World travel is not just for the rich, lucky, or smart. YOU can travel the world too!

In today’s post, I’m going to cover the super duper basics of world travel. This guide is meant to help you figure out the basics, but you’ll have to do more research on each point yourself.

No one can make you travel the world for you, so expect to put in a bit of work yourself before living the dream life!

I made a video version of this post which may be more comprehensive. I recommend you watch that instead by clicking HERE.

Who Am I?

I’m a 20 year old entrepreneur that’s visited 8 countries in the past year. I’ve done digital marketing for 2 years, and traveled for the last year.

I was not lucky (far from it but that’s another story), rich (no money given except through blood sweat and tears), or particularly smart. I simply read books & followed the path that others have followed to succeed in creating this lifestyle.

Seriously, I’m not an ultra-genius. I’ve met some very stupid people doing even greater than I am.

My favorite quote is “who dares wins.” By simply showing up & putting in the effort, you can achieve much more than you might realize.

Put in the effort and I promise you will be able to make money online to travel the world also.

Key #1: Generating Income

Generating income is the hardest part about world travel, but also one of the most straight-forward.

All you have to do is develop a digital skill, find clients, then work on a laptop for money! It’s very simple, but hard. Simple means that it’s clear what you must do, but it’s hard because making the skill & figuring out how to sell clients is difficult.

You can do web design, coding, digital advertising, social media management, customer support, graphic design, and several other digital skills.

You do not need to go to a university to learn these skills. Purchase online courses, watch YouTube videos, read articles, and learn from mentors. This is how I learned to develop my digital marketing skills & begin to travel the world.

By generating income, you are not doing some “sneaky” trick. You are starting an online business, or getting a job through the internet.

This is still a job, and you’re still dealing with people. Many people think it’s some “hack” or “trick” that people are using. No. You are giving value to other people that they’re willing to pay for.

You need to realize this. Without realizing you’re developing a skill for a job just like learning how to be an engineer or builder, you will not succeed because you’ll be wooed by “mysterious & sneaky” techniques to make “millions” online.

All you need is a basic job paying you $1,500 USD+ per month and then you can travel the world. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but most other non-western countries are not that expensive.

This is luxurious living in Bulgaria & Thailand for example.

That being said, you should still seek to grow your client base, increase your income, and build a savings net.

Traveling the world does not make you immune to disease, accident, or stupid spending decisions. I recommend saving up 3 months of income before making the leap to travel the world.

These digital skills I mentioned take about 6 months to get to the level of making $1,500-$4,000 USD per month working full time. Many people do better if they have prior sales skills.

Again, learn some personal finance. I’m going to assume that you already know the basics of personal finance, but if you don’t, read up on personal finance.

Making income online is hardest part. Look up some jobs which can be worked completely remote, then choose what you want to do. Buy courses, read books, articles, and videos & find mentors that will help you develop your skills in whatever online trade you choose.

Once you have a bit of skill, you can also work for free to build references & a portfolio for the first month or two. Once you’re confident in your ability to deliver value, learn how to sell & market yourself to big clients.

Key #2: Logistics

Logistics include your cell phone, charger, and housing. This isn’t that complicated, but it confuses a lot of people.

First, realize that you will need a “world travel power adapter.” This can be purchased on Amazon for around $20 USD, and allows you to convert plugs.

For example, the American plug is different from the UK plug, and the UK plug is different from the German plug. Getting a world travel power adapter allows you to use your plugs on every single plug in the world!

Another thing is your phone: do you want to keep your #? If so, research “how to keep your phone # while traveling abroad” so you don’t pay ridiculous roaming fees.

Some options include Project Fi, Google Voice & Hangouts, or importing your number to Skype.

Once in a new country, you can purchase a local SIM card for data on your phone.

Figuring out housing is the most difficult, and you should always research destinations before you visit.

Hostels are very affordable if that’s your thing, and you can meet lots of people. AirBNBs are generally overpriced but generally okay. Some destinations such as Thailand allow you to rent apartments month-to-month just like that.

Type in “finding a monthly apartment in [destination]” to find more information.

You also need to make sure you have WiFi wherever you go. In all destinations I’ve visited so far there is always a coffee shop with exceptional internet upload/download speeds. I’m constantly uploading videos, so this is important to me.

So far the place with the worst internet has been Cyprus. I am still able to upload videos overnight though, and I found one coffee shop that has exceptionally fast upload speeds (I’m sitting in here uploading a video as I write).

I’m sure there are some other things I’m forgetting here because I’ve gotten so used to world travel. As scary as it sounds, it’s whatever. You get used to it, and it’s not that complicated.

Simply research things you want/need in your life, and how to achieve the result you’re looking for. By breaking things down, you can systematically solve the problem.

Another issue is flights. Always research baggage allowance, size, weights, etc.

I use budget airlines such as WOWAir, Ryanair, and WizzAir to travel cheaply within Europe and between Europe & North America. I also use the phone application “cheap flights.”

Make sure to do your own research on finding the cheapest flights possible. I don’t have a post on that right now, and flights are going to be one of your biggest expenses.

Staying longer in each destination allows it to become cheaper as well. Renting monthly in AirBNB can save you a huge percentage for example.

Finally, research “visas” in each country you want to visit. For example, as an American I can only stay 90 days per 180 days in Bulgaria.

There is also an annoying thing in Europe called the “Schengen Zone” which I’ll leave you to research on your own as well.

Figuring out legal immigration/visa/length of stay is critical to safely traveling the world. If you’re ever uncertain about a country’s laws or tourist visa length, you can call the country’s embassy in your country. They will provide free information on visiting their country.

For example, if I wanted to find out how long I can visit Bulgaria for, I would call the Bulgarian embassy or consulate in the United States of America. You can also call the Bulgarian embassy/consulate in another country, if you wish.

One more thing is that you need to find an international credit or debit card. If you’re American, I recommend “Charles Schwab Investor Checking.” Even if you’re not planning on ever leaving the USA, I recommend this bank because there are 0 fees.

There are 0 ATM fees (they pay you back), no minimum balances, no checking fees, nothing. It is a beautiful bank account because I can use my Charles Schwab debit card free of worry of any type of fees.

Make sure you know what your bank allows for, and find a bank that gives you a good deal so you don’t waste money on stupid international fees.

Finally, you still have to pay taxes & it’s recommended that as a freelancer you setup an LLC. Talk to a lawyer or accountant if you’re uncertain about this.

For me I setup my LLC for less than $200 because I did tons of research on it myself. This is a very important step, or at least figuring out how your taxes will work. Even if you spend 24/7/365 outside of the USA, you still must file your tax returns!

#3 Mindset

Perhaps the biggest reason why people never end up living their dream is because of their mindset.

Traveling the world is not some wild, crazy thing. It’s just life- and I know this sounds insane & unrelatable, just as it did for me when I was in your position, but it’s true.

All world travel is, is making money online, by providing value to others. It’s a job, except this job can be done on your laptop, which allows you to work anywhere in the world.

Don’t make it out to be some big crazy thing. Break down every logistical issue into bit-size, daily pieces. For example week 1 you should research bank accounts & credit cards with no foreign transaction fee, week 2 you should research your online skill, etc.

A lot of people are also probably afraid to travel the world because they’re afraid their family may get jealous, or that they’re some evil person. They have faulty money/success beliefs holding them back!

I’ve dealt a lot with this myself, which is why I have a category dedicated to SUCCESS MINDSETS and another for FINANCIAL FREEDOM. Click both of these links to be sent to these categories. They are filled with posts that will help you be financially free & win!

 

Traveling the world isn’t that hard, but it sure sounds like it! If you think outside of the box, people will think you’re a wizard, when really you’re just doing a few things differently to achieve massively different results in life.

I hope this helped you. Contact me if you have any questions so I can write more helpful posts on this.

-Michael