Being able to work from a laptop has made it possible for people to take much longer vacations than ever before. As long as you have a good internet connection, you can work wherever you feel like working.
Which means that your vacation time is unlimited. Imagine sitting poolside in Mexico while you get the work done? Well, now you can but it does take some research beforehand. Long term travel is a bit of a challenge in many ways. Not least of which is the expense.
Let’s take a look at some of the things that you need to budget for when planning out your long term travels.
1 – Communication
This may not be the biggest expense you have but it is one that often goes forgotten and then surprises travelers. They often feel that they have all of their expenses planned out and then come up short because of their phone and internet bill.
Your best bet is to find a carrier that works in different countries and offers up lots of discounts when traveling. Don’t try to just use your roaming feature with your current carrier as it will cost a fortune.
Try looking for some of the lesser known carriers that have lots of great international plans so you can use it when traveling. Boss Revolution calling is much cheaper than some of the big names and is also reliable. Companies like that are the type to look for.
2 – Transportation
This is the most obvious expense that has to be dealt with and sometimes the most expensive. Getting around can take a good chunk of your budget for the time that you are able to travel.
But, there are ways to lower this expense and travel very cheaply. The first thing to do is to set up a maximum number that you can spend for the month and incorporate your travel into that number.
Then, instead of picking a destination and trying to make the numbers work based on how much the flight there costs, you can reverse engineer it. Be flexible and decide how much is the most you will spend on a flight. Then find those flights that cost that much regardless of destination. Now, you are free to travel somewhere in a cost effective way. You just have to be willing to go somewhere off the beaten path.
3 – Accommodations
Another big expense will be where you rest your head. This can eat up a big chunk of your budget if you aren’t careful. If you are at all the adventurous type then this expense can be downright cheap.
For instance, you can stay for free by doing what’s called couchsurfing. Many people like to have travelers stay in their homes so they can socialize and travel vicariously through their guests’ experiences.
You can also stay in hostels that cost a fraction of what a hotel costs. And you will meet other travelers there that helps to enrich the travel experience. The nice thing about hostels is that they usually have a good internet connection and access to a kitchen so you can cook for yourself rather than always eating out.
