We’re not exactly budget travelers since we freelance online while we travel, so internet connectivity is crucial for our continuing careers. We don’t need (or want) to travel from budget hostel to hostel living out of a backpack, but that doesn’t mean we don’t travel and shop smart which greatly increases our overall take home pay while living at a standard near to what we’re used to back home. The two of us lived in the Philippines in a 2 bedroom beach house for roughly $16,000 for 6 months following many of the same smart shopping rules that Nora outlines.

Detailed 6 month budget here: http://www.haveinternetwilltravel.com/2009/03/01/philippines-recap/

@Nancy L #22 – We did look into a house trade but our landlord wouldnt go for it. Besides, we really only would have less than two weeks and not months. If we can pull off something like that for a week or so, it would work.

(Answers to my post at #15.)

I have three travel dreams:

1) I would like to travel the USA in an RV with my wife

2) I would like to hike the AT with my daughter

3) I would like to fish rainbows in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho with my son

I have spent most of the last 10 years abroad either traveling overland, living abroad as an expat, or living the location independent lifestyle.

And the answer to your question is, yes, managing your health care and finances can be done responsibly and with an eye on your future.

For health insurance, there are companies that provide emergency evacuation insurance to get you back home, it’s also easy for many people to maintain an individual health insurance plan in the USA, there are companies that provide international health insurance coverage, many foreign countries provide emergency treatment regardless of nationality, medical treatment in foreign countries is often cheap and very good quality, etc.

There are many options available all depending on where you are looking at traveling and what type of traveling you are planning on doing. And with the technology these days it is increasingly easier to manage.

As far as finance and retirement go, well its just as easy to be irresponsible about your money at home as it is abroad. At the end of the day, it’s entirely up to the individual. I’d even argue that spending your time abroad allows one an opportunity for real diversification as it allows one to tap into bank accounts, stocks, etc in foreign countries (although I will admit that as an American this does make taxes a lot more complicated).

Traveling is great (especially when you have enough time and money that you don’t have to rush your visit), but having just gotten back from Europe a month ago, I realized I could never travel full-time — I’m always looking forward to coming back to my own bed, bathroom, and food (especially hard to be a traveling vegetarian).

My current favorite blog is Travelvice.com. The author and his girlfriend backpack and couchsurf with a baby. Pretty awesome way to break down that “oh, but I can’t because…” feeling.

Edited to add – I think sometimes people try to scare us away from visiting certain countries, like right now Mexico is supposed to be really bad, but I also have close friends who go to Mexico a lot and say it’s fine. So I’d like to find a reliable source of information for traveling in other countries.

Currently, we own a house, cars, IRAs, 401Ks, etc and most things that typical Americans have. We are in our mid-30s. It is a matter of balance. Just put your money to what’s important to you. So Hope #21, it is all a matter of planning.
We saved up the money for 2 years then when we came back, we worked hard to get back on track with retirement, jobs etc.
Health Insurance – we lived without but in retrospect, should have elected COBRA but no big deal. We have insurance now.

More than just being a hobby, traveling changes you into a better person once you see how others live.

http://www.cosmicadventure.com

I’m honestly curious; are there any solutions out there for these issues?

“…What kind of fulfillment does travel uniquely provide?…”

I think the same question can be asked about most any interest. Some people like reading every book they can get their hands on, other people enjoy trying new recipes, some folks like building model airplanes, other people enjoy gardening, some people are into bird watching, and many of us on GRS love budgeting. What kind of fulfillment does each of these activities uniquely provide?

I think the answer to the question will vary wildly from person to person. But I think each of these activities brings with it a satisfaction that – for that person – is met best through their preferred hobby or outlet.

Traveling and experiencing/seeing new places – like any of the things listed above – is a hobby. And just like any hobby, it can become a true passion and a way of life for some folks.

As far as fridges for medications….On our 18 month round-the-world trip, I’d say about half of the 100+ places we stayed in either had fridges in the room or easy access to a fridge. (And we weren’t really searching that out – they just always seemed to be there!) So I don’t think access to a fridge needs to fall only in the more expensive travel category. No worries there.

What is the personal motivation behind someone hwo wants to visit all 7 continents? What kind of fulfillment does travel uniquely provide?

As I write this I’m working away from home – on business travel. The more I travel for work, the more I appreciate the freedoms I have at home (also Portland). I realize that traveling FOR work is different than traveling for personal motivations – but some days I feel that travel discussions don’t get much deeper than checking cities and countries off a list.

Happy trails everyone

When I vacation, I want/need to rest, have somewhat comfortable accommodations, a refrigerator to store medications, and and not carry all of my positions on my back. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but is cheap travel only for those who can physically “tough it out”?

I’d be shocked if all the writers you referenced didn’t at one point seek out the advice and wisdom of Edward Hasbrouck . His book, The Practical Nomad is a guide on how to travel around the world (and on the cheap).

Cheers.
Ken

It isn’t a “new culture” of being a nomad. It’s how we’ve been throughout the majority of human history. If you’re a homebody, that’s fine, but painting a love of travel as a fad just makes you look resentful, not rebellious.

My fiance and I traveled around the world for 18 months. We sold everything we owned, quit our jobs, and stepped on a plane to Buenos Aires with one-way tickets in March 2005.

It was an amazing life experience and one that we still write about on our travel blog. We also share quite a few travel tips over there too.

Now that we’re back in the States, we continue to travel each year. This year we went to Mexico City for 1 week, we’re headed to Colombia in a few weeks (just for a long weekend), and we’ll be going to India for 3 weeks in the winter.

Long-term traveling is much more affordable than many people think. (And it’s certainly more affordable than all the little trips we take over a year!) Usually the biggest expense is getting out of the US – but once you’re on the road, if you travel slow, keep an eye on your budget, and stick to the more affordable countries, you can travel for quite some time.

For our 18 month trip, we spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $36,000 for 2 people (or about $1,000/month per person).

But for 3 shorter trips this year (which will total about 1 month), I’m expecting we’ll spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $7,000-$9,000 for 2 people (or about $3,500-$4,500/month per person).

Quite a difference, isn’t it? We’re still traveling in the same style, but it’s the airfare out of the country that gets us (particularly the airfare to India).

(By the way, that $36,000 figure for our 18 month round-the-world trip includes absolutely everything while we were on the road. And we didn’t skimp on our experiences either. For example, that total includes an 8 day/7 night first class trip through the Galapagos Islands. We’re probably considered “flashpackers” which are backpackers who don’t mind spending a bit of money for nicer lodging or more comfortable transportation from time to time.)

As for our favorite destinations for frugal travel…Southeast Asia is almost always going to win the frugal battle. But there are so many places to see in the world! I think a better approach is to still be open to traveling to countries that are more expensive, but be willing to adjust your travel style and be more frugal when you’re there (i.e. staying at more affordable hotels/hostels/pensions, eating more street food, taking advantage of “free days” at museums, etc).

These are just tips, not “hacks”. I can’t even think of any good “travel hack” ideas, largely because of how heavily regulated it is. Something like this would be a travel hack: Missing the only flight out of an island country for a month, and buying a boat instead of waiting for the next flight, sailing the boat to a neighboring country with more frequent air travel, and selling it for the same price you paid for it. It’s not something you’d put in a list of tips, because if it’s the accepted way of doing things, it’s not a hack. The stuff MacGyver did on his show could be called hacks. Improvising a lockpick out of a nail file is a hack. Getting a locksmith to come out at a discount rate? That’s just a bargain.

Semantics? Yeah, sure, but still.

Edit: Yay! Editing comments is back.

Cheapest destinations… definitely SE Asia, but if you want to get off the “backpacker trail” here are a few of my favorite places:
1. I’d suggest the Cyclades islands (home to Santorini & Mykonos) of Naxos and Paros, where you can get a single room for $20-25.
2. Morocco is another cheap destination (as long as you don’t spend too much time in Marrakech).
3. New Zealand. Great USD to NZD exchange rate right now and NZ is really set up for travel, excellent transport and lodging.
4. Panama. Like Costa Rica, only cheaper than prices back home home (unlike a lot of Costa Rica now)
5. Eastern Europe. Countries that aren’t on the euro yet, but in the EU like Romania and Bulgaria and Hungary and insanely affordable.

Cheers!

My own favorite countries currently are Colombia (South America), Ethiopia, India, Thailand, Philippines, and China.

Things change, and you cannot become too attached to one country, you have to be flexible and adopt travel skills to bring you anywhere. 1 decade ago Colombia was narco-controlled terror state, now it is tranquil, safe, calm beautiful country, and frugal traveler’s paradise. Two decades ago China (to the date tomorrow) was fascist regime which murdered university students, now it is economic powerhouse. Two decades ago Ethiopia was famine-stricken wastelasnd, now it is beautiful and everything is green, food is plentiful.

Best bet is to stay a little bit ahead of the curve and try to find places which aren’t popular before tourism ruins them and drives the prices up, by the time they are safe and beautiful, but still have a bad taste in people’s mouths. My predictions over the next 1-2 decades are Venezuela, DR Congo, Myanmar, Cuba, and maybe a few places in the Middle East (Iran, Syria, possibly Iraq, Afghanistan) Even Thailand which has been the frugal backpackers favorite destination for decades and decades is experiencing instability and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was off the tourist map within a decade or two, prices keeping zooming up there anyways.

The single most important criteria when choosing to travel is the destination. It difficult to travel for less than $30/day on USA or Europe, also those places are boring and aren’t different from home, so you are better off going to places where you can live like a king on that much, which is most any place in Latin America, Asia, or Africa.