- Quick facts
- Total days on the road: 586
- Currently in: USA
- Miles Driven: 36821
- Countries Visited: 17
- Days Camping: 389
- Days Indoors: 202
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Saving Money so you can Afford to Travel
{jcomments lock}Saving money sucks. But there is a way to sock away some cash without selling your kidneys. Before you have a therapy inducing flash back of your parents trying to instill archaic financial management into you at age 12 (ok, maybe that was just my family) stop for a moment and figure out what you are saving for. Saving for savings sake doesn’t work.
How to use a Travel Budget on the Road
{jcomments lock}The point of all the planning and budgeting is to make life on the road easier, safer and less stressful. This article covers how you should maintain your budget on the road and stay informed about your financial situation.
You have a lot of options when deciding how to manage your finances while traveling. Given time and experience, you'll figure out what works for you. We’ve refined our processes a few times over the years to emphasize simplicity and convenience. The best plan is the one that you can stick to.
Financial Planning for Travel Emergencies
{jcomments lock}Travel isn’t all white sandy beaches and cocktails. That’s vacationing. That’s not what we do here. Any experienced traveler will tell you that plenty will go wrong. It’s unavoidable. Dealing with emergencies makes us better people. It’s a big part of the reason the habitual traveler keeps heading out for more. The risk of the unknown is what makes it an adventure.
This article discusses how to financially plan for problems you encounter on the road. And how to keep your money under control when the situation isn’t. Confidence in your financial situation helps you to think and act intelligently during stressful times.
Handling Credit Cards, Cash and Bank Accounts while Traveling Internationally
{jcomments lock}You’ve done the destination research, crunched the numbers and pinched the pennies. You have a plan that works and fits your style. You shouldn’t let that hard work go to waste by giving your money back to the bank.
Bank fees can be high for international travelers. Odds are your domestic checking account is not a wise choice to take on the road. Unless you want to lose 3% of your money every time you use your card and $5 every time you withdraw money from an ATM.
Sample Travel Budget
Download the sample budget here. This article explains how to use this sample travel budget. The article Creating a Travel Budget will help you to better understand what each category means and give a bit more explanation about the way you should use the budget. {jcomments lock}
The budget is divided into five categories: income, start up costs, reoccurring costs, one-time travel expenses and daily expenses. Breaking down expenses into these categories is necessary to keep yourself organized. It also lets you see where your money is going, giving you flexibility when things don’t go as planned. Knowing where costs can be reduced lets you absorb unknown expenses with minimal stress.
More Articles...
Subcategories
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Plan & Prepare
Plan & Prepare
Planning for a big travel adventure can be a daunting task. There’s much to consider and even more to research. Properly planning your trip will make life easier on the road and allow you to spend less time worrying about details and more time having fun. These articles cover the basics of researching and documenting your travel destinations and other pre-trip activities we find valuable.
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Overlanding
Overlanding
Traveling by vehicle is a great way to see places that are normally difficult to get to. Having a car or truck makes it easier to camp and cook, giving you ways to save money and enjoy natural and cultural heritages that may be out of reach of traditional backpacking travelers. In this section we offer advice for choosing the right vehicle, renting, outfitting and staying safe while driving in foreign countries.
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Health & Safety
Health & Safety
Staying healthy and being safe on the road is 20% preparation and 80% common sense. We’re here to help you be prepared, you’ll have to supply the rest. Know what the risks are, what diseases are common and how to prevent them, where it’s safe to go, how to deal with corruption and avoid petty crime. Pack a first aid kit that can handle common health problems and have insurance for yourself and your stuff in case of emergency. Be ready to deal with the unexpected and have enough information to let your common sense do the rest.
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Cooking
Cooking
It seems all we do is talk about food, what we are eating and when. When people first meet us they quickly come to realize we eat a lot and we eat well.
We thought it is high time we share some of our culinary shenanigans with food lovers alike. If you have any recipes you would like us to add, let us know and we will get right on it.
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Photography
Photography
There are books to be written on the subject of travel photography. Hundreds of thousands of tips to be given on lighting and lenses, composition and cameras. In fact one member of the Life Remotely team spent four years of her life studying it. There is no possible way to pack all that info in one little website, but we vow to do what we can.
Occasionally people ask us how we take certain photos, and what type of gear we recommend. We’ll publish some articles here to help you out. Most are written by request. Send us an email if there is something you’d like to know, and we’ll do our best to say something smart about it.
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Budget & Money
Budget & Money
Budgeting is all about getting the most out of your trip. Putting in this effort before you leave to help reach savings goals, pick good bank accounts and ensure your travels will be as successful, stress free and long as possible. Maintaining and sticking to your budget on the road will help you make better decisions with the least amount of worry. Trust us, it’s not much fun, but financially planning for your trip will always be worth it in the end.
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Camping
Camping
Camping while traveling can be a fun and convenient way to save money and experience new places off the beaten track. It can also be such an uncomfortable and frustrating hassle that you run screaming for the nearest hotel. In this section we share some of our experiences from years of traveling and camping. We’ll help you decide whether or not to camp, how to stay comfortable and sane when you do camp, and what to bring with to make life on the dirt a bit more enjoyable.
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While Traveling
While Traveling
As any experienced traveler knows, you will run into difficulties while you're on the road. How you deal with the hard times will make the difference between a miserable trip and a memorable experience.
Travelers seek to grow themselves personally, and come home with amazing stories to tell. We do this by being prepared for the expected and by dealing with the unexpected with a positive attitude. Here you'll find common advice we've gained through our years spent traveling, and general tips to help you avoid and deal with the tough times.