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This week we combed through Quora to find some of the most commonly asked travel questions, and we definitely found some that we have been asked before! There are different questions that come up when you are planning a longer term trip as opposed to a short vacation, and you can definitely learn a lot of travel tips and hacks from those who have been there before!

On this episode, we discuss some of the common travel questions that come up when planning a long term trip or a shift to a Digital Nomad lifestyle. Whether it’s travel hacks that will save you money or get cheaper flights, strategies on making money while you travel or how it really feels to travel alone, we discuss our experiences and what has worked for us. Packed with great information like how to take advantage of work opportunities on the road, how to frame your time away to future employers, and online resources that have helped improve the way we travel, this is one episode you definitely won’t want to miss!

Enjoy!

What we talk about in this episode:

• We address some of the travel related questions we found on Quora, like:

1. Will time off to travel look bad on your resume and make it harder to get a job when you get back?

• We think this comes down to a few things, but primarily how you frame the purpose of your sabbatical/time away and what you accomplished when talking to other people or potential employers. For example, your employer could actually view your time away as a good thing if the purpose of your trip was to figure out a career path you might want to pursue, as it would show that you’ve found your direction and are serious about this next step in your career.
• The travel doesn’t always have to be driven by a career change though, you can also use other examples of things you learned and goals accomplished to demonstrate personal development during your time away
• People may advise you that it’s a bad move for your resume, but the important thing is to trust your gut and travel if you feel that is the right next step for you. You can also consider it as part of YOUR selection criteria for a place where you want to work, and decide that it may not be a good fit if a company would consider some travel time away as a negative.

2. How does it feel to travel alone?

• We have both taken different solo trips which we’ve loved, and find that it can be more of a roller coaster when traveling alone! You are forced to overcome more challenges on your own, but are also faced with loneliness more frequently. With that said, people tend to feel more comfortable approaching you as a solo travel, and we both recognize these trips as huge opportunities for personal development since you can only rely on yourself.

3. What are the best ways to earn money while traveling around the world?

• The great news is that there are a lot of new ways to earn money while traveling in this day and age!
• A great way to start is exchanges or volunteering in places like hostels, or using sites like Workaway or WOOFing to find places that will cover some of your accommodation and food costs, although you may want to weigh what you are getting out of an experience against how much time and effort you are putting in.
• Based on your nationality, you can also apply for a Working Holiday in an eligible country where you might want to work
• You can also take advantage of some great opportunities working remotely like freelancing, Upwork, teaching English online (check out VIPKid!), or other Digital Nomad pursuits. You probably won’t get rich off of any one of these approaches, but they will allow you to bring in some helpful income while you’re traveling, especially if you’re traveling within a more inexpensive region.
• In this day and age as more people move more business online, the line between great ways to make money abroad and at home is getting thinner, and you can find great business opportunities from almost anywhere in the world.

4. How do people travel around the world if they’re not rich?

• Budgeting: Setting and sticking to a budget while you’re still at home are key to saving enough money to realize your travel dreams. Keeping those goals at the forefront of your mind by capturing them in some sort of visual format (i.e. writing them down or creating a vision board) can provide a little extra help for those times where it can be difficult to skip that latte!
• Working while you travel: It’s so common to meet Digital Nomads nowadays who are taking advantage of online opportunities to finance their travels while they’re on the road
• Another note is that it doesn’t have to be expensive to travel. Based on the region you decide to travel, you can actually experience a drop in your cost of living if you come from a developed country, and an improvement to your quality of life. Cheap accommodation, transport and food around the world will help in making your money go a lot further on the road (not to mention paying less taxes due to a drop in income!)

5. Which online travel services are changing the travel industry?

• Uber: The mobile app that removes the paranoia that can come with trying to get legitimate transportation in a new city, you don’t have to worry about making sure the taxi takes the best route, and you have an easy path for conflict-free recourse after your ride if a problem arises
• Ubereats: A great way to find great eats in a city that you may not have otherwise come across
• AirBnb: Allows us to find really great, affordable accommodation in great locations. Because there’s usually wifi, it also allows us to continue working effectively on the road, and the fact that it’s someone’s place means you usually get a nice, homey environment as opposed to a sterile hostel/hotel vibe
• Skyscanner: It really gives you a good picture about what flight prices are going to be like to your destination of choice

6. What travel hacks have saved you the most money?

• Getting a credit card with a good travel reward points program and using the credit card to pay for the majority of your finances, you’ll be surprised at how quickly they can add up!
• Looking into local discount airlines for flights within countries, just make sure you keep an eye on some of the extra fees they try to tack on (printing your boarding pass, only allowing one carry-on)
• If you can manage to get your stuff down to carry-on size baggage, you can save a ton of money on checked baggage fees
• Looking into local partner banks that can help you save on foreign ATM fees (Scotiabank in Canada and Charles Schwab in the US are worth looking into)
• Considering the non-monetary value of some of the decisions you can take to help make your life easier and happier while traveling, like booking an accommodation that might be slightly more expensive but more centrally located to save you time and transportation costs

You can also check out our new travel community on Facebook where you can ask questions, get travel recommendations, and find community members in your area!

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by YOU, the listeners of the show! Thank you to all of our supporters on Patreon – you are the reason we can continue producing TWW! If you want to support the show AND get great rewards, join us at www.patreon.com/theworldwanderers.

Music Credits:

www.bensound.com