Touring - Long term touring, how do you do it?

I have been dreaming about one day chucking it all and going on a tour to see the world. What would really be cool would be to combine my love for sailing with my love for bicycling.

I just starting thinking about all the problems such a tour would create. First you have to have enough money to do it. Most of my is tied up in my retirement fund for my old age. :)

Then you have to give up your job. In today's market that would be a tough decision.

Lastly, if you own a home, you need to either sell it or close it up and have someone check on it from time to time. If you sell, you need to worry baout what to do with your belongings.


How do most people deal with these issues?

plan ahead? seems pretty simple to me. i generally work for about a year, then quit to go travel. no plans to buy a home. almost all my belongings i got for free or cheap, so they're easy to get rid of when i leave.

Couldn't you rent your house out while gone? I think they have agencies that'll manage it for you. That offset some of the cost...

This has been one of my dreams for a long time, including the sailing part of it as well. My wife and I did week long tours for a while and have gradually extended the tours to be longer and longer. We're up to two weeks now :roflmao2: One of these days our tours will be long enough that we wont notice that we've not been home for the last several years :)

I've read many books and blogs of tourers who've done multi-year tours on budgets ranging from "I sold the house to fund the tour" to "what money?" I suppose it all depends on how you want to approach traveling. That could range from the completely self sustaining, "I depend on no one" to "my travels will last as long as peoples 'kindness' lasts."

My wife and I are a little in between. At the end of the month we are heading north for a couple of weeks and half of our overnights we setup through CouchSurfing.com (http://www.CouchSurfing.com) or WarmShowers.org (http://www.WarmShowers.org). While this might have saved us a little money here and there, I'm sure I'll feel obliged to buy a few six packs of beer here and there too.

Like Magnolia Fan said, the one bit about the house you might consider is having a property management company rent it out for you. This way you can generate money from it while you are gone, plus you get to keep it if ever you decide to end the tour :(

My longest tour was 3 months, but I'm hoping to do some longer tours in the near future.

1) Money ... for my 3 month tour, I just saved it up. For a longer tour, I'd save it up, and then likely take breaks from touring now and then to work.

2) Job ... you can pick a job up anywhere. I quit my job to go on that 3 month tour, and also moved to another province. Since I've been here I've never had any trouble at all getting work ... and the new jobs I've had (and have) have provided me with more learning experiences to add to my resume, and more money than where I was before the tour. Oh, and think about temp work ... it's great!! :D

3) House ... I don't own one and have never had a desire to own one, but if I did, I'd probably pack up my stuff, put it into storage, and rent the house out. As for my stuff ... I got rid of about half of it before my 3 month tour, and put the rest into storage. Because I'm planning some more major changes in my life in about a year's time, I am in the process of going through my remaining stuff, and hope to be able to get rid of at least half of it. I just don't want to have a lot of stuff anymore.

So yes ... plan ahead. It took me about a year to prepare myself for the 3 month tour, and I've been preparing for the potential of future long tours for several years. When I decided to do the 3 month tour, I also decided to pursue my Bachelor of Education, upon my return, with the idea that it would open doors for me to work in other countries ... so I may tour ... and teach ... and tour ... and teach .... or something like that. Who knows ... I'll see what happens. :)

I did some sailing with a bike along and don't see how it would work well for actual bike touring of any distance. It is great to sail somewhere and day ride in each port though.

Leaving a boat in a strange port for weeks or months to go tour doesn't seem likely to work out for me. Do you have ideas of how you expect it to work? If so please share them.

I would love to do something like this. But I don't know if I have the courage/survival/improvisation skills. I dont even know how one could even plan a tour in a foreign country. I guess this is something you can't really be prepared for you just get out there and do it.

I would love to do something like this. But I don't know if I have the courage/survival/improvisation skills. I dont even know how one could even plan a tour in a foreign country. I guess this is something you can't really be prepared for you just get out there and do it.

Well, you do have to do some preparation. You might want to look into things like visas, and saving up enough money to get you through for a while, and things like that.

I did some sailing with a bike along and don't see how it would work well for actual bike touring of any distance. It is great to sail somewhere and day ride in each port though.

Leaving a boat in a strange port for weeks or months to go tour doesn't seem likely to work out for me. Do you have ideas of how you expect it to work? If so please share them.

Like I said just dreaming. I thought to bum a ride. If I did any long distance cruising, I would probably confine my area to the Caribbean and northern South America. Relatively save both weather (assuming you find a place to hole up for hurricanes) and crime wise.

The probably with bumming a ride is you would probably have to limit yourself to fairly large vessels or have a I know I would not allow someone else's bicycle lashed to my deck for a crossing. The other option would be to have a folding bike but they are not real comfortable for any long term touring.

I would love to do something like this. But I don't know if I have the courage/survival/improvisation skills. I dont even know how one could even plan a tour in a foreign country. I guess this is something you can't really be prepared for you just get out there and do it.


I have the survival and improvisation skills. I'm not sure I have the courage. I have no problem with traveling. The main problem is quiting my job. Except for around 6 months when I was laid off, I have worked steady for the past 30 years. I'm pretty talented, I know I should be able to land a job after the tour. I guess out touring the world by bicycle could be a really good reason for not being employed for so long. But on th other hand, I turn 50 next year. It is getting harder for us older folks to find an keep a job.
I really wish I was more of a free spirit.

Leaving a boat in a strange port for weeks or months to go tour doesn't seem likely to work out for me.

BTW People do this all of the time. That is how a lot of people sail around the world. They don't do it all at once. They sail somewhere, go back home, return to port and repeat.

Well, you do have to do some preparation. You might want to look into things like visas, and saving up enough money to get you through for a while, and things like that.

can you describe a bit more what you would need to do for preparation? also how does one even plan a trip in foreign countries? where can you find information on roads routes etc? i have a hard time committing to things that are completely unknown, i generally like to have a solid idea about what im getting into. is there anything like ac maps for other countries?

That's the easy part. If you are from the US, first you go here:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
to get a profile on the country you plan to visit.


Then you go here:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

for entry/exit requirements.

As far as maps depends on the country you are visiting on choice of maps. Or you can get a mapping GPS. Garmin's map of Europe is pretty decent.

The main problem is quiting my job.... It is getting harder for us older folks to find an keep a job.
I'm not 50 yet, but I'm with you on this one. Perhaps it's a mistake, but in thinking about The Big Trip, I budget for being unemployed upon return. Since I live in an expensive area, 6 months of unemployment could cost more than the trip itself!

Giving up health insurance is also a big whammy for a lot of folks.

Then again, "I went around the world on my bicycle" is generally much more acceptable of a reason to be unemployed than "I got laid off and have been looking for work for a year." :D

At the risk of recommending you defer your dreams, it's perfectly plausible for you to tour extensively and somewhat affordably (depending on your preferences) when you retire. In theory you could sell or rent out your home and the superfluous possessions; put anything critical into storage; have a friend check on said storage facility every 2 months; sail and bike. If you rent out your home, it's pretty straight-forward to have a realtor handle everything for you, although obviously you need to set aside some cash for the usual renter's contingencies (hot water heater blows up, repairs etc).

I'd imagine that you might need to sail and then do bike loops, unless there's a trust-worthy way to have someone sail your boat to the next destination....


Drewicifer: I gotta say, if you want everything planned out then, well, maybe an around-the-world trip isn't your style. ;) Even if you're going to stick to highly developed countries, you need to be resourceful and flexible to pull off a trip like that.

Shorter trips are much easier to handle, especially in Europe. Cycling is very popular there, so there are tons of maps and bike routes. There are also some tours, including "self-supported" tours, where the organizer gives you the maps, sets up your hotels, and sends you off on your own....

I have been dreaming about one day chucking it all and going on a tour to see the world. What would really be cool would be to combine my love for sailing with my love for bicycling.

One of the greatest things about living at this exact moment in time is that we have it within or grasp to do just what we dream.

Once we left behind the world where we spent most of our time at "jobs" we found we needed far less money because, strangely, we no longer had to live up to our positions. We didn't need the cars or the nice home in the acceptable part of town. We no longer needed to spend on obligatory things like expensive dinners with colleagues or expensive bottles of wine for a party.

The folks at www.downtheroad.org have rented their home. I have found that even with longterm appreciation a home is a bad investment when you add in mortgage costs, routine maintenance expenses, PMI, homeowners insurance, and taxes. Generally those fixed costs add up to far more than the rental cost of a comparable home. And you can rent the exact size home you need, close to the place you need to be, then move when things change. Selling a home to move requires a 6% commission plus taxes.

The hardest nut to crack is health insurance (http://www.vwvagabonds.com/Bike/CycleTouringHealthMedicalInsurance.html)

Our routine so far has been to travel for 2-3 years, return home and start a business that replenishes the funds expended from the last trip (with a small addition for cost of living increases) then travel once again. That way we are saving for the future while living in the now.

While our income would be considered a pittance to many, we save virtually all of it because we both agree to live frugally. That agreement, many have said, is the most difficult thing. We were lucky in that respect.

I think you would find that if you were to leave your job then return a year or two later and begin interviewing for comparable positions, you would do well. The interviewers would certainly remember you as a go-getter and there are ways you can spin the experience to highlight your problem-solving skills and your self initiative.

Good luck.

In 1997, I took three months off to tour. In 2001, I took twelve months off. In 2007, I took ten months off. Next time for a really big tour is probably 2013. I'm already dreaming and scheming :)

Here is what I've done on a few of those issues:

Job: I work for a large company working in software development. In years I'm not touring, I work pretty hard and am good at what I do. I let me bosses know I appreciate the periodic times off and I've also given them plenty of advance notice (e.g. years) before requesting a leave of absence. So far it has worked to be able to return to a new job in the same company even when there was downsizing at that company. I also use it as an excuse to work in a new area and grow and develop my skills to keep refreshed. At some point, my luck may change and a job might not be available after a LOA. This is particularly true as I get older. So, I also keep my skills up to date and will move to new work if necessary. I'm single so that makes some things easier as well.

Expenses:Live on less than you earn. Save for a rainy day, and save for the next long tour. Save some more. For example, after my 2001 trip, I never did buy a car again.

Housing:In 1997 I was between residences and moved across states. My belongings were in a moving company storage for a few months. In 2001, I sold my car and condensed what I owned to fit in one bedroom. I rented out the rest of my residence to a friend. In 2007, I owned a duplex. I kept my stuff in my half and gave reduced rent to my tenants in return for them looking after things. Exchanging hassle for cash, I could have put my stuff in storage. After living on the road for months you realize how much "stuff" you would otherwise accumulate. I tend to clean house both before I leave and after I return (e.g. if I didn't need it for 12 months how important could it really be...)

Logistics:Gotten both travel insurance and employer Cobra while on LOA. Closed bills I could. Paid others in advance. For those I can't predict, I opened a joint account with my parents, put in money and had them pay those few bills that leaked through.

I really enjoy my work and am enthusiastic and fired up about it. Often also workaholic. However, being able to take a refresher break every few years and being able to explore other parts of the world before I reach retirement age is also important to me. I structure things in my life to make longer tours possible.

I tour continuously, and volunteer as I travel. I sold the house to be free of this attachment, but if you have a good property manager, that could work just as well.

You could use www.findacrew.com to crew other people's boats and bring your bike along. I agree that having your own boat tied up somewhere while you cycle tour might be costly. But there may be property managers for boats, too. Perhaps they could find someone to live on your boat and pay rent while you cycled. Interesting idea.

All bills paid automatically. Eliminate all magazine subscriptions, and as much paper mail as is humanly possible. Find one person you trust to get your mail for you, and then forward it to you wherever you are in the world.

If you are US citizen, you must still file your taxes, no matter where you are living, or what you are doing.

You can get money out of your IRA without paying a penalty if you take out equal monthly amounts. This is how I live. I have been living this way since Dec 2006, and plan on doing it the rest of my life. If you aren't paying a mortgage or rent or gas or maintenance, you can get by pretty cheaply!
Here is my blog: www.diane-emerson.blogspot.com

Also, join Servas, www.servas.org as well as the other two organisations mentioned earlier. Don't worry, give it a go! If you rent out your house, you can always try it for a few months, and then decide if you want to continue. I doubt whether you will ever want to go back to your old life.....

Happy travels!
Diane

I don't. I think so much depends on other things and where you are in life and your priorities.

I have a mortgage and 3 small kids -out of choice mind you (though of course that doesn't stop me from lusting after a very long term cycle touring trip!). I wouldn't dream of setting off on a tour without having at least tour time + 6 months worth of expenses saved up. Expenses would include all household bills -mortgage, health insurance, food, electricity, property taxes, etc. Assuming I go on a tour for 6 months, it means I have to have 12 months of all costs saved up. I accept it's just not going to happen! (besides which, I'd miss out on 6 months of my kids' lives, no thank you).

Maybe I'm an old fuddy duddy, but I do believe you should have some adequate form of health insurance coverage where ever you go (if you need treatment, someone, somewhere -usually other than you if you are uninsured -will have to pay your costs). Problem is, that's not cheap, though less of a problem if you are from a country and intend to tour in that country that has some form of nationalized health care system.

I recognize that I am at a stage in life where my priorities lie with providing my kids a home in a nice area, and protecting assets (e.g. my home, retirement savings) for later on. I am hoping that I will maintain a certain level of health and fitness until I retire and be able to do some good tours later on in life, or possibly when I have an opportunity (e.g. kids through school, house paid for, some good amount of savings). In the meantime, I have to content myself with mini-tours to satiate that touring bug.

Lastly, here's a thought: strictly speaking and if you think very honestly to yourself, there's nothing to stop you from getting on your loaded touring bike right now and cycling off into the sunset. However, life is rarely as simple as that -you can only do so if you pay a price. What's the price? The price depends on you, and where you are in life and what you perceive as valuable. As I've intimated, my price would be a much more uncertain future for my kids, highly probable divorce(!) and a large loss of many of my assets. It's just not a price I'm willing to pay.

First you have to have enough money to do it. Most of my is tied up in my retirement fund for my old age. :)
I worked for twelve years and saved up my money.


Then you have to give up your job. In today's market that would be a tough decision.
I quit my job. When I got back I ended up working for the same company.


Lastly, if you own a home, you need to either sell it or close it up and have someone check on it from time to time. If you sell, you need to worry baout what to do with your belongings.
I was renting at the time, so I gave notice, got a storage locker, and put all my stuff into storage.

Excellent advise and opinions here. Gives me a lot of perspective and ideas for not only touring but life in general. Maybe life is one big tour and it's all about how you get there. :)

perminent semi-retired/vagabond life- i never sold out to college or to the real world so i can up and leave whenever i want

i don't own a home

i barter for room&board so approx. 90%+ of any income earned is saved

seasonal work makes it very easy to leave

All bills paid automatically. Eliminate all magazine subscriptions, and as much paper mail as is humanly possible. Find one person you trust to get your mail for you, and then forward it to you wherever you are in the world.



+1

I do this anyway. There's only one bill I actually have to mail in, and it annoys me that they don't have an automatic option. Oh well, I won't have to pay it anymore in 6 months time.

I also ended my last newspaper subscription in 1999, and have one magazine subscription I could redirect or dispense with (Hostelling International's Outpost Mag: http://www.outpostmagazine.com/ - which inspires me when I'm not travelling).

I've also been working on getting all my bills/mail sent to me online, or available online. Some stuff still comes in paper, but I can go whole weeks without a getting a single thing in the mail. :)

I'd recommend going this route even if you're not touring!

I met one of these fellows - Anthony - at Borroloola and at a water tank down the track, while he was doing a round AU by bicycle trip and i was bicycling between Cairns and Darwin in 2006.

His site is www.ozbybike.com and there may be a contact address. If there is an address...."Ask Anthony..." :-)

coming from purely 2nd and 3rd hand info, you should look into teaching english as a second language. people in countries all around the world are serious about learning english to improve their businesses, marketability, and such. knowing the local language is helpful but not required, i.e. if you don't speak it, they will just have you teaching the finer points to classes that already speak a passable amount of english. i'd imagine that once you get into that, it would open a lot of opportunities as you network with other people who have done the same thing in other countries that you might want to check out.

coming from purely 2nd and 3rd hand info, you should look into teaching english as a second language. people in countries all around the world are serious about learning english to improve their businesses, marketability, and such. knowing the local language is helpful but not required, i.e. if you don't speak it, they will just have you teaching the finer points to classes that already speak a passable amount of english. i'd imagine that once you get into that, it would open a lot of opportunities as you network with other people who have done the same thing in other countries that you might want to check out.

Precisely the reason I'm getting my Bachelor of Education.

From what I've heard (and this may or may not be true, and may depend on the country), those who just go to a country to teach English, or who take those little 1-week courses, tend to get the bottom-of-the-barrel jobs, and some countries won't let them teach anymore because they want to be up to "western" standards - they want qualified teachers.

So ... I decided to go for the official thing which will allow me to teach in my own country, and others. :)

Lastly, here's a thought: strictly speaking and if you think very honestly to yourself, there's nothing to stop you from getting on your loaded touring bike right now and cycling off into the sunset. However, life is rarely as simple as that -you can only do so if you pay a price. What's the price? The price depends on you, and where you are in life and what you perceive as valuable. As I've intimated, my price would be a much more uncertain future for my kids, highly probable divorce(!) and a large loss of many of my assets. It's just not a price I'm willing to pay.

I think that about sums it up. Job, house, kids, money, stuff- all that can be worked out and the folks who put that type of lifestyle or trip as their number one priority seem to find ways to do it. I`m of very similar thoughts as Spinnaker and came to the conclusion that the key to doing anything crazy long-term adventure is dedication. As much as I`d like to ride into the sunset, I don`t have the nerve to give up my job, make arrangements and do it. My wife and I have plans for some travelling considerably more along those lines when we`ve retired but until then I decided to be content with short travels, dreaming, and reading tour blogs. I`m glad the thread came up- I saw a lot of comments that worded some of my ideas better than I could have done myself and other topics that I hadn`t considered.

EDIT: the info and forums at www.eslcafe.com (http://www.eslcafe.com) are pretty much the ESL teachers version of Sheldon Brown. I looked hard at that a few years ago when it looked like immigration problems were going to keep my wife permanently out of the US. Feasible, but not my cup of tea- glad I didn`t have to go that route.