How to Drop Everything and Travel Abroad

Have you always dreamed of traveling abroad to another country and spending more than a week engaging in the culture? For some people, this will always remain a dream.

After all, the average person has a career, a family and responsibilities. And you can’t just up and leave them…or can you? No matter what kind of situation you’re in, if you dream of dropping everything to work and travel abroad, then here are the best possible ways to make it all happen.

Get Your House in Order

Once you decide you want to leave the country for an extended period of time, you need to get your house in order. At https://www.liveable.com, they suggest using a storage facility to keep all your belongings safe while you’re away. Whether you pack up your stuff or leave it where it is, you have options for your home.

• Rent it: If you want to have your home ready and waiting when you get back, consider renting it out while you’re away. If you’ll be gone for a few months or longer, this can be a great way of having some steady income coming in while you travel. Renting can be done through a community board, a realtor or using sites like Airbnb.
• Sell it: If you plan on being gone for a while and don’t necessarily need your house when you get back, consider selling it to help fund your adventure. You can either postpone your trip until the house is sold or give your realtor power to sell it on your behalf while you’re away.

Think About Work

If you are currently invested in your career, it may be difficult for you to just pick up and leave for a year and expect your company to keep your job for you. Once again, you have options.

• Talk with your company: Have a strong conversation with your manager or upper management and see if there’s a way to make your trip work for you. It’s possible the company will let you work and travel abroad or allow you to use this opportunity for business. The worst they can say is no, so state your case and have the conversation.
• Find another job: You can also consider leaving your current job and working as a freelancer, or finding a job that allows you to work and travel abroad. This way, you can still generate an income, but do so on your own schedule.
• Use your savings: If you’re having a hard time finding a way to generate income while you are traveling, you may simply need to dip into your savings in order to support yourself while you’re gone.

What About Your Kids and School?

It seems like your child’s school calls you if they’re a millisecond late, so how can you let them miss an entire year of school? Like all other aspects of your trip, you have some different choices when it comes to your child’s education while traveling.

• Talk to the school: Your child will learn so much by being exposed to other cultures, so create an education plan that documents where you’re going to go, what you’re going to see, and what your child will learn. Then, be sure to include how your child will keep up with the typical work he or she would be learning in class. You may also want to offer to take videos that can be shared with the class or the school to bring more educational awareness to the community.
• Register to home school: If your child’s school has an issue with you removing your child from school for an extended period of time, consider removing your child from that school district for the time being and register as a home school teacher. This way, your state or province will send you all the educational material your child will need so they can still learn. Once your trip is over, you can then re-register your child with the district.

Get Your Finances in Order

Whether you dip into your savings, work and travel abroad or get random jobs throughout your trip, you need to ensure your finances are in order. Not only will you need to ensure you have enough money to carry you and your family through this trip, but you’ll also need to pay for essentials that you pay for regularly already. For instance, bills for things like life insurance will still need to be paid, so remember to account for any expenses you may have even while gone.

Traveling abroad could be a once in a lifetime experience, so don’t waste it. Instead, use these tips to find out just exactly how you can make it work!