r/longtermtravel

My fiance and I are backpacking around Europe (Thailand and NZ later this year). We both read and were inspired by Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. While our knees and our backs are still strong, we want to go experience the world without the constraints of time limits. At least not the time limits of corporate PTO policies.

As travellers, we are striving to avoid tour groups, tourist traps and the like. We are backpacking and tent camping wherever possible and couchsurfing too trying to avoid hotel and Airbnb.

Now we are trying this Micro podcast idea. We are documenting for ourselves but also for others and hoping to build a strong community. We are learning as we go and looking for any feedback, recommendations and commentary. Try to keep it civil, we are open minded and receptive to change.

Couple questions for those who are more experienced:

1. What do you wish you knew when you got started?

2. What ideas do you have for making money without a work visa in any of the places I mentioned? Or perhaps saving money? 😁

3. What's your best vagabonding story/experience?

For those who work remotely and travel with a partner or kids: have you ever thought about extending a holiday or trip if you could work properly from the destination?

It happens to me: I'd stay away longer if it weren't for the hassle of finding a decent place to work (wifi that handles video calls, a real desk and chair, some quiet). I end up cutting the trip short or working badly from the room while the family waits.

Does this happen to you? What stops you most: the wifi, nowhere comfortable to sit, noise, family around? And would you pay for a proper workspace at the destination, or do you prefer to make do for free?

Just got back from a long-haul trip, about 22 hours door to door with a layover, and every time I land I tell myself I’ll be productive that first day.

I’m never productive.

After a few years of doing this badly, this is the first-24-hours routine that seems to get me closest to normal.

At the airport, I buy a big bottle of water before leaving baggage claim. I skip coffee even though I want it, because it usually makes me feel worse later.

When I get home, I take an actual hot shower right away. Not a two-minute rinse, a real shower. Mentally, that helps more than anything.

A few hours later, I try to get outside for 20-30 minutes. No gym, no ambitious workout, just walking around and eating real food that didn’t come from an airport.

The hardest rule is no nap. If I nap after landing, I always wake up at some cursed hour and ruin the next day too.

Around 10pm, I shower again, put on something dumb on my laptop, and use an old SKG neck thing for a bit because my neck always feels weird after sleeping badly on planes. Then blackout eye mask, phone away, bed.

By the next day I’m usually at least close to human again.

Compression socks during the flight have helped a lot too, but I assume that’s not exactly breaking news. What’s your first-day-after-a-long-flight routine?

I want to travel a few months 3-5 around Europe volunteering next year starting April or May. I then plan to make my way to Vietnam and hopefully spend some time teaching there.

I don't have an exact itinerary (I have a dozen rough drafts). My big question is how do you budget when you don't know exactly where you're going and how long you'll be each place?

Another question is how much of a solid itinerary would you recommend having? I want to go with the flow as much as I can and don't want to be locked into any plans just because I purchased tickets already. But I also don't want to go over budget because I'm scheduling stuff last minute or not taking the most optimal route, doing a lot of backtracking etc.

Hi everyone!

I'm a 28-year-old male from Haryana, India, planning a trip to Goa for around 5-7 days. Part of the trip is to explore Goa for leisure and also to understand the local hospitality/ Airbnb scene.

I'm looking for a genuine travel partner (Female, 18+) who enjoys exploring cafés, beaches, local culture, sunsets, and trying good food. The idea is to have good company while respecting each other's personal space.

If we get along well beforehand, I'm open to discussing covering some or all travel expenses for the right person. My priority is finding someone trustworthy, respectful, and easy to travel.

I am 28 years old (Australian) and I am scared about the future. I don’t know what’s changed but I’m terrified about my future. I’d love to take a year off and travel the world but I’m worried I’ll be homeless when I come back.

I’m planning to travel with $30,000 AUD and have another $20,000 AUD set aside as a cushion for when I return.

I don’t have family to stay with to get back on my feet yet on the other hand I’m also worried that if I don’t take the risk I’ll forever regret not going backpacking.

My plan is to go straight to university to be a nurse once I finish and I’d stay in student accommodation which isn’t bad actually. I’d just be older than most. I currently am renting my 2 bedroom house and it’s nice and comfortable yet I’m so scared to leave. I was meant to take this year off when I was 24 and travel the world but covid messed it up. I don’t mind renting a room either.

im turning 43 this year and planning a couple weeks in portugal for late september. i usually strictly travel alone cuz i like my space and hate being stuck on giant commercial tour buses with 50 people. but im looking at my itinerary and the thought of navigating multiple train transfers and checking into three different hotels by myself is making me feel kinda exhausted before i even book anything. sometimes the solo dinner thing gets old too lol.

a woman i met at a hostel last year told me she stopped doing 100 percent diy and started using agencies she recommended indus travel for their small group packages to have the transit and logistics handled while still getting free time to wander alone. has anyone around my age done that style of trip in portugal? does it feel too restrictive or is it a good middle ground when u just dont have the energy for pure manual planning ?

Please suggest the solution.

I’m an American guy into meeting people, nature, cool historical sites, and finding places that feel like real locals actually live there. Not into resorts or luxury. Built this to move west to east with minimal backtracking.
What do you wish you'd done on your Balkans trip that most people skip?
Anything on my route you'd cut or swap?
Any tips I'm clearly missing?
Have an open budget, trying to be frugal but open to paying for convenience like flights to save time. Open to being told I'm wrong about anything.
South to north, all overland/ferry except entry and exit flights. Cold War history, Ottoman towns, one big trek, social finish.

Starting Early July

Athens, Greece — 3 nights (Was cheap entry)
Acropolis, Plaka, sunset hills. A landing pad, not a marathon.
✈️→ Corfu | ⛴️→ Sarandë

Sarandë / Ksamil, Albania — 4 nights
Butrint ruins, Riviera beaches, Gjirokastër (Ottoman town + nuclear bunker), Porto Palermo submarine base.
🚌→ Tirana (~4h)

Tirana, Albania — 2 nights
Bunk'Art, House of Leaves (secret-police HQ), the Pyramid, Blloku bars.
🚌→ Shkodër (~2h)

Shkodër + Valbona-Theth Trek, Albania — 4 nights
The main event: Koman Lake ferry → Valbona → hike over a 1,795m pass to Theth. Guesthouse stays both ends.
🚌→ Kotor (~4-5h)

Kotor, Montenegro — 4 nights
Bay, fortress climb at sunset, Perast, Blue Cave boat day.
🚌→ Mostar (~4h)

Mostar, Bosnia — 1 night
Stari Most, old town, bridge divers, Blagaj dervish monastery.
🚌→ Sarajevo (~2.5h)

Sarajevo, Bosnia — 6 nights
Tunnel of Hope, Srebrenica gallery, Baščaršija, siege tour, 1984 Olympic bobsled ruins. Side trip: Jajce (waterfall through town).
🚌→ Belgrade (~6h)

Belgrade, Serbia — 5 nights
The social finish: Kalemegdan, brutalist Novi Beograd, Buvljak flea market, splavovi (river clubs), Skadarlija.
✈️→ home

Ending first week of Aug

Only things locked in are Athens, Sarande Ferry, Theth , Valbona,Belgrade Return the rest I’m leaving it open to vibes

The way I travel now is very different from how I traveled years ago.

Some habits disappeared without me even noticing. Things I used to consider essential became irrelevant, while new routines took their place.

I'm curious if other travelers have experienced something similar. Was there a travel habit, mindset, or routine you once swore by that you barely think about today?

Everything else is done. NIF sorted, health insurance sorted, apartment in Porto confirmed. Then I notice the passport has 8 months left and the consulate told me they need double the visa duration. Routine passport renewal takes 6 to 8 weeks and I do not have 6 to 8 weeks before my visa date. Has anyone come out the other side of this exact timing crunch?

I have been a digital nomad for two years and I am still confused on how to handle taxes properly. I earn income from a company in one country while living in several others throughout the year. Every accountant I have spoken to gives me conflicting advice. I want to stay compliant and avoid double taxation, but it is overwhelming. How do other nomads handle tax residency when you do not stay in one place.

edit: Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I’ll check out r/expattaxes and add more details. Really appreciate the advice. Sorting out my paperwork and handling accountant calls has been quite hard but a reliable connectivity at least on ArriveSIM is making it easier. Thanks again I will eventually sort this out.

Hi everyone 🌍

I am a 36 year male.

living in Germany and I am planning an epic 2 month road trip across Europe My route covers Poland Czech Republic the Balkans Greece Italy Switzerland and Spain

I am looking for a travel companion who is easy going loves adventure and enjoys exploring new cultures If you are interested in joining for part or all of the journey or if you just want to share some travel tips feel free to send me a message

They canceled my flight by mistake and didn’t want to refund me the money. They sent me an email confirmed that the airline has canceled my flight. When I call the airline, they said they never cancelled my flight so they said since Booking.com made a mistake, they should be the one who has to refund to me. Booking.com Kept playing games and tried to point the finger at the airline and refused to refund me. Don’t ever buy airline ticket with them.

Hello I'm going backpacking in September to SE Asia, Aus and NZ. Will be gone for about 10 months and will be doing activities like sky diving, scuba diving and the Ha Giang Loop. What is the best travel insurance for me to go with?

I'm headed off on a (hopefully) year long trip. I am one bagging with 28L and am having some difficulty deciding what's worth bringing. My rough plan is 3ish months in the Balkans, 6ish months in SEA, and 3ish months in Australia and New Zealand. I dress very casually (running shorts, tshirts, jeans) so but I want to seem presentable (more than just workout clothes) when going to a bar or something (maybe that's not necessary).

I checked out /onebag but it seems like many people's lists are for shorter length trips which is why I'm having some trouble. It mostly fits, but i'd prefer not to start with a completely stuffed bag / things strapped to the outside.

I just need to pair down a few items (or if you have recs of things I'm missing) from my current list (includes clothes I would be wearing):

CLOTHES

1x joggers

1x jeans

2x t shirts

1x sun hoody

1x linen button (long sleeve)

1x short sleeve linen button

1x tank top

3x shorts

4x socks

7x underwear

2x swimsuit

3x bra

1x rain jacket

1x puffy jacket (packs down small)

TECH

macbook

ipad mini

kindle

airpods

gopro

Toiletries are basic (soap bars, toothbrush, contacts, etc.)

I'm heavily debating on the jeans and the macbook since they do take up a decent amount of space and contribute to the total weight, however, these are two things that I use frequently in my daily life.

Any help is much appreciated!

Hello everyone! I want to travel to Thailand and work remotely, I’ve seen many videos about traveling there, the problem is that every video is oriented to party and short stay, vacations in general.
Could someone help me about what are the best months and places to visit? I don’t want to spent most of the time in the house cause of the rains. (I know that people recommend also to travel in this time)