Traveling indefinitely is a huge lifestyle change, but something that can seriously enrich your heart, mind, and soul. Travel can help you to learn about different cultures and let you immerse yourself in them. It can help you to cultivate things like empathy and communication. Also, it can help you to live a higher quality of life and become a better person in general!
So, what do you need to do/know so you can travel indefinitely with peace of mind? Read on to find out.

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Answer the Right Questions
By answering a few targeted questions before you plan any trip, you can make sure you’re going to be able to achieve what you want to achieve. Below are a few suggestions:
- What’s your travel style going to be? Luxury, backpacker, full-time RVer or something else?
- Why do you want to travel the country/world?
- What do you want to get out of the experience?
- What’s your budget?
- Are you traveling solo, with a friend, or a partner?
- How long do you want to travel for?
Once you have answered the questions above, you can look into everything else. You need to know what you’re looking to achieve and how you envision your trip in order to have the most meaningful time.
Accommodations Are One of the Biggest Expenses
You’ll spend a huge portion of your budget on accommodations. The kind of accommodations you stay in will depend entirely on the type of traveler that you want to be. If you’re going to be a backpacker, you’ll probably stay in hostels. If you’re a luxury traveler, you might want to rent in singapore whole unit. Whatever you do, make sure you explore your options so you can get the best deal. Sites like Hostelworld and Airbnb can be useful.

Figuring Out Your Budget When Traveling Indefinitely
Once you know your travel style and the kind of accommodations you expect to stay in, you need to consider the rest of your budget. Consider how you like to eat, the souvenirs you might want to pick up, how much you want to sight-see, how much you plan on going out, and so on. Have an activities allowance to guide you. Bear in mind that most travelers will end up spending more than they really want to, so it’s best to have more than you think you’ll need.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Plan Everything
If you have a rock solid itinerary because you’ve already arranged everything and bought all of the tickets, you’re locked in. What if you want to stay somewhere a bit longer or you think a last minute change of plan would suit you better? It’s often better to go with the flow, only planning a few key activities in advance, rather than your entire schedule. You’ll like having the freedom to make the most of different opportunities when you get them.

Visas, Passports, and Other Documents
You should find out well in advance whether you need a visa or not for the countries you’re going to be visiting. It can be super expensive if you have to organize a visa in another town. The last thing you want is to be faced with an angry official and only expensive and inconvenient ways of rectifying the situation.
Make sure you carry printed photocopies of all your important documents and have them saved online so they are accessible.
It’s also important to note that your passport should usually have a minimum of six months left on it, as well as pages. Double check this before you travel!

Buy a Travel Guide
Hard copy travel guides can be an awesome way to enjoy your trip. The internet can give you a ton of great information, but sometimes it can be inconsistent and patchy. You can’t go wrong with a good old fashioned travel guide! You might even want to purchase a phrasebook so you can prepare yourself with a few key phrases.
The Right Type of Travel Insurance
Travel insurance should be a necessity on your trip. If you’re planning on going for a long while, which you are if you’re reading this, you should have insurance to cover you for a range of instances. What if the airline loses your luggage or something valuable is stolen? These things do happen on trips. It’s especially important you are protected if you become sick or get injured.
A quote for indefinite travel can be daunting and expensive, but start with a year and see how much of your budget that will take up. You shouldn’t leave without it, as things always go wrong, even if you’re not going on an ‘adventure’ trip.
Packing Your Bags for Traveling Indefinitely
If you’re traveling indefinitely, light packing is always best. You’re going to feel much more relaxed and comfortable with a backpack, rather than a full on suitcase or two. You will be able to buy most things you need while you’re on the road, so the key is to be as vigilant as possible. You might think that your roller suitcase is convenient and will be a breeze to get to where you’re going, but you’ll have to deal with bumping into people and navigating your way through unfamiliar streets, not to mention just getting fed up of packing/unpacking all of those things over and over again.
Keep in mind that you will have to carry everything you take when traveling indefinitely – that could end up being a very long time! Versatile clothing is a good idea, but probably don’t take items that you’re too attached to. You might have to give away certain items or leave items somewhere because you need to make room for new ones. You don’t want to worry too much about your belongings while you’re supposed to be enjoying your travels.

Traveling indefinitely is a huge decision, but hopefully the information above will help you a little to navigate it. You may only get this opportunity once in your life, so if you have it, go for it!

This is a great resource for those who are thinking about long-term traveling. I would like to add one more though which concerns Americans planning to travel abroad full-time: medical insurance. Travel insurance is different than a medical one. It’s not meant to cover you if you get seriously sick overseas and require a prolonged stay in a local hospital. Also, your domestic health insurance back in the US may or may cover you abroad (most of them do not cover indefinite (i.e., long-term) travel outside the country. Do not forget to sort that out before leaving the US.
I’ve been a full-time worldwide traveler since 2013, and I totally agree that flexibility is the key. It is so much more rewarding to have freedom of open-ended journey than been restrained by set in stone itinerary.
Happy travels!
Super information here Christopher. I’ve been circling the globe for years, keeping things open-ended.
Ryan