Taking a few months or a year off to travel the world can be a cathartic experience at any age — whether you’re a gap year school leaver or a mid-career adventurer.
But unless you want to switch off from the outside world entirely, you might want to keep a few irons in the career fire by spending some time in each destination working or topping up your education online.
With that in mind, here are five earning and learning tips for long-term travellers.
- Language apps
You might need a visa to reach some of the more unusual locations on your sabbatical bucket list — but learning the local language can be your passport to navigating a new culture quickly.
Traditional language lessons taken prior to departure might be expensive, but you can save cash and learn foreign languages for free on Duolingo — an accessible app to download to your phone and dip into during your downtime.
- Laptop
Mobile phones are essential for keeping in touch with friends and family and staying safe and secure abroad — and an advanced mobile these days is effectively a hand-held mini-computer.
But if you’re planning to keep a diary while you’re on the move, record your adventures in a blog or earn some cash from writing assignments, a sturdy laptop is superior — grab reviews and recommendations from a comparison site like TechRadar.
- Freelance work
If you’ve got skills like content writing or web design that can earn you a buck or two while you’re on the move, a couple of lucrative freelance contracts might be enough to make your sojourn more comfortable without working too hard.
But don’t be conned by unreliable clients — register for freelance work with Upwork or another similar site that’s responsible and provides peace of mind.
- Working abroad
As well as earning you some spare cash, working for a while in the locations you visit offers authentic cultural insights that aren’t available from sightseeing or socializing.
And immigrant communities from your own nation who have settled abroad permanently are an excellent source of information for applying for steady work and calculating the cost of living — research international relocation tips on easyexpat.com for the lowdown.
- Online degrees
If part of the impetus for your extended adventure is dissatisfaction with your current career, completing an online degree can help you migrate to a new sector or step up the career ladder.
So study online with a provider like Anglia Ruskin Distance Learning for a few hours each week and you could return home to a job you’ve been dreaming of — maximizing the transformational potential of travel.
Provided you’re reasonable organised, earning a degree during a year out isn’t only possible, it can be a real pleasure too.
Follow these five earning and learning tips for long-term travellers and your extended break can genuinely give you a new lease of life.
Do you have tips on long-terms travel? Share them in the comments section.
