So, you finally made up your mind – you want to travel overseas and see what the world is like beyond the borders of the good ‘ol USA.
We’re thrilled for you, as the wonders you will witness will invariably change your life for the better.
However, there are practicalities you need to consider before throwing your rucksack over your shoulder and hitting the trail – we’ll cover the basics of the preparations you need to make before travelling abroad in today’s blog.
Rent out your place
Before you can even think about travelling, you need to deal with the place you currently call home. Many travellers let their lease end, sell their home, or have a house sitter care for their place while they are gone.
However, if you rent a spot you don’t want to part ways with, subletting it is also an option. Screening potential tenants is a must, as you don’t want irresponsible individuals causing damage for which you will be culpable.
To protect against other occurrences like a break-in or a fire, though, you’ll want to take out some renters insurance. This will replace furniture and other valuables you end up losing should the worst case scenario happen.
Sell/store your stuff
If you are vacating your place before hitting the road, you’ll need to offload your things beforehand. Anything that won’t have a practical use abroad or fit in your backpack needs to go. Craigslist is an excellent place to list goods, but if you want to sell off as much stuff as possible, holding a garage sale on a sunny weekend is a great option.
Have valuables you want to keep but can’t take them with you? You’ll need to stow them. Ask friends and family if they would mind hanging on to things like furniture, sporting equipment, documents, items of sentimental value, etc.
If this is not possible, then there are storage companies in your area who would be happy to hold on to your stuff … for a price.
Starting at around $50 per month, they manage locked units which keep your valuables safe – try to spend more if possible, as pricier units are often heated, climate controlled, and come with more robust security measures.
Buy travel insurance
Of all the preparations you need to make before travelling abroad, travel insurance is one which many skip. This stuns us, as all it takes is one wrong stumble or one Dengue infected mosquito to leave you with a massive medical bill in a foreign country.
Plans may cost a couple hundred dollars, but it is an investment that will save you from a world of financial hurt. Would you rather pay $200 for a policy or be left $20,000 in the hole because you wanted to travel two extra weeks.
We know where we stand.
Save up a travel fund
Unless you plan to do the digital nomad thing, you’ll need to save up a considerable sum of money before you can head abroad in search of adventure.
It isn’t as expensive as you might think, though – many parts of the world, like Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Mexico, and Central America can be done easily on $1,000 USD per month (or less).
By staying in hostels and guesthouses, opting for street meals or by cooking for yourself, and by favouring cheaper/free activities over costly tours, you can make this work.
Working extra shifts, cutting back on eating out, and starting up a side hustle are all ways you can raise $5,000 for a five-month trip. Within a year or less, you’ll have all the funds needed to see the world.
Arrange your flights and first night’s accommodation
Once you make all the preparations you need to make before travelling abroad that are mentioned above, book your first flight. Note any visa requirements and meet them before booking – otherwise, you’ll flush a wad of cash down the toilet with nothing to show for it.
Also, be sure to book your first night’s accommodation before taking off. Many backpackers wing it, but unless you want to trudge from one sold out hostel to another at 2 am, jump on the net and book 1-2 nights to start your time off abroad on the right foot.