how to live a life of travel and adventure

10 Tips For Living A More Adventurous Life

By: Author Robyn Robledo

Posted on Last updated: March 2, 2024

Ready to live a more adventurous life? Pretty much every day for the last 8 years, we have traveled to new adventure destinations to hike, climb, ski, bike, surf, and more. However, we didn’t always live an adventurous life.

We used to not even camp!

For the first twelve years of our marriage, our vacations always revolved around a condo in Hawaii. It wasn’t until our fourth child was born that I got the itch to start living a more adventurous life.

Our days now revolve around adventure. Best of all, by modeling an adventurous life, we are raising kids who are passionate about outdoor adventure, which means that they too are learning to pursue more self-growth, mindfulness, and purpose by living an adventurous life.

Living an adventurous life has created so much happiness and fulfillment in my life and I know it can for you too!

Living an adventurous life doesn’t mean you have to give up all your routine and creature comforts. In this blog, I’m sharing 10 things you can do to add more adventure without having to sell all your belongings or move into an RV like we did in 2015.

“Self-fulfillment, personal growth, and aligning with your purpose are the best outcomes of living an adventurous life!”

If you find yourself with a bad case of wanderlust but are scared to take the first step, here are 10 tips to help you add more adventure to your life and discover if the grass is greener for you on the WILD side.

Step 1: Desire, it’s a must

Do you have the desire to be adventurous?

Desire is the first ingredient if you want to be living an adventurous life.

When you set out with the DESIRE to see new things, to meet new people, to experience more, the universe will conspire to make it happen.

For me, the desire started as a curiosity .

I wondered… What do national parks look like? Would my kids would like hiking? What it would be like to spend nights around the campfire?  

That same curiosity is still the driving force behind all our travels today.   

Desire is the backbone for all accomplishments.   If you don’t want it, you won’t work for it.  

Conflicting desires, or lack of desire, can also become a major source of conflict in a relationship years down the road.  Take it from me, figure out your desires now, and talk to your significant other about them.  

Related : My spouse didn’t like travel at first.

Step 2: Start Small

Before we started camping, road-tripping, and traveling abroad, we just had bonfires once a week at Fiesta Island in the summer.

At the time, my kids were young, and just the excitement of packing the van with firewood, a barbecue, a chair, and food was adventurous.  

I honestly didn’t even have the desire at the time to be as adventurous as I am now.  

One thing just led to another and six years later I’m in Barcelona complaining about being bored because there are no waves to surf, rock walls to climb, or trails to follow.  

Getting to this point of adventure was only a matter of taking a lot of baby steps. It’s a journey of discovery and being willing to take detours and backtrack when needed.

Along our journey, we did a lot of weekend trips at local campgrounds and short weekend trips to the desert.  I look at my life a series of ninety-degree turns. 

One thing always leads to another and it wasn’t until many years later that my crazy obsession for road trips and waking up in a new location every day took root.  

Step 3: Push Yourself

Small steps are important, but you have to build on them and take bigger steps if you want to progress.

Seriously, for our first road trip, I rented a 35-foot Class A, handed Victor the keys, and said “We’re going to the Sequoias!” 

He white-knuckled it the entire drive up and was positive a bear was going to crawl into the RV window while we were sleeping and maul our children.

It was great for us though.

We learned so much about ourselves on that trip and quickly realized that we needed more nature in our lives.

If we had stayed in our comfort zone of only camping locally, we would’ve missed out on this growth and so many adventures that have taken place since then.

Step 4: Find a WOW Factor

Our first few road trips weren’t easy. Mishaps happen . They still do. But having that WOW f actor on your trip helps keep everything in perspective.

On one of our first long road trips, we blew a trailer tire at the top of a mountain. It took an hour to find out how to access the spare, then we blew another trailer tire an hour later right before Phoenix (no spares now), and barely hobbled to drop the trailer at a tire center in Phoenix at midnight.

It was exhausting, stressful, and a bit costly, but on that same trip, we camped on the shores of Lake Powell having huge bonfires under what felt like a million stars with bats zipping overhead, spent a day inner tubing and water skiing on Lake Powell, enjoyed our first trip to Zion, and rock climbed at The Pit in Flagstaff.

If we had just camped locally at the nearby beach, we would’ve had fun, but it might not have been enough fun to offset the stress and cost of two tires. 

Step 5: Get Off The Beaten Path

I’ve found t he more off-the-beaten path I can get, the more I enjoy my adventures .

Take hiking for example. The further we go off the beaten path or well-worn trail, the bigger the wow factor is. National Parks are a good place to test this. If you hike the easy footpaths, they tend to be very crowded. But as soon as you venture to the moderate to strenuous hikes, the crowds tend to thin and the rewards for your effort begin to rise exponentially .

Related : Best hikes in Idaho

Step 6: Rationalize Your Fears

We all are scared of something, myself included.

What if I get stung by a scorpion in Costa Rica? What if I fall while climbing? What if my kids get sick in Bali? What if I see a snake while hiking?  

I have all these fears and more. But what keeps me from not giving in to them is rationality .

I take calculated risks. I plan out scenarios. I play my odds.

And for a lot of things I just tell myself that if it’s out of my control, it’s not worth wasting energy worrying about. 

I know how hard it is though to do all that because I’m married to a worrier. He’s gotten a lot better, but he still gets nervous anytime we move–whether it’s halfway across the globe, from one state to another, or even one European village to another. 

He no longer gets nervous at places we’ve already been to and now asks to go back to these familiar places.

Assessing the risk is very important. You don’t want to start rock climbing on your own if you’ve never rock climbed before. But rock climbing on top rope with a guide is extremely safe .

Some of my all-time favorite hikes have a great deal of exposure (meaning you are close to the edge) but it would be extremely hard to fall off of these hikes.

The mind can play crazy tricks and it’s up to us to slow down those racing thoughts and pounding heart rates to assess the actual risk .

Tip: If you are afraid of heights, practice overcoming that fear without your kids around at first. One is because you don’t want to project your fears onto them. And two is that the thought of something happening to our kids brings out our worst primal fears and it will be hard to work on overcoming your fear of heights when you are worried about your child falling off. 

Related : Overcoming Fear: How to master your adventure mindset

Step 7: Set Yourself Up For Success 

When it comes to outdoor sports adventures like surfing or climbing, not only is repetition key but s o is setting yourself up physically for success .

Make sure you have a little sugar and protein. When you get nervous, you burn through your sugars very fast.  I recommend you have a cookie or bar in those situations, but make sure to follow it up with a fat or protein like nuts, jerky, or salami so you don’t get the follow-up low blood sugar either.  

Also, make sure you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep before you tackle a new activity.   I love ONNIT Total Human supplements.  It boosts your recovery and helps me get a good night’s sleep.  

If you find yourself getting low blood sugar or hungry very often, you might want to address your adrenal health and take some easy steps to feel better.

Related blog : Adventures To Do In Kauai

Step 8: Get in Better Physical Shape

Also, get yourself in the best physical conditioning that you can. It’s important to build an appropriate amount of strength, flexibility, and endurance for your next adventure. Plus, living an adventurous life can take a toll on your joints and muscles. Learning to manage those aches and pains will make it so that you can go on adventures often.

I wrote an entire book on how to get in shape to tackle bigger adventures. Download it for free now!

Download my book for FREE!

Ready to get stronger and tackle bigger adventures in the outdoors?   In this book I share with you the workouts, nutrition, and mindset strategies I’ve used to create a life that centers around playing & adventuring in the outdoors.

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Your Playful Life ebook, workouts, and nutrition program are on their way!

Step 9: Try Different Elements 

If you still have trouble being adventurous, maybe you haven’t found your element.

For me, I had no idea how happy being in the mountains was going to make me. I didn’t realize this about myself until I was almost 40.

Maybe you’re a water person or maybe you need snow. Whatever it is, make an effort to be in the element that makes you happy.

Step 10: Hire a Guide

Taking baby steps, having the right mindset, creating a wow factor, and being physically fit are all great ways to live a more adventurous life. But sometimes it’s nice to take the worry and pressure off by just hiring a guide. That’s how I got hooked on climbing. I was lucky to have the perfect guide who set me up for success and nurtured my skills safely and progressively. 

I may seem extremely adventurous but I’m not when I compare myself to most climbers and surfers. The thing is that I love the action of doing it more than the competitiveness of being the best or even really good . I’m not on strict training for my sports, but when I do them, I am giving it my all .

The cool part is that every year I do improve .

Join us for an adventure and wellness retreat and let us help you feel confident in the outdoors.

The most important part of living an adventurous life is to always improve your skillset.

It’s never too late to start living an adventurous life.

Last summer, in Maple Canyon, I met the camp host who was in her sixties and was shredded! She told us how she climbs 5.13 regularly and that she had only been climbing for 24 years, which meant she was about the same age I was when I first started climbing (38). 

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The experts' advice on how to lead an adventurous life

Sep 21, 2017 • 8 min read

Where can travellers find – and, more importantly, how can they cultivate – a true spirit of adventure? Who better to answer these questions than those who have spent a lifetime pursuing it.

We asked the stellar line-up of speakers appearing at the Cheltenham Literature Festival  in the UK to reflect on their favourite destinations, most extraordinary experiences and top tips for leading adventurous lives.

And for even more ways to get the adrenaline cascading through your veins, check out Lonely Planet’s Atlas of Adventure , the ultimate encyclopedia for thrill-seekers.

Phoebe Smith – wild camper extraordinaire

Award-winning editor and travel writer Phoebe Smith is author of eight books on the wilderness and wild camping, including Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper , Wilderness Weekends: Wild Adventures in Britain's Rugged Corners and her latest book,  Britain's Best Small Hills .

Favourite destination for adventure

It has to be the UK . Why? Because adventure doesn't mean travelling hundreds and thousands of miles. You can find it on your own doorstep – and the UK is mine. From searching out the old Scottish mountain huts (known as bothies) in the highlands, to climbing our own collection of 'mini Matterhorns', teetering on the edges of sea cliffs and wild camping in the woods – we really are spoilt for the diverse range of scenery and adventures right here.

Most adventurous travel experience

Probably my most recent mini-expedition. I went to Greenland to walk the Arctic Circle Trail by myself, unsupported from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut. It's a true wilderness and in the eight days it took me to do it I saw far more reindeer than people, got to glimpse a smear of the Northern Lights, battled storms and river crossings and found the perfect beach to camp on and stand, hundreds of miles from any houses or roads, in awe of the complete silence.

Tip for leading an adventurous life

Adventures can be as big or as small as you want them to be. I have a busy full-time job and yet I still fit them in to evenings and weekends. The key is to always be prepared. I keep what I call my 'go-bag' packed and ready for an overnight camp at all times. That means when I get the weather window I want or just need to escape the city, I have no excuses, I simply pick up my bag and get out there. I urge you all to pack yours too.

Chris Bonington – legendary mountaineer

Chris Bonington – mountaineer, writer, photographer and lecturer – started climbing at the age of 16 in 1951. It has been his passion ever since. He made the first British ascent of the North Wall of the Eiger, led the first ascent of the South Face of Annapurna and lead the successful first ascent of the Southwest Face of Everest in 1975. He has written many books on his adventures including Ascent: A Life Spent Climbing on the Edge .

My favourite place for adventure is Nepal because it’s so beautiful and there really is something for everyone – from gentle tourists to the most adventurous mountaineers. The people too are lovely – the Sherpas, the Nepalese – it’s a great part of the world.

My most adventurous experience was in 1996 but began in 1982 when, whilst flying from Chengdu to climb Everest, we flew over an immense mountain range – the Nyainqentanglha Mountains. The range stretched to the far horizon but one peak stood higher than any other and I was determined to find it. After a failed attempt in 1989 when the Tiananmen Square protest prevented our entering Tibet, we set off again in 1996 with nothing more than a single photo of this mysterious unknown mountain and a Tibetan guide who had never heard of it. It was while staying in a guesthouse in a magical little town that a woman recognised the photograph and directed us on the final four-day trek across undrivable terrain to the mountain, Sepu Kangri, above a sacred lake. It was the sense of discovery that made it such an adventure.

Be clear about what you can achieve – for a truly adventurous life, freelance around your travels. If you do have a full-time job, be sure to plan and research carefully to achieve the most in the time you have.

Charley Boorman – motorcycle-mad adventurer

Charley is best known for his TV motorcycling adventures with Ewan McGregor, Long Way Round , from London to New York via Europe and Asia, and Long Way Down , from Scotland to Cape Town. Other shows following his epic two-wheeled journeys include By Any Means, Right to the Edge and Extreme Frontiers .

One of the most incredible places Ewan and I went to for our adventure Long Way Round was Mongolia . It’s still very rural and underdeveloped, so there wasn’t much tarmac, which made the riding more of a challenge.

The Dakar Rally is probably one of the most dangerous off-road races in the world. I went in 2006 when it was still in Africa , a 16-day race across the Sahara Desert. It has since been held in South America for security reasons and for the first time ever a British guy called Sam Sunderland has just won it.

One of the biggest tips I was told about travelling was to have patience as things don’t always go your way when you’re on the road. I learnt that you’ve got to be willing to adapt and not be too rigid as life can turn on a sixpence.

Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent – travel writer

Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is a travel writer. Her latest book, Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains: A Journey Across Arunachal Pradesh – India's Forgotten Frontier , tells of her three-month journey across this wild, mountainous state.

My favourite destination for adventure has to be the wild, mountainous and little-explored state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India . Few other places are blessed with the same intoxicating mix of proper mountains, dense forests, exotic flora and fauna and array of tribal cultures.

In March last year, I trekked through an extremely remote valley on the Indo-Tibetan border in search of a mystical Buddhist land called Pemako. For two weeks, myself and my guide – a whimsical Khampa llama called Dorje – walked through deep forests and wild valleys, spending each night with Tibetan families in tiny villages. I felt like I’d been teleported to the 19th century.

To stop making excuses and just GO! It’s so easy to find reasons not to travel and have adventures but ultimately, if you genuinely want to get out there and explore the world, there’s nothing to stop you making it happen.

Sarah Outen – waterborne daredevil

Adventurer by land and sea, Sarah's journeys have taken her all over the world on long and remote expeditions, including London2London: Via the World – a journey that saw her row, cycle and kayak from London all the way around the northern hemisphere and back to London. Her latest book Dare to Do was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year.

​I love the ocean so either somewhere on the coast or way out to sea. Alaska is my top choice for its wilderness, massiveness and beauty – it's raw.​

​Kayaking through the Aleutian Islands and Alaskan peninsula in 2014, I was taking a wash in a stream one day when I looked up and saw a brown bear walking towards me. Instead of staying calm, I screamed and ran out of the stream, tripping as I did so. The bear took this as cue for a game and chased me – thankfully, he was young and only curious and we managed to scare him off with lots of shouting and rocks. ​

​Get outside as much as you can, open your eyes and ears to everything that is around you,​ and spend as much time travelling in a human-powered way as possible. You see things from a totally different perspective this way.

Alastair Sawday – travel industry maverick

Alastair was born in a shack 9000ft up in the mountains of Kashmir in India, so perhaps he was always destined to become a travel industry maverick and entrepreneur, the brains behind Sawday’s, an award-winning travel company that seeks out exceptional places to stay.

The Parque Natural de Grazalema – wild Spain , ever-changing and hauntingly beautiful.  There are walks for every agility level, from the Salto del Cabro, where goats have to leap, to the high open grassland fringed with memories of old houses. Even the few white-washed villages are exquisite.

That would be travelling from Guyana to Venezuela by a canoe with an outboard engine and an over-heavy cargo – that was a novel way of getting from one country to another. Venezuela had, as a matter of routine, declared war on Guyana and slung chains across the rivers, under which we would duck. But the wide, easy, estuary of the Orinoco, which we had to cross, became a perilous mountain range of salt-water as the wind gathered pace and threatened us with catastrophe. The frantic prayers of the boat’s owner and wife were, happily, less effective than the bailing the rest of us took to – with no more than shoes and cupped hands, for we had thrown the bailer overboard in an earlier incident.

Say ‘yes’ to the invitation to an adventure, and pretend you are younger than you are.

You can hear more stories from all these adventurers at the festival, which runs from 6-15 October. Find out more at cheltenhamfestivals.com and follow  @CheltLitFest .

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How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started

Written By: The Planet D

Digital Nomads

Updated On: June 3, 2023

Recently we’ve received a lot of emails asking us how we financially supported our travels since we decided to take the plunge to live a life of travel in our unconventional life.

I realize that we’ve written a lot of inspirational pieces about following your dreams and pushing yourself to step outside your comfort zone, but we haven’t given real practical advice in quite a while. So we decided it was time to share some of our tips and tricks to living an unconventional life.

Table of Contents

How to Live an Unconventional Life of Travel

Our journey to becoming full-time travel bloggers was not a quick and easy one. We had many failures and setbacks along the way. It took time for us to find what we wanted to do with our lives and what would make us happy. We knew way back in 2003 and we wanted to be together traveling the world forever, we just didn’t know how to make that dream come true.

I realize that many people have that dream, but we felt it deep in our bones. It was more of a yearning than a fantasy. When we were traveling, we felt at home. We knew that on the road was where we were meant to be.

Another Backpacker

In 2004 we were like many backpackers traveling around South East Asia, but unlike the many others out there, we were already brainstorming with ideas of how we could continue to travel for the rest of our lives. We knew we wanted more than just a one-year escape.

We didn’t have the answers yet, but we knew that we couldn’t keep working at our current jobs for the next 20 years hoping that we’d one day be able to retire and finally live our dreams. So we started making plans. Check out more travel jobs by our pals at goats on the road .

Steps to Living a Life of Travel

1. change your spending habits.

We used to spend a lot of money on things that didn’t better our lives. We’d buy $4 lattes, go out to dinner several times a week and we’d buy new designer clothes. The more popular the brand name, the better.

On the weekends, we’d drop $200 on a meal and not even blink at the cheque, and then we’d go to movies spending a good $50 on tickets and popcorn.

Well, all that changed when we decided we decided that we were going to live a life of travel once and for all.

2. Find Affordable Things to do

It was a big decision but we decided to put away enough money to sustain ourselves for a year. We knew that once we took the plunge, we would have to go 100% into fulfilling our dreams, so we needed a nest egg while we worked to become professional travel bloggers.

We ate at home and cooked at home. We made our own gourmet coffees, and instead of going out to the movies all the time, we rented movies. When we wanted to go to the bar, we instead had a glass of wine at home and invited friends over, it was much more affordable.

Our activites changed from spending money on expensive meals and nightclubs, to doing free and exciting things on the weekend like mountain biking, rock climbing, or snowshoeing.

We didn’t drop cash at the bar, on expensive meals, or on expensive weekend getaways to a suite in Niagara Falls anymore. We did as many things as possible for free.

Wwe went camping and spent our time outdoors.It was much more fulfilling and a lot easier on our pocketbooks.

Note: At this time in our lives, we still didn’t know how we were going to become full-time travelers, we just knew that we wanted it to happen one day and that we had to be ready when we finally figured it out. By having a nest egg and by not having anything tying us down, we’d be ready to jump at any opportunity.

3. Downsize

People have often said to us “ I wish that I could do what you do, but I can’t afford it ” Well if you really truly want to travel. It can be really easy to save and build a nest egg. We sold our house and most of our contents and went back to renting a small one-bedroom apartment.

This freed up a lot of our income to put towards our travel savings fund. Getting a small one bedroom apartment that included utilities, cable and parking helped us plan our monthly budget.

4. Get Rid of Debt and Wasted Expenses

We also went down to one automobile. We used to drive two cars and paid an expensive monthly lease. But when the leases came due, we let them go and bought a used car. Our monthly payments were less, and our insurance cost less too because we no longer had to pay for the collision coverage since our car was so cheap. If our car was damaged it didn’t matter because we paid next to nothing for it anyway. We drove that car for the next 10 years.

5. Keep All Options Open

Like many people, we knew we wanted something more in life, but we didn’t know what it was that we wanted. We were frustrated. I remember always saying to Dave “ If I only knew what I wanted to do with my life, I know I’d be successful. ” The problem was, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing we both knew was that travel was to be a part of it.

So, we studied ALL THINGS TRAVEL.

We went to seminars talking about Teaching English as a Second Language , we went to travel trade shows, we watched travel shows like Pilot Guides and Don’t Forget Your Passport.

Little did we know we were honing our adventure skills

We took up as many adventures as we could. We learned how to rock climb, mountain bike, scuba dive, and snowboard. We became avid campers and built our adventure gear arsenal to an impressive list where we actually started to look the part of Adventurer!

We said to ourselves, “one day maybe one of these skills would come in handy.” At the time, we didn’t know it, but all those skills eventually came in handy. We used to call ourselves “ Jacks of all trades and Masters of none. “

6. Nothing is Waste of Time When Searching for your Purpose

We had doubts, of course, we did. We thought, maybe we’re wasting our time and energy trying new things all the time, but we knew that we had yet to find something that we truly loved.

We enjoyed everything, but we didn’t have the passion that some of our rock climbing or scuba diving friends had for one particular sport. Our friends found their passion and all they wanted to do was rock climb around the world, or go scuba diving when they went to a destination. They couldn’t care less if they saw the local culture or witnessed incredible landscape. They wanted to explore under the sea or a new climbing route and that was great!

It just wasn’t for us. We wanted it all. We wanted to be able to climb in one location, dive into another, and shop at the market in yet another. We realized that we wanted it all!

Our lack of focus helped us become true explorers. It was our “Jack of All Trades” mentality that eventually lead us to become travel bloggers.

7. Focus on Strengths

Once we decided that we wanted to have the word “Adventurer” on our business card, we made plans on how we were going to make that happen. After exhausting all possibilities we decided to focus on our strengths.

We had been working in the film business for a long time and learned from the successful people around us . I watched television hosts promote themselves and create their brand and identities and Dave picked the brains of photographers and cinematographers on the movie set.

We knew that we were good at self-promotion and that we knew the TV business well, so we decided to sell an idea.

8. Do Something Epic

We knew that we would have to do something epic to stand out from the crowd. In 2008, backpacking around the world was becoming very popular. When we did it in 2000, not many people were leaving their jobs to travel the world, but now it seemed to be that everyone was taking a sabbatical.

If we did something epic like bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town people would take notice. So that is what we did and Canada’s Adventure Couple was born.

We had a dream of turning our adventures into a TV show. We hired a publicist, sent out press releases, and announced our epic journey. We knew we loved traveling together and that we had the mental stamina to succeed in this race down the continent.

9. Make a Plan

We invested a good chunk of our hard-earned money into this cycling race. We saved for a year putting every penny away and buying new bikes, training, and investing in the entry fee and flights. We didn’t want to take part in an epic adventure only to return to our jobs and resume our lives.

We made a plan that within two years of signing up, we’d be traveling full time. That gave us something to focus on. Having a time limit and a plan to make it happen, kept us focus don our goal. We had no choice but to to figure out a way to keep the momentum going.

10. With Failure Comes Success

We tried pitching a TV series that had a lot of interest but eventually failed. That didn’t deter us though, we had made a lot of TV appearances and were becoming minor celebrities in the online world, so we decided to nurture our 15 minutes of fame and turn it into something bigger.

Drawing on our nearly decade of travel experience, we created a blog that had a focus. We decided to focus on being inspirational and to show people that happy couples are not obsolete and that marriages can last and that the opposite sex can have fun together.

Right from the beginning of creating ThePlanetD, we knew what our message was going to be. We wanted to show that adding a bit of adventure into your everyday lives can help you feel more fulfilled. We wanted to show people that if we can do it, anyone can.

It took us a long time to figure out our purpose, but we never stopped searching and if you really want to change your life, you can do it too. Don’t let age, money or fear stand in your way, if you want something bad enough, you CAN make it happen.

So the message is, never give up, never stop searching and seize the day. What are you going to do to live an unconventional life of travel?

• How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource
• 21 Ways to Get Paid to Travel
• How to Start a Travel Blog in 11 Easy Steps
• Our 27 Best Travel Tips from 10 Years of Travel
• How to Achieve Your Life Goals
• How Travel Can Change Your Life
• Best Travel Jobs to Spark New Ideas for Your Future Career

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

You May Also Like

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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59 thoughts on “How to Live a Life of Travel: Tips to Getting Started”

Thank you for being a voice of positivity and inspiration in a sometimes negative world.

We too live an unconventional life. We have 13 children, work remotely, home educate and yes, we travel with ten of them too! It *is* possible to live a life of travel – we did two months of the Balkans earlier this year and are about to set off for another couple of months. Want to know more? Let us know!

Thanks for laying this out there. You guys and your adventures are always a huge inspiration to us! Love #3 “We kept all our options open” as we try to live by that same motto. It really makes things so much fun and introduces you to some crazy and exciting experiences of a lifetime. Happy travels!

Thanks John, I’m glad that you are living the life you want as well. We agree, keeping options open is very important. YOu need to be willing to try something new and be open to new experiences. It opens up a whole new world.

LMAO at the first pic:legendary!

Congrats, it has been awesome to follow part of your journey and thanks for the inside scoop 🙂

Ha! Glad you liked it. That’s Dave’s signature pose. At least lately, ever since we downsized, he does a lot of jumping like that.!

Looks like a very happy couple! You two are living with your dreams. I owe you a lot, very inspiring story. Thanks for sharing the tips, I find it really useful. You can manage to save and budget together. Congratulations!

Thank you Marie! Glad we could inspire you. If you really set your mind to something you can do it too. At one point in our lives we didn’t think we’d ever be able to travel the way we wanted to and yet here we are now. If we can do it, anyone can too!

That is a very inspirational story! My wife and I have managed to carve out a life of travel by working in Denali National Park 8 months per year and having four months off. Many of the resorts and tour companies are seasonal up here and it is perfect for travel.

I just need to cut out those $4 lattes and I can do even more…

Wow! that’s fabulous Jeff. Denali is beautiful. I know what you mean about the $4 lattes, we still love them too.

Thanks for this blog and for sharing with us. Me and my husband are planning for a trip to African countrie’s and its first time for us where we have to visit many countrie’s, so I am nervous about the planning that how do I mange everything but your blog gives me confident about the trip. Thank you so much.

LOVED this. Luckily, my boyfriend and I were students when we discovered our love for travel so we didn’t spend a lot of money or lived in an expensive way. That made it pretty easy to take the leap – and we’re actually able to have a better life than we did in Denmark and still spend less. 🙂

Very interesting post, though! And lots of great tips that we need to follow up on. Especially about gaining more recognition and create a brand like you guys have! So inspirational.

We kicked off our nomadic lifestyle with a bike journey as well – around Europe in 3 months on city bikes, normal clothes and no training. We made it and had an epic journey. 🙂

Thanks for sharing your advice.

Awesome article! I hope others will be inspired too to travel and to save, save a lot of money for they travel escapade.

Interesting read indeed! I think turning your lifestyle pretty much upside down and opting for a life on the road requires a certain balance. The biggest hurdle might be the monetary one, but it’s probably the same with all big plans and achievements: mindset matters! I think someone who can tick of the first points on your list is probably almost on the way… 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Oliver. You are right, all big decisions in life require balance and yes, any big plans whether travel related or not can follow these simple rules. It is possible to change your life if you are willing to sacrifice a little to achieve your dream.

Hi Guys: Enjoyed your article and great sense of adventure…I too, have been traveling all my life and now based part-time in the Philippines. I have 7 channels, with over 21 MILLION viewers from 87 countries. Take a look and learn from some of my videos….. Main channel: http://www.youtube.com/globalvideopro1 WEBSITE: http://www.globalvideoprotv.com

Great post! Great ideas! Thank you!

We left the rat-race and have not looked back. Who wants to be “normal?” Life is a journey not a destination. Live it! Take care.

Congratulations on leaving the rat race Curtis. All the best to you!

There’s really no need to clip coupons to save money; it’s not that effective anyway. The best way is to do what you did: downsize, minimize transport costs and cook. I love how you slowly realize what you want to do in life. It’s all about the journey!

Thanks Dela. You are so right, downsizing is key. So many of us in North America live beyond our means. I think back to how little I lived on fresh out of college. If we all kept living simply, we wouldn’t have the burden of all the money problems. For some reason, people feel that as they age, they need to have more ‘things’ and that just weighs them down. We are now in a good financial situation after 6 years of pursuing our dreams, but we have no desire to go back to buying a bunch of things again. Life experience is what we are loving.

This is an eye opening post. Makes one realize that we can all achieve so much with just the right strategy and not necessarily resources. Inspiring and it made me start booking amazing tours. The journey is the destination!

Congratulations! Good luck with your tours.

This is great advice, both inspirational and practical.

Thank you Mariellen!

Firstly congratulations for hanging on and living your dreams. Here I would like to speak about one of my uncles who loves to trek even at this age (he is in his 60s). He’s a quiet man. The only time I get to see a gleam in his eyes is when someone talks about travel… and I shout out in my mind…”I get that oldie..”

Sounds like you have an amazing uncle! I know how he feels, I can feel excitement come over me whenever I get the chance to talk about our own travels.

You two are an inspiration. I am so glad you are living your dream. Thank you for sharing these great tips!

Thanks Mary. I think the two of you have been living the dream as well! Congratulations right back.

Very cool post. Reducing down to one car is something I know our family needs to do if you want to start saving a significant amount, we’re just finding it so hard to bite the bullet on that one!

I know that it can be difficult to go down to one car, especially if you have kids and have to pick them up from sports or dance or hockey practice. It does save a lot of money though. Between car payments and insurance, it’s literally hundreds a month!

Very inspiring post. Traveling is such an important part of a healthy lifestyle and it is wonderful that you are now able to reach so many people to inspire them to add more travel into their lives through your adventures.

Thank you Katherine. That has been our goal in recent years. We want to let people know that it is possible. For so many years we didnt’ think it was possible to change our lives. Now that we have, we want to inspire others to take a chance and follow their dreams. If two regular people like us can do it, anyone can.

Thanks for your tips. Best of luck with your on going travels. Great read.

Great tips- that are good for day to day life as well!

Great Escapes , oh yes I have a number of interesting trips to choose from. I find it fascinating and also confusing when it comes to planning my travel, so I've opted for an unconventional way of travelling that can fund me while I spend time in the air, or on a beach.

Beautiful & Inspiring post!

There’s a point when you just gotta let it all go and dive right in, even if you have no idea what you’re diving into. I left my old work life behind to move down to Mexico about 9 months or so ago and I’ve never been happier.

Anyone can do it, and it doesn’t take a ton of money. It’s just as you said you need to change your perspective, your spending habits. It’s amazing how freeing it can be to not worry about little things like a tv(that’s what the internet is for), brand name clothes(you know you don’t need those $200 pair of jeans), or dining out all the time, even if that only means Mickey D’s. After that the money starts stacking up. 😉

If you wanna travel the world or just become an Expat the only thing stopping you is you, do whatever you can to achieve that dream!

Congratulations Devlin. Wow! It must be amazing living in Mexico. That is something we’d like to in the next year or two. Spend an extended period of time in Mexico. And you hit the nail on the head. Dropping a few of the extra expenses seriously helps the money add up. We had a lot of fun while still being able to save money, jut by changing our habits a little bit.

Good for you Don. Any great adventures planned?

Thanks for this post. Great to hear some behind the scene stories.

I left my home country a year ago, to move to London and last week I left London to travel the world – starting in Sri Lanka, where me and my boyfriend are at the moment.

It´s scary and amazing at the same time to follow your dreams. I will keep follow your adventures here 🙂

Wow! Have a great time in Sri Lanka, it’s one of our favourite countries. And congratulations to traveling the world! Well said to, it’s scary and amazing all at once, but that’s what makes you feel alive. Being comfortable can be very boring. A little fear keeps like exciting.

You are not a failure though at first you fail. But I can say that you became a successful traveler and writer. You are right at first it is difficult. It takes a lot of perseverance and dedication.

You said it Carl Joe, we didn’t have instant success, but when you know what you want, you will keep trying until you succeed and we have no intention of stopping. There will always be ups and down, but we’ll keep on working at what we want for the rest of our lives.

Saving and budgeting is indeed one of the best thing to do. Thanks for the tips that you’ve shared. I find it really useful

Thanks James, I’m glad we could share a few tips with oyu!

It’s always great to see people follow their dream and lovely to see Don’s comment about getting the travel bug at 60! 🙂

Agreed, it is never too late to get the travel bug and change your life. It’s a whole new world, you dont’ need to be 20 to follow our dreams.

Congrats on hanging in there and making your dreams to travel full-ltime come to fruition! AWESOME!!! We share the same deep passion for traveling and try to save our money to go to Europe about once a year. Our friends ask us the same kind of questions or take little "jabs" at us about the financial part and often ask how we can afford to do this. We tell them travel is "our addiction" and to feed our habit, we do many of the same things as you….such as eating at home and making lots of soups from scratch, only getting basic cable service, driving older & easy/low maintenance automobiles with great gas mileage, no big screen TV's or fancy electronics/phones, working from home, buying most of our clothes from second-hand stores, no beverages except for water when we go out for dinner, saving all our spare change, etc. Once we are on our adventures, we really enjoy staying in simple accommodations like small hotels and hostels, having "picnic" lunches and dinners with local foods from the grocery store and 'self-guiding" our trips with well researched itineraries and utilizing public transportation, whenever possible. All of this really adds up in the course of a year and equates to literally thousands of dollars!!!! We gladly sacrifice and make these relatively easy lifestyle changes, to have that money to travel!!! Best wishes for many more adventures, Cheers 🙂

Great advice, thanks for sharing Nora. You make a great point about water only when eating out. I think the most expensive part of the bill is often beverages. You can always go home afterwards to enjoy a glass of wine at a fraction the price. We don’t way to live like Paupers, but cutting back can make a big difference. I say, don’t cut back to the point of making yourself unhappy in life, but definitely cut back on the little things that you can do without. Best to you too!

Couldn’t agree more with you! More than saving and budgeting, I think the passion to travel should be there. Like I am very bad at saving, but I still manage to travel because I really want to!

Good for you Renuka, it sounds like you do well at making your dreams happen.

Awesome post, i'm just getting the bug for travel at the ripe age of 60, my wife has always loved to travel, but me not so much. I've just subscribed to your newsletter and i'm looking forward to reading more of your articles.

Thanks Don! Congrats on living your life to the fullest!

The reason we were able to leave the comfort of regular paychecks a little over 6 months ago is encompassed in your first 3 points. The last 2 are a bit of a work-in-progress, but it’s always encouraging to read about your success. Keep up the stellar work! Good luck!

Great article for all travel lovers! 🙂

Awesome article double D, shared on Twitter!

What’s amazing about all of these kinds of stories is how different they are with respect to their specifics and yet so very similar in their general approach. For the most part everyone who has ever done something like this tells a story of having a dream, shedding material things, and relentlessly working toward their goal. The execution of those steps all take different paths – some people write books, or barter web development services, or create promotional travel videos, or whatever – but they all basically had to first let go of the familiar and then chase after their dream with dogged determination. I know, because that is our story too.

Congrats you guys. Happy travels.

Well said Brian. It’s true, you need to let go of the familiar and chase your dream. Soon, the unconventional begins to feel comfortable.

Adventure Possible

Trial & Error in a Life of Adventure

Live a Life of Adventure in 15 Steps

Share adventure with others.

Our family believes in designing the life one wants to live, and we have designed an approach for our life that builds adventure into our life plan. This approach is evolving through trial and error, so by no means is it perfect. For the ease of referring to this life we’ve designed, we’ll call it the Adventure Possible Life.

The Adventure Possible life borrows five years from retirement. Inspired by Stefan Sagmeister.

In a traditional life, an average person spends the first twenty five years of their life learning through school or trade. The person then spends forty years working with the goal of saving enough money to retire at sixty five. At which time, they hope to enjoy some fifteen years of healthy retirement while living off a nest egg and before passing.

We modify life’s traditional arc.

The Adventure Possible life borrows five years from retirement, dispersing those years in one year blocks about every five to seven years throughout the typical working years.

As a result, we create five or so distinct opportunities for adventure.

We work hard for about five to seven years, advancing careers, making money, saving money, and investing.

For those working years, we thrive, driving professional success while dreaming and planning the next adventure.

The adventure can be whatever desired. It’s personal. Backpacking. Cycling. Paddling. Expat living in a foreign country. RV’ing America. It doesn’t have to be dangerous, unconquered, far away, or even last a full year, as long as we get into the adventure mentality by pushing ourselves into new experiences, disconnecting from the rat race, and forcing change in our lives.

At AdventurePossible.com, we share our family’s story along with lots of lessons learned about the experiences and practicalities of living the Adventure Possible life. Planning adventure. Making money. Saving money. Investing in assets. Exiting and entering the workforce. We focus on these practical topics so that we can learn how to better manage and design this life, and so that you can apply them in your own design.

Why have we designed this life?

The Adventure Possible concept emerged out of our own necessity to balance ambitions for having successful professional careers, building wealth, having a happy and healthy family, and embarking on epic adventures.

We often found these ambitions to be in conflict with one another. As career and family progressed, excuses and concerns about money, timing, and family smothered adventure travel dreams.

The Adventure Possible life helps us make adventure an integral part of life, giving us reason and methods to remove some of the most common barriers to adventure while minimizing the sacrifices related to work, money, and family.

Is this a risky life?

Over the years, we’ve had naysayers tell us we’re going to derail our careers, crush our finances, endanger our children, or otherwise put ourselves at risk by leaving work and adventuring. The questions and concerns expressed by others often lead us to think more deeply about our lifestyle, and in some cases refine our approach to employment, parenting, finance, and education. As we move through the 15 Steps to Make Adventure Possible, we’ll share our perspective on some of the common concerns and deeper considerations we’ve had to ponder. In each step, there are links to other articles and anecdotes from our adventures. So explore the content and decide for yourself how you’ll manage the risk of adventure.

The 15 Steps to Make Adventure Possible

For you would-be adventurers, we’re capturing our learnings in a step-by-step process that we hope will inspire you to lead a life of adventure.

Built around the concept of taking one year sabbatical every five to seven years, we’ll walk you through the following steps and provide you with many ancillary articles for each step so that you can make adventure possible.

Step 1: Determine Your Adventure Step 2: Manage Debt Before the Adventure Step 3: Analyze Current Household Spending Step 4: Cut Current Expenses Step 5: Create an Adventure Travel Budget Step 6: Create a Gear & Equipment List with Pricing Step 7: Create an Adventure Travel Savings Plan Step 8: Commit to Long Term Savings & Investing Step 9: Plan your Exit from the Workforce Step 10: Shed Your Stuff Step 11: Make Money While You Travel Step 12: Embark on the Adventure Step 13: Manage Finances and Other Matters While Traveling Step 14: Re-Enter the Workforce Step 15: Return to Step 1

Note: For those steps not linked, the articles are coming soon (maybe).

Want to find out when they publish? Sign up for our email.

August 22, 2016 at 10:23 pm

Very cool article – we love adventure not just in our home country New Zealand but in other wildernesses 🙂

August 23, 2016 at 12:29 am

Sounds great, Mia. Thanks for stopping by and the comment!

September 16, 2016 at 3:20 pm

I am excited to have found this site! We are in the process of planning a cross country family rv trip, for a period of 6-12+ months. Any help in preparation would be welcome! We can’t wait to make real life changing memories with our family! Thank you for doing this, even if we don’t qualify. What an amazing program!

September 16, 2016 at 3:44 pm

Nicole, feel free to email me any specific questions. We published a few “how we planned, what we packed, how we decided” posts early on. I’m happy to help answer any questions you might have. So glad to hear you’re doing this!!

October 4, 2016 at 3:55 pm

Stumbled upon your site when searching full time RV budgeting! Very interested to see how it’s going for you! We just purchased an Airstream trailer and spend all of our time daydreaming about quitting our jobs and travelling full time. I’ll be reading all of your posts more in depth – especially the transition period and what you did with all of your worldly possessions! Thanks and enjoy your adventure!

October 5, 2016 at 8:04 am

Hi Sally, that’s great you bought an Airstream. I hope you all can get on the road full-time sooner than later. Let us know if you have any questions while considering your trip. We’re happy to help and it gives us ideas for blog posts.

November 29, 2016 at 5:51 pm

I think you guys are so awesome! You are living the dream I’m working towards. I’m currently planning an AT thru hike this spring.

February 2, 2017 at 8:52 pm

December 23, 2017 at 2:27 am

For Adventure just only thing about these – 1. Think that you are the purest and best thing that god has ever made. 2. If you try your best , then whole universe will bring you that. 3.Dream for fun,love,family,champion. 4. You are a hero , you are unstoppable, work on your dreams, let them run wild. 5.Create happiness, love, see best in others, do your best. One last thing , my age is 14 years, hope you understand what i am planning.

– Siddharth Upadhyay

May 11, 2018 at 2:13 pm

My wife and i just bought a 36 foot 1993 Fleetwood Bounder with only 011480 original miles. We are going to Oregon first then to Arizona from there we want to just continue around the United States. We are looking for ways to fund our dream. I just put a new roof on, i am replacing the plumbing since it leaks threw alot of the fittings. There isn’t a kitchen,since it was a office previously. Thats our next project after we buy tires it still has original tires they have great tread but they are dry roted. Would you like to sponsor us with 7 Goodyear tires, possibly a kitchen. We are thinking about possibly doing a wrap with advertising from our sponsors. We just need to make sure they have our values. In God we trust and work for, we are constitutionalists and animal lovers who don’t want to hurt our environment our planet. We believe we need government reform without a civil war.

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If you want more adventure in your life, start doing these 15 things…right now

Disclosure: this page may contain affiliate links to select partners. We receive a commission should you choose to make a purchase after clicking on them. Read our affiliate disclosure.

Did you used to be much more daring but now find yourself playing things safe?

Or have you always been a cautious type but now want to try walking on the wild side?

Whatever the case, you can break free from the humdrum and live a more adventurous life starting today!

Check out some of the tips below for ideas on how you can start your new, adventuresome journey.

1. Be comfortable failing at something new.

When you were first learning how to walk, you almost certainly fell on your bottom (or your face) a lot. You might have gotten hurt a few times, not to mention pretty frustrated.

The thing is, you had to go through all of that in order to learn how to move your body around the right way. And now, you walk, run, and dance without giving those movements much thought at all, right?

You’re going to mess up when you start to learn anything new. If you’re learning to spin fire, you’re gonna get burned. That’s okay. Keep aloe and bandages handy and keep at it – you’ll improve your techniques and will heal quickly.

Want to make pottery? Then your first pots are going to look like absolute crap until you get the hang of how to work with the clay and the wheel.

When you know you’re going to be rubbish at something, you can face the initial horror show with grace and a good sense of humor. Keep going, and you’ll get a bit better at it every single day.

2. JFDI: JUST F*CKING DO IT!

This goes along with the previous suggestion, and encourages you to just do the things you’ve been aching to do but have held back from doing for one reason or another.

Examine all your excuses for why you aren’t doing various things – the reasons you give to yourself an others as to why you haven’t done what you really want to do.

We tend to be really good at talking ourselves out of things, especially if we’re worried that we might get hurt or embarrassed in the process.

The best way to get past that is to just f*cking do it. The consequences might be crap, or they might be awesome. You might break your arm, or you might discover that this is your life’s true purpose.

The only way you’ll find out is if you try… and therein lies the adventure, right?

3. Get comfortable with discomfort.

Skip or delay meals so you feel a real bite of hunger before eating. It’ll sharpen your appetite and the food you consume will taste a lot better.

Shower in colder water than you’re used to, or step outside in brisk morning air to feel that chilly bite on your skin. Lean into physical pain and try to stretch it out or breathe through it before taking a painkiller.

Same goes for avoiding subjects that “trigger” you. The more you desensitize yourself to potential hurts, the more resilient you’ll be.

Besides, the world isn’t a safe or gentle place. Work to develop a wide array of coping mechanisms and you’ll be able to handle anything life throws at you.

4. Prioritize whatever it is you yearn for.

A lot of people hold off on things they really want to do until it’s the “right time.”

For instance, they might be waiting to move to another city until the person they’re dating gets a job there. Or they’ll put off a trip they’ve always dreamt about because the money they’d spend on it would be “better” spent repairing the roof, or getting a new car muffler, etc.

Life is short. Don’t wait on a time or person or any other factor to do whatever it is your soul is burning for. If something is truly important to you, then make it a top priority. Everything else can be sorted out later.

Be quietly ruthless. Ruthlessness isn’t a bad thing if used with care; the word just gets a bad rap because it can be used cruelly. Ruthlessness simply means that one is focused on their goals without allowing dead weight to impede them.

What does this look like in reality? Don’t tell others what you’re up to; keep yourself to yourself until you’re all set, and then carry out your plan swiftly and thoroughly.

5. Examine how much you’re ruled by societal expectations.

Do you feel as though there are a lot of things you want to do but you’re worried about what other people might think?

Are you subconsciously standing in your own way based on societal expectations?

Take some time to examine what social judgments seem to rule your day-to-day life.

For example, do you stop yourself from wearing certain clothes because they’re either too “young” or “old” for you? Maybe you’d love to go skateboarding or rock climbing but you’re afraid you’ll be the only person in traditionally religious clothing there.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?” That’s what you should ask yourself if you actually did the things you want to do without worrying about other people judging you. Then realize that their opinions really don’t matter, and do it anyway.

6. Notice your aversions, and experience them instead of avoiding them.

Do one thing every day that scares you. Scrap that, you don’t have to do it daily; just do it often enough that you get over your fear rather than being ruled by it.

For example, let’s say that you get freaked out by spiders and get your partner to take them out of the house. Try desensitizing yourself by actually getting close to a spider when and if you see it. Or, if you’re feeling particularly brave that day, put it in a cup and take it outside by yourself.

Are there foods that you’ve been hesitant to try because they sound “weird” to you? Make a point of trying them anyway. Yeah, they’re outside of your comfort zone but that’s the point of this exercise – diving into things you’ve been avoiding instead of hiding from them. You might discover that you really love some dishes that initially looked strange or unappetizing to you.

By doing things that you would normally avoid or even run from, you build up your courage until it begins to override your natural apprehension. This can then be transferred to all sorts of adventurous opportunities and situations.

7. Allow yourself to be inspired by others.

Do you follow adventurous people on Instagram or other social media and marvel at how amazing their lives are? Ask yourself what it is about these people that you admire, and be really honest about it.

Is it their sense of freedom? Their fearlessness? Do they have really amazing gear? Are they in great physical shape? Or are they low-budget travelers backpacking their way around the globe?

Really observe those whom you perceive to be adventurous, and pick their most successful and effective strategies as well as what experiences and attitudes seem to have made them that way. Then compare that to your own attitude and personal practices, and determine what changes you’d like to make in order to be more like those you admire.

8. Start small and work your way outwards.

If you’re generally a nervous type and are worried about taking a massively adventurous leap into the unknown, start small.

You don’t have to buy a one-way ticket to Morocco and then hitchhike your way up to Siberia. Instead, you can go eat at a Moroccan restaurant and start learning Arabic for fun.

Do weekend road trips to places within a few hundred miles of you as a lead up to a potential cross-country trip. Or try jumping off the high diving board at the local pool to help you decide whether you actually want to bungee jump or skydive next year.

You don’t have to go all in all at once. Take baby steps.

9. Get as healthy as possible.

It’s a lot easier to be adventurous when you’re as strong and healthy as you possibly can be. Everyone has a different potential health and fitness level, so consider working with a trainer who can help you attain what’s realistic and achievable for you.

You’ll be amazed to see how incredible you feel when you’re strong and vital. Instead of feeling tired and achy, you’ll likely be full of energy and self-confidence. You’ll know that you can take on absolutely anything because your foundation is solid.

10. Mix things up.

Few things break the spirit so much as routine and monotony. Do you have weekly scheduled meals on rotate? Sick of taco Tuesday yet? Choose something completely different, preferably spontaneously.

Order in rather than cooking, or try out a restaurant on the other side of town. In fact, make a dartboard out of some takeout menus and order from wherever the dart lands.

Get concert tickets for a type of music you’re barely familiar with. Go to a comedy club or an art exhibition if these aren’t places you usually frequent.

Just do something that rips up your routine and throws out the rulebook you normally stick to.

11. Practice ambivalence towards others’ opinion of you.

Don’t be tied down by what you think you should be doing because others in your social circle or culture think that’s the way to be. Especially if they have zero experience in what they’re advising you not to do.

Additionally, take some time to really analyze why they’re trying to talk you out of various things. Is their advice coming from a good place? Or are they so scared to do what you want to do that they’re keeping you from doing so as well? Jealousy and fear of missing out are great motivators when it comes to other people trying to control your life.

If they don’t get to do things that they want, why should you be able to do them instead?

It’s the opposite of how parents try to live vicariously through their children by pushing them to do things they don’t want. They’ll instead keep the person from one adventure or another because they didn’t get to do it themselves.

12. Learn to adapt without solid contingency plans.

It’s always important to have a plan “B” in any situation. That said, you should also ensure that you’re not locked into that backup plan, but instead have the flexibility to adapt if the need arises.

When has a situation ever worked out the way you imagined? Seriously, even in conversations that you’ve rehearsed in your own head, there have always been different variables that you didn’t count on.

If you get too attached to a contingency plan, but the variables are beyond what you had considered, you’re likely to start panicking. Instead, practice jumping with a surprise parachute to see how you fare. For example you can try going camping with just a utility knife and some basic supplies rather than a fully packed kit.

Learning how to be self-sufficient and quick on your feet will help you in countless life situations.

13. Be ready to leave at any time.

This might sound callous, but it’s a mindset that can be surprisingly beneficial.

Have no attachment to places, material goods, or even people. You can still be loving, caring, and kind – especially toward your partner, parents, etc. – but you should also be able to pack your essentials and go if need be. You never know what life is going to throw at you, and the ability to “grab and go” on a dime is amazingly helpful.

Even doing this as a training exercise is helpful.

You can do a mental run-through about all the things that are needed for travel, and recognize that the rest is superfluous. Observe how this works in nature: flocks of migratory birds moving from one place to another without fretting about packing the good crystal… there’s none of the grinding emotional tensions that we humans seem to enjoy generating. No drama, no attachments.

It simply is what it is without any wasted effort. No drama, no fuss.

Just straight arrows of intention.

14. Make peace with mortality.

This one might sound scary but it’s probably the most important one that you can do.

The main thing that keeps people from living a more adventurous life is their fear of death. In fact, this fear is something that drives most folks. They try to “stay safe” by any means necessary, even though “safety” is a complete illusion. It doesn’t exist, and trying to cling to it will only hold you back from pushing yourself toward what you can really accomplish.

Once you’ve accepted that you could pretty much exit this world at any time, you’ll stop being so afraid of that reality. Furthermore, it can be a huge relief. If you’re not constantly worried about what could happen to you, then you’ll actually allow great things to happen to you.

15. Let go of any fear of confrontation.

Many people are terrified by the thought of confrontation and will avoid it at all costs. This is particularly common in our current climate where people are scared of possibly offending anyone by standing their ground instead of being victimized apologists.

It’s one thing to be antagonistic for its own sake, and another thing entirely to stand up for what you believe in. You can stand your ground without being abusive or insulting, and you might be surprised to discover how many people respect you for doing so.

Learn to stand your ground firmly if you know that you’re in the right about something. Alternatively, if it turns out that you’re in the wrong, then admit that with grace.

Still not sure how to be more adventurous? Speak to a life coach today who can walk you through the process. Simply fill out this short form to get quotes from several coaches along with details of how they can help.

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8 Principles for Living a More Adventurous Life

Alastair Humphreys wrote the book on quick, cheap ways to shake up your day-to-day. Here's how he builds quick and inexpensive outings around the idea.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

When I came up with the idea of microadventures , I created all sorts of elaborate, fabulous escapades involving pack rafts, folding bicycles, climbing harnesses, sea kayaks, mountain bikes, and vans to carry all the gear. These were all brilliant. But the idea only began to spread to a greater number of people (with fewer ludicrous stashes of outdoor gear in the garage) once I made the idea much simpler. Simple + short + local + cheap = an achievable microadventure , unlike the vicarious adventure thrills you read about in magazines but never actually do yourself.

Just as the foundations of a delicious meal are salt, fat, acid, and heat (though I would argue that an alternative route is to get yourself exhausted and cold in the hills and then melt with joy as you shovel anything edible into your mouth), so too are there staple activities in any good month of microadventures. These include sleeping on a hill; swimming in a river, lake, or ocean; sitting still in a forest; and doing something that scares or challenges you. Other ingredients depend upon where you live, the time of year, and what motivates you to shake up your life. For instance, maybe you want to get some exercise in a fun, new way or get head space away from your phone. Maybe you want to spend more time with loved ones, discover (or rediscover) new places, save money, or prepare for a bigger adventure.

No matter what, it’s important to make the barriers to entry as low as possible. That means choosing activities that are local, easy to organize, short enough to be compatible with real life, and cheap. If you’re trying to become more microadventurous, here are a few things to remember.

Don’t Overspend on Gear

All you need to get started is your basic outdoor getup: warm clothes and raingear, a water bottle, a headlamp, your backpack. If you’re going to camp out, you’ll need a sleeping bag, bivy bag, and sleeping mat. If you’re up for some wild swimming, you’ll need your swimsuit. (Or perhaps not.)

Get the Right Mindset on Timing

How can you fit adventure into the realities of a nine-to-five career? Simple—fit it into the five-to-nine. That’s the 16 hours of theoretical daily freedom we all tend to undervalue and fritter. When somebody asks me, “What is a microadventure?” I say, “Leave work at 5 P.M. Head out of town. Sleep on a hill. Wake up at sunrise. Get back to your desk for 9 A.M.” Simple, but you will remember it a year from now.

Supershort Outings Can Be Super Worth It

We often love the idea of living more adventurously and dream that we could somehow do that with our lives. The idea is glorious, but making it happen can be daunting. I am besotted with wild swimming, jumping into rivers, lakes and oceans at every single opportunity. But at this time of year the water is cold, and the prospect of getting in is nerve-racking. The first step in is a shock. But a few more seconds pass, I plunge, and then I am in! I’m doing it! Whooping! Delighted! Often in this season, this is the end of the operation—I leap out of the water, grinning, and get dressed and warm as quickly as I can.

Breaks Are for Taking

Long before work e-mail and social media started screaming for our attention 24/7, some wise government officials in Japan coined the phrase  shinrin-yoku   (forest bathing) to encourage people to become healthier by taking strolls in the forest. I love the idea of bathing in a forest, that feeling of being submerged beneath the green (or glorious fall colors), far from the tribulations of an overflowing inbox. Turn off your phone, go for a walk in the woods, and slowly you will learn to slow down, observe, listen, be calmer. What do I do when my work life becomes insanely busy? Turn off my computer and go for a walk in the woods. I never regret it.

There’s Always Something New to Try

Make an effort this month to seek out something that scares or challenges you. It could be entering a longer race than you have done before, whether that’s the wonderful Parkrun  or the Barkley Marathons . It might be taking a chilly dip or your first night of camping out. One of the key aspects of microadventures is learning to look differently at the familiar, to see wilderness and excitement around your hometown, rather than thinking you can only live adventurously if you fly to Patagonia. A way that I love resetting how I look at somewhere familiar is to go for a walk in the dark. Pick a route you know well, perhaps your morning run or the route you walk your dog or your favorite out-of-town trail, and go walk it  under a full moon . The well-known becomes mysterious. A mile becomes a long way. Once you’re brave enough, turn off your headlamp. I love letting my eyes adjust to the moonlight and paying attention to different senses. You notice the smells of the fields. I remember once hearing a rabbit run past me into the undergrowth. I have never paid such close attention before.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask an Expert

One of the regular problems of adventure is that newcomers can feel intimidated by the expertise, fitness, and elite nature of it all. Microadventures are the exact opposite. Everyone is welcome. And here’s the thing: once you summon up the nerve to begin, to approach an expert and say that you are new but keen, you will always find that they are only too eager to help get you started. Google your local climbing wall, give them a ring, and say, “I’ve never climbed before, I’m totally unfit, really scared of heights, can’t do a single pull-up.” Staff will say, “Great! Come along and try it out! You are very welcome.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Be the Expert

However much of a novice you might feel (see above), the simple fact that you are reading this means that you’re more knowledgeable and motivated than loads of your friends. So take on the challenge of introducing a friend to the outdoors. You’ll get a real buzz from being the expert, and your friend will enjoy trying something new. It could be as simple as taking your camping stove to the park and making coffee. At the very least, this is an evening or a day that you will not soon forget. (And how often can we say that about the times we meet a friend for coffee or go to a bar or go out for a meal?)

Support Local Wonders

Have a look on Google for the state parks nearest to where you live. There are more than 10,000 in the U.S.—an incredible resource, and a great privilege to enjoy. Make the effort to explore one you’ve never been to, and do your bit to support their upkeep. The more people that use, enjoy, and care for the wilderness regions of the U.S., the more the government will value them and take care of them.

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20 Life Lessons from a Life of Travel

Before the world abruptly stopped and travel was put on hold, I had been travelling for the last eight years. My lessons from travel span an entire memoir.

I started a blog back in 2012 as a way to document my journey and before I knew it, writing about my travels has become my career.

I’m from a normal upbringing but my life these past eight years has been anything but normal. I’ve been climbing mountains in Pakistan , learning how to make pastries in the basement of The Ritz in Paris, staying with Buddhist monks in Japan and too many more experiences to count.

These experiences have taught me more than I ever realised.

That is, until now.

Home is wherever feels good

After eight years of living out of a suitcase, I finally decided last year that it was time to “move home”. But where exactly is home, when you’ve spent so much time away from it?

I bought a house, renovated it, and promptly realised the childhood town I grew up in did not feel like home anymore. Firstly, because I’d met a man in the Okavango Delta who I would later move to South Africa with. Secondly, because I had grown and changed so much since my departure, that my normal wasn’t so normal anymore .

The truth is, home is wherever feels good.

It is easier now than ever to live in a new country. If you feel up for it, give it a try. Nothing is stopping you but yourself.

Experiences are better investments than things

Has anyone ever told you not to buy a new car because of devaluation? The same could be said about new handbags, designer clothes, and keeping up with interior design trends.

Experiences are investments that pay more in life gains than possessions ever will.

Sometimes you need a trip to grow, find yourself, or find answers you’ve been looking for. Why not take one of these life-changing trips .

Some trips that shaped who I am include: renting a van and driving around New Zealand , 10 days in Pakistan and every single solo trip of self-discovery .

Money does not equal happiness

Growing up in a privileged country, I was conditioned to believe that money = happiness. How wrong I was. Having met people from all over the world who have much less than the average westerner locked into a mortgage, suffice it to say they are much happier than their counterparts.

What is it then, that warrants happiness?

Acceptance of your reality. Simplicity in all things. The gift of giving.

Quality trumps quantity

So the old saying goes; quality trumps quantity. The same is true in light of travel. The more you travel, the more you start to realise those snippets of a new city, country or culture aren’t quite enough.

The further you travel, the less you want to.

You realise it is better to know a place – like really know a place – instead of just know how to ride the metro. The more I explore, the deeper I want to get to know a place.

Gone are the days of my late teens country-hopping around Europe. I’d rather move into an apartment in Berlin for a few months or pack up my life and move to Cape Town.

Learning a new language

Growing up in an English speaking nation, learning a new language was not a necessity nor was it easy. Living in Australia leaves you isolated from foreign languages, cultures and traditions.

Travel is an easy way to break that cycle.

From German to French and a hint of Afrikaans, over the years it has become easier to learn the basics to communicate in foreign languages.

If you are eager to learn, try these language courses .

You learn to stop caring what people think of you

What is it about travel that forces you to leave your inhibitions at home? I can hardly remember my pre-travel self who was insecure, shy, and fearful of what others would think of me.

The woman I have become would not have been possible without travel. Without encountering strangers, meeting local heroes and discovering that everyone has a story to be told.

I care less now about what anyone thinks of me, despite having created a career where I live online. I’m susceptible to criticism on a daily basis but I’ve learned that if you don’t stand for something, you believe anything.

Own up to your mistakes

Another one of my life lessons from travel has been to admit my wrongs. Granted, I’m still working on this as we are often the last to admit our wrongs.

But who was responsible for catching a train from Munich that was westbound instead of heading East toward Budapest? Me. Whose job is it to fix the mistake? Mine.

Travel forces you to make mistakes and this makes it easier to own up to them. Especially travelling alone – no one is responsible for your mistakes but yourself.

You learn how to problem solve

Not only do you learn to own up to your mistakes, but you learn how to problem-solve as a knee jerk reaction.

Wrong train? Get off at the next stop and start again.

Booked a plane ticket for the wrong date? You’ll need to talk your way out of those change fees.

Mugged on the streets and suddenly your cash flow is halved? Time to start budgeting and cutting your expenses in half, too.

What is important in your life

After spending so much time alone exploring foreign lands, I’ve learned to value human connection and community more than anything else in my life.

As a Virgo who loves her alone time, I’m more than comfortable being on my own. I have however learned that too much time alone is not good for me – because what is life without human connection, interaction, and mutual dependence?

The more you learn, the less you know

The further I travel, the more I learn – or so I used to believe. The truth is, with all my prejudices and a Western mentality, the more I travel the less I actually know for sure.

The more I travel, the more I learn. But the more I learn, the less I know for sure.

I’ve been forced to question what the media tells us, how stories are spun for traction, and just face straight out lies.

Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness

I used to think being vulnerable was a weakness.

However being vulnerable is being yourself. After years of travel and meeting so many people the world over, I’ve come to realise that there is no greater power than just being yourself .

Being your most authentic self is a weight off your shoulders as you never have to try prove anything, you just are. This gives you all the time and power back to work on what really matters to you.

Books are just as much of an escape

Sometimes you just can’t escape. Whether you’re stuck in the office or have used your holidays for the year, often we have the urge to go somewhere but we just can’t yet.

I have found over the years that books provide just as much of an escape. Hence, launching my book club for travellers .

You don’t have to know someone a long time for a deep connection

Some of my greatest connections with people have been accomplished in a day – some even less.

You don’t need to know someone for a long time to have a deep connection with them. You can connect in such a life-changing way with someone who tells you just what you need to hear at the right time you need to hear it.

You can travel without leaving home

Now more than ever, I’m learning there are some great ways to travel and fulfil my wanderlust without leaving home. Whether it be trying a new recipe from a foreign cuisine you love or virtually visiting a museum, there are some great ways to travel without leaving home. Here are my favourites .

You learn to invest in yourself

While we’ve already learned that experiences are a better investment than things, only in recent years did I learn to invest in myself.

Whether it be learning how to make French pastries in a kitchen basement in Paris or investing in life-changing books on entrepreneurship , the greatest investment is yourself. If you never stop learning, you never stop growing.

Long-distance works if you want it to

I’ve had a few different experiences with long distance relationships after 8 years living out of a suitcase. Some have worked and some haven’t.

The truth is, long-distance works if you want to. It’s like any other relationship – you make sacrifices, you make it work. This is one of the lessons from travel I’d rather not admit to – but we can only learn from our mistakes.

Silence speaks as loud as words

Travel has a way of bringing out the best and worst in people. Unfortunately, the good comes with the bad and we have to learn to deal with it.

In travelling with my partner more recently, I’ve learned that silence speaks as loud as words. Sometimes not saying anything really says it all.

Travel is really just about perception

The old saying goes: you see what you want to see.

Travel and your experience abroad really come down to perception. Had a bad day? It could be worse. Life on the road will throw you many curveballs but is all about how you deal with them. Choose to be positive. Opt to be optimistic. If you want to have a great experience, you will.

Your twenties are practically made for travel

I used to be scared by that window of time between living with my family I grew up with and creating my own. But the truth is, this window of time is the perfect opportunity to go out on our own and discover ourselves for the better.

I used to be scared by that window of time between living with my family I grew up with and creating my own.

I never would have shaped my own world view without taking this time to go out on my own. Just because my parents taught me a certain way of living, doesn’t mean I need to follow it. Sure, I will always hold dear the way I was brought up to see the world – but I had to go out and add my own flavour to it.

You won’t always be alone so enjoy the solitude

After spending a lot of time alone, human connection becomes more and more desirable. But the truth is, you won’t always have this time to yourself. You won’t always be able to be selfish. To choose yourself. And to do all the things you want to do and skip all the things you do not. Enjoy the time in your life where you can be alone. It won’t always be this way.

Brooke Saward founded World of Wanderlust as a place to share inspiration from her travels and to inspire others to see our world. She now divides her time between adventures abroad and adventures in the kitchen, with a particular weakness for French pastries.

Find me on: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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“Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” ~Denis Waitley

I remember dreaming for years about living abroad. First it was Italy so that I could discover my roots. Then it was Fiji because it seemed like the furthest place from Los Angeles (which I actually did, but only for two months during the summer of 2003).

After Fiji, there was an eight-year gap that was full of college and Corporate America. My daily routine involved waking up early, working all day, and studying all night. As I’m writing this I can picture myself a year and a half ago, sitting in my office and gazing out of the 20 th floor wondering what it would be like to live in another country.

Then one day I chose to stop dreaming. Instead, I chose to start planning.

I was fed up with my inability to take action and go for what I wanted. I gave myself eight months to save enough money, plan where I would go, and tie up any loose ends.

My goal was to live abroad for a year.

I worked two jobs, sometimes three, so I could save enough money for the school loans and credit card bills I would still have to pay while I was gone. I had no social life, but I knew that I was working toward a life-changing experience.  

I wanted to get over the fluency hump in Spanish, so I looked into countries in Latin America. I also wanted to give back, so I looked into volunteer opportunities.

In September of 2011 I quit my job and moved to Costa Rica.

I volunteered for two months teaching English at a local school in a poor neighborhood. It was rewarding beyond belief. Then I spent a month getting TEFL certified so I could continue my travels and make money teaching English along the way.

Suddenly, panic struck. In December I thought the money was going to run out and I would have to go home.

As fate would have it, two weeks before I was due to leave, a friend told me about a job opening at a local company she had just started working at. She knew my background was in marketing and social media, and they just happened to have a Social Media Manager opening. I interviewed and got the job!

Then, as fate would have it (again), the Director of Communications quit the day I started. After the initial shock, I decided that my journey didn’t end there and applied for her position.

That same week I became the new Director of Communications for a multi-million dollar company in Costa Rica. What?!

It hasn’t all been great. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Through those mistakes, though, I’ve come up with these seven life lessons that you can use whether you’re living abroad, wanting to live abroad, or just wanting a new adventure.

1. Just do it.

Just pick up and move if you want to move. Just put your resume out there and start interviewing if you want to find another job. If you want to write a book, just do it already!

Will it be easy? Maybe, maybe not. Will it be rewarding? Absolutely.

Do what it takes to prepare. The point is to actually take action rather than just planning it in your mind for months or years and constantly making excuses as to why you “can’t” do it.

2. When faced with sink or swim, choose swim.

The way that people drive in Costa Rica is a cross between Mission Impossible car chases and Motocross (jumps included). I came from Los Angeles, and most people think that L.A. has the worst drivers. Not so much.

If you don’t swim, you crash, or you cause an accident to happen and you put yourself and others in danger. You must drive like a maniac, and you must get used to it. You must swim.

This obviously goes for any cultural differences. First observe, then learn, and then swim. It’s always more fun to enjoy the culture from the inside.

3. Erase expectations from your mind.

When I thought of Costa Rica, I thought of white sand beaches, constant sunlight, and beautiful sunsets. What it actually is for me: living a mile-high in a rainforest, constant clouds (and rain of course), and really cold. I’m not sure they could be more opposite.

What I have gained, though, is a newfound love of nature. I used to be so scared of nature growing up because I’ve always lived in cities. The only nature I knew about was in scary movies, and you know what happens to people in scary movies when they’re out in nature!

Maintain an open mind. You never know where life will take you, and for what reason.

4. Make mistakes as often as possible.

When speaking Spanish, I was scared I would say something incorrectly and that people would make fun of me for it. Then I realized I’m never going to learn by being quiet and only speaking Spanish in my head. My vocabulary and fluency have grown immensely since making that decision.

When doing something new, it’s best to just get out there and start making as many mistakes as you can . You will mess up, and people will correct you, and you will learn.

5. Live in a constant state of wonder.

When we move somewhere new or start at a new job, our world is full of excitement and wonder, right? Everything is so cool! You tell all of your friends and family all about it.

Then, as time passes on, it starts to become more normal. The excitement fades and the wonder disappears.

Even if you have lived in the same area or worked at the same company for a long time, there are still wonders to be discovered and exciting things to see. Try to put on some wonder-glasses, and attempt to see your “same” world as a whole new world.

You’ll be amazed by what happens.

6. Stay in touch with those you love.

It’s really easy to get caught up in a new adventure and forget to keep in touch. However, I’ve learned that it’s so important that family and friends know that I’m always thinking about them and that I miss them. Plus, it always feels so good to hear their voice and see their face through Skype.

If you asked me a year and a half ago what I thought I would be doing, this would have never even been on the radar. It’s not until we take the leap of faith (with a bit of planning) that we really reap the benefits.

It hasn’t been all great things, and there have been some big struggles along the way, but in the end it always ends up better when you go for your dreams.

What’s your current adventure? What else would you add to the list? Please share it in the comments!

About Jeffrey Friend

Jeffrey Friend is the founder of Small Steps | Big Changes , a site that takes a unique look at Life, Work, Relationships, Health, Personal Development and Happiness, and illustrates how the Kaizen philosophy is used to turn small steps into big changes for all areas of your life. Connect on Facebook & Twitter .

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Why We Want Adventure in Our Lives—And How to Get It

• April 7, 2022

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me. -Walt Whitman, poet

Adventure. It’s an amazing part of life and work, but often overlooked and neglected.

When I was little, my Dad used to tell stories to my brother and me—always about an adventurer, with a rucksack, off on some expedition. We loved it, in part because of the surprise and danger.

It turns out that adventure has much to teach us about living and leading. Of course, it’s not often that we encounter opportunities for exciting, daring, hazardous undertakings of unknown outcome.

But what if we could cultivate adventure in our lives? What if we could pursue grand and meaningful adventures in our work?

The benefits of adventure in life.

Adventure isn’t something just for daredevils and skydivers. It’s something for all of us who want to live well.

Adventure makes us feel more fully awake, alive, and free. It feeds us with the energy and excitement of exploration, discovery, and surprise. It even comes with a physiological response, with norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter that increases alertness and arousal) and elevated respiratory and heart rates.

“The danger of adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.” -Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist

Adventure comes with many benefits:

Adventure can give us remarkable experiences to savor and extraordinary memories to cherish.

It helps us discover who we really are (or rediscover it), which can be hard to do if we’re constantly mired in responsibilities, expectations, pressures, deadlines, and incessant busyness .

“…your dreams come clean over miles of road.” -Jackopierce, from their song, “My Time”

Adventure can help us feel whole again, especially if we’ve been living a divided life , and reconnect with our heart and intuition.

It can help us learn and grow, as we face new situations and challenges and try to improvise our way through them.

“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with his own life.” -Herbert Otto

Adventure can help us develop our strength and courage as we learn to confront our fears .

It gives us an opportunity to transcend limiting beliefs . (In turn, we can move forward toward fulfilling our potential, learn how to trust ourselves, and develop a greater sense of our own agency .)

Adventure can lead to the accomplishment of great things , none of which would have been possible if we hadn’t dared to try.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt

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Ways to Bring Adventure into Our Lives and Work

Despite all these benefits, it’s easy to self-select out of adventure opportunities because of a limited view of ourselves as “not the adventurous type.”

But ceding this territory to the adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers is a mistake, especially since there are so many ways to invite adventure in our lives, some of which are straightforward and accessible for many:

Get out into nature , away from civilization and noise, and venture out into new areas. (You can also take it up a notch and do something like an Outward Bound expedition.)

“In the middle of the forest is an unexpected clearing, that can only be found by those who are lost.” -Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet

Travel to new places. (When you do so, be sure to get off the beaten path and take what Clif Bar entrepreneur Gary Erickson calls the “white roads.” When cycling through Europe with a friend, he noticed that, on a map, red roads are the big roads, full of vehicles, noise, and exhaust, while white roads are the smaller, quieter, less traveled paths full of surprises.

“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks—on your body or on your heart—are beautiful.” -Anthony Bourdain  

Learn or try something new . Try running, surfing, sailing, rock climbing, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, rafting, triathlons… whatever calls to you.

Sample new cuisine. My friends in Maryland are currently on a quest to eat a meal from every country in the world.

Ask someone out if you’re single. Take that chance even if it scares you. You ever know what might be on the other side of that decision.

Engage more with strangers . You never know what you may learn or encounter—or how much it may mean to someone in need.

Make new friends. Too many people start cocooning later in life after settling down, leading to disconnection, loneliness, and unhealthy over-reliance on a spouse or significant other.

Take advantage of transition times in your life (e.g., after graduating, in between jobs, when the kids leave the home, retirement, etc.). (For a great book on this, check out  Life Is in The Transitions by Bruce Feiler .)

Launch or join a startup venture, or an innovation initiative or skunkworks project  at your workplace. These can be thrilling in their challenges and opportunities—and career highlights.

Break out of a career rut , no longer settling for a bad manager or toxic culture , and finding something more worthy of your efforts and more aligned with your values and aspirations.

Go back to school to help launch you on a different career track that’s a better fit, or just because you’re curious and would like to learn and engage with new people and settings.

If you’re a manager, give your team an epic challenge, or create exciting new experiences for them to break the monotony and invite their creativity.

Join an adventure expedition or festival. There are many options. A summer camp for adults, a Tough Mudder , Burning Man , South by Southwest , and more.

Go on a retreat or a spiritual pilgrimage. Retreats like InsideFirst Roundtables , Modern Elder Academy Sabbatical Sessions , and Inventure expeditions . Pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Mecca, Camino de Santiago (France and Spain), Mount Kailash (Tibet), and Shikoku (Japan) to something more homegrown and local.

Take the Traps Test

We all fall into traps in life. Sometimes we’re not even aware of it, and we can’t get out of traps we don’t know we’re in. Evaluate yourself with our Traps Test.

Some of my favorite adventures over the years have included:

• backpacking through Europe
• studying abroad for a year in London in graduate school
• camping and climbing a pair of “fourteeners” (mountains rising to 14,000 feet above sea level) in the Colorado Rockies with friends
• sailing on an overnight felucca boat down the Nile with my brother
• performing live music at gigs, bars, and coffeehouses
• trying to learn how to surf in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, spotting a great surfer on the same beach, asking him if he knew anyone around who could give me surfing lessons, and then getting a personal surfing lesson from him and learning that he was an international surfing competitor
• joining school plays and musicals despite having no background in theater
• bridge-jumping with a friend at his college
• canoeing and swimming in a Puerto Rican bay among bioluminescent plankton
• cliff-diving at an Adirondack lake
• working at a tech startup that became a scale-up, with all its highs and lows
• taking a self-generated sabbatical after leaving that startup so I could take my life back
• getting married
• becoming a father
• moving to Sweden, getting out of my bubble and learning a new culture, language, and worldview (and then moving back to Colorado)

These are some of my fondest memories, but I also see that there have been long chapters in my life in which adventure has been absent.

Thankfully, I’ve been inspired by adventurous friends and colleagues. One friend talked his way onto a naval submarine off the coast of South America so he could hitch a ride down the coastline.

Another favorite of mine: an entrepreneur we interviewed for LIFE Entrepreneurs who retreats to his own “secret office”:

“Each year, I try to take twenty-five work-week days and spend them hiking, biking, or on the water some place. It’s like having your own secret office with the world’s best views. These aren’t bank holidays or the days between Christmas and New Year’s. They’re mid-week days right in the heart of the year when everyone else is at their desk. My best creative thinking is on these days. The places I go are inspiring, and exercise tends to calm my mind and help me see the big picture. Following these days, I try to resist the urge to catch up on emails at night. Instead I’ll write or think about what occupied my mind that day.” -Max Israel

If you struggle with jumping on the adventure bandwagon, consider this unconventional motivator:

Contemplate your death.

This ancient practice from the Stoics ( memento mori : “Remember that you must die”) and other traditions can help put our lives in perspective while also highlighting their flaws, sparking urgency to grab hold of our lives while we have them.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” -Steve Jobs

The most important adventure of all is the one that’s most hidden: everyday life.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of daily activity, it’s easy to lose sight of the grand adventure that is life itself. The miracle that we’re here, wandering on a planet hurtling through the cosmos, all part of a wondrous, incomprehensible whole.

How can it all possibly be? What will happen next, in our lives and the world? Why are we here? What will we choose to do with our unknown number of days, and who with, and to what end? A grand adventure, indeed, and the most precious of gifts.

Traps that Keep Us from Having Adventures

There are many pathways into adventure, from the mundane and simple to the morbid and sublime. But let’s not kid ourselves and pretend that it’s always easy, given our circumstances and obligations.

Too often, we fall into the common traps of living, many of which make adventure feel out of reach. Some of the traps:

• Conforming : conforming to societal conventions or conventional paths.
• Drifting : getting carried along by time, circumstances, and outside influences.
• Playing the short game : being short-sighted and neglecting the big picture.
• Being outer-driven : being driven by external (parent, peer, societal) expectations and caring too much about what other people think .
• Postponing happiness : deferring plans or dreams because it’s not practical or “the right time.”
• Settling : compromising or settling for “good enough.”
• Being a workaholic : being addicted to work or success, letting it consume our thoughts and time while letting other important things slip away.
• Wrong path : pursuing a path that doesn’t align with your values, aspirations, and preferences

The traps are tricky. They sneak up on us, sometimes capturing us for years. But they’re not insurmountable.

We just need something worthy of our efforts to break free. Something like the sweet thrill of adventure and the lasting glow it brings. Here’s to more adventure in life.

Do you have enough adventure in your life?  What can you do, starting today, to invite more adventure into your life and work?

Tools for you.

• Traps Test (Common Traps of Living)  to help you identify what’s getting in the way of your happiness and quality of life
• Quality of Life Assessment  to help you discover your strongest areas and the areas that need work and then act accordingly
• Personal Values Exercise  to help you clarify what’s most important to you

Personal Values Exercise

Complete this exercise to identify your personal values. It will help you develop self-awareness, including clarity about what’s most important to you in life and work, and serve as a safe harbor for you to return to when things are tough.

Related Articles

• “ The Benefits of Nature and Getting Outside “
• “ The Power of Awe in Our Lives “

Postscript: Quotations on Adventure in Life

• “It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten-track for ourselves.” -Henry David Thoreau
• “During the first period of a man’s life the greatest danger is: not to take the risk.” -Soren Kierkegaard
• “We need the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.” -Albert Camus
• “Cover the earth before it covers you.” -Dagobert Runes
• “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” -Helen Keller
• “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” -Andre Gide
• “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” -Soren Kierkegaard
• “Only those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” -Robert Kennedy
• “Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” -Jaime Lyn
• “Adventure may hurt you, but monotony will kill you.” -Marcus Purvis
• “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin
• “Above all, life entrepreneurship is an adventure.” -Warren Bennis
• “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain
• “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” -Winnie the Pooh
• “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” -Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Bonus: Inspiring Adventure Classics

Many of us cherish the classic adventure stories from literature and film that inspire our dreams and ambitions. Some of my favorites:

The Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien took us on an epic ring quest. Starting in the Shire, the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin band together with other wily characters like Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Arwen, Galadriel, Boromir, and others to take on Sauron, Saruman, the Orcs, Trolls, and more hideous creatures and wizards and try to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom, thereby saving the world. It’s a classic tale of courage and good versus evil, wrapped in a brilliant adventure.

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” -Bilbo Baggins, a character in J. R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The odyssey.

In this epic poem by Homer, Odysseus struggles to endure the wrath of the gods, smite mystical creatures, and survive daunting threats—from a cyclops and witch to a sea storm and the alluring Sirens—in a decade-long struggle to return home to his wife, Penelope.

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.” -Homer, The Odyssey

Into the wild.

This book by Jon Krakauer recounts the spirited adventures of Christopher McCandless (a.k.a., “Alexander Supertramp”), a young man disillusioned by the conventions of civilized life in suburban Virginia and its soul-sapping monotony. He gave up his possessions, donated his college fund to charity, and embarked on a brand-new path, traveling westward across the country, abandoning his car after a flash flood, and then hitchhiking to the Stampede Trail in Alaska, where he set off alone in the snow with only ten pounds of rice, a camera, a rifle, ammunition, and some reading.

“I now walk into the wild.” -Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Harry potter.

J. K. Rowling’s fantasy novels tell the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard touched by fate, and his friends and allies Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, and Hagrid. Their escapades at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry place Harry in harrowing battles against Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard.

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.” -J. K. Rowling

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was an explorer who led three expeditions to the Antarctic in the 1900s. During the Nimrod expedition, he and his crew made the largest advance toward the South Pole in history. After subsequently losing the race to the South Pole to Roald Amundsen, Shackleton focused on crossing Antarctica from sea to sea via the South Pole. During this expedition, its ship, Endurance, became trapped in ice and was gradually crushed. The crew camped on the sea ice and then launched lifeboats and traveled an incredible distance to reach Elephant Island and then South Georgia Island.

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” -newspaper ad placed by Sir Ernest Shackleton to recruit a crew for his Antarctic expedition

Bonus: gregg’s curated music playlist for your next adventure.

• “8 Miles from a Paved Road,” Edwin McCain
• “America,” Simon and Garfunkel
• “Beautiful Day,” U2
• “Can’t You See,” The Marshall Tucker Band
• “Drift Away,” Dobie Gray
• “Fast Car,” Tracy Chapman
• “Free,” Jackopierce
• ‘Hit the Road Jack’ by Ray Charles
• “Into the Mystic,” Van Morrison
• “I Want to Get Lost with You,” Stereophonics
• “My Time,” Jackopierce
• “On the Road Again,” Willie Nelson
• “Peaceful, Easy Feeling,” The Eagles
• “Ramblin’ Man,” Allman Brothers Band
• “Roam,” The B-52’s
• “Route 66,” Chuck Berry
• “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” by Tom Petty
• “Running on Empty,” Jackson Browne
• “Seven Bridges Road,” The Eagles
• “Shotgun Rider,” Tim McGraw
• “Southern Cross,” Crosby, Stills, and Nash
• “Take It Easy,” The Eagles (or the original Jackson Browne version)
• “The Mountains Win Again,” Blues Traveler
• “Vineyard,” Jackopierce
• “Where the Streets Have No Name,” U2

What are your favorite adventure or road-tripping songs? Contact me here to send me suggestions for this list.

Gregg Vanourek’s Newsletter

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Gregg Vanourek  is a writer, teacher, TEDx speaker, and coach on leadership and personal development. He is co-author of three books, including  LIFE Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives   (a manifesto for integrating our life and work with purpose, passion, and contribution) and  Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations  (a winner of the International Book Awards). Check out his  Best Articles  or get his  monthly newsletter . If you found value in this article, please forward it to a friend. Every little bit helps!

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How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling

In September of 2017, one year after we met, we were sitting at North Avenue Beach in Chicago and I told Gordon; hey, what do you think if we try to make money while living a life of full time traveling? That’s all it took.

Let’s rewind.

A couple of weeks before that day at the beach, a friend introduced me to a family who was traveling the world full time with their kids and documenting their adventures on YouTube and Instagram ( @thebucketlistfamily ). I watched like 10 of their videos and that’s when the seed was planted. Fast forward to that day at the beach, I asked G if that was something he’d consider doing with his life. To my surprise, he said yes.

I honestly thought he didn’t mean it. He would have to quit his job as a consultant and start a new career as a videographer/photographer/content creator (while not liking cameras LOL). However, that evening we came home and started working on a spreadsheet with a list of all the places we wanted to visit and what we wanted to accomplish from our crazy adventure. Our lives changed after that day and it all felt so right.

We opened a bank account together in October 2017. We started saving money like crazy (read more about how we did it here) . But, shortly after, we realized we needed more than money if we were going to -at least try- to turn our 2 years of traveling into our full time jobs.

We weren’t sure how to make this post useful for anyone out there getting ready to travel the world full time and try to make a living while at it. That’s why we decided it was better to divide everything we did into 4 categories: Skills, mental, finances and health.

Estimated reading time: 21 minutes

• Ready to learn about what we did before full time traveling? Let’s do this!

Table of contents

Videography and youtube, seo (search engine optimization) & this website, the planning stage, where do we stand with our trip today, telling our friends and family, finances // how are we going to save all this money, health // how are we going to stay healthy while traveling full time, did you learn anything about full time traveling please share it on pinterest, ps: in april 2018 we posted our full time traveling announcement video on our youtube channel:, skills // things that will help you make money online while living a life of full time traveling.

First we asked ourselves, how on earth are we going to make money with full time traveling? Is anyone out there successful at this?

We read a million posts. Some mentioned teaching English or working abroad as bartenders. Others mentioned online marketing, house sitting and a bunch of other things that didn’t feel like the right fit for us. That’s when we decided to look at our own strengths. We made a list of the things we were good at. Then, decided that we were going to try to make money with a YouTube channel , Instagram and this blog.

What exactly did we learn before our trip?

Ok, so we were like yes, this is so cool, we are going to be digital nomads. Cool. What does that even mean? Well, we had to learn some things from the very beginning. Having a strong foundation was our #1 goal.

We started learning about videography. Making videos and editing them. Practicing with a camera, asking all of my videographer friends for tips and we watched A LOT of YouTube videos. We also got a membership with Skillshare and did many courses about videography and photography. Learned about story telling and how to edit videos in Final Cut Pro X. Some of my favorite YouTube channels for video tutorials are Mark Harrison , Daniel Schiffer and Thomas Alex Norman . I also had to learn about YouTube SEO and strategies, which I learned form this YouTube channel.

Speaking of SEO…. Somehow despite having had a blog for almost 5 years I completely ignored this basic skill (I’m embarrassed to admit it). This time I was not going to make the same mistakes, so we dove in. And deep. We learned so much through the Goats on the Road website. We even did one of their paid courses! I also watched every video on Cathrin Manning’s YouTube channel (and her blog ) and pretty much read every blog post on Keysearch’s blog . This is just to name a few. SEO was by far the skill we invested more time and money into.

This website was another thing that took a few months to put together. We started (and almost finished) a website with Squarespace at first. Then we learned -a few months later- that if you wanted to be serious about SEO, WordPress was the way to go. So, we had to make the decision about making the switch and start all over again. It was frustrating but we know it will be worth it.

All the structural work was done by us at the beginning. Then, we hired someone to add some final touches we couldn’t figure out on our own. We did it this way to save money and because building a website on our own would force us to learn about the basics. This is very valuable when you need to hire someone later on. It’s important that you know more or less what you are talking about, so you don’t get screwed like I did with my blog ‘ Ways of Style ‘ many many times.

We dove deep into the business of online marketing. Understanding algorithms became second nature and we familiarize ourselves with all the ways we could possibly make money online while traveling full time. I did a couple of courses on Instagram with the Professional Traveler that I cannot recommend enough! Even if you are a ‘established’ blogger or influencer. I had my Instagram as my main source of income and I didn’t know a lot of the things she teaches in her course. She’s brilliant!

We are not even close to being experts on any of these subjects. But we’ve been learning what we need in order to get started and we hope to get better over time. It was important for us to have a solid foundation on how exactly we were going to capitalize our 2-year world adventure and most importantly, make it a lifestyle. Sure it sounded fun to everyone, but we meant business. And we were serious about it.

What took most of our time while getting ready for this trip was planning it. If you don’t have an unlimited budget, you have to be smart about which destinations and activities to include. Plus, all the logistics involved in putting together such a long trip. We mostly did all the planning because we needed an estimate of how much this adventure would cost us, however, we don’t plan to stick to every little detail. We will try to stick to our budget instead.

Basically, all of our free time since October 2017 was invested towards something related to this trip. We had a lot of time to get ready, but some things we’ll have to figure out while on the road, which should be (mostly) fun.

We were set to leave on January 2021, but because of COVID-19, green card and passport issues, we are still waiting on things to align so we can start living our dream of traveling the world full time. One thing we know, we are ready to leave. We already sold all of our stuff and are living a nomad life because we are both able to work from wherever there’s a good internet connection.

COVID-19 of course, is going to have an impact on the way we travel. We need to get the vaccine as soon as possible and instead of hopping from country to country, we are planning on staying at least 2-3 months in each place.

July 2021 update: we both got vaccinated, G already quit his job and we are getting ready to leave in September. Stay tuned for more!

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We send a weekly email to our friends & fam with any updates about life on the road.

Basically, we let them know we are alive and share anything interesting that happened that week.

We promise it’ll be fun 😉

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The mental part // How on earth are we going to tell people about our life plans?

I don’t know how old you are, but as a socially acceptable responsible adult, you cannot say to other adults you are going to spend your savings traveling (not at 33 & 35). The thing is we NEVER intended to spend our life savings traveling, but to most people this whole making-money-online thing sounds like a scam. And I get it. I didn’t know much about it until I saw other people being transparent on how they were doing it.

The mental part was intense. It still is.

Getting mentally prepared to have no income, no home, basically no material things, living out of a suitcase, jumping from plane to plane every month, all while trying to build a meaningful and successful business together, has been slow to sink in.

According to most social standards, we are not in an age where we ‘should’ be traveling. Instead we ‘should’ be buying a house and thinking about having a family, or saving for retirement. Don’t think for a second it hasn’t been hard for us to deal with all of this. All of our friends are super stable and seem to have it all figured out, while we are just here thinking of investing all of our money on this crazy trip. It was not an easy decision to make, but we hope everything will be alright in the end.

Telling our friends and family about our new travel lifestyle wasn’t easy at all either. I think we can safely say that while everyone we love, does support us and think this trip is a cool idea, they also deep down think we are crazy and that we might be risking too much.

At times, it may seem like we don’t value the advice of all the smart people we have around us. The thing is though, we happen to believe in what we are doing so much and our vision for our life is so clear , that we still decided to move forward and at least try to build something together that is ours. We owe it to ourselves to at least give it a try.

We are getting older and of course we are terrified, but we’re also brave. It’s inevitable to think about the million things that can go wrong and panic. That’s why instead, we recently started to think about all the things that can go right.

What if. ..

We are actually able to execute our vision?

W e are able to live exactly the life we dream of living?

We can actually make the world a better place?

The answers to those questions act as our compass and motivation to move forward.

Naive? Maybe. Not trying? Never.

We wrote about this subject with a lot more details here. We share everything we did in this blog post.

Saving money was not easy. In fact, it was the reason why we had to wait over 3 years to leave and then some more because of COVID-19 and my green card.

We didn’t really have any money saved when we opened our savings account together. It was frustrating and felt impossible at times, but if we learned anything over these past years is that patience and consistency always pay off. For whatever it is that you are trying to save money for, remember that it all starts with $1.

We watched a lot of YouTube videos and read a million blogs to see how much money exactly we were going to need. Initially, before doing any research I guessed we would need like $100k per year LOL, but turns out you’ll be just fine with $35-40k/year. That’s the minimum for us, based on our traveling styles. You can do it for a lot less though. Trust us, we’ve learned about people who have traveled with just $10k and somehow survive one year. Again, it all depends on how you travel, where you go and what you’re willing to sacrifice.

Be sure to read this blog post to learn how exactly we saved money for our trip around the world.

Our health has always been very important to us, but it became even more important when we decided to leave.

Our health is not something we think about lightly or as a short-term thing motivated only by physical results (that’s only like 30% LOL). We started getting physically ready by going to the gym regularly and eating very healthy at home, which also helped us save some money. We love hiking, being in nature and being active. That’s why it was our top priority to be in good shape to do all the things we want to do and not have physical restrictions.

Do you guys usually take advice from older people? Well, I read somewhere that you should take advantage of your youth. That’s when you are strong and healthy to do all the crazy hikes, diving, trips, overnight buses, etc. Because when you are older, your travel style will definitely change. I’m honestly fine with that, but I do want to make sure to do all the crazy things while I still can.

Being healthy became part of our lifestyle. We do not intent to forget about that while we are on the road. We plan to work out and eat healthy most of the time while we travel too. It will be very hard because we both love food and cocktails, but hopefully we’ll find a good balance over time. It’ll be important for us to remember that we are not on vacation. We are permanently traveling and we want to grow old together and stay healthy.

Final thoughts // Are you thinking about traveling the world full time?

We hope this post gives you an idea of all the work it took to get ready for this. We didn’t think about it lightly. Just like a lot of people, we are risking everything in order to make our dream happen. All we can hope, is for it to be worth it.

* Learn how you can support the work we do *

By sharing all this info, we don’t mean to discourage you if you are thinking of doing the same. On the contrary, we are testimony that if you work hard towards your goals and stay focused, your dreams can become a reality.

“It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

There’s nothing special about us. If we can do it, so can you. It will take determination and discipline, but if you want it badly, you’ll do whatever it takes.

We have no idea what will happen after 2 years. We might come back home and start from zero, get a 9 to 5 job and start working like crazy to recover from spending all of our savings traveling. Or we might be able to build a business out of Ways of the World and continue to travel for years to come, who knows? One thing we know for sure, we are being bold for facing our fears and for trying something new we believe in our hearts is right. That’s something we’ll never regret.

Hope you guys follow our adventures on YouTube , Instagram or here. Either way, we hope to answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Thanks for stopping by,

Aimara & Gordon

Related posts you may also like:

• How to save money to travel – Our story, how we did it & useful tips
• How COVID-19 impacted our plans to travel full time
• Learn how you can support the work we do here at WOTW
• More about what Ways of the World is all about

2 thoughts on “How To Prepare For A Life Of Full-Time Traveling”

Awesome tips. I knew one must save money in order to full-time travel but I didn’t think about preparing physically for it. You guys are right. Being in good physical condition is important to keep traveling. Kudos on taking the leap.

One of my dream jobs is to shoot walking videos in different cities. They seems very popular in YouTube. Just put record on and walk, then publish. No editing needed. Easy as ABC, Great post, thank you for sharing 🙂

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How to Have an Adventure

Last Updated: March 29, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Kirsten Parker, MFA . Kirsten Parker is a Mindset and Action Coach based in her hometown of Los Angeles, California. She helps high achievers overcome stress and self-doubt. She specializes in increasing one's confidence and clarity by incorporating tools from positive psychology, mindful habit change, and self-regulation into her coaching. She is a Certified HeartMath Practitioner trained in Stress, Anxiety, and Intelligent Energy Management along with Emotional Intelligence and the Science of Self-Acceptance. She also holds an MFA from Yale University School of Drama in Stage Management. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 406,446 times.

Stuck in a cubicle all day with that panoramic view of a flickering screen and a fabric-covered half-wall? Feeling like your youth has slipped away? Or just ready for something, anything different? Have an adventure! You don’t have to climb Mt. Everest or sail solo around the world to have a fulfilling, rewarding adventure (although these would probably do the trick). Let your imagination be your guide, prepare (but don’t over-prepare), don’t wait for the perfect time, and just do it!

Finding Your Adventurous Self

• What qualifies as an adventure depends upon you -- your perspectives, desires, experiences, and so on. One man’s adventure may be another’s routine. Don’t worry about how others may define it; if it feels like an adventure to you, it is one.

• Read famous real-life adventure books and stories. Examine them not only for the activities described but the transformative experiences of the author/adventurer.
• Talk to friends and family. You may gain not only ideas and inspiration but a better appreciation for someone you think you already know so well. Who knows, your dull great uncle Stu may have had some fascinating adventures back in the day.
• You’ll find that what others define as an adventure varies as well. Is it base jumping? Visiting a foreign country with a pocket dictionary, no itinerary, and no return flight scheduled? Going to an open mic night and trying your hand at stand-up? Camping out at a national park? Quitting your job? There’s no shame in “borrowing” one of their adventure ideas if it strikes a chord with you.

• Ignore the “be realistic” voice inside your head. That’s part of what keeps you from having adventures. [2] X Research source
• Draw up a “to-try” list. Rank them from most achievable to most challenging if you desire. Mark them off as you attempt them. [3] X Research source

• Master your fear not only of undertaking an adventure, but of failing at it. You know the saying about the journey being more important than the destination? Well, taking on the challenge of learning to surf is more important, and personally rewarding, than whether or not you can stay on your board and ride in a big wave. [8] X Research source

Getting Out There (and Back)

• Do a little less planning than you’re comfortable doing. Pack your suitcase as normal, then force yourself to repack using a suitcase half the size. Go on a drive with no destination in mind and no GPS. Go skydiving without updating your will.
• Erase your expectations. [9] X Research source Don’t assume you know what will happen when you take a trapeze class or go abroad as a disaster relief volunteer. You’re going to be surprised regardless of how much you think you know about what to expect. Embrace this uncertainty.

• Don’t be ridiculous, however. If someone asks you to help them rob a bank or swap spouses for a month, that may be a little too much adventure. Set boundaries based on any physical limitations or essential responsibilities you may have, but set the bar a little further out than you typically would.

• Join an adventure club. You’ll get ideas and support for your adventures, as well as some beneficial peer pressure to get out and do things.
• When you’re out adventuring, do find ways to keep in touch with loved ones. [11] X Research source Just because past adventurers had to “go dark” for long stretches doesn’t mean you must. Let them experience a little of the excitement of your adventure, and in turn give you support to keep at it.

• If you get booed off the stage at that open mic comedy night, go back the next time and start with a crack on the crowd’s lousy booing technique. (Nobody said this was “How to Do Stand-Up Comedy.”)

• Remember, the adventure itself is more important than the result. [15] X Research source
• Line up your next adventure. Don’t rest on your laurels. Strike while the iron is hot. Prepare to hit another item on your “to try” list while still basking in the glow of the last one.
• The best way to make the most out of having an adventure is to have another adventure.

Finding Opportunities for Adventures

• Try a new cuisine -- West African, Argentine, Pakistani, some place you've never heard of before.
• Redecorate a room in your house with a favorite theme or a bold color palette. A different pastel color on each wall and Care Bears décor in your dining room? That's an adventure!
• Go to a haunted house. If you're more adventurous than that, find one where you can stay overnight.
• Turn off your phone and go without the internet for a week. Or even a day for that matter. See if you can complete your daily routines without them.

• Sign up for a belly dancing class. Put that thing to use!
• Go to an open mic night at a comedy club and get on stage.
• Start a garage band and play some gigs. Sure, maybe it didn't work out when you tried it in high school, but why not now? It also gives you a good reason to clean out your garage.
• Ask to sing the national anthem at a local sporting event. If your voice is just too terrible to do your country justice, get a couple of friends to join you and put the best singer in front of the mic.

• Take a multi-day train ride in a foreign land. And don't spend the whole trip in your cabin. Get out and experience a different culture.
• Visit a distant ancestor's hometown. Southern Italy? Rural China? An Appalachian hideaway in West Virginia? Go and experience some family history and a different world.
• Search the internet for the most beautiful photo of a place on earth you can find ... and go there. Print out the picture and compare it to the real thing.

• Go skydiving. Yes, one of the classics, but still quite a rush.
• Go cliff-diving. Another common one, but at the very least it means you are at a beautiful beach somewhere.
• Train for and enter a triathlon. If this is beyond your physical capability, start smaller. If a 5k run is an adventure for you, go for it and be proud.
• Reader Poll: We asked 208 wikiHow readers who've looked for adventure, and only 6% of them said they don’t like outdoor activities. [Take Poll] There’s a whole world of adventure out there, so get outside and go do something fun!

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-live-mini-adventures-on-a-small-budget.html
• ↑ http://deepexistence.com/how-to-make-your-life-an-adventure/
• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/adventure-weekdays_n_5515293.html
• ↑ Kirsten Parker, MFA. Mindset & Action Coach. Expert Interview. 22 July 2020.
• ↑ http://affordanything.com/2011/09/28/the-poor-mans-guide-to-adventurous-living/
• ↑ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/12/11/every-man-needs-adventure/
• ↑ http://tinybuddha.com/blog/6-ways-to-live-a-life-of-passion-and-adventure-right-now/

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How to Live a Life of Travel

Introducing the “How to Live a Life of Travel” eGuide, written specifically for anyone who wants to turn travel into an actual lifestyle. If you’re not quite sure how to make it happen, this guide will teach you exactly what you need to know…

**Instant Download – 220 pages – Unlimited Support**

READ THIS GUIDE. TRAVEL THE WORLD!

What’s included:.

220 pages of detailed material designed to help you achieve your own travel goals

Follow the specific steps in this guide and you’ll eliminate months of research

Discover how to earn money around the world – real opportunities, work visas and more

How to travel for less money than you spend at home

How to travel long-term even if you’re in debt

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to travel on your own and how to easily make friends overseas

Learn how to sleep and eat for free in dozens of countries

Which countries offer the best value and are the most ideal destinations to begin your travels

Specific tactics and tricks to get the cheapest airfares possible

Why you shouldn’t wait until you save more money before starting your adventure

How to always stay safe while on the road and why travel is actually safer than you think

Money-saving details on banking and exchange rates

Best immunization and health insurance options

Cheapest ways to stay connected while traveling (wifi, phone, SIM cards)

Why long-term travel isn’t as big a risk as it seems

How to deal with people who think your desire to travel is ‘crazy’ or ‘irresponsible’

By the time you finish reading this comprehensive guide (which discusses even more topics that I didn’t mention above), you’ll know exactly how to travel, earn money overseas and explore the world.

You’ll literally be ready to turn travel into a lifestyle. Not in ten years from now. Not in five years. Right now.

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YOU’RE NOT CRAZY

I’m perfectly aware that many people you know probably think you’re crazy for wanting to travel instead of settling into a typical 9-5 lifestyle.

It’s difficult for others to understand your goals.

Well, I certainly don’t think you’re crazy, nor do the thousands of other people out here in the world who are already living their own life of travel.

In fact, every traveler I know would agree that you’re only crazy if you decide NOT to go after your goals in life.

Luckily, the choice is yours to make, and if you’re already reading this, I believe you’ve already made the decision.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Is there any catch? No catch. I’ve worked hard to build this blog and there is no way I would jeopardize the community that’s been created by offering a product that didn’t offer exactly what it promised.

Does this material only apply to North Americans? Not at all. This guide applies to everyone, no matter what country you live in. Some information may be easier for certain nationalities to utilize but every person who reads this guide will benefit.

Am I too young or too old for this guide? There’s no such thing. Whether you’re in high school, university, your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s or any age whatsoever, as long as you have a strong desire to achieve your travel goals, this material is designed for you.

Is there a guarantee? After reading the guide, if you feel it’s not for you, just send me an email within 60 days and I’ll issue you an immediate refund. My goal is to help you travel. If I can’t do that, I honestly don’t want to keep your money.

What does a ‘life of travel’ actually mean? It simply refers to a lifestyle that involves as much travel as you wish. A few months of backpacking, a one year round-the-world trip, a decade of nomadic wandering…whatever you want, that’s what it means!

Can I contact you with questions? Absolutely! By purchasing this guide, you will have proven that you’re serious about travel and as a result, I’m serious about helping you in any way possible. In fact, once you have a read of the material, I encourage you to email me with any questions you may have.

IF I CAN DO IT…

I started traveling back in 1999, shortly after graduating from university. My plan was to backpack around Southeast Asia for three months and then return to the US to become a Sports Agent. However, just one week into that trip, while celebrating the Millennium at the amazing Angkor Wat temple in the jungles of Cambodia (go there if you haven’t already been!), I realized that three months of travel simply wasn’t enough.

The only problem was that I had less than $1500 to my name.

Fast forward to today… Over the past 15 years, I have discovered, and taken advantage of, endless opportunities that have allowed me to continuously live, travel, study, volunteer and earn money in over 85 countries around the world. And I’m still going strong, with no desire to stop any time soon.

The point is, if I can make it happen with $1500 and no idea what I was doing, you can make it happen as well.

And with the knowledge and experience that I’m about to pass on to you in this guide…you’re going to have a much easier path ahead than I ever did!

If you are constantly day-dreaming about travel and wondering how you can possibly achieve all of your travel goals during this lifetime, I just want to repeat that everything you’re dreaming about really can be achieved.

It will take some hard work and determination for sure, plenty of it, but at the end of the day, when you find yourself living or traveling or working overseas, enjoying rewarding experiences, you’ll be incredibly thankful that you decided to pursue a life of travel.

And I honestly can’t wait to meet up with you in some foreign land where we can swap travel stories over a beer or coffee or tea!

Remember, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can try out the guide risk-free and see for yourself if it gets you any closer to the life of travel that you want. (I’m quite confident it will!)

Kind regards, Derek

A Life of Travel Newsletter

Join 22,000+ people who love to travel the world..

Travel advice, inspiration and updates from my life of non-stop travel... sent every other Tuesday.

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Living a Life of Travel: How to Know When It’s Time to Make a Move?

I’ve been living the ‘ expat lifestyle ‘ (more settled in one place), the ‘ digital nomad lifestyle ‘ (more flexible and willing to move around) and I have traveled long term .

How to Live a Life of Travel

Living a life of travel means different things to different people.

Some picture themselves traveling continuously around Asia, Europe, or Latin America.

Others see themselves living in a different country every few months. And some dream of living in an RV or sailing around the world for years.

One thing is for sure: now that the number of people that can work from home is increasing, more people will be able to live a life of travel.

If you don’t want to save up for years or travel on a very tight budget, working while you travel is the best way to live a life of travel.

This article about how to become a digital nomad gives some useful tips if you’re interested in that lifestyle.

Or, if you’d rather find (temporary) jobs abroad and travel the world that way, this article about how to find a job abroad is useful.

When Is the Right Time to Head to a New Destination, to a New Country, or Even Back Home?

Before a trip or a move abroad, the anticipation starts to build. And with preparation comes the confidence that you can make it happen.

You set off with all of the nervousness and excitement of a novice voyager, ready to experience life as if for the first time.

Inevitably the initial buzz wears off , at least with extended trips or long stays abroad. You get away from your old life, live temporarily in a sort of suspended state, and over time build a life for yourself somewhere else.

In one way or another, given enough time, you will “settle”. It’s natural to do so.

Going Abroad: To Travel or to Live

If you are heading abroad, you should examine your motives and approach to travel.

A three-month trip in which you aim to see a few countries in South East Asia , or even one country, means that you will pretty much never settle. Your definition of “settled” will be when you find a nice place to rest your head for a few nights.

The aim, in this case, is not really to get to know one place as if you live there, but to adventure and explore your country of choice, given the amount of time that you have.

There’s nothing at all wrong with that, and it will offer you great experiences and reflections on life.

Your choice for when to move on is probably pretty simple — when you get bored or feel you’ve seen enough, make a move. If you really like a place, stay longer and soak it up. Be flexible with your itinerary, and don’t try to cram too much in .

If you plan on a long-term type of travel , or you are relocating abroad as an expat , then your decision is a little bit different.

Unlike the flighty traveler, who is always on the move, expats are consciously looking to “settle” somewhere, either for a given or indefinite length of time.

When the length of time is undetermined, or you have the flexibility to move to other places whenever you want (as is the case with remote workers like myself), then you will sooner or later be faced with a choice of whether or not to extend your leases and stay abroad.

You should first logically examine the pros and cons and see whether it makes sense to stay or move.

If you have work and money and a nice place in an area that you are happy to live in, and you’ve established a good network of people around you, then (in my eyes) you have some good reasons to stay.

By the same token, if you don’t have any reasons to stay somewhere, or you actively dislike a place, then you have a solid reason to make a move.

If another place is calling out to you and offers more in terms of your preferred lifestyle, then it might be worth taking a trip to the place to see if you would like to live there.

Live the Life You Want to Live

Remember, as a traveler or expat, you are not obligated to be anywhere.

Many people leave their hometowns or country to make a change, or for “freedom”. Everyone has a different definition of what this means to them, but part of it is surely the freedom to live a life that you want to live.

If your travel lifestyle becomes less desirable, or a place you once enjoyed loses its appeal, you can exercise that same freedom to walk away.

Also Read: 7 Emotional Challenges of Digital Nomad Life

Even if you’ve only spent a few months in a place it can feel like a big step to move on (again).

Most of us like a certain amount of routine and familiarity and stepping out of that is a challenge every time.

Work towards your next move. Plan where you are going, cancel your rent or stop extending your hotel/Airbnb.

Plan final get-togethers with local friends you have made and get excited about your next destination.

And aside from moving from place to place, sometimes you might just want to go home. I remember counting down the days to my flight home after long trips, exhausted and tired of life on the road.

Settled life brings comforts and a sustainable pace of life, and it also reconnects us with friends and those we care about. I need it every now and again, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Life has its ups and downs, and wherever we live in the world we can expect to experience them in some form or another.

The trick with living abroad or traveling the world is to have a sense of when your time in a place has come to an end , or when it is just beginning…

• 9 Years of Constant Travel: My Tips & Tricks
• Traveling For Life: What It’s Really Like
• How to Find a Job Abroad & Make It Work
• Why Moving Abroad is Such a Valuable Experience
• Living and Working Abroad: What You Thought vs What It’s Really Like
• Reverse Culture Shock: What It Is & How to Deal With It

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How To Live A Life Of Travel and Have A Traveling Lifestyle

W e have all seen them. The travel influencers and social media stars who have a traveling lifestyle. For many, the idea of having a life of constant travel feels like a pipe dream, but we’re here to tell you that you can make traveling your life, too!

You don’t need a million followers on Instagram, nor do you need to sell your home. There are many ways to live a life of travel without making huge life changes or putting in hours of work.

If you’re wondering how to live a life of travel and not sure where to start, in this guide we’ve shared some tips and tricks for adopting a nomadic lifestyle and becoming full-time travelers.

Pros of a Traveling Lifestyle

Cons of a traveling lifestyle, why we adopted a travel lifestyle, 1. make it a working holiday, 2. travel long-term in affordable places, 3. make smart spending decisions, 4. save well, 5. create a lifestyle around travel at home, 6. make travel your focus, 7. have a strong enough why, final thoughts, pin to save on pinterest, is a travel lifestyle for me.

Before we go into how to adopt a travel lifestyle, we do want to quickly touch on whether it’s a lifestyle you really want.

Whenever we tell people we travel for a living, we’re always met with “you’re living the dream! I wish I could do that! You’re so lucky” and don’t get me wrong, we are lucky. But most of that luck we created.

There are some things that you don’t see through the screen about a traveling nomad lifestyle. It takes dedication, commitment, an unwavering desire, and plenty of sacrifices.

First, the positives of a traveling lifestyle. Of course, you get to explore so many countries, which is the number one reason for adopting this lifestyle.

You get to experience different cultures , meet new people , get out of your comfort zone and live life to your leisure.

You can find a slower pace of life while traveling , since you don’t have to rush to beat the commuter traffic to your day job.

You get to live life on your own terms and set a time limit for how long you stay in each place.

The most important thing though, is that it teaches you a lot about yourself. By engaging with the local culture and seeing how other people live, you can reflect on your own life, your contributions to the world, and realign your values.

It allows you to look at your past selves and see how far you’ve grown. Travel can be liberating and freeing, but you don’t need to make it your lifestyle to discover this.

Relevant Reading 55 lessons learned from a life of travel and 10 ways travel helps you to uncover who you truly are

Packing up your things and hitting the road requires some sacrifice, namely your relationships .

This is not always the case, but most digital nomads will tell you that your friends and family may want to deter your plans and encourage you to come back, or harbour some resentment towards you for “living the dream” while they will continue their daily routine back home.

It does become much harder to maintain relationships when you can only communicate digitally, especially with different time zones.

That being said, there is always that family member or friend who supports you 100% and encourages you on your world trip – and who knows, you may find your relationship is stronger with distance.

It’s also a lifestyle that requires some discipline . You will want to go from one adventure to the next adventure, without thinking “oh, I need to earn some money for this.”

Most people who adopt a traveling lifestyle will be remote workers, which means you need to set aside adventure time and work time.

It can also be tiring . While a travel lifestyle is fun, it doesn’t offer stability , and after a few years on the road you may start to miss having a home base and not want to travel for the rest of our lives.

It’s an unconventional life, but we love it. Make sure you know the sacrifices you’ll have to make to create this travel lifestyle . Otherwise, you might quit on your dreams and travel goals.

I left home at the age of 21, with my 3-day old teaching degree, a backpack, and only a few thousand dollars.

If I can be honest with you, that money wasn’t even mine, it came from the bank (I don’t recommend you do this by the way).

I’ve been traveling ever since, purely because I love it. Traveling is my passion, and I always knew I wanted to travel for the rest of my life.

I created a life of travel for myself so I can do this. And now I’ve created a life of travel with, and for, my children.

This does not mean I have endlessly been moving from one country to the next . I often stop for work breathers, a place to stock up again before moving on. We love slow travel and immersing ourselves deeply in other cultures.

The pauses can be acts of discovery, exploration and fun synonymous with travel as well. We’ve lived in 5 countries but have traveled through over 50.

I’m not a big counter, I count the memories, the experiences and the friendships more, because that is why you really travel.

How to Live a Life of Travel

I am often asked how to live a life of travel, and you’ll be shocked to know that I am not wealthy – far from it.

A life of full time travel is not as difficult as you may think. There are many clever strategies you can employ to travel around the world for low cost and sometimes even free.

We have created a lifestyle of travel. It’s what we do everyday, even when we are not travelling. When we are ‘settled” (not sure how to define that) we still have our travel attitude on, which is a major part of what travel is.

But to get to the nitty gritty, here are our biggest secrets to help you live a life of travel.

What? You mean I have to work? Ain’t nothing going to come to you unless you work hard for it. Glinda the Good Witch is a fantasy.

If I have disappointed you, I’m sorry, you are probably reading the wrong post and were hoping I was going to say we were rich travel bloggers, because then you’d have a good excuse to not follow your heart.

But I won’t lie to you, travel has become increasingly expensive and your hard earned cash doesn’t go as far as it used to. Which is why a digital nomad lifestyle is so popular.

If you’ve not heard the term digital nomad before, it’s simply a term used to describe someone who travels and works full time.

Since the pandemic, many companies have adopted a remote work environment to save on office costs, so you can always start by asking your current employer first if you can work from abroad.

Don’t just quit your job, talk to your employer and tell them what you want to do.

If they say “no”, then you can either look for a remote job such as becoming a freelance writer, an online English teacher, or data analyst – or try looking for work in other countries to fund your travels.

The best way to earn money on the road is to work in expensive countries, such as Hong Kong, Canada, New York, or The Middle East.

It’s better to spend the local currency and save your own money for other adventures. I never could have travelled the UK and Europe on the Aussie dollar, so I lived in an apartment in London with many other travelers and earned pounds to travel on instead.

Craig and I have followed the working holiday through 5 countries since 1997. Some of our richest travel memories come from the experiences we had living in another culture. It is by far the best strategy to have a life of travel.

We’ve had a wide variety of working holiday jobs overseas including teaching, teaching English as a Second Language , working on a pearl farm , hospitality and working for the airlines. There are so many jobs you can do!

Use platforms like WorkAway to find volunteer jobs where they provide free accommodation and meals in exchange for your service.

• Do you want to live and travel in Australia? Here is our complete guide to the Australian working holiday visa.
• Here is information on the working holiday visa in the UK
• Here are 20 ways you can work and travel in Australia – one of the most expensive places to travel in the world. A working holiday will help you make it a reality.
• Here’s another cool opportunity, How to teach English online to Chinese students , from anywhere in the world.
• One of the best ways to organize working holiday jobs – with Global Work and Travel
• Best work opportunities for Australia

Choose the countries that are cheap to travel to for the long-term. Our long-term trips have taken us through South East Asia and Africa – countries where the budget conscious could get by on $30-$50 a day or even less.

It’s much easier to afford than places in Europe or Australia . Plus, countries such as Thailand have remote worker communities, such as in Chiang Mai , so you can meet other travel nomads like you.

Traveling in cheaper countries means you can do more and travel for longer.

Read More : 20 best travel tips from 20 years of travel

It’s all about how you choose to spend your money in order to prolong your nomad life.

Is that luxury 5-star vacation rental really worth it? Especially if you are out exploring from sunrise to twinkling stars? Can you go the comfy 3-star hotel and have a little extra cash for the fun stuff?

Do you need to eat in a restaurant for three meals a day or can you cook your own breakfast and settle for a picnic lunch?

What about that city tour, couldn’t you do a self-guided one?

Prioritize how you spend money. Spend the bare minimum and always have a number in the back of your mind of what you’re willing to spend on things.

Work out what you are willing to sacrifice and what you aren’t, and craft your travel experiences around that.

Some travel experiences don’t have to cost you a penny, allowing you to make your monthly budget go further.

My advice is to make sure you leave with enough money to cover you for at least 3 months.

Read more: The better you get at spending, the more you will have a life of travel. Click to read our 52 ideas on ways to save money on travel.

Yep, not only do you have to become master budget spenders, but expert savers as well.

When adopting a travel lifestyle, there are two questions you must ask:

• How can I create more money?
• How can I save more money?

Just be careful that when you create more money, you don’t suddenly start spending more! Take the extra cash and put it in your travel fund.

Remember you also need to save for insurances, taxes, and maybe putting into a retirement plan if you’re self employed. You may also need to make a big purchase at a later date, such as if you need a new laptop or book a last minute flight back home.

To create more money, you can:

• sell your possessions
• take on boarders/lodgers
• rent out your property
• work extra hours
• work two or more jobs
• invest wisely

Look at your expenses and work out what you can cull and then work to save money in all areas.

To save more money you can:

• move in with your parents or house share
• cut out luxury items
• live off one wage (if you are a couple)
• save your bonuses
• buy in bulk
• eat out less
• reduce your entertainment costs
• use reward cards and frequent flyer programs
• use coupons
• pay off bad debt

Read more: How To Get Paid to Travel and Make Money Travel Blogging

Digital nomads and those creating their own travel lifestyles are becoming more common. If you want a life of travel, discover how you can make it happen before you hit the road.

If your current job won’t allow you to work remotely, and you have to leave to make it happen, don’t panic. There are other ways you can travel extensively without having a full time remote job.

You can travel in your own backyard. Putting the traveler’s eyes on was one way we coped with reverse culture shock and the inability to travel. We now have another site on life in Raleigh and travel in North Carolina that keeps us traveling all the time! Think about why you travel – what feelings are you looking for. Create that with experiences in your own backyard.

A creative way to be able to travel and live abroad is to try housesitting . This is when you look after someone else’s property while they travel.

You can do this locally in your own town, to get more experience before taking on international opportunities.

However, sometimes it can take years to find a way to make your travel lifestyle dream a reality.

When we first hit the road, all we had was a very clear dream of what our ideal travel lifestyle looked like , then we became 200% committed to it, and we took small steps each day with passion and conviction.

And look what the Universe delivered to us a result.

Read more: We had no idea how to create this travel lifestyle through our travel blog. We had no special talents and definitely no money (Read I want to know your secret to discover the truth).

Many people want a life of travel, but they don’t make it their focus.

You don’t always have to travel far and wide. There are plenty of ways you can make travel a focus of your everyday life.

I like to say make travel your magnificent obsession. That means it fills your daydreams and night dreams. Every decision you make from now on is directed towards making that life of travel a reality.

Once you start focusing on something, you start planning, and then usually the Universe helps you by bringing what you need to make it happen.

The small steps start to grow bigger and before you know it you are living the life of travel you thought was only possible for the lucky ones.

I knew from my first travel experience backpacking Indonesia and then living in London when I was 21 in 1997 that I was going to do whatever it took to craft a life around travel. I didn’t know how but I made it a non-negotiable, and travel has showed up in my life ever since – no matter my lifestyle, and even when everyone said it wasn’t possible once you had kids. I’ll show you!!

My keynote will offer some great insights into how you can create a life you love!

Read More: 15 tips for planning a trip – a step by step guide

Constant travel is tough, as I mentioned earlier. I often want to quit, but I never will because I have this huge why – a gigantic urge that only travel can fill.

I’m happy to ride on the back of a pick up, or sleep in a van, and eat two minute noodles for weeks, if it means I can continue to explore and experience newness every day.

There’s no other life that makes sense for me so I continue to leap over the hurdles.

For many people a life of travel would suck! Different strokes for different folks . You have to decide WHY you are traveling. What burning need are you trying to fulfill? How will this life of travel make a difference and why is this important to you?

Work that out all your paths will fall into place.

That life of travel you desire can be yours.

Most people place the idea of a life of travel in the too hard basket, or a basket that’s only accessible for the wealthy or lucky.

I mean, really, how could it be possible for someone with average, or less than average incomes, to travel the world for weeks, months or even years at a time?

Is it constant travel from one country to the next you yearn for? Or is it a slower form, with frequent pauses for a sampling of the “settled” life before travel calls you back on the road?

Or do you want to just have more travel, even if it is only an extra 2-3 weeks a year?

We hope this guide helped you learn a few tips to help you find your travel lifestyle and gave you some insight into what it is actually like. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments.

How to Live a More Adventurous Life

Being in a routine can be extremely beneficial for some people. It can help us feel calm and secure when we know what’s going to happen next. However, this can also lead to a feeling that life is getting repetitive and like you are perhaps stuck in a rut. One survey by Oracle found that in the past year, 76% of respondents felt trapped within their personal lives, with 27% believing they are redoing the same routine over and over again. 83% of those surveyed felt like making a change is necessary to help them grow as a person. It would be fair to say that the difficulties and uncertainties from the past two years could also have also lent a hand in a sense that you might want to make some meaningful changes in your life to add a sense of variety and a sense of adventure. The idea of living a more adventurous life might sound appealing, but what does it actually mean? While this lifestyle may have a different definition for each person, at its core, it is all about taking a step out of your comfort zone – whether you do so in a small move or by leaping. It’s a mindset that aims to make a positive impact on our own life through taking risks, big or small. It doesn’t have to be huge changes – it can be about working out what changes you can make that will have the biggest impact for you feeling better about your life. Living this way can pose many rewards as it can boost confidence and improve the overall perception of yourself.

Below, Roan Jackson outlines a few ways to add a little bit more adventure to your life.

Understand your fears

When you’re looking at coming out of your comfort zone in certain areas, it is important to establish things that fall within it. You can start by identifying the activities that you can do with ease, then think about the things that you want to be able to do but are apprehensive or see resistance to do so. This sense of self awareness will help you identify any areas that you might need to work on or find techniques to help you towards what you want. An article by Psychology Today on the fear of success explains how the major thing people are wary of is failure. We all have our individual goals, but we can sometimes actually hold ourselves back from pursuing these, as we’d rather not make missteps while trying to achieve them. It’s only human, after all, to want to find comfort in what we already know. During this process, it is important to not feel disheartened if it seems like your comfort zone is just a small circle. We all have to start somewhere, and this might be able to give you the nudge that you need to live more adventurously.

Surround yourself with like-minded people

When opening yourself up to a more adventurous life, it is important to surround yourself with like-minded people. There is a great sense of togetherness and understanding within the community of adventurers, making it easy to find people who might share the same interests, goals, and pursuits as you. Having someone with you along this journey can also make it feel less lonely and more worthwhile if you are with another person.There are many ways to find people you might be able to connect with. Facebook can be a great jumping-off point as there are groups dedicated solely to finding a partner in crime for your adventures. You can also explore websites like meetup.com. It is a community-based hosting and gathering platform that many people use to find individuals with similar interests and hobbies. Meeting like-minded people will provide a safe and supportive environment for you to explore your adventurous side.

Try seeing the world in different ways

Traveling is something you can do to really see the world and gain new experiences. From exploring cities in Vietnam through to experiencing sled dogs in the French Alps, we truly live in an incredible world with so much to see, with so much variance which can really open our eyes about our own lived experiences.

Once you have become more comfortable living adventurously, you can opt to take a solo trip. You will be able to have more time to spend with locals, learning about different cultures and lifestyles. You might even be able to adopt principles that they live by in order to grow into becoming more adventurous.Thankfully, traveling on your own has become much easier and more accessible today because of the many ways you can do so. You can choose to take a plane or a train to maximize your time spent in a new locale, or you can opt to take a sea voyage and provide yourself with a unique and memorable experience. Explora Journey Cruises proves this since you will be able to make use of their luxurious facilities, taste the cuisines of the world, and engage in tons of recreational activities. Traveling by sea also allows you to see more of the world as these voyages dock at multiple destinations per trip.Going on a solo trip to see the world will give you the confidence that you can continue your journey to becoming more adventurous. It will also give you fond memories to look back on in time.

Find the spirit of adventure in everyday life

As mentioned earlier, living adventurously doesn’t always have to entail grand activities, it can also be about finding the spirit of adventure in the little things. Engage in small actions that help you feel more fulfilled – whether it’s going to a new restaurant or finding a new hobby. It can also be as simple as taking a different walking route and seeing what is in your local area. Being able to do this on a regular basis can serve as a reminder that adventure isn’t always about taking great risks or making a major change. The smaller moments in life can also be an adventure.Living an adventurous life, at its core, is all about living a more fulfilling life. This doesn’t always have to be big activities. In their own way, the small victories can amount to something bigger in the long run.

• What Travel Teaches You: 23 Travelers Share Life Lessons From the Road
• June 28, 2023

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• Digital Nomad

One of the most important realizations I’ve had during my travels around the world: it’s not the place you’re in (or the work you’re doing, people you’re with, etc), it’s about the mindset. It’s always mindset. In this post, we hear from digital nomads who share life lessons from traveling the world.

Blake Miner

Travel  is the best teacher. It can open your eyes to new cultures, new landscapes and new ways of life. With every new place you visit, you gain a greater understanding of the world around you and what it means to be human. 

So pack your bags and get ready for an adventure, because travel is guaranteed to teach you something new. These digital nomads give insights into what travel teaches you as they share their most important life lessons learned.

Ready? Let’s go!

Life Lessons Learned From Traveling the World

We're more similar than we think.

Human nature at its core is good

Keep an attitude of gratitude

View the world through the lens of opportunity

Life is yours for the taking

Travel without set plans

Expect the unexpected

Get in touch with your core self

Experiences trump things

Develop a sense of wonder

Go with the flow

Appreciate the feeling of "home"

You can design your lifestyle

Appreciate humanity

People are inherently kind

You are a product of your environment

Mindset is everything

Learn to be an observer

The importance of sharing

Experiences trump possessions

People are inherently good

Carry minimal possessions and keep an open mind

A Final Word

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of the most inspiring, interesting and brilliant people on my travels and have learned a number of important life lessons .

I hope these insights have given you an idea of what travel teaches you and inspired you to go on an adventure of your own.

The best part is that these insights are all things you can do yourself by simply picking up your bags and heading out into the world—no passport required. They can be applied no matter where you are!

What have you learned from your own travels? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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Simple Strategies to Find Adventure Every Day

David Silberkleit used to be an adventure junkie. Bicycling in Laos, sailing across the Atlantic, piloting a blimp across Connecticut – these high-octane recreations were par for the course whenever he went on vacation. But it wasn’t until a trip to the island nation of Palau that the Branford, Conn., resident hit on an important realization: that true adventure is rooted less in exotic locales than in an engaged attitude and a willingness to experience something new.

“On the way to Palau, I stopped over in Guam where I took a dip in a swimming pool,” Silberkleit recalls. “It started to pour while I was in the pool, and I began to notice how magical the rain made the surface of the pool look from underwater. I had this whole childlike experience of celebrating being in the pool in the rain.”

The absurdity of experiencing such a mundane pleasure halfway around the world was not lost on Silberkleit. “In that moment,” he says, “I realized that there are pools in my own neighborhood and that I didn’t need a passport to find adventure. True adventure is with us every day .”

That experience motivated Silberkleit in 1998 to become a master certified coach and help others see the wonder in everyday life. The author of A New Adventure Every Day: 541 Simple Ways to Live With Pizzazz , Silberkleit says one of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to adventure is choosing between “big” adventures and everyday ones .

“Focusing on traditional adventure forces us to live a polarized life: ‘I’m either out parachuting and loving my life, or I’m doing my job and suffering,'” he says. “I don’t want to dismiss ‘big’ adventures, because I would love to go to Palau again, but the difference is that I have a sense that I am in Palau today, right now – that the spirit of Palau exists right here in Branford.”

The Benefits of Adventure

Do you suspect that you might be in need of a little adventure ? Be on the lookout for telltale signs: boredom, apathy, restlessness, big sighs, constant frowning.

“When you hear yourself talk about being ‘restless,’ or ‘stuck,’ or you find yourself frustrated by little irritations, you’re probably in need of an adventure,” counsels New York–based writer and workshop leader Judy Wolf. “If you hear yourself saying something like, ‘I wish I could do that, but …’ then you are definitely overdue.”

Everyday adventures are essential because they enrich our lives and help us route our attention away from life’s hassles. They help us see things with a fresh perspective, and, perhaps best of all, they open the door for us to reenergize our lives with more fun and creativity.

Embracing the spirit of everyday adventure requires living in the present moment and “waking up” to the spontaneous wonders always going on around us. But in a world in which so many people micromanage their days via iPhones and laptops , many of us are in danger of managing and multitasking all possibility of adventure right out of our lives.

That’s too bad, says Silberkleit, because engaging in simple, daily adventures allows us to form supportive bonds and hopeful attitudes that help us through life’s rough patches. It can open us to new possibilities and also help us feel more at ease in a world that sometimes feels rife with uncertainties and instabilities far beyond our control.

Little Adventures 101

No need to go jumping out of an airplane. According to Tracy Needham, a Washington, D.C.–based life and business coach, simply driving a new way to work or walking your dog on a new route can qualify as everyday adventures – because you never know how these seemingly small changes might enrich your life.

“I was walking my dog one day, and a neighbor stopped to talk ,” Needham recalls. “At first I thought, ‘I don’t have time for this,’ but we ended up talking for 30 minutes. It turned out to be really relaxing to stay in the moment and to get to know my neighbor.”

Even painting your toenails bright pink or wearing a neon-color tie to work qualifies as an everyday adventure, says Wolf, as long as it falls outside your comfort zone. After all, adventure is, above all else, a state of mind, an openness to doing something unfamiliar that has the potential to expand your spirit or your perspective.

“Adventure is that feeling you get when you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen next. There’s so much about our lives today that is safe, predictable and climate controlled – how often does any one of us have a chance to make it up from scratch?” Wolf asks. “As human beings, we crave the opportunity to use our ingenuity, yet we create the opportunity very infrequently.”

Of course, seeking adventure means straying from a predictable path. Silberkleit, Needham and Wolf all agree that fear of failure is the reason most people don’t initiate changes, even small ones, in their lives. Even signing up for a class strikes fear in some people, Needham says, because they think that if they don’t love it, it’s a flop.

“But it’s not a failure. You still learn from those experiences,” she says. At the core of everyday adventures is the idea that you can take on an experience just for the fun of it, with no expectation of success, reward or mastery.

People who start living a more adventurous life might also face some resistance from others who are threatened by their newfound free-spirit attitude, cautions Wolf. When she set off on a five-month solo bike trip, some people wanted her to be penalized for breaking free of convention. “They were bound by the fear of defying societal expectations,” says Wolf. “What would it do to their own excuses if I broke free without consequences?”

The secret to overcoming your own sense of fear and the possibility of other people’s negative reactions, advise Wolf, Needham and Silberkleit, is to make room for spontaneity and engage in subtle but exciting variations on your everyday routine, both of which help you remain curious and open to your creativity.

“The key to getting past the superficial – and often unreachable – definitions of heroism and adventure lies in recognizing that each of us is the hero in our own life, which is, after all, the real adventure,” Wolf says. “Anytime we do something that is, to us, plucky, bold or intrepid, we are embracing the heroic qualities in ourselves.”

Out of the Ordinary

For many people, the word “adventure” conjures images of trekking the Himalayas or crossing the ocean in a kayak. But adventure starts with your state of mind. Even small forays into the unknown – chatting with a stranger in the checkout line or exploring a new trail on your daily run – can bring a sense of richness to life.

Here are a few ways you can have an adventure – every day:

• Drive a new route to work.  Go a few blocks out of your way during your morning commute. And on the way home, check out that gallery you’ve been wondering about.
• Pitch a tent in your own backyard.  Grab a mate, a kid or a pal and spend the night under the stars.
• Take a risk.  Ask out that gorgeous someone you’ve had a crush on for months. Attend a class in public speaking. Dine solo in a fancy restaurant. Do something, however small it seems, that falls just outside your comfort zone.
• Get dirty.  Engage in an activity that gets you muddy, greasy, smeared, splattered or otherwise immersed in the task or treat at hand. Let your kids set the example!
• Explore new conversational territory.  Relationships are incredibly fertile ground for everyday adventures. Ask someone about the three most pivotal experiences of his or her life. Reveal an embarrassing adolescent experience of your own.
• Swap your Answers.  Say “yes!” to an invitation or request you’d normally decline. Say “no” to something that’s practically routine. The results may surprise you.

Thoughts to share?

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How to Live and Travel Full-Time by RV

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of people giving up the daily grind to live and travel in vans, RVs, and other nontraditional abodes. While traveling in an RV has been something people have been doing for decades, new sharing economy websites , better resources online, more modern vans, and a growing community that can provide support have made it easier for anyone to travel full-time in an RV.

What used to be traditionally and predominantly an activity for older, retired, or family travelers is now something people of all ages are trying to do.

One just has to look up #vanlife on social media to see!

(An aside: I hate the #vanlife movement. The faux Instagram movement does nothing for me. Just a bunch of millennials searching out that perfect sponsored photo and talking about how woke they are (for the most part)).

But #vanlife aside, RV travel is a wonderful way to see the world.

“How do you travel in an RV?” is one of the questions I’m most asked.

So today, we’re going to the experts and talking full-time RV with nomads Marc and Julie from RV Love . This couple joined my blogging program a few years ago, hoping to find a way to spread the gospel of living and traveling in an RV to the wider world. (Spoiler: they did. And they just published a book with Simon & Schuster about it too! )

They’ve been driving around in their RV for nearly five years and, today, they share their wisdom about how to travel by RV:

Nomadic Matt: Tell us about yourselves! How did you get into this? Marc and Julie : We’re Marc and Julie Bennett, full-time RVers since 2014, living, working, and traveling in our motorhome as we explore North America and the world! We met on the dating website eHarmony while both living in Colorado in 2010, married in 2011, and hit the road three years later!

Why did you pick traveling in an RV as your way to get around? We knew we wanted to do a lot more extended travel while we were still working. We get such little vacation time here in the USA , and we didn’t want that to limit our lives. So we started exploring different ways to bring more travel and adventure into our everyday life without Marc having to give up his job as project manager of operations, which he was able to do from home.

We considered international travel, but there were two main reasons why wasn’t a fit: the challenge of time zones, and more specifically, we wanted to travel with our dog Coda. Plus, we love to drive, so RVing was really the ideal solution for us. We love that wherever we go, we’re always home, and we’re not living out of suitcases.

We’re both passionate about driving, so it makes sense that we would choose to live and travel by RV, although we usually prefer more sporty rides when it comes to entertainment, as we both have a love for sports cars and convertibles.

What’s life like living and traveling around in an RV? We just entered our fifth year on the road full-time as RVers, and we recently changed from a 2012 36’ gas Class A motorhome to a 1999 40’ diesel motorhome! We bucked the trend and went bigger (and older and cheaper, but much higher quality), and we’re actually doing a complete remodel of our RV this summer.

Traditionally, we spend about 80% of our time in campgrounds and about 20% dry camping, but we recently installed a big lithium battery bank and solar system on our RV, so we plan on spending a lot more time camping off the grid out in nature in the coming years. We try to spend 2-3 weeks in each location, but that varies on where we are, the weather, and what projects we have on our plates. We moved pretty fast in our first 3+ years, having visited all 50 states while still working full-time.

This year, we have so many big and exciting projects on our plates, we’re really feeling the need to slow down, catch our breath, and get caught up on our content! We tend to wing our plans a lot more than we used to, as we’re more comfortable and confident RVers now.

An average day depends on whether you have to work or not. We love that we no longer have a commute and that the views outside our windows change every week or so. Nature is a big part of our everyday life, so it can be easier to get in more walking, hiking, biking, or kayaking. We definitely get to see more sunsets — that’s a big thing for a lot of RVers.

RV life is still life. You need to go grocery shopping, make meals, do laundry, pay bills, and do housework. Then there’s RV maintenance and repairs! There’s almost always something to do on an RV — tighten screws, replace parts, troubleshoot issues, check your tire pressure, fix whatever’s broken.

Upon arrival at a destination, it usually takes less than 30 minutes to set up. It may sound like a hassle, but if you’re staying a week or more, it becomes a small percentage of your time. And RV life can be as social as you like. We tend to mostly stay in campgrounds, so it’s not too difficult to meet new people. And we also go to RV rallies to meet up with our RVing friends, who we stay in touch with online. It can take a little time to build your RV community, but if you put yourself out there, it can happen pretty quickly!

Do you need a lot of mechanical skills to do this? When you’re traveling around in an RV, if you aren’t already handy, you’ll learn to be! It’s definitely an advantage to become somewhat mechanical and familiar with simple tools. The RVing community is very helpful and supportive when it comes to finding answers for issues you may have — whether online (in social media groups) or in person. At RV parks and campgrounds, you will usually find someone reasonably experienced and mechanically oriented nearby. If you are not skilled or it’s a complex job, you can usually find a local or mobile repair person to perform needed maintenance or repairs.

We recommend sticking with a less complex RV when starting out. The more simple the RV, the more reliable and easy to fix they are likely to be, and you can tackle many repairs yourself. As full-time RVers driving a Class A motorhome, we only need to take our RV into repair facilities 2-3 times per year on average.

Many RV repairs are fairly simple, and that’s when YouTube and Google are your friends! One of our favorite YouTube channels is the RV Geeks , who make DIY how-to videos to help you make simple repairs and upgrades. It’s often more convenient (and definitely cheaper) to do many RV repairs yourself. And you may even want to consider an extended service contract to cover your RV for repairs outside of the manufacturer’s warranty period and help limit repair costs.

Are there any personality traits you think are necessary for living in an RV? Flexibility, adaptability, resourcefulness, and a sense of humor! Just like any other kind of travel, things don’t always go the way you want , RVs break (or break down), and travel plans go awry when you least expect it, so you need to be able to find a creative solution, often on the fly. It really helps to be handy or at least be willing to have a go at DIY fixes. RVers learn to become much more self-sufficient pretty quickly.

Anyone can RV if they really want to. It doesn’t matter about your age, life stage, relationship status, or financial situation. In our book, we share the inspiring story of 69-year-old Frieda who hit the road solo after her husband passed away and drove to Alaska to celebrate her 70th birthday. She’s been on the road for two years now and is still going strong.

Another great case study from the book is Nik and Allison (31 and 30). They share why they decided to RV and explore the country before they started a family. They follow the FIRE philosophy (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and save more than 50% of their income so Nik can be a stay-at-home dad. RVing for a year and a half while still working allowed them to do a lot of travel affordably while keeping them on track with their financial and life goals. 

There really is no “one way” to RV, just the right way for you. That’s why, when writing our book  Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road , we wanted to create a roadmap for people that would help them hit the road and thrive, keeping them on track with their personal goals while they’re doing it. That’s been a big part of our own success. We’re almost five years in now and still living and loving the RV Life. Now we’re showing others how they can do it too.

A lot of people are embracing RV/van life these days. Why do you think that is? We think it’s a perfect storm of several things colliding simultaneously:

• A lot of people are questioning the traditional American Dream as a path to success or happiness — the idea of postponing your life, travels, and experiences until retirement just doesn’t really make sense, and of course, the future is promised to no one. Why not travel while you have youth and health on your side?
• Technology is enabling us to live and work from pretty much anywhere, and more companies are allowing people to work remotely, and more people are starting their own businesses.
• Then there’s social media and FOMO! With the increased awareness that RV or van life is possible through watching people’s YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and Instagram feeds, other people are beginning to realize you can travel and see cool places, and live or work in forests or by lakes — and they want to do it too. America has long been famous for iconic road trips — and RVs and van life offer the ultimate freedom : exploring the country on wheels.

How much money will people need before they dive into RV life? It’s a good idea to pay off as much unsecured debt as possible before hitting the road. Less debt lightens your load and allows you to really enjoy the freedoms of RV life.

It all depends on how you want to RV, and your budget. Generally, we recommend people try to save up a few months of living expenses to get started, and as a backup for unforeseen challenges and expenses. Life happens, and you just never know when you may be hit with an unexpected expense or expensive RV repair.

As a guide, as long as you plan and budget carefully, and make a good RV purchasing decision, it’s possible to RV full-time for about $2,000–$3,000 per month. Some do it for less, and others do it for way more. But across the board, we find most RVers end up spending about the same in their RV life as they did in their regular life.

Just like in traditional life, you just have to plan to live and travel within your means. Plus, your ability to earn an income while you travel is a huge factor. If you can work from the road while you RV — as was the case for us — it can be a pretty simple trade.

For example, we sold our townhome and traded our mortgage payment, HOA, utility bills, and two car payments for:

• A used RV, which we financed
• A less-expensive car that we paid cash for
• Campground and fuel expenses

What we previously spent on home repairs and maintenance for our home is now redirected to our RV. Same goes for RV insurance and roadside assistance. We tend to spend a bit more on eating out and entertainment, as we’re always on the move and experiencing new places. But it’s easy to save money by making meals in your RV, and there’s no shortage of things you can do for free, like hiking, biking, and kayaking.

Many people (like us) are able to work remotely with just an internet connection. Some work seasonally, then take a few months off to travel and explore. Other careers, like nursing, hospitality, agriculture, and construction are highly transferable to new locations, especially for seasonal work. For some lines of work, it can actually be easier to find jobs by having the ability to follow the work around the country.

We have met people who live full-time in vans or RVs frugally, for less than $20,000 per year. And we have seen others who spend well over $60,000 per year. Like all other forms of travel (and life!), expenses are variable, depending on how you do it.

What tips do you have for people who aren’t sure what RV, van, or trailer they should get? Buying an RV can be expensive, and buying the wrong RV can be even more expensive! Like anything with wheels, RVs depreciate (hard), and so doing your research in advance pays off. Before you even set foot on an RV dealer’s lot or go check out the RV you found on Craigslist, ask yourself:

• Who is traveling with you? 
• How much do you plan to travel? (weekends, part-time, full-time)
• Where do you want to go? (campgrounds and RV parks or off-grid camping in national forests?)

Generally speaking, you’ll want to choose the smallest RV that you feel that you can comfortably live in. Smaller RVs offer more flexibility to access more places. Larger RVs are more comfortable for extended travel but will be more limiting in terms of where you can take them, especially if you want to stay in national parks and do off-grid camping.

Don’t overinvest in your first RV — it’s the one that will teach you what is most important to you and your travel style. Start out by buying used. You will avoid the steepest part of the depreciation curve. Plus, you’ll have a much better idea of what’s important to you when it comes time to buy your second RV. It’s possible to nail it with your first RV purchase, but not without a lot of research and clarity around your priorities .

What are some common pitfalls to avoid when starting out? Full-time RVing is not a vacation, it’s a lifestyle. It’s exciting when you start. You want to go everywhere and see and do everything. Try to create a sustainable travel pace from the beginning. Stay longer in an area. It’s cheaper – in terms of fuel and campground fees – and you’ll really be able to immerse yourself, explore, and even feel like a local for a while.

Second, it’s easy for people to think they need a big RV to be comfortable, especially when coming from a bigger home. In the RV lifestyle, your environment and views are constantly changing, so your world feels a lot bigger, even if your living space isn’t. It’s easier to live in a smaller space than you might expect, especially with way less “stuff.” Remember our advice above when it comes to choosing the right RV, so you can avoid that expensive mistake.

And finally, it can be hard to resist buying gadgets and gear before you even buy your RV! Every RV has cupboards and storage of different sizes and shapes, and you won’t know what fits where until you have your RV. Save money by hitting the road with the essentials, then spend some time traveling before investing in too many upgrades or gear. You’ll want to make sure they are going to be a fit for your preferred travel style. You can always buy what you need as you go. Don’t take too much stuff! You need less than you think and can get what you need as you travel.

Do you have any recommended companies for vans/RVs? What about resources for finding where to camp/park? It’s a good idea to consider renting an RV or van first, to see if you even like the lifestyle. You can rent RVs from rental companies or from private individuals using a platform like RVshare , which gives you more variety in the types of RVs you can choose from.

This is really useful for helping you decide what kind of RV is right for you, before buying one. It may seem expensive, but making the wrong decision isn’t cheap either! Many large RV dealerships rent RVs, there are large rental chains like cruiseamerica.com or www.roadbearrv.com , but if you want to rent an RV from individuals for more variety, consider doing so via rvshare.com .

It is difficult to make specific recommendations about buying RVs, as there are hundreds of manufacturers, models, and types, and RVs are not like cars. The options, features, and price range of RVs vary widely. That said, we generally recommend buying a preowned RV, as they are usually more affordable, and, contrary to cars, you will generally experience fewer issues with a well-maintained preowned RV than with a brand-new unit. That’s because every RV — much like building a new house or condo — will have a “punch list” of items that need to be fixed for the first few months (or more) after you drive it off the dealer’s lot.

You can find RVs at RV dealers, on websites like RVTrader.com , as well as on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, and from friends and family. Local RV parks often have a community notice board of RVs for sale, too.

If you want to camp for free on public lands, there are websites like Campendium.com and Frugal Shunpiker’s Guides to find free camping areas. And there are thousands of RV parks and campgrounds around the country, which you can you find online, through apps, and in camping directories.

You can also look into camping memberships that offer discounts on your stays. For example, we spend a lot of time in a campground membership network that literally saves us thousands of dollars per year. Other websites and apps we recommend include CampgroundViews.com , Campendium, and AllStays. There are a ton out there, and you can find many more resources in our book and at our website, RV Love of course! 🙂

If you want more information, Marc and Julie Bennett are RVers who live, work, and travel from the road full-time, and since hitting the road in 2014, have visited all 50 USA states, plus Canada and Mexico. They are co-authors of  Living the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road , and you can follow along on their journey via their website RV Love as well as their social media channels!

If you’d like to dive deep and get hands-on help on starting your own RV life, they also run online courses at RVSuccessSchool.com . As a Nomadic Matt reader, you can get 10% off their course with the code NOMADICMATT. Just input the code when you sign up!  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner . It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)
• Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage)

Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.

Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.

Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.

Got a comment on this article? Join the conversation on Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter and share your thoughts!

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free.

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How to Fly Your Kid Solo, Free of Stress

By Alexander Nazaryan

For many parents and guardians, putting a child on a flight alone may seem terrifying. Belligerent passengers, delays, turbulence: All loom large in a caregiver’s imagination.

Life sometimes leaves no other option. Hudson Crites , 17, of Marshall, Va., was 10 when he started flying unaccompanied to visit his father in Kansas and later Georgia, said his mother, Chelsea Tippett. But the extra attention from airline staff made Hudson “feel special,” Ms. Tippett recalls. Other than a single tarmac delay, he has had no problems.

On rare occasions, children have had troubling experiences. In December, Spirit Airlines accidentally flew a 6-year-old to Orlando, Fla., instead of the intended destination of Fort Myers. Spirit apologized, fired the gate agent responsible and offered reimbursement to the boy’s grandmother for her travel to Orlando. But while the boy was unharmed, his grandmother expressed worry that he had been kidnapped .

If you decide to fly your child unaccompanied, you’ll discover that each airline has its own procedures, fees and routes open to children. While some may find the process complicated, flying alone may be exciting for your child, instilling some independence. Here’s what you need to know.

Before you book, know the process

Regardless of the airline or route, flying an unaccompanied minor differs from an adult or a family catching a flight. Airlines require a trusted pre-authorized adult to be at the departure and arrival gates, and will ask you at booking to provide contact information for those adults. They will also need to present identification at the terminals.

The journey begins at the originating airport’s airline ticket counter. There, airline staff will check your identification and check in the child, perhaps handing them a lanyard or wristband to wear. The agents will provide you with a pass to get through security with your child. You will accompany them to the gate, where you will hand them off to a gate agent. You must stay at the gate until the plane takes off.

In the air, the flight crew will keep watch — but will not babysit, or sit with, your child. If the flight has a connection, a crew member will walk your child off the plane and a gate agent will take him or her to the next gate.

At the arrival airport, the child will be handed off by staff to the authorized guardian or parent who should have already checked in at the ticket counter with proper identification, gone through security with their gate pass and be waiting at the gate.

To learn more about this process, read the Department of Transportation’s online guide, “When Kids Fly Alone,” followed by the website of your selected carrier.

Choosing an airline and paying an extra fee

Before purchasing a ticket, experts advise you to consider an airline’s on-time performance. “Solid on-time performance is hard-earned, and signals a carrier that has tight control of its operation,” said the Ask the Pilot author, Patrick Smith. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has those numbers.

Booking procedures vary. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines require you to call. United Airlines allows bookings online. JetBlue Airways does online bookings, too, but asks for three printed copies of its forms upon arrival at the airport.

International flights may call for a notarized consent letter describing where the child is traveling, with whom they’ll stay and how long they’ll be there.

On top of the ticket fare, flying an unaccompanied minor can be pricey.

Southwest Airlines charges $100 one way for each child, regardless of distance. Alaska Airlines charges $50 per child if the flight is nonstop; a connection adds $25. On Delta, one $150 fee will cover up to four children, and American’s $150 covers all siblings, with no cap on number. United charges $150 for one child, or two children flying together.

Restrictions: There are plenty

U.S. carriers allow children to fly as unaccompanied minors once they turn 5 and before they turn 18. But regardless of your child’s age, make sure he or she is ready by discussing the trip details and your expectations of their behavior. No policy can replace your judgment.

The low-cost carriers Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air don’t allow unaccompanied minors, Other airlines have restrictions that, in the broadest terms, differentiate between young children and teenagers. American and Delta restrict children under 8 from routes requiring connections. Both airlines allow children between 8 and 14 to take some connecting flights.

On American, no unaccompanied minor is allowed to take an overnight flight requiring a connection, or a flight that includes a connection on its final leg that also happens to be the last such flight that day (“unless it’s the only flight,” the company adds). Minors are not allowed on code-share flights.

United and Delta have similar rules. Southwest, JetBlue and Spirit don’t allow unaccompanied minors on connecting flights.

JetBlue prohibits minors from flying to Europe, and limits the number of unaccompanied minors in one party to three. Spirit does not allow children on flights to Central or South America. Southwest doesn’t allow children on any international flights. American, United and Delta let minors fly abroad, but restrictions on connections, code-shares and overnights limit options.

American and Delta allow children to opt out of flying as unaccompanied minors once they turn 15 — that is, the child can fly without the assistance of airline personnel. JetBlue ends unaccompanied minor service at 14, while Alaska has an opt-out option at 13. Southwest boasts the lowest opt-out age: 12.

However, you should be able to accompany your child to the gate even if they’re not flying unaccompanied. American requires that you do so for teens between the ages of 15 and 17, even if they’ve opted out.

What to pack

Have a plan to head off your child’s hunger, boredom and thirst. If they are older, make sure they have emergency money and a charged phone.

When her two daughters, then 9 and 11, flew to Denver, Joey Conover of Charlottesville, Va., had a long list for their carry-ons.

“Pack a backpack with iPad, headphones, lightweight book to read, a pad of paper and colored pencils (markers might smear), a small travel game, water bottle (bring empty and fill in airport), snacks, some kind of surprise fidget or animals to play with, hoodie, and a lovey,” she wrote in an email.

“Write your name and phone number on the inside of their arm in Sharpie and put a parent’s business card in a luggage tag on both suitcase and backpack,” Ms. Conover said. (A sheet of paper with all their identification, and their guardian’s contact information, also works. Simply stick in an easy-to-access pocket.)

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .