Travel Blog Travel Guide - Beginners Guide to Independent Travel

Planning and Preparation

How Long is Long Enough

Whatever your circumstances you can go somewhere - the biggest limiting factors will be how far and for how long. To really experience life in another culture you need time, as much time as you can get. All we can suggest at this point is get as long as you can. A round the world trip in 9 months will feel rushed, 9 months in a city and you'll feel like you know it well. 9 months studying a foreign language and you'll be pretty good and in some cases fluent. Conversely - some will get itchy feet after a week in one place.


Budget
Your budget and commitments will limit how far you can go and for how long. Find out the typical daily expenses for where you want to go, including flight costs. Also don't forget to factor in overland transport costs to your calculations. A region will always have expensive hot spots, so you can save money by avoiding these areas and concentrate on other less expensive areas. By stretching your cash you will see more and worry less about things when you get back.

Commitments
Sorry everyone I can't pay off your mortgage, or lead you to the fountain of perpetual money. It's human nature to get into situations where we have commitments.
Some ideas to help you travel and keep up the commitments: re-mortgage the house, you only live once. Rent out the house for a year. Take the kids along, or send them to live with their grandparents for a year - both generations will love it.

Take at least a month
It is our considered opinion that a month is the minimum amount of time for a worthwhile travel break. It sometimes takes up to a week to recover from jet lag, so you need this length of time to recoup and enjoy the remaining weeks. So take a month and enjoy it.



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