It’s surprising how quickly things can accumulate—books, pairs of socks, scraps of paper with notes scrawled on them. Even e-mails pile up unrelentingly. The bloggers below describe how it feels to shed all the excess stuff, and take off indefinitely.
Christine Gilbert of the Almost Fearless blog quit her corporate job and embarked on a long-term trip with her husband and two dogs. She writes, “the act of physically moving these things out onto the sidewalk, setting prices and then watching as strangers walked away with even the most personal of our possessions, was a strange kind of relief.” Gilbert proceeds to detail the “10 unexpected costs of owning things.”
Almost Fearless also has advice for launching your long-term expedition without necessarily selling everything.
Permanent travel sounds impossible, but for Lea Woodward it’s reality. She explains her rules for maintaining a “stuff-free” traveling life on Vagablogging. She also links to online resources to help you become less wasteful.
On Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site, Matt outlines Part 1 of traveling the world: Pre-trip planning, including “selling your stuff.” He suggests a garage sale, or using Web sites such as Craigslist and Gumtree to sell your possessions, and provides insights. “You don’t want to be in Nepal and thinking “I hope my TV is ok,” Matt writes.
Author John Freyer determined where he would travel by selling his possessions on eBay to people across the United States and around the world. Freyer visited everyone who bought something of his, and then documented the experience in his book “All My Life For Sale.”
The findingDulcinea Web Guide to Long Term Travel Abroad links to programs that help you craft a new life abroad, including job resources, information on volunteering and interning abroad, tips for teaching English in a foreign country, and safety advice.
Read some worldly books and watch movies to inspire you using our previous post, "Year-End Review of Travel Books and Movies."
Sarah Amandolare
Senior Writer
Way to go!
Independent travel is a matter of letting go.
And the unexpected rewards you with beautiful experiences...
Posted by: axel g | December 25, 2009 at 04:15 PM
Ratanak Eath made our visit to Angkor Wat and many of the surrounding temples truly unforgettable. Not only is he extremely well informed from a historical and cultural perspective but his warmth and sense of humor make him a delight to share what is truly an experience of a lifetime. He is exceedingly flexible and accommodated the wishes of all. He was also willing to change course quickly if someone desired more culture and less history (or vice versa) at any stage of the three days we spent together. My family and I cannot recommend him more highly. He can be reached at [email protected] or his personal website www.theangkorguide.net which provide some idea in exploring Angkor.
Kevin.
Posted by: Kevin | December 10, 2009 at 01:34 AM
Maybe one of these days I will be generating enough of an income to become a nomad that doesn't have to travel the world staying in hostels, I just hate the thought of having to ever stay in one again.
I will keep on working away at my goal and one day I will get there, believe achieve, succeed!
Posted by: William Wallace | October 08, 2009 at 01:44 PM
1. Travelling story 1:
Explore Vietnam and South East Asia with your 5 senses!
Enjoy this traveling story from a Dutch couple.
http://www.smiletoursvietnam.com/newtour.php?NewTourID=101
Dear Thi,
It has taken a while, but now I found some time to send you the letter we promised.
Let us start by saying that we had a really wonderful time in Vietnam. You made a great trip for us and we loved every piece of it. Everything was arranged. We never once had to worry about anything! !
The first days in Cambodia were very worthwhile. We loved it very much. The guide (Ratanak Eath) was very friendly and had lots of information for us. The hotel (Casa Angkor) was very nice. Clean and a very friendly staff. Good breakfast. We didn’t have dinner there so we don’t know how that was. When people have the time to visit Siem Reap for a few days they really should do it. For us it was the perfect start of a great holiday. We visited a lot of temples in these days. But also the boat trip to the floating villages was very interesting.
When we arrived in Vietnam it took about 1 hour before we we’re through the customs and got all of the stamps and papers. The list we filled in from your site was not enough. We had to do it all over again they said.
But when we got outside the airport you were standing there and we felt so welcome!! It felt like meeting a old friend!
The first thing we did when we arrived In Saigon was going to the war museum with you. What an impact it had!! Especially all the pictures of the horrible things which took place. But it was the right thing to see first!
The first days in Saigon were ok. It’s a very busy city! The Empress hotel was again good. The rooms were clean, only a lot of noise from the streets. Very friendly staff!
The Cao Dai Holy See was very nice to see. Very colorful an interesting!
The Cu Chi Tunnels are very impressive. You can’t really imagine that people have lived like this. After you have been there you keep talking about it. Francesco walked only the first part of the tunnels and that he found already very scary. But at least he can say he tried it!
The market in China Town was fun. To see all the things the people are selling! You don’t see markets like that in our country. All the fresh products, the meat etc. just laying there. You’ve taking us to these places where you don’t see much tourists. That’s nice.
The boat trips in the Mekong area where the best. What a wonderful and beautiful area! We tasted lots of different, delicious fruits, meet nice people, listened to music, took a horse ride etc. So many different things on one day! The trip in the small boat we liked the most, between the huge palm trees, with the butterflies and king fishers!
And then the home stay. We didn’t sleep much there. The beds were ok, but all the strange noises kept us awake almost the whole night. The family was very friendly and the surroundings of the home very beautiful. It was pleasant that there was a little shower and a normal toilet.
The early bike ride in the morning to the little market was fun. You see how the people start the day and you feel a little bit part of it. We liked this very much. You are much closer to the people then when you travel by car.
We asked you to book a few days at the Whale Island resort. It was a really nice place to relax for a few days. The cabins have a private little garden where you can rest and enjoy the surroundings. After this we were fresh to go for the rest of our holiday!!
After a few hours’ drive we arrived in Hoi An. What a nice little town! We liked the beautiful hotel you booked for us! The rooms were big and clean. The nicest thing in the old town is that there are no cars. You can walk freely. The guide took a walk with us through the city and a boat trip after that. On a hot day it’s very relaxing.
In the afternoon we went on the bicycle to see a little of the country side and after that we cycled to the beach. When you ride the bicycle it’s like you are more part of your surroundings. You see much more than in the car. It was fun.
Our next place to visit was Hue. The Imperial City is very impressive!! What a beautiful place to visit. We liked everything around this area. The Tombs, The boat trip on the Perfume River and the bike ride to the country side. Our guide made us feel like home!!
When arriving in Hanoi after a short flight the guide was already waiting for us ( of course as always!!). Because our flight was rescheduled we were a little bit late in Hanoi. That’s why the program was also a little bit short. We went to the Temple of Literature for not more than 30 minutes, because we had to go to the Water puppet show. So that was a little bit hasty. After the show we had a wonderful dinner.
Then the guide took us to the train station for our trip to Sapa. The train was much better than we expected. The beds are pretty comfortable and clean. It’s a little bit noisy and bumpy on the way, but that wasn’t a problem. In the early morning when you wake up you ride through the most beautiful landscape! What a nice way to wake up.
After arriving in Lao Cai and having breakfast we were picked up by the guide of that day. He spoke very good English! He took us to the Sunday Market of Mhoung Khuong. It’s a beautiful drive to there. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t really good that day, but the landscape made up for everything. And then the market itself. What a place! All the different people who were very friendly. You don’t see many tourists and that’s also nice. It’s a place we can recommend everyone!
In the afternoon we drove to Sapa. There we had the suite in the Gold Sea hotel. What a nice room you chose for us. It was very comfortable.
The next day our very sweet guide picked us up for a 2 day hiking trip. She was so nice. We walked the whole day in the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine. The weather was very good with lots of sun. Late in the afternoon we arrived at the home stay. A very nice house. Another group arrived at the same day, so we had dinner all together and had lots of fun!!!
The second day of walking was much harder. Our muscles hurt from the day before and the road was much more difficult! Our toes were blue when we arrived back at the hotel. There we could relax in our nice suite, have a hot bath and sleep for a long time. But the trip was worth every bit of pain!!!
The last day in this area we went to the Red Dao. We talked to the people and saw how they harvest the rice. They were very friendly and talked a lot about their town. After this we had to say goodbye to our sweet guide Mao. We hope to talk to her again someday. Saying goodbye was hard.
After a cold night in the train we arrived in Hanoi from where we went to Halong Bay. Of course during the bus ride we had to stop at a gift shop. That’s one of the things we don’t like, but we know it’s always part of such a trip.
The boat was great! What a nice room, very friendly staff and good food. They made us feel like home for a few days. Of course the landscape of Halong bay is one of the greatest en most beautiful of all. Especially the sunsets! What a nice pictures you can make there. We liked the fact that we took a 3 days trip. Now you had more time to relax and go further into the bay where less boats are, so you have much more privacy! If you have the time we can recommend it to everyone.
And then unfortunately our trip is almost to an end. We met you for the last time in Hanoi where you took us to such a nice restaurant. The food was so good! And the room so cozy.
We want to thank you for the trip of a lifetime. It was our first time in Asia and after this certainly not our last. You made us feel at home in your beautiful country!!!
We send you our love.
Francesco and Saskia Grutters -The Netherlands
Posted by: Hoang Tri | May 31, 2009 at 09:28 PM
This is a great idea, and something a lot of people I know are doing right now.
Posted by: Tim O. | January 12, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Cool post Sarah - I really enjoyed a book a read a while ago called 'Tales of a Female Nomad" by Rita Golden Gelman - she started nomading when she was 48 - and writes children's books about her experiences to keep her income going. Her novel about the first few years of her experiences is definitely worth a read.
http://www.ritagoldengelman.com/
Posted by: Haley | January 08, 2009 at 02:58 PM