Once you have the travel bug, it truly becomes a way of life. Seeing the world can expand your horizons, help you to develop new relationships and see situations very differently – as well as making memories you’ll never forget.
From teenagers just setting out on their first independent travels to digital nomads working their way from one freelance commission to the next around the world and even when expats are choosing to retire in Malta, the call of moving overseas knows no age limit.
Despite this, a lot of people don’t understand the desire to be truly global. You may often hear questions from loved ones, like ‘how can you afford all this travelling?’ and ‘when are you going to settle down?’. Although these questions are usually well-meaning, they can quickly get old if you have no intention of stopping your travels any time soon. So how do you answer them, especially if the person who is asking is yourself…
Is It Realistic?
Many people wonder if a life of constant travel is actually even possible. Can you be nomadic unless you have a trust fund to back you up? Well, it turns out that it’s perfectly possible to be financially independent and travel the world.
In today’s globally connected landscape, there are many career paths you can take which enable you to travel and earn money at the same time – either a business or a job which lends itself to remote working or there is the option of working in your destination as well.
Some people also space out their travels with a stint in their home country to earn money specifically for the purpose of funding their next adventure. The key to this is to be able to live a frugal lifestyle when you’re back at home – keeping your living expenses to a minimum so that you can save up as much as possible in the shortest space of time.
Or you could train specifically with the aim of travelling – qualify to teach English as a foreign language and you can find a job in almost any location.
Aren’t You Going To Settle Down?
Sometimes it’s hard to convince people that you don’t need to follow life’s path like a tick box exercise or acquisitions. There are many ways to be happy in life, and for some, getting to travel will always trump more conventional goals like marriage or saving up to buy a house – although there is nothing to say that you can’t combine those things either!
Age should never be the main decider in whether or not you see the world. People of any age can benefit from seeing the world and being inspired by their surroundings! Besides, living a nomadic lifestyle doesn’t preclude finding a lasting relationship or even starting a family if that’s what you want.
Settled is more about a state of mind than an arbitrary checklist of acquisitions. A lot of people have discovered that possessions don’t make them happy and that there is genuine fulfillment to be found in feeding your soul with new experiences.