1-2-3 Take a Year Off and Travel

Have you ever dreamed of quitting work and travelling the world for a year? Well, I have done it and am about to tell you how you can too in three key steps.

​Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Adelie penguins, Antarctica Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Sana'a, Yemen Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Bay of Fires, Tasmania, Australia Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

View of Jomolhari, Bhutan Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Tibet, China Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Gorillas in Rwanda Photo credit: Chad O'Hare

Step One: Choose where to go

• Do you want beaches, trekking, city life, outdoors adventure or cultural immersion - or a little bit of everything?
• Here are a few of my favourite places to stir some ideas: top-ten-you-only-live-once-list.html.
• Estimate your daily budget by country. Lonely Planet's Getting Started chapters are often free to download and give estimates by travel style: Budget, Midrange and Top End.
• I have shared a few cost estimates from my own experience at the midrange level: seeking-a-life-of-travel-tip-3.html.
• Dust In My Pack provides loads of "best of" destination ideas across seven continents based on twenty years of travelling to over sixty countries. Each location includes practical guidance based on my experience on the ground.
• Now that you know where you want to go, redirect a % of your pay cheque every pay day and watch your travel fund grow. Many banks allow you to set this up automatically which will give you a better chance of reaching your goal. 
• Tell friends and family what you are doing. This verbalization will help make your dream feel real.
• Some companies might be willing to pay 80% of your salary over five years, but you only work four of those five years and travel for the fifth. Others may agree to a planned sabbatical or extended period off without pay. Talk to your boss and/or Human Resources department upfront if you believe this may be an option.

Step Two: Build your itinerary

• Look for around-the-world (RTW) flight deals.
• Star Alliance and One World offer platforms to build - and rebuild - workable itineraries.
• Work in a continual direction to travel around the world. 
• Some plans are priced based on total distance travelled whereas others are based on the number of continents visited.
• Research overland connections through guidebooks or other travellers' blogs.
• Get started on RTW flights with the links below:

www.staralliance.com/en/round-the-world
​
www.oneworld.com/flights/round-the-world-fares

Step Three: Book it

• Make your move at work depending on what fits your situation (quit, sabbatical or extended leave)
• Book your flights.
• Visit the travel doctor for vaccinations and prescriptions for your first aid kit (note: vaccinations can take a few months to complete, so plan for sufficient time in advance).
• Source travel insurance coverage. Depending on your planned activities, you may need to add adventure or extreme sport coverage for an additional fee. I personally prefer World Nomads and TUGO insurance policies. 
• Coordinate tourist visas, as required. Many countries offer tourist visas on arrival, but some require your to apply in advance. For Canadians, this is a helpful portal to search by country: travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories.
• Give a copy of your itinerary to a trusted friend or family member in case of emergency.
• Keep a copy of your passport in a Ziplock bag (for inevitable rainy days) and tuck it somewhere safe.
• Book accommodation, ideally with cancellable terms in case your plans change. At a minimum, I like to reserve the first night in each city I fly into to ease the stress on arrival.
• Check your home country's travel advisories for the places you plan to visit in advance. Often, travel insurance is voided if a travel advisory warns against visiting a particular place and you go there regardless of the warning.

HAPPY TRAVELS AND STAY SAFE!

For more travel stories and tips, see Dust in My Pack and Searching for Unique, available at most online bookstores and select shops.

Searching for Unique

Dust in My Pack