I’ve been living the ‘expat lifestyle‘ (more settled in one place), the ‘digital nomad lifestyle‘ (more flexible and willing to move around) and I have traveled long term.
How to Live a Life of Travel
Living a life of travel means different things to different people.
Some picture themselves traveling continuously around Asia, Europe, or Latin America.
Others see themselves living in a different country every few months. And some dream of living in an RV or sailing around the world for years.
One thing is for sure: now that the number of people who can work from home is increasing, more people will be able to live a life of travel.
If you don’t want to save up for years or travel on a very tight budget, working while you travel is the best way to live a life of travel.
This article about how to become a digital nomad gives some useful tips if you’re interested in that lifestyle.
Or, if you’d rather find (temporary) jobs abroad and travel the world that way, this article about how to find a job abroad is useful.
When Is the Right Time to Head to a New Destination, to a New Country, or Even Back Home?
Before a trip or a move abroad, the anticipation starts to build. And with preparation comes the confidence that you can make it happen.
You set off with the nervousness and excitement of a novice voyager, ready to experience life as if for the first time.
Inevitably the initial buzz wears off, at least with extended trips or long stays abroad. You get away from your old life, live temporarily in a sort of suspended state, and over time build a life for yourself somewhere else.
In one way or another, given enough time, you will “settle”. It’s natural to do so.
Going Abroad: To Travel or to Live
If you are heading abroad, you should examine your motives and approach to travel.
A three-month trip in which you aim to see a few countries in South East Asia, or even one country, means that you will pretty much never settle. Your definition of “settled” will be when you find a nice place to rest your head for a few nights.
The aim, in this case, is not really to get to know one place as if you live there, but to adventure and explore your country of choice, given the amount of time that you have.
There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and it will offer you great experiences and reflections on life.
Your choice for when to move on is probably pretty simple — when you get bored or feel you’ve seen enough, make a move. If you really like a place, stay longer and soak it up. Be flexible with your itinerary, and don’t try to cram too much in.
If you plan on a long-term type of travel, or you are relocating abroad as an expat, then your decision is a little bit different.
Unlike the flighty traveler, who is always on the move, expats are consciously looking to “settle” somewhere, either for a given or indefinite length of time.
When the length of time is undetermined, or you have the flexibility to move to other places whenever you want (as is the case with remote workers like myself), then you will sooner or later be faced with a choice of whether or not to extend your leases and stay abroad.
You should first logically examine the pros and cons and see whether it makes sense to stay or move.
If you have work and money and a nice place in an area that you are happy to live in, and you’ve established a good network of people around you, then (in my eyes) you have some good reasons to stay.
By the same token, if you don’t have any reasons to stay somewhere, or you actively dislike a place, then you have a solid reason to make a move.
If another place is calling out to you and offers more in terms of your preferred lifestyle, then it might be worth taking a trip to the place to see if you would like to live there.
Live the Life You Want to Live
Remember, as a traveler or expat, you are not obligated to be anywhere.
Many people leave their hometowns or country to make a change, or for “freedom”. Everyone has a different definition of what this means to them, but part of it is surely the freedom to live a life that you want to live.
If your travel lifestyle becomes less desirable, or a place you once enjoyed loses its appeal, you can exercise that same freedom to walk away.
Also Read: 7 Emotional Challenges of Digital Nomad Life
Even if you’ve only spent a few months in a place it can feel like a big step to move on (again).
Most of us like a certain amount of routine and familiarity and stepping out of that is a challenge every time.
Work towards your next move. Plan where you are going, cancel your rent or stop extending your hotel/Airbnb.
Plan final get-togethers with local friends you have made and get excited about your next destination.
And aside from moving from place to place, sometimes you might just want to go home. I remember counting down the days to my flight home after long trips, exhausted and tired of life on the road.
Settled life brings comforts and a sustainable pace of life, and it also reconnects us with friends and those we care about. I need it every now and again, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Life has its ups and downs, and wherever we live in the world we can expect to experience them in some form or another.
The trick with living abroad or traveling the world is to have a sense of when your time in a place has come to an end, or when it is just beginning…
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