And just like that, we put our careers on hold, sold our cars, stored our stuff at a storage room and moved out of our apartment – all to spend a year traveling the world!
Well, it really wasn’t this easy. It took us months of planning, weighing all the pros and cons of this rather crazy decision. We loved our jobs and coworkers, we loved our apartment and cars, and generally we were at a good place to start a family as any normal newlywed couple would.
But we had a different calling, a subtle but relentless urge to take a different route. We broke the news to our family, friends, and coworkers. They were shocked at first but after hearing our plan, they understood and supported us. ‘If not now, when?’ Some were even eager to join us at various times throughout our journey.
So, we ardently started to prepare for our departure. We were not naïve to the extent of things you have to take care of before you leave on such an extended trip, but had much to learn. So we built in extra time between our announcement and the actual takeoff to research and plan.
While preparing, we got asked a number of questions. Here are the FAQs:
How can you afford it?
We are not wealthy by any means and affording such a commitment paying retail for everything would be impossible. So, we made a good use of credit card benefits (please read CC 101), gracious friends and family networks, budget lodging (AirBnB and Agoda ), cheap flight routes (see Travel Planning 101), and good planning. Please note that we do not encourage getting into debt, rather we encourage anyone with the same goal to reach out to those around you and use the tools at your disposal, and learn new tricks of the trade to cut down on expense and enhance your traveling experience.
We opened a checking account with a different bank than we usually deal with and deposited a small amount of funds for emergency withdrawals while we are overseas. You cannot be too cautious when traveling, so this would give us peace of mind when we need some extra cash and need to use a local ATM. Should our account be breached and/or frozen due to fraudulent activities, we wouldn’t be dramatically impacted by that.
We roughly estimated our monthly cost of living and committed to budgeting accordingly. For example, how much do you spend on gas, groceries, and restaurants? How about water, electric, and heater? Rent or mortgage, car payments? Entertainment? Add it all up. This will give you an idea of how much you spend to have a comfortable living. Our goal was to either match how much we spend on these categories or beat it. Matching it allowed us to maintain the same comfort of life and beating it allowed us to stretch out dollar farther.
Having no income is a scary thought. Having to dip into your savings is even scarier. But not gaining this experience was the scariest of all. So, we made a conscious, well-calculated decision not to get in any debt and to invest in our journey with a plan to only spend the amount of cash we would have while living at home. Everything else would be covered by planning, research, budgeting, and credit card benefits.
What about medical insurance?
Once you take a leave from your job, you are left with a few options – COBRA (which is fairly expensive), staying uninsured (which is risky), or purchasing a commercial insurance (most of which are high deductible plans). So, we chose a blend of affordable domestic coverage with a full international travel medical insurance coverage. We prioritized international plan over domestic just due to the fact that we will be out of the country for the lien’s share of the year.
What are you going to do with your apartment, cars, and stuff?
This was perhaps the easiest category to tackle. We switched to a month-to-month rent so getting rid of our apartment was a matter of notifying our landlord of our intention to vacate in 60 days. Mike owned his car, so we sold it. I leased my car so we will keep it for the remaining lease and use it when back in the US.
We were lucky and blessed to have family willing to store our stuff in their attics, basements, and temperature-controlled storage facilities.
And your careers?
Like I mentioned, putting our careers on hold was not an easy decision. We thoroughly enjoyed our projects and coworkers. The salaries and benefits were also great. We were worried that by taking a year sabbatical we would jeopardize and setback our careers which we worked so hard for. Our families were also worried about our prospects, and all these concerns are valid. However, as Mark Twain said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
How are you going to stay in touch?
To stay in touch with family and friends at home, we chose to buy local SIM cards with data. This allows us to use phone apps such as Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Maps, and email.
Consider purchasing a VPN before your departure to protect your data (passwords, personal info) while abroad.
What are you going to bring?
Our goal was to only bring 1 carry-on and 1 personal item each. This would allow us to save on fees associated with checking bags in, waiting time, and reduce the chance of losing our luggage (due to the number of flights, the variety of airlines, and transfers).
We started with a larger selection of things to bring and then one-by-one narrowed them down to what we absolutely needed and would fit into our bags.
Clothes: To do that, we planned our trip so that we could follow the sun and minimize the seasonal clothing needed. So, we packed a weeks’ worth of clothing each and were planning on doing laundry.
Electronics: We chose to bring only one small laptop, a tablet, and our two phones, including the chargers.
Medicines: You cannot be too prepared when traveling abroad. So, under a watchful eye of our mothers, we put together a rather comprehensive collection of medication, aimed to help us with things like motion sickness, stomach problems, and fever.
Documents: Having a well-organized portfolio with documents is essential. It will save you a lot of time and frustration at the foreign customs, who will likely ask for your passport photos, copies of passports, birth certificates, visas. Additionally, consider getting an international driver permit (IDP) if you plan on driving overseas. We used AAA to get it. They provide discounts for AAA members. If you ever get pulled over abroad, never surrender your US passport or driver’s license. Instead, provide your IDP.
Commerce: While traveling, it is a good idea to use credit cards (with no international transaction fees). When using credit cards, it’s the bank’s money so they will stand guard of any fraudulent activities. There will be locations or places that don’t accept credit cards, so you need to have access to local currency. So, consider getting a debit card that has no international transaction fees and ATM withdrawals fees and use it only in emergencies. And of course, bring some hard cash for any extreme situations.
Miscellaneous: Make yourself weather-proof and bring water-resistant bags, phone cases, jackets, shoes, and ponchos. Also, don’t forget a deck of playing cards as it will help you pass time and will serve as a good ice breaker with future friends. Finally, don’t forget to bring full-spectrum sunblock with at least 30 SPF and mosquito repellents wipes with at least 30% DEET.
What vaccines and meds do you need?
For every country we are visiting we researched the necessary medicines and vaccines that we need prior to departure, using the official website CDC. For our travel we found that we needed the yellow fever shots, Hep A and B shots, and typhoid medication. Be aware that yellow fever is in limited supply and harder to find than their vaccines, so make sure to research your county’s public health and safety organization for availability and schedule an appointment. We also got flu shots just in case.
Do you need visas?
We researched the countries that we are visiting prior to departure to learn their visa requirements. The official GOV travel website is a great resource for this research. Be aware that some countries require you sending in your US passport for processing which may take a long time (multiple weeks to months), so please plan accordingly. Some countries allow you to submit your visa application online (e-visa) ahead of time. We strongly encourage doing this because it will cut down on wait time at international points of entry.
Can you save time in US Airports and at US Customs?
A great way to cut down on your transit time in the US is to have a TSA precheck, global entry, and CLEARME. For most of the travelers we recommend applying for only Global Entry because it includes TSA precheck and an expedited entry to the US. CLEARME is an alternative to TSA precheck that expedites the security check-in process n some US airports (see the list of participating airports).
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