By: MJ + PJ
Fill your evenings for a few months with reading travel books and magazines and websites to get a feel for what is going to influence your travel style and budget. It’s a whole different world out there, and it becomes apparent that ticking off famous places is not what traveling for a year is about. As they say: travel is not a destination, but a journey. You know what you are going to see at a destination (at the Pyramids, you will see pyramids), but you can never be sure what you will see on the way there. This post is more about gaining insight than accumulating answers.
There are a ridiculous amount of travel resources available, but only a smaller portion that address a year or more on the road. The good news is that any book that addresses the topic has a nice list of references or resources to chase down for related reading. To avoid unnecessary duplication and expansive lists, here are the resources that we used in the planning of our trip:
PRINT:
- Conde Nast Traveler Magazine – nice and glossy to inspire, but not our style of travel for this trip. It did provide us with insights into lesser traveled locations. (In making recommendations, the site owner may receive a small commission if a purchase is made on any of the following Amazon links.)
- Region guides – a library is a good place to bunker down and read these for free.
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (R. Potts) – paperback, a very visceral and insightful read on world travel.
- *How to Travel the World on $50 a Day (M.Kepnes) – paperback, the title says it all.
- The Rough Guide to First-Time Around the World (D.Lansky) – paperback, a thorough overview for planning.
WEBSITES
- Nomadic Matt – The author of *, and other travel books.
- YouTube – search and ye shall find!
- Embassy or government sites for your country, but also for a country you are visiting, where you can find gems like THIS.
HUMAN
Ask around of those you know who have travelled either a lot or recently. If you have not announced your plans, then simply be curious about how they did it and what they’d do differently.
We had co-workers who had traveled the globe for a year, others who had traveled for 6 months in Europe, and others who were going or had recently been to a target location on our list. We have family that has lived overseas, others who had worked in various countries, and others who had been on a series of shorter trips in the last few years. It is worth taking 1:1 personal travel advice with a grain of salt, as every experience is different.
THE BIG PICTURE
Accept that you will never be 100% prepared or know everything. Knowing what you don’t know is useful. Like luggage, carry with you only the advice you choose to take. Keep an open mind to what you have the potential to experience. Asking the right questions is more valuable than asking lots of questions. Take the time to scrutinize what you have read and asked.
