If you’re planning on going overseas for an extended period of time, there are lots of things to take care of before you go. It can all feel a little overwhelming but it’s totally worth it to go on that trip of a lifetime!
From packing your stuff to sorting out travel insurance, you’ll likely have a large checklist of things to do. To help you stay organized, here are some of my top tips for preparing for a long term trip:
Sell your belongings and put the rest in storage
If you want to pull together some extra cash for your trip then you’ll most likely want to sell some of the things you no longer need, whether that’s electronics, furniture, clothing or books. List your stuff on eBay or if you have lots of fashion items then sign up for Poshmark and list your them there.
You could also donate some of your stuff to charity or host a yard sale and invite your neighbors along. It can feel really liberating to downsize and get rid of all that junk you’ve accumulated.
There may however be things you really want to keep hold of, particularly furniture if you’re planning on returning home again. You can put your stuff in storage with Now Storage self storage so that your prized possessions are waiting for you when you get back.
Save your money
Let’s face it, travel can get expensive, especially things like accommodation, eating out and booking tours. You’ll want to save up enough cash before you go, so now’s the time to start saving as much as you can. There are all sorts of ways you can save up for travel.
The main way to do this is by living frugally for a while and cutting back on your expenses. For instance, you can stop buying your daily cup of coffee and make it at home, or you can cut down on eating out in favor of cooking meals at home.
In addition to cutting back on spending, you can take on extra jobs to bring in more income. You could try dog sitting with Rover, babysitting for people’s children or take on some bartending work in the evenings.
Sign up for travel insurance
It’s essential that you get travel insurance for your trip in case you have an accident or get sick on the road. For long term travel I recommend signing up for SafetyWing, which works like a monthly subscription so it’ll continue for as long as you’re away from home, until you cancel. It covers you all over the world and it’s designed specifically for nomads and long term travellers. Best of all, you can sign up for it when you’ve already left home, just in case you forget to do it before you go!
Get a credit or debit card with no foreign transaction fees
Lastly I’d highly recommend you sign up for a debit or credit card that charges no foreign transaction fees while you’re abroad. These days I rarely carry much cash when I travel (unless it’s a country where cash is still king) and I use my card all the time.
Foreign transaction fees can really add up and if you’re making a lot of transactions you can waste hundreds in fees.
Your best option is to sign up for a travel rewards credit card that allows you to earn miles every time you spend, so you can use these miles to redeem for things like hotels and flights.
A lot of these cards also have the added benefit of charging no foreign transaction fees. If you’re in the UK, there are also debit cards such as the Starling Bank card which charges no fees when you’re using it abroad.
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