How do I manage to travel indefinitely for three and a half years? Or the story of a budding nomad
“How long are you traveling for? asks me a young backpacker in the kitchen of a hostel, while cooking the classic dish of spaghetti Bolognese. I smile and answer: “I don’t know, I’ve been traveling non-stop for three and a half years”. From there, there are two possible reactions: the person looks at me strangely and immediately changes the subject, or more frequently, they look at me with wide eyes and bludgeon me with various and varied questions.
It’s the same thing on the Internet and more and more of you are asking me here and on social networks, how I manage to travel indefinitely (implied, financially speaking). This nomadic mode of travel interests and intrigues more and more. And I understand your questions very well. 5 years ago, I was myself in front of my computer browsing the French and English blogs, of these daring travelers who went around the world and did not return and I was completely fascinated. I had absolutely no understanding of the ins and outs of it all, but I told myself that it was possible and that if I wanted to, I could do it too! Yes, I believe that we can all travel indefinitely, for different budgets, if we really want to. Everyone will have a different path,
So let me tell you my story, how I got here and how I have been traveling non-stop on the roads of the world for four years. If you had known me 10 years ago, you would never have imagined that such a fate was possible. To be honest, neither do I. Coming from a modest family who did not travel, from a small French village, shy, without self-confidence, I dared not look further than Paris. I would sometimes like to go back, reassure myself and tell myself that yes, it is possible.
Let’s take the context and go back a few years. Before going on a world tour, I had never really traveled in backpacker mode. I had been an Erasmus student in Sweden and spent weekends here and there in Europe, I had done an internship in Montreal and experienced Couchsurfing on weekends, I had been an expat in London and I had explored the country over the weekend. I had gone on vacation for a week in the Orkney Islands. And that’s it… I was saving up for my round the world trip and I hadn’t been out of Europe for years. And I went around the world, like that, blindly, without knowing if I would make it or if I would get out of it. Iceland and the United States to start gently and Colombia to immediately get into the swing of things.backpacker . I traveled for 15 months, not really knowing what would come out of it. When I booked my ticket to return to France (I had no more money and I wanted to spend Christmas with my family), one thing was obvious: I didn’t want to stop there. The decision was made like this, a month before the return. I was going to test the nomadic adventure, not going back to a normal job and trying to live and work on the road.
It didn’t happen that way. I returned to France, 200 euros in my pocket and I embarked more seriously on my own business: writing, editing, translation and blogging on the program. Becoming a freelancer and nomad was the dream I wanted, but I had no information or experience and I started at random, betting on a lot of work and having a little luck! I was based with my father in a small village in France between two blogger trips and conferences that multiplied. I spent eight months traveling around Europe and France, building my business and working hard. The first few months were uncertain and I don’t think anyone thought I could make it, even my family. I was not eligible for unemployment, having worked in the UK before, but I was finally old enough to receive the RSA, which helped me start my business. My goal was not very ambitious: to earn at least €500 per month to get back on the road and travel indefinitely. It took me eight months to realize this crazy project, to have the necessary savings for the request for PVT Argentina and to buy my plane ticket. In September 2015, I was back on the road, became fully nomadic and began my indefinite journey.
It’s March 2017, I’m sitting in a cafe in a small town in Taiwan and sipping a bear’s head latte while writing these lines. I’m a nomad and I don’t intend to return anytime soon. The open-ended trip had become possible, had become my reality and my way of life. It all started in September 2013, when I flew to London and Iceland. Everything changed and my life was never the same again. I dreamed of this life, but I never imagined it possible. Three and a half years later, a few dozen countries later, this trip is even better than anything I could have imagined.
So it’s my turn to give you a feedback and explain how it is possible to travel forever and to travel for an indefinite period and this, with a small budget!
Why travel indefinitely?
Above all, know that this way of life is not for everyone and is very different from the 15 days or three weeks of vacation you are used to. This is not the same rhythm, nor the same budget, nor the same experience.
However, it is a way of life that allows you to know a country more deeply, to learn the local language, to deepen your knowledge of the culture and history of a country and to become friends with the locals. . My most beautiful trips are those made by encounters and where I stayed longer to get to know the country better. Some of my favorite countries include the UK and Argentina, where I spent a lot of time.
If you like to travel, to be surprised and challenged every day, if you like to meet different people and from all over the world, if you like to face challenges, get out of your comfort zone, work in different environments, be able to exploring the world, one day at a time, is definitely the way of life for you.
If you like freedom, not working in an office, working independently and alone, if you like being able to decide overnight to change city, country or even continent, if you like to organize your own pace of work, then again this is a perfect lifestyle for you.
If you like to live 1000 lives and discover new experiences, you might like to travel indefinitely.
In any case, it’s my daily life and it’s all these reasons that make me completely addicted to this way of life.
How to finance an indefinite nomadic trip?
There is no single answer or magic formula. I myself am a digital nomad and constitute only a tiny part of the nomads. This means that I work from my computer, that I only need my computer and Wi-Fi to work, nothing more!
However, there are dozens of other ways to do it and becoming a freelancer is not the only solution: do odd jobs around the world, work somewhere for six months of the year and travel around the area for six months, teach languages or yoga, set up a business, work as a working person, be employed remotely and so on…
I explained this to you in this article: How do I finance a life of travel? Today things have changed a bit. Know that I am not sponsored, but that I finance all my trips. So I work (I’m a blogger, writer, translator and proofreader) full-time, which helps fund my lifestyle. If I sometimes receive invitations to discover a destination, a hotel or an activity, it is however quite rare and I prefer to finance my own trips, in the image of my tastes and my desires. So yes, I pay for my plane tickets, my food, my hotels, my activities and everything else. Because I use alternative means like housesitting, hitchhiking, Couchsurfing, Workaway and so on, my way of life costs me little and often less than what a very basic life in France would cost me. I let you discover my budget for a year in Argentina to get an idea!
How to plan an indefinite trip?
As you saw above, I did not plan this life, the events were linked more or less well, I worked hard to realize my dream and I move forward every day. putting one foot in front of the other. I don’t plan much, and I even plan less and less. I choose a destination that makes me want, I see what it is about visa, health, security, Internet and budget, I take a plane ticket and goooo , come what may! I can also be swayed by encounters, moods, a cheap plane ticket or whatever… I have an idea of what my nomadic year will be like, but each time things are not like I had planned them, and it may be much better!
A first long-term trip is planned, especially when you have never lived on the road, so do not hesitate to discover the articles on preparations for a world tour, on the budget, the savings, the backpack, my travel electronics, itinerary, health, safety, insurance, etc.
Find all the articles on long-distance travel preparations, around the world, PVT and all the practical guides in the Around the World section and my Resources page, where I present all the resources I use to travel around the world.
My advice for becoming a nomad
I would need much more than the few lines of an article to deal with this subject, however, here are some important tips and in bulk, so as not to run straight into the wall!
- Travel before you go on an open-ended trip, to make sure life on the road is for you. 3 weeks are not enough, several months are more suitable to get an idea of such a trip.
- Plan your first trip well, save money, have the right equipment, an idea of where you want to go, plan vaccines, insurance and visas, etc. so as not to waste time on site.
- Do a job that suits you. It is not because it is fashionable to be a travel blogger and that it seems simple or that it is because you speak English that you can be a translator, that these jobs are made for you. Choose something you know or really like. It’s better to have launched your business before leaving and to have already done several months to be sure that it works.
- Listen to yourself, live your trip for you and at your own pace. There isn’t just one way to be a nomad. It’s up to you to chart your course and your way of doing things.
- Find your balance and don’t try to do everything and see everything for the first few months, you will run out of steam. Your nomadic life is going to be long and you have your whole life ahead of you. Manage to find your balance between travel and work (and believe me, it’s not easy!)
- Keep in touch with your friends and family, get in touch with other nomads, on site or on the Internet and create a small community around you so as not to isolate yourself.
- Don’t listen to dream breakers, listen to your instincts. You are told that it is not possible, no one believes in your dream? It’s okay, you’re doing it for yourself and you’re going to prove them wrong.
- Don’t stress, don’t ask yourself 10,000 questions. Do you want to do it? Choose a destination and go! At this rate, you could wait 10 years for the conditions to be perfect. Life does not wait! Jump into this new life!
- Return to France or Europe for a break or forever when you feel like it and don’t let those around you or the travel community put pressure on you: the important thing is to be happy and to feel good about yourself. life. Don’t forget to recharge your batteries, even when traveling and if it’s time to end your trip, don’t let anyone tell you it’s a failure.
- Don’t expect beach life, coconut palms and siesta every day. It’s a lot of work, a lot of stress and sometimes a lot of hassles and questions, but all this, for ever more happiness!
- Run to read the articles of Nomadic Life.
- Get the complete guide to Traveling Indefinitely, how to travel for six months, a year or your entire life on any budget.
- Buy your first plane ticket!
- Contact me if you have any questions or to tell me your nomadic story!
The disadvantages of an open-ended trip
And yes, life is not always rosy. You can see the pretty pictures of these lucky travelers around the world, nothing is ever perfect in life and you have to make choices.
- Money is a permanent problem. You may work more than in your old job, but you probably earn less than before. For the curious, my income fluctuates between 200 and 1500 euros per month, before charges and taxes. Customers who pay late, contract instability, unforeseen events, computer equipment that breaks down, health problems… we can’t say that it’s a stable way of life that allows you to save money and future plans. You never know what tomorrow will bring: it can be very exciting or simply paralyzing.
- Family and friends are far away and we miss a lot. Even though we meet a lot of people, we meet few travelers who do exactly the same thing, especially in certain countries and it can become very lonely. It becomes difficult to create stronger friendships or relationships and to have someone you can count on and see regularly. I think this is especially problematic for solo travelers.
- Wifi and internet speed determine where you can travel and live long term, as well as which hotels and hostels you can stay in (this is the case for digital nomads). Forget Cuba in the long term for example! This can sometimes become a huge source of stress and above all can prevent you from visiting this or that place.
- Your destiny is in your hands and no one else’s. You make an error in judgement, you make the wrong choice, you miss a project, you don’t work enough, you spend too much, you choose the wrong country. All the choices you make impact your life and we all make mistakes, we all have to face failures. Sometimes it can be paralyzing, you don’t know what choice to make, what direction to take. It’s hard, but in the end, it’s much more rewarding. I prefer to be independent, to have to manage everything, the failures as well as the successes, but to choose to live the life I have always dreamed of!
These are the only drawbacks I see at the moment, but I’m probably not very objective… if you see any others, don’t hesitate to let me know!
These nomadic travelers who inspire me on a daily basis
Here is a list of nomadic travelers that I have followed daily in their travels around the world for years:
- Corinne from Vie Nomade is one of the pioneers of French-speaking digital nomads.
- Emily from Travel and Film who has been traveling around the world solo for several years and has several world tours to her credit. His favorite places: India and Brazil.
- Sandro from Tête de Chat who has just returned from a trip of more than 10 years, without returning to France.
- Sarah, from Sarah’s Blog that I have been following since her world tour in 2009. And she hasn’t stopped since!
- Dani from Globetrotter Girls
- Fabienne and Benoît from Novo-monde, new nomads, but I was sure they were going to end it there! Travel addiction is not curable!
- Astrid de Partons en vadrouille who is traveling with her family and is currently in Guadeloupe.
- Michael from Crossing the Border! I have been since more recently, but surprisingly, we share a fairly similar life course.
Traveling indefinitely, the practical guide or how to travel indefinitely for all budgets
This article is only the reflection of my experience, the story of how I can travel on a fixed term and the point of view of a digital nomad. However, there are dozens of ways to experience such a journey and design it, hundreds of different professions and possibilities and blogging or translation is not the only way. I also only touch on a few things quickly, because this way of life deserves entire pages.
This is good, because Michael Pinatton, the author of Crossing the Border has decided to make this subject a complete and educational book, a practical guide to help you get started in the life of your dreams. His book Indefinite Travel: How to Travel Six Months, a Year, or Your Lifetime on Any Budget has one promise: to show you how indefinite travel is possible on any budget. Do you want to travel indefinitely? For six months, 5 years or forever and you’re not sure how to achieve this dream, or where to start or even if it’s really possible? Then this book is for you! If I had been able to read such a book five years ago, when I was preparing for my world tour, it would undoubtedly have changed the situation and I would have embarked on this dream much sooner!
Through several chapters, Michael explains how to overcome his fears, whatever they are and embark on the journey of your life, how to reduce the travel budget and make a trip for life possible, how to earn money by journey and all the ways there are to do it, how to plan this journey of a lifetime and succeed, how to be in the right frame of mind to embark on this journey. In short, after reading this book, you will have all the keys in hand to get started, all the resources to plan and experience this trip. If you are already a traveller, on a world tour or on a long-distance trip or if you are back in France without really wanting to, you will find inspiration and ideas to continue your journey. And if like me, you have already been traveling for several years,
The book brings positive energy, the desire to realize one’s dreams and to do everything not to stay in a life that does not suit us. If, like me, you weren’t brought up in the culture of travel and don’t know that such a life is possible without winning the lottery, then this book is for you. It’s well cut, comprehensive, clear and to the point and includes plenty of inspiration, practical tips, traveler profiles and resources. The book is not one-dimensional and manages to address different modes of nomadism to suit any profile, whether you are a builder, writer, computer scientist or yoga teacher! Traveling indefinitely is not reserved for the elite, but for those who are ready to take charge of their lives and dream of a life of travel.
In addition to the book, with your purchase you’ll receive a Roadmap to Go Further, including lots of resources, book recommendations, and videos. The companion is very complete and you will find absolutely everything you need to prepare for your trip.
Michael Pinatton is a 30-year-old author and entrepreneur who has traveled the world for over eight years. He left France and has been traveling indefinitely for two years. He currently lives in Vietnam.
So, what are you waiting for to embark on the life of your dreams and plan that indefinite trip of which you have dreamed so much?
