1 Year Away

Deciding your location.

Do you want the beach, city or mountains? Do you want winter or summer? Adventure or relaxation? Camping or luxury? Road trip? If you have absolutely no idea where you want to go, head over to Instagram or Pinterest and scroll through some photos. These are good places to find some inspiration and will help you in deciding where you’d like to go.

Start researching your location and make a list of activities you want to do. 

Google search “must-dos in x” or “free things to do in x.” Scour Instagram for some inspiration. While you don’t need to book activities just yet, it’s a good idea to at least get a list going of things you want to do.

Deciding on when you want to go.

This depends on the season of the country you want to go to. For example, if you plan on trekking the Himalayas, winter and monsoon season are not going to be a good time to go. Do your research on your destination and find a date that works for you.


Deciding the length of your trip.

There are a few things to consider when deciding how long you’d like to travel such as money, work, the number of activities you want to do, how many places you want to visit and more. It’s not as stressful as it seems. Write a list. Sort out the things that are important to you and you’ll find out how much time you think you’ll need to get the best trip possible. There’s not really a wrong answer here.

Tip: Plan some time WWOOFING.com or volunteer at hostels doing odd jobs in exchange for accommodation/food to save money, keep you traveling longer and allowing you to get a more authentic experience. Check out worldbackpackers.com and workaway.com

Set a budget.

Now that you’ve done this much research on the location you want to travel to, set a budget. How much are the activities that you want to do? How much is transportation in this location? How much are flights? Are you staying in hostels or hotels and what’s the average cost of a room for the night? Do I want to cook for myself or eat out every day? Setting some goals will help keep you on track for saving up the magic number. It may inspire you to pick up some side gigs.

PS It always helps to round up your budget to the next thousand to have an emergency/back up fund.

Check out my article on How to Travel Cheaply.

 

6 Months Away

Book a plane ticket.

Once you know that you will reach your savings goal, it’s time to book your ticket. Check out my post How to Book A Cheap Plane Ticket.

Book at least the first two nights in a hostel.

If you’re backpacking with a pretty loose itinerary, I recommend at least booking your first two or three nights in a hostel so that you know for sure you have somewhere to sleep when you get off that plane.

Figure out if you need vaccinations.

Visit your doctor as soon as possible to talk about any necessary vaccinations. Some shots need weeks or a month in between them so the sooner you can talk to a doctor, the better. Just show up with a list of your locations and they’ll tell you what you need. While you’re there, make sure you have enough of your prescription medications to get you through your trip.

Do you need a visa? 

It’s so important to find out if a visa is necessary to enter the country you’re traveling to. If it is necessary, find out if you need to apply online in advance or if it can be obtained upon arrival at the airport. Doesn’t hurt to know the price of the visa as well so you know what to expect and you can incorporate it into the budget. If you’re a US citizen, check out visacentral.com for all the information you need on visas.

Passport.

Some countries require you to have a certain amount of blank pages and also will require your passport to be valid for more than 6 months after you arrive. Keep multiple passport photos with you when traveling. Check your passport!

Credit Card. 

This is optional but I recommend you open a travel card to earn some points before your trip and while you’re abroad. Or check out opening a checking account with Charles Schwab bank which doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees and will reimburse any ATM fees you incur worldwide.

1 Month Away

Buy travel insurance.

What happens if you need to cancel your trip? or a natural disaster hits your destination? or you get ill or injured abroad? or your luggage gets lost or stolen? It is always better to be safe rather than sorry. Travel insurance is always worth it. World Nomads is my favorite travel insurance.

Unlock your phone if you’re getting a sim card. 

If you plan on purchasing a sim card abroad make sure your phone is unlocked because it is a pain in the butt trying to get your phone unlocked when you’re in another country. Trust me.

Start shopping for things you think you’re going to need.

Shopping early for the things you need will help with any stress related to time crunches or any anxiety you may have about forgetting important things. Little things we often forget until we start packing are toothbrush holders, travel towels, world club adapters, sunscreen, first aid kits, painkillers, and hand sanitizer. If you need hiking shoes, break them in before you go. If you buy new clothes, make sure you love them before you pack them.

Do last minute check-ups.

Visit the doctor, dentist, etc and get anything you need done before you head out.

1-2 weeks

Tell your bank.

Your bank will lock your card if it is used out of the country and you did not notify them. It can be such a big struggle to try and get them to unlock your card while you’re abroad. Let them know all the countries you’re going to including any layovers.

Do your laundry, lay out what you need, start packing.

Make yourself a packing list. Google online packing lists to make sure you’re getting everything you need. Keep in mind activities you want to do as well as the weather. And always pack light!

Start making copies of important documents.

This includes copies of your passport, prescriptions, airline info, hostel info, drivers license, travel insurance, credit card, etc. Keep a paper with your emergency contact info on it. Write down and keep photos of your camera’s serial number so that if these things get stolen or lost and then found the items can be identified as yours.

Stay updated.

Keep an eye out for any dramatic news events that you should be aware of. It’s always good to know what’s going on in the world, especially for your safety.

Day of

Double check all your documents and your luggage to make sure you have everything. If you’re one of those people that are constantly stressed and feeling like your forgetting something, just make sure you have all your important documents and items including: passport, camera, laptop, credit card, phone, flight info. Everything else can always be bought on the other side of the world.

Hug your parents and friends tight before you board that plane!

Have the greatest adventure of your life.