When planning to travel long-term, you are probably going to be full of excitement. This is great, as you are about to embark on a once in a lifetime opportunity that not everyone gets the privilege to experience. However, long-term travel also requires some serious planning, to make sure you have all the important documents you need to get into the countries to wish to travel to and ensure you are safe and well.
If you are new to traveling, you may be feeling overwhelmed with getting everything right and ready for your trip. You don’t have the previous experience to learn from. Fortunately, many people around the world have packed up their bags and traveled the world, which you can learn valuable lessons from to ensure you create a memorable experience and avoid any huge mistakes that may negatively impact your travels.
To help you get started and ensure you plan the best long-term travel experience, here are some of the most common mistakes people make when traveling long-term, and how you can avoid them.
#1 Cramming too much into your itinerary
There are so many beautiful places and things to see around the world, that it can be tempting to cram too much into your itinerary. While this might work for a weekend or a week’s trip, it is not a sustainable practice for long-term travel. When you do a short trip, you are limited with your time and you know that after a few days, you can go home and relax. When you are traveling long-term, you will quickly burn yourself out if you try to do too much in a short space of time. This can then negatively impact the rest of your trip.
You can avoid this mistake by taking the time to carefully plan your itinerary. Consider what your energy levels are like in a typical week or month, and observe how they fluctuate. Plan rest days in your itinerary to give yourself regular breaks to rest and recharge. You should also consider planning rest days after long days of traveling. This may mean extending your travels in certain areas. You are going to be able to enjoy your travels much more when you are feeling refreshed.
#2 Plan for health and wellbeing
While going on holiday and traveling is fun, it is going to take you away from your usual routines which can put your body and mind out of balance. This will impact everyone differently. If you are traveling long-term, you are also more at risk of falling ill or injuring yourself.
When you are away, you are taken away from your usual access to medical care. It is easy to take this for granted when back at home you can make a simple trip or phone call to your local GP or pharmacy to obtain anything you need when you are feeling unwell or need a prescription topped up.
You can avoid this by making sure you have access to medical resources. If you take any medication or have any regular prescriptions, you should speak to your local doctor to see how you can deal with this. They may be able to give you an extended prescription or advise you on how to obtain your medication abroad. Remember that access to healthcare is going to be different in every country you visit, so you may wish to use the Simple Online Doctor.
#3 Maxing out the budget
One of the biggest mistakes people make when traveling long term is maxing out their entire budget when planning the trip. This might be the normal way to book a short trip. You typically save your money and then spend it on your travels. However, if you are traveling long-term, you don’t want to spend your entire budget before you go.
To avoid this mistake, you should always save more than you need. You should not leave for long-term travels until you have an emergency fund that you can fall back on. This will ensure you can stay afloat for the intended time, cover any unforeseen costs without added stress and worry, and reduce the need for credit cards or loans. The last thing you want to do is start your new adventure, and have to cut it short or put yourself in debt to cover costs. Traveling long-term can be unpredictable. The prices of accommodation and flights can change, and you might choose to change your itinerary. The COVID-19 pandemic has also added a new range of difficulties and delays to travel that you can’t always plan for.
Traveling long-term comes with a lot more risks than a typical holiday. Make sure you are prepared by avoiding these common mistakes.
