How to Start Traveling Full Time

If you're considering the adventure of a lifetime, here's our advice for getting started.

We meet lots of people who tell us they’d love to live their own adventures and travel the world but don’t know how to get started. It certainly can be overwhelming to think about, let alone do. I know when we first started it was very scary!

There were times we thought we were completely insane.

I mean, who in their right mind sells almost everything they own, with no real backup plan or idea of how things will go, and simply takes the biggest leap of faith in their lives?

But if you desire to get out into the world and see all it has to offer, there’s a point you will not be happy until you listen to the calling and follow it.

So if you’re hankering for the need to satisfy your traveling desires there comes that moment you must go.

And we want to help you experience the road life.

Our Advice for Traveling Full Time

There are so many traveling lifestyle blogs or YouTube videos you can learn from as well as thousands of opinions on how you should do it, but ultimately it comes down to personal preferences and just going for it.

However there are seven things we’d like to share to help you get started.

1. Make the decision.

This is the most important and critical aspect of living from the road. Until you decide it’s really what you want to do AND are going to do it, there’s no point in doing all the other work. It’s a waste of time.

We daydreamed about traveling for years. It wasn’t until we finally made the decision and commitment that it started to become a reality. When you make the decision it becomes more tangible. Plus if you want to put some urgency to it, set a date for when you want to make it happen. This will give you something to work towards.

And if you want to be really bold, announce it to the world. Doing so makes you accountable and will push you harder to make it happen.

2. Forget what others tell you.

As I said previously, there are thousands of travel experts (including us) who will provide excellent advice or recommendations. You could spend weeks or years trying to learn from others.

I recommend you go with your gut and listen to your heart.

While there is value in learning from others, every adventure or experience is unique to the person doing it. There is no right or wrong way.

The best advice I ever received was from a friend and U.S. Marine. He simply told me to “just fucking do it” because all of the intelligence I gathered didn’t matter.

He was right!

When we rolled out of Oklahoma in August of 2020, we had a tentative plan based on what we wanted to see first. That was it. A few weeks later we learned to throw all our plans out the window.

Having no roadmap makes life easier because there is no certainty except change. There will be detours, potholes, and breakdowns along the way. You’ll have to constantly adapt and improvise to keep going. So there’s no reason to figure it all out.

Sure, have an idea about how to get started, but don’t stress the rest. Just roll with the flow and learn as you go.

3. Save up some money.

There’s a misconception you need to be independently wealthy in order to travel the world and that’s all BS! Many people have fulfilled their dreams without having a bank account full of money.

If you know how to budget and stick to your means, you don’t need a lot of cash flow to hit the open road. However … I do recommend saving up a little money to reduce your stress and anxiety.

You’ll rest easier knowing you have a bit of a cushion to rely on in case of unexpected costs or emergencies, plus you won’t have to beg people with GoFundMe campaigns because you only had $300 in your pocket.

We were fortunate to have some savings from the sale of our house which allowed us to breathe easier but those funds didn’t last forever. This is why we worked hard at building online businesses to help out.

So if you don’t have an endless supply of cash, remember to be frugal with your funds and do all you can to stretch your dollars.

4. Create a budget.

It can be really easy to overspend while traveling! All of those craft beers, souvenir t-shirts and stickers, fancy coffees, entrance fees, and eating at restaurants really add up. You can go broke pretty fast if you’re not careful.

Before you start your journey we recommend taking a hard look at your finances and figuring out the realistic minimum threshold of money you’ll need to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.

The next step is creating a strict budget and following it.

Donetta made a spreadsheet of all our projected expenses including our fixed costs like truck payment, health insurance, taxes, and other items we have to pay. Then she developed an estimated expense sheet for things like hotels, gas, food, entertainment, and other flexible costs. This has allowed us to track every penny for four years and see where our money is going which is very beneficial.

When you have a budget it helps keep you accountable and you can adjust your spending to ensure you’re able to keep traveling long-term.

5. Sell your stuff.

Depending on how you choose to travel you’ll quickly discover space is very limited, which requires embracing a minimalist lifestyle. This can be one of the hardest challenges for road lifers to deal with.

If you’ve got a household or apartment filled with stuff, there’s just no way you can bring it all with you (besides you shouldn’t) and this means storing it or selling it.

When we decided to travel we sold almost everything except for some keepsakes and family heirlooms. Not only did this help pad our bank account, it also helped us let go of a lot of baggage. Sure we cried as we burned, trashed, or sold things, but when it was over we felt amazing. Getting rid of your stuff will lighten your load mentally and physically. And if you haven’t seen it or used it in years, why keep it?

Therefore I recommend you sell what you can to make extra money and avoiding expensive storage facility fees.

6. Build an online business.

Unless you’re one of those lucky few who doesn’t have to worry about an income, you’ll need to figure out a way to keep cash flow coming in.

While there are great opportunities to work seasonal or temporary jobs in tourist towns, it’s so much better to do remote work or build an online business you can run from anywhere.

Technology and the internet gives us the power to make money online fairly easy. You can start an online business for as little as $100 and be making enough to live off of in a very short amount of time. Plus you can set your schedule to work around your new traveling lifestyle. This freedom is incredible and rewarding.

I will say the earlier you start the better. It’s nice to have your online venture making money before you hit the road.

7. Enjoy the journey.

This is a valuable piece of advice that often gets left out.

Without a doubt you’ll encounter challenges and there will be tough days ahead, but that’s gonna happen whether you travel or not. Embrace the fact it never goes as planned.

Choose to live in the moment.

Choose to make priceless memories while you can.

Choose to ignore the fears, the negatives, or the unknown.

Choose to embrace the uncertainty.

Choose to do what others only dream about.

Road life isn’t perfect and it never will be. Your focus should on living the adventure of a lifetime and enjoying every moment of the journey.

Something else to remember.

I know some people will roll their eyes or ague with what I’m about to say but it’s absolutely true.

Traveling full-time isn’t just for the wealthy, retired, or lucky.

No matter what your life experience is or where you come from, you can do this if you really want to do it. The only things stopping you are bullshit excuses and not taking the initiative to move forward on pursuing your dream.

So get started.

Live your adventure. 👊