The prospect of leaving home behind for months at a time so you can explore the world and see everything it has to offer is both enticing and scary. It’s something that can help you to find yourself and learn new things that you never knew about yourself. Getting ready for this kind of journey is something you definitely need to spend time doing before your first flight departs. You don’t want to make the kinds of mistakes and missteps that you’ll regret later, do you?
This kind of travel is not like any other. Most people hop from place to place and try to see as much of the world as possible when they’re travelling for this length of time. It’s not uncommon for people take on this kind of thing by themselves either. If that’s the situation you’re in right now, it’s definitely worth planning things and preparing in depth. We’re about to help you with all of that, so read on and learn about the things you should be doing right now.
Save as Much Cash as You Can
Now is the time for you to saving as much of your money as you possibly can because you don’t want to be left with not enough to spend when your travels eventually begin. Of course, it is always possible to travel on a relatively small budget. But you also need to sacrifice things along the way if you want to do that. By spending less now, you’ll be able to spend more once you’re out there experiencing the world for yourself.
Plan Your Route
It’s always a good idea to plan your route out in as much depth as possible because you don’t really want to be making things up as you go along. That’s when you make mistakes and end up spending your money inefficiently too. By planning things out in advance, you’ll always know where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going to be heading to next on your sprawling journey. That kind of organisation is not something that should be underestimated.
Book as Many Flights, Hotels and Hostels as Possible
Rather than doing this as you travel, it’s a good idea to book lots of your flights and accommodation solutions now before you go anywhere. There is more planning than you think that has to go into all this, and it’s always less easy to do when you’re on the go. Also, you’re meant to be enjoying your travels, not worrying about the logistics, so get this done as soon as you can before you go.
Buy More Versatile Clothing
You’re going to want to pack relatively light, and that’ll mean you’ll want to limit the number of clothing items you actually take with you on your travels. For this to happen, you’ll need to choose as many clothing items as possible that are versatile and that can be used in many different contexts as possible. You don’t want to have to take an outfit for every scenario because your back will get too heavy.
Don’t Take Anything You Don’t Need
If there are things you really don’t need, you should leave them at home. Filling your back with unnecessary extras might seem like a nice idea at the time, but it will only slow you down and make your life more difficult than it needs to be later on. Keep additional and fun extras to a minimum, and instead try to make sure that stick to the essential things.
Improve Your Social Skills, They’ll be Useful Later
Your social skills will take you a long way when you’re travelling in a place. Travelling by yourself can be lonely, so don’t be afraid to talk to other people and make friends along your way. It can make the whole experience far more enjoyable for you. You can meet locals as well as other people who are travelling. So work on your social skills and don’t be shy to introduce yourself to new people.
Move Your Most Valuable Possessions Out of Your Home
Your home can be a little more vulnerable to break-ins and burglaries when you’re not there. Criminals prefer to break into empty homes, and you should be aware of this. So it’s definitely worth moving any of your most valuable and treasured possessions into a dedicated storage space. You can learn more about that at https://www.safestore.co.uk/. It’s also worth asking a friend or family member to drop in and see how things are every so often.
Invest in a New Pair of Sturdy Boots
It’s a good idea to invest in boots that are both comfortable and supportive. When you’re travelling and experiencing new places, you will more often than not want to be walking around and seeing as much of it as possible. If you have bad shoes that hurt your feet and offer no real support to you when you’re walking, this whole exercise will quickly become far from enjoyable for you. So make sure the pair you buy are strong and sturdy.
Spend Quality Time With Your Friends and Family Members
You’re not going to be seeing the people who are closest to you for quite a long time if you’re planning on travelling alone for months. So you should try your best to make up for that fact by spending some quality time with them now. You’re going to miss them while you’re off exploring, and they’re going to miss you a lot too. Sure, you can stay in contact easily nowadays, but it’s still not the same as being there.
Travelling for a huge length of time can be pretty daunting, especially if you haven’t done anything like this before and you’re planning on going alone. One last thing you should try to do is reach out to other people you know who have travelled alone or for long periods of time and see if they have any tips or advice for you.
