Deciding to travel is a life choice a lot of people may not have the freedom to make or might choose not to for a variety of excuses: The time isn’t right. I don’t have the money. But I’ll have to leave my job. I’ll miss my family….etc etc etc.
Those who take the leap and book their flight or ferry, tend to relax more and rest assured that they have decided, are committed and are about to embark on a wonderful journey to explore the world and themselves.
One way tickets
The beauty of the one way ticket is exactly that, it’s one way and gives you a sense of freedom and flexibility to return at your own discretion, when you feel like you have run out of steam or become really home sick and need a dose of your old life back. And that’s fine. There’s nothing more exciting than booking that flight with no end date or journey in mind. The only small downside of this is that you would get your return journey cheaper usually by booking it as a return journey. But then you might decide to come home from a completely different part of the world than when you set off.
Some precautions
- Contact information and location:Send your family your contact details, location and rough itinerary if you have one just so they are able to locate and contact you should they need to. It could be potentially worrying for your mom or dad to not be able to speak with you or know that you’re ok while you’re on the move or in a new location.
- Insurance: You should consider taking out long stay insurance if you have no definite return date within the year you departed. Learn more about long stay cover.
- Research:Do your research on the location to be familiar with any potential dangers or risks to you as a tourist. Also, find out about the locality in terms of culture, language and currency and if you require any special vaccines there.
Volunteering
As you begin your journey you might start off in a developed, affluent location where life is good but as you travel throughout the world, you will notice the vast differences and inequalities that exist. These can be very much eye-opening experiences and help us realise that our situation is not too bad at all. Often, people will see a need to volunteer in a community to help children, old people or those stricken with poverty. This could be a hugely beneficial chapter in your travels, help develop you as a person and you are doing your good deed for the world. Extending your stay for volunteering is a great way to add some balance to your travels.
Book your one way ticket, do your research and get yourself insured for your extended stay. After that, simply enjoy your experiences and all of the people and things you’ll see along the way!