Chasing your goals all around the world is no easy feat. And it’s not something a person with a day job could easily do. It requires time and money.
So unless you were born into wealth or you have had a recent windfall in profits, you’d probably be working on your reports, a slave to your job. All you could do right now is look forward to the day you have saved enough to satisfy your craving for that adrenaline rush in different parts of the globe.
While you do need to have some substantial savings when you go on a sabbatical to climb your dream mountain or dive your dream shipwreck, there are things you could do along the way to augment your travel funds. Don’t be like those backpackers who ridiculously ask locals to give them money so they could go to their next destination.
1. Rent out your home for those months you’re away
Having properties is not ideal for people who are always off on an adventure. Maybe you got it from your parents, or you got it when you thought you’d be toiling in your job for your entire life. But before you sell it, like those who exchanged their good homes for a life on wheels, think about your future. It would be a lot more expensive to get a new house in the future so better hold on to the one you have now. If in the future you decide to settle down elsewhere, you will have the money from your home sale then to help you with your new place.
But of course, you need to keep paying the mortgage. Rather than make your house a liability you don’t get to use most of the year, rent it out. It could be for short-term stays so that during the months you’re home, you’d be able to go back to a place that’s familiar and comfortable. Install wall cabinets, in your kitchen, your living room, and bedroom that could be securely locked. This is where you could store your things when you’re not at home.
2. Start a travel blog
Do it for fun so that you don’t get pressured into looking for advertisers. Learn a bit of SEO so that you’d get some online traffic. You won’t run out of things to write on if you’re writing about your personal experiences.
Once you build a following for your blog, you could consider contributing to travel or lifestyle magazines. Several travel magazines that accept contributors. Don’t confine yourself to the magazines you often read back home. Look at the local publications wherever you’re in. They might welcome an article from the point of view of a foreigner.
It should be less stressful since it’s not your main occupation. Think about it as writing a travel diary, only you have a wider audience. It’s exciting to recount your adventures to your friends, but it’s even more exciting to tell the story to people who don’t know you and won’t judge your experience based on what they know of you. If you’re not confident with your grammar, there are online programs that could help you with that. What you just need to do is know how to sort your ideas, and know which parts you think would be interesting to people who have never been to where you are exploring.
3. Open a small company that could operate anywhere
Since you would be going around the world, you’d be able to pick up the unique crafts from the different countries you would be visiting. Have an online boutique for these treasures you’d find. You’d need a large capital for this, though, since you’d be paying with your money to purchase these things.
4. Open a travel agency with like-minded friends
You’ve seen posts offering limited slots for travelers who want to go on a Scandinavian road trip with a family in their home on wheels. You’ve also seen posts of surfers inviting amateurs to hit the beaches across South America with them. You can do this too. Tailor-fit an itinerary that fits your expertise. For example, if you’re a mountaineer, offer mountain treks in Borneo. Or maybe a week-long adventure to Patagonia. You could start with short hikes and easy trails. Then have a major climb. If you’re into skiing, offer a trip to the alps.
Remember, however, that you need to have decent backup funds. You don’t want to spend your time worrying if you still have money to buy your next meal if the payments from these sources don’t come through as scheduled. Again, these are just to supplement what you already have. This could fund your extra beer night, a full-body massage after a strenuous day, or a souvenir you want to ship home. You want to spend your traveling days enjoying your time, not worrying about money.
