How Do People Afford Long-Term Travel?

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A two-week annual vacation can be a struggle for many people to afford. So how do people afford to travel for months on end? Is it a case of saving up for months or even years beforehand?

Not necessarily. While savings can definitely help when it comes to flights and initial accommodation, there can be other ways of affording long-term travel. Here are just several ways to make long-term travel affordable.

Plan to work as you travel

Many people afford long-term travel by earning as they travel. A number of jobs can allow you to do this.

One example is cruise ship work. Cruise ships often visit multiple countries and while you’ll have to spend most of your time working shifts, you’ll be able to spend your days off visiting new places around the world.

Digital work is also popular and can often offer more freedom as to where you travel. There are some jobs that require only a laptop and wi-fi connection such as writing and graphic design – these jobs can allow you to practically work from any location.

You may also be able to pick up local jobs as you travel from country to country. This could include working in hotels, working in bars or teaching English in schools. You may even have a skill to teach such as diving or skiing.

Move out your home/rent your home to lodgers

Travelling isn’t easy when you have bills to pay back home such as rent or a mortgage. Some people choose to move out so that they don’t have to continue paying these costs. By looking for moving companies near you, you may be able to relocate your possessions into storage temporarily while you travel. You’ll have to pay a small rental fee, but it will be nothing compared to having to pay the bills of renting/owning a home while travelling.

Alternatively, some homeowners choose to rent out their home to lodgers while they’re away. This rent could help to cover bills.

Rely on cheap accommodation

Accommodation can be one of the biggest costs of travel, but there are ways to keep this cost down. This can make travelling long-term more affordable.

Hostels are much cheaper than hotels and tend to be great options when visiting urban areas. Camping is meanwhile more suited to rural areas (even if you don’t want to stay in a tent every night, there could be cheap lodging on campsites).

Homestay accommodation has also become popular in recent years. This involves staying with a local in their home and it is often very cheap compared to staying in a hotel.

Eat like a local

You can also keep costs down by watching what you eat. In many countries, street food is a cheap option. Buying food in grocery stores and cooking it yourself could be another cheap option.

Meanwhile, most homestay hosts provide cooked meals to guests.

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