks.

 

[Billy]

Hi TickTock,

Thanks. I hope you find our 3rd Edition to cover more material that is useful to you. We don't have a complicated way of writing. Sometimes very practical info will be simply stated instead of being lost in a lot of descriptive words...

Also, you know that you can write to us any time with further questions you may have.

Thanks for your support of our project.

Be well, stay strong!

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[A854321]

Start with a smaller step

You are getting some great advice. I did an extended travel through SE Asia for 7 months, and travelled with some who had been on the road for 2 years. As you haven't had any foreign travel or extended travel, you might want to plan a break-in trip. My comments:

1. Retirement itself is a major change, and you should give yourself time to adjust to your new status and finances. A year wouldn't be too long to wait before a major trip. There is no need to rush off on anything.

2. A break-in trip of 1-3 months would allow you to begin to understand yourself and how you like to travel, without having to sell the house, etc.
You don't really know the basics, and you don't yet know what your style and level of comfort (physical and financial) is. You can learn a great deal from books and travel boards, but you also learn a great deal from fellow travelers. And there is no substitute for experience. One month will just get you out of the vacation mode, and 3 months might give you an idea of what extended travel entails.

3. If you want to think about foreign travel, I'd recommend SE Asia. Can be fairly inexpensive, lots of travel infrastructure for English speakers, lots of other travlers to get advice from, great food, great culture and history. Lots of natural beauty.

4. There is nothing wrong with starting with a group trip, to see some sights, then taking off on your own, when you have an idea of the area. As others have said, loneliness can be more grating than physical deprivation. You can also plan a couple of group trips, and do independent travel between them.

5. I's recommend you start reading the Lonely Planet guides, and start looking at the Thorn Tree posting boards on Lonely Planet. There is a long-haul board, but there is also and older travelers board. There was a poster on older travelers, Packerjohn, who had very interesting commentaries. Even he got tired of the road and is back, in Canada, I think.

6. There is no one way to do this. Finding those places that you dreamed of as a kid is one way to make a list of places to go.

7. Make sure you plan for problems. That includes medical evacuation insurance, medical insurance, proper vaccinations and indicated medications, care of your properties and investments while you are away. Making sure you start in good health is also paramount.

 

[wcv56]

If everything you do comes down to counting pennies, your
not ready to retire or travel extensively. Many cheap places
to be a home base in which to travel from. Best to start your
travels while you have work vacations and not taking away
from your retirement funds. Always base your retirement plans
on what it would be from your home country. This way you will
always be able to return just like Dorthy and be fine.

With the dollar decline and countries finding out that tens of thousands of budget retirees are really strecthing their dismal
infastructure to out of control conditions. Water shortage, road
congestion and garbage control are just a few not to mention they don't want you driving up the housing cost for middle class locals.

 

[A854321]

Re: Budget

A break-in trip will allow you to start understanding how to plan a budget. Here is what I know:

1. Areas of the world vary considerably in their daily cost. Canada, USA, Japan, Western Europe are probably the most expensive. As a basic, low-end USA could be $70 a day. Now with the dollar dropping, Europe might be almost twice that and Japan might be even 3 times that.

2. Only you can determine your expenses based on your travel style. Cheap hostel rooms with noise, drunkenness or drug use, vermin, shared bathrooms, theft risk are not for everyone, everynight. Staying put in one place for a while tends to be the cheapest. However, it is a terrible shame to be so underbudgeted that you can't take an african safari, or fly to the remote lush islands, or even enjoy a beer or two. Knowing your style and how to pay for it is really critical to the longevity of your plans.

3. Read the Lonely Planet guidebooks and posting board. You will start to pick up basic costs for living in countries of interest, how to find cheap flights, what is really worth spending your money on.

4. Only you can determine if you want to spend 10 sluggish months on the beach in Thailand, or if you get itchy feet and want to cover ground and see all there is to see. It would make a significant difference in your expenses.

5. As a really basic guess, a year-long trip visiting 15 different countries would probably be in the range of $25,000-$30,000. This is just an enormous guess.

 

[Billy]

wcv56

With the dollar decline and countries finding out that tens of thousands of budget retirees are really strecthing their dismal infastructure to out of control conditions. Water shortage, road congestion and garbage control are just a few not to mention they don't want you driving up the housing cost for middle class locals.

This sounds like some places I know of first hand in California! ... I am only half joking here... the only thing not applicable is the term 'budget retirees'.

We just published a piece for The Motley Fool Rule Your Retirement Newsletter about the impact of the falling dollar on Expat living if you are interested: The Dollar is Slip Slidin Away

A854321

You have some very good suggestions there, A8. One must really know their 'requirements' in order to be comfortable. No point in 'retiring' but then can't do what you want to do.

The speed at which one travels and the locations one chooses to reside definitely affects the pocketbook.

Be well,
Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[wcv56]

Would be wise to have maybe 25% of your money managed
by Warren and sell off a B share or two a year.
Seen a big majority of 3rd world living by retirees being a slave
to money. Everything they do and every minute of their life
is dictated by what something cost. Most everything in their life ends up being the cheapest crap made or available.

If taking a week or two trip every few months is more than a 10 minute thought on how much it will cost or what you can afford your probably a slave to money. Your most likely not retired and only not working anymore. Retirement age seems to have dropped a decade now days and plenty of it for the expat seems to be
sitting around in plastic chairs conserving money. Boy if that isn't a h*ll of a life to look forawrd to for 30 years and it only gets worse
for most. This being said at least in the internet age many have become more wise on investing rather than these third world
types that will make you money with your money, when they are no better off than you are. You know the type life's one big budget
of h*ll.