Many studies and reports have proven that traveling can improve one’s health, wealth, happiness and day-to-day existence. According to Forbes, people who travel more frequently are more satisfied with their physical health and well-being. Vacationing improves your mood and reduces stress. It also can temporarily help boost productivity. Taking the time to invest in getting out of your home and exploring your surroundings has both short and long term benefits.
Travel to most means a weekend trip here or a weeklong getaway there. But have you ever considered what life would look like if you could book a one-way ticket somewhere with no intention of returning? Planning a trip to another city to go there with an open mind and heart can give you the chance to finally open doors that might have been viewed as locked.
Here are 10 reasons you should consider traveling full-time.
1. Travel teaches you to become a hard worker
When traveling, you might run find yourself in a place or time where you won’t want to leave. As a result, people enter “survival mode,” meaning they will adapt and evolve to their surroundings to continue to live in that particular location. You can find ways to earn a living while residing somewhere else such as helping out on a farm, working at a hotel/motel, picking up a shift at a local restaurant, tutoring, etc. If you feel passionate enough to stay in that location, you will surprise yourself at how you will make ends meet.
2. Travel opens your eyes
One thing people begin to realize when they travel is that the cost of full-time travel ends up being cheaper than living in one place. Brian and Shannon, bloggers at Everywhere Once, dove into a helpful exercise, listing out the expenses they had before traveling vs expenses they had post-traveling. This process gives you the chance to not be tied down to items that might not have meaning to you and open your eyes to the world around you.
3. Travel can provide supplemental passive income
Before traveling, you will want to begin creating your own travel fund to prepare yourself for this experience. Additionally, you will want to team up with a short term rental company that can assist in managing your home while you’re away if you are paying rent or have a mortgage. Instead of feeling like you should completely get rid of this expense, jump on the opportunity to make money off of your place. Sell any items you can to build your fund and prepare your space to list as a short term rental. While you are traveling, people can stay at your home without you having to do anything to manage your guests, cleaners, and money.
4. Travel challenges you
Taking the leap and beginning to make travel your full-time job will be one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in your life. You will have to find the motivation early to stick to it and really commit to it. By 2050 there will be 9.8 billion people worldwide with approximately 44% traveling annually.
5. Travel gives you a sense of accomplishment
By traveling full-time, you will change who originally were. Those who began traveling full-time not only started working fewer hours, for less money, in a remote setting, and either kept on working with the same employer that they had before or created a new job path. Head on over to this survey to feel inspired and check out the accomplishments of other full-time travelers.
6. Travel allows you to become your own boss
If you’ve ever wanted to become your own entrepreneur, diving into traveling full-time is a quick way to force yourself to do it. Becoming a “digital nomad” is no longer a thing of the past and more companies across the world are adopting this philosophy and professional approach. If you want to begin, take Alyssa Satara of Inc. Magazine’s advice that if others can. do it, then so can you.
7. Travel pushes you out of your comfort zone
Traveling full-time can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you want it to be. When preparing to travel, try to stretch your dollar as much as you can. If you have friends in different countries, crash on their couch. Instead of staying in a fancy hotel, find a comfortable hostel or afford Airbnb. Nomadic Matt quoted it perfectly: “The real world is different. You’re thinking about all the things you have to do. You have bills to pay. Responsibilities. Jobs. Commutes. Things to worry about. You aren’t on the move anymore, rather you are now firmly planted in one place, building a life…Breaking out of your comfort zone is one of the best ways to learn about the world.”
8. Travel teaches you to become good at budgeting
Everyone travels differently, so no two numbers will be alike. You’ll want to determine how cheaply or luxuriously you’ll want to travel to figure out your monthly budget number. Your budget is in your control and can dictate where you go or what you do next. Being a digital nomad can end up being more cost-effective than one might think. You can make appropriate adjustments in budgeted areas such as groceries, eating out, transportation, housing, and more when and if needed.
9. Travel helps you define your own career path
Traveling can help you become a better professional! Through travels, you will learn to “go with the flow” and being savoring each moment with every place you visit. Each place will present you with new challenges and people. The people you meet along the way will help you improve your communication skills which ultimately will help you in your job by being a voice for yourself and for your employer. Most importantly, you will learn how to adapt. Traveling will constantly teach you how to be aware of everything around you so you can learn to tackle each obstacle head-on.
10. Travel teaches you to love you
The sooner you can begin embracing life and all that is included it in, the sooner you can include the idea of impermanence and change into it. Traveling will teach you to be brave, confident and proud of the decisions you make – for you! You are the world, and the world is for you.
Brittany Miller is the Director of Business Development at Makomi. Makomi is a leading name in short term property management across the United States. They aim to give you the opportunity and freedom to travel the world, work elsewhere – live in a home away from home – and make money while doing it. Makomi manages the entire cycle of the property rental, from creating and updating your profile to having the property cleaned out after a guest checks out. All bookings and reservations, coordination of cleanings, and emergency coverage are included in the process. You, meanwhile, can sit back and relax, waiting for the money from bookings to arrive in your account and return to a spotless home.