Traveling is an amazing opportunity, but few people are brave enough to ditch their lives at home and take the leap into the unknown. We’re here to explain the benefits of long-term travel, and how you can still go traveling, making life-long memories, and come home with experiences valuable for your career. To (hopefully) convince you, here are four things we suggest you think about before you jet off:

How you’ll afford it

Of course, the fear of leaving your job and budgeting for long-term travel is what puts a lot of people off. It’s a new level of uncertainty. But traveling is an enriching experience, and one where you’ll learn a lot about yourself and the world – things you just wouldn’t pick up in normal life.

But first, you’ve got to figure out how you’ll afford it. Many people choose to save and budget before heading off. This is a great way of starting off on the right foot, but it will take some commitment from you. All in, I’ve spent less than $10,000 USD traveling and working for the past year, thousands less than living back home in any developed country. Depending on which country you are going to, you should budget between $10,000 to $30,000 for your trip. These travel resources can help you build your budget and make a plan.

Whether you’ll work whilst traveling

One of the best ways to top up your budget is to work while you’re away. You don’t have to do this everywhere, nor do you have to commit to full-time work. There are many seasonal, part-time jobs that’ll give you plenty of valuable experience while providing you with some additional income. These are the types of experiences that can make you stand out from other candidates that never left the mould.

The benefits of traveling

Without a doubt, traveling is about having fun. But what a lot of people don’t realise is you’ll gain so much more than happy memories. Let’s look at just one example. Did you know vendors in Beijing markets will inflate their prices by up to 300%? If you want to get a good deal, you’ll have to learn how to negotiate and read the responses of others. These persuasive and analytic skills will be useful throughout life and traveling is full of such examples.

How you’ll use your experience when you return

Last but not least, you’ve got to work out how you’ll talk about your travel experience to potential employers back home. You could start a travel blog, and use it as an example of your writing style, as well as commitment and hard-working attitude.

On the other hand some people suggest highlighting travel as international experience, and others use it to colour whom they are and what they want to achieve in life. Look at what you’ve done, and the types of jobs you’re applying for, and find a great way of including it on your CV. After all, it’s a great talking point for an interview.

How have you used travel to progress? Share your experiences with us!

Until Next Time,

The Alternative Ways