Here's How You Can Travel Abroad for Three Months, or Longer

(Photo : Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels)

Whether you've been reading old travel books, following new travel influencers or watching TV shows about hitting the road, wanderlust may be nagging at you, but giving into it can seem impossible. After all, you aren't independently wealthy, and how else would you be able to take off for weeks or months at a time and traipse around the world? This actually may be much more possible than you imagine.

Understanding the Lifestyle

There are a few things to keep in mind that will help you start to conceptualize how this trip will work. Traveling for a few months can actually be cheaper than your normal life back home, and depending on where you go, it might be significantly cheaper. The cost of living may be lower in the country you're going to. You can also save a lot of money by going off season, when owners of vacation rentals might offer deals like a month in a place for the price of one week. Hostels are another way to save on accommodations. Like vacation rentals, these usually have kitchen facilities so that you don't have to eat every meal out. Of course, you can also opt for a luxury experience, but if money is a concern, there are still definitely ways to make this happen.

Your Budget

Figuring out your budget should be one of your first steps since this can help you determine where you can go, how long you can go for and what you can do once you're there. Even if you don't have a lot of savings, you might be surprised at how much money you can save once you're determined to put most of your money toward your trip. This is easier than some other types of savings as well since it has a definite end date and is for something you will genuinely enjoy. 

If you start thinking of every dollar that you save by forgoing an experience like a meal out at home in favor of a meal out abroad, it's not hard to give up your usual pastimes for a little while. In addition, you can look at other ways to save money. A NaviRefi student loan refinance can give you the opportunity to refinance your student loan into a new one, potentially reducing what you have to pay each month. Other things you could consider include carpooling to work or taking public transportation instead of driving and moving to a cheaper house or apartment.

Your Job

One of the big questions that people face when it comes to long-term travel is what they'll do about their job. You have a few choices. You might be able to work remotely while you're on the road. The drawback is that you will be working regular work weeks, meaning that what you're doing is no vacation. At the same time, this can be an attractive option because you don't have to worry about money or what you'll do when you get home. Do talk to your employer if you're going to be working remotely about whether it's okay with them. One element that may be challenging is if you have to keep the same hours, so you may want to consider traveling to places like Central or South America where this won't cause much disruption.

Your other two options are to quit your job outright or to ask for a leave of absence. Some jobs actually offer sabbaticals, but these are few and far between. Whether either of these options is appropriate for you will depend on several factors, including what industry you work in and your relationship with your employer. Of course, there's also the alternative of working abroad. It's beyond the scope of this article, but there are a lot of opportunities, from getting transferred with your current company to teaching English, nursing, working for the foreign service, and more.

Trip Planning Tips

Start with a list of the places you most want to see and go from there. Don't try to do too much. You'll burn out fast if you're trying to do a new country every week. Learn a few key phrases in the language of each country you plan to visit. Have a rough plan, but leave room for flexibility.