Most people think of travel as something you do on vacation – a week or two in a different location, perhaps exploring a new city or country. And for a lot of people, it is. But then there are those you see online whose daily life appears to be endless travel with only a backpack of belongings and a beaming smile that screams freedom! They seem to be living a travel lifestyle, but how do they do it?
For some people, the travel lifestyle is a dream. Something they believe is only reserved for a select few. What’s their secret? Are they trust-fund babies? They must be rich, with no need to work or offer services, right? Not really. Well, perhaps a few.
But what if travel was your lifestyle too? What if you could live and work from anywhere in the world? That’s the idea behind the travel lifestyle. It’s about being location independent, free to travel as you please without being tied down to one place. And the truth is, it can be achieved with a strong desire to explore, careful planning, creativity, and focus.
Ah, “impossible,” we hear you say. “I have children; there’s no way!”. What if I told you that families are traveling full time and homeschooling and world schooling programs for their kids’ development? Not only that, but the trend of traveling families is on the rise.
We will discuss the different kinds of world travelers in this post, as well as some tips and tricks on how you can achieve a travel lifestyle.
Different kinds of travel lifestyle
The digital nomad or location independent entrepreneur
This is probably the most popular travel lifestyle category these days. And it’s not hard to see why. With the internet and technology, there are more opportunities than ever to make a living online. And that means you have the choice to work from anywhere in the world, on the basis you have a laptop and a good internet connection.
If you’re creative, there are endless areas to make money online. You could be a freelance writer, graphic designer, touch-up artist, web developer, social media expert, photographer, or others. The options are endless. And the best part is that you can often pick and choose your projects and products once you have enough experience. And set your hours!
The nomad family
It’s not only for the individual; this travel lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular. With the rise of homeschooling and world schooling, parents realize that their children don’t need to be in a traditional school setting to get a good education.
Not only that, but travel can be such a wonderful learning experience for kids. Instead of learning about ancient history in a textbook, they could experience a guided tour of the Pyramids of Giza, learning about Egypt’s history first-hand. This process of acquiring history knowledge will likely be etched in their memories forever.
Furthermore, the education from encountering and learning about many cultures other than their own fosters compassion, empathy, and a better understanding of the world. Then there’s the benefit of learning about environmental and wildlife conservation as they participate in safaris or visit vital nature reserves such as the Amazon rainforest.
The expat
This travel lifestyle is not for everyone, but it can be a great option for those who want to experience long-term travel without the hassle of packing up and moving every few weeks or months.
An expat lives in a foreign country for an extended period – usually for work. However, more digital nomads are settling in foreign countries for longer now. To accommodate this, many countries offer digital nomad visas, whereby location independent workers and freelancers can live in another country for an extended period. There are many different types of visas available if you are wanting to travel to Pakistan and get your Pakistan visa.
As a result, an example of the present-day expat can be a foreigner working for a local organization or a location independent entrepreneur working for themselves.
Making travel lifestyle connections
One of the downsides of the travel lifestyle can be loneliness. As you constantly move and live in foreign lands, making meaningful and lasting connections can be hard. Loneliness may not be so much of an issue for the traveling family. However, even then, the desire to connect with like-minded families or people is still present.
While many online travel and nomad communities support each other, there’s no like face-to-face connection. One area that is becoming ever more popular is the rise of the co-living site. These are accommodations specifically decked out for nomads, offering individuals an affordable place to stay, work, and connect with fellow like-minded travelers through a range of activities.
Then there is the rise of the residential cruise ship. These are not your ordinary cruise liners; instead of vacation cabins, they have apartments for purchase to live in full-time while the ship travels around the world. Due to the advancements in remote working technology, all three categories of travelers discussed in this post get onboard the residential cruise ship. Now, that’s taking the travel lifestyle to a whole new level.