- 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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How to Create a Travel Budget
{jcomments lock}Travel budgeting is fun, right? Unless you actually enjoy sifting through receipts, or researching the per diem costs of a third world country you’ve never been to, you’re probably not looking forward to any of this. We’re not going to lie, it is very tedious work, and it’s rarely something we’d consider fun -- but it is absolutely worth it. And who knows, maybe in some perverse way you’ll start to enjoy it, or at least get more excited about your upcoming adventure in the process.
Creating a travel budget before your trip starts is all about getting the most out of your travels while you’re on the road. We put in a lot of effort before we leave in order to avoid hassles while traveling and keep our peace of mind.
What to Consider before Creating a Travel Budget
{jcomments lock}Choosing the tools and processes you will use to create and maintain your financial plan is the first step towards budgeting for your travels. To help get started, ask yourself the following questions:
- How do you currently keep track of your personal finances?
- How much time do you want to spend updating your budget?
- What financial details are important for you to keep track of?
- Do you prefer paper or digital records?
- Do you currently use software to assist with financial planning?
To Camp or Not to Camp?
{jcomments lock}Decide whether to camp based on where you’re going and how you’ll get there. If you’re planning a trip to out of the way places, camping may be the best (or only) way to spend the night. On the other hand, if you’re staying close to civilization, odds are you won’t need to camp and may have trouble finding camping facilities.
Camping gear is the biggest problem. It’s heavy, bulky and expensive. Consider the size, weight and cost of the gear you’d need when deciding if camping is the best option for you. It adds up quickly, especially if you’re limited to a backpack for space. Remember that traveling is always more enjoyable if you have less stuff to worry about.
Choosing Campgrounds and Campsites
{jcomments lock}Over the last six years we have done a lot of camping. From the scorched salt flats of Botswana to the snow caped Olympics in Washington State. Usually, we make camping look easy. RVer's often crack jokes about how we pitch our tents faster than they can park and level their big rigs... Look at us go!
During this time our style has been refined and our methods for finding and selecting a campground and a campsite has become a simple list of criteria. Below is a summary of what we’ve learned.
Five Necessities to Survive Camping
{jcomments lock}We went camping everywhere when I was a kid. Every family vacation I can remember involved a Volvo station wagon and a big patch of dirt to pitch a tent on. Optimists would say my parents did this to build character, in reality, they did it because it was cheap. Ten years later, I’m happy to say I’m gleefully following in their footsteps.
The good times I’ve had under the stars, in the great wide open, are among the best in my life. There is something magical about the wild... you keep wanting to come back.
Then, there are the not-so-good times. The it-won’t-stop-raining, I-can’t-feel-my-toes, a-starving-dog-wouldn’t-eat-this-food, there’s-nothing-to-do-here-but-sleep and, I-swear-there’s-a-giant-mouse-in-this-tent type of trips. You know the ones. They make you want to never, ever, ever agree to another night in a tent, for the rest of your life. Period.
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.