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Independent travel around the world, or the reasons why you still only dream about it.

I’ve been going to write this post for a month now. And all because the flow of letters from my favorite blog readers has increased lately, well, simply at times. I don’t know what is the reason for such activity and why all of a sudden, right now, everyone decided that it’s time to quit everything and go to conquer the vast expanses of our planet.

Everyone’s questions are more or less the same, so I decided to combine everything into one post and answer everyone at once.

And I want to start with the most philosophical, which personally haunted me long before the trip.

1. “ what will I do next when I return? What about my work? What about friends, family? “

All these questions do not allow you to live in peace, I know, I know. The phrase a

What next? Well, then, when will you return, having traveled for six months and made your dream come true? – sounded in the days before the first trip literally with the same frequency as the question where to get money .

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So remember, you, most likely, will not have an answer to it at the stage at which you are now. And don’t let that scare you. Because traveling alone for such a long period will absolutely change your ideas about the life you want to lead, about the values ​​on which you will rely, and in general about yourself, your talents.

So many things will happen in these six months – you can fall in love … with a country, and stay there to live … with a person, and leave with him … Or you can fall in love again with your hometown and understand that this is the place where you will always be come back and get bored all the time.

And you will also meet dozens of amazing people who may already be living the life that you are still only dreaming of. And in some way they will help you answer the question “what’s next?” by example and experience.

Just be curious and want to know everything, be interested in little things, look at the world with wide eyes, and then you will definitely find and do not miss the chance.

Well, if you still don’t like this kind of life and want to go to where everything is stable, comfortable, predictable (and I absolutely do not say that this is bad, just to each his own), after all, in six months you can always return to where once they decided to put an end to it. Or to another area that is completely new to you. With such an experience of communication, with such openness and views of the world, with such an experience of finding the optimal way out of seemingly hopeless situations, I think a person with such qualities will not disappear.

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2. “ where to get money for at least six months of travel?” Is the most important question that worries everyone without exception.

And the most banal answer – you need to accumulate them :).

At the moment, it seems to me that this is the easiest way to go on your first long journey. This is if you just work in the office, receiving a salary and no side incomes are foreseen at the moment. I am not going to give you advice on how to make money online, start your own business, or create sources of passive income. Because I myself personally read about all this for about a year before traveling, going to a permanent job “from 9 to 6”, but still had absolutely no idea how people earn online (not 100 bucks on blog advertising per month, namely the amount , which will be enough to cover expenses)

Almost everyone I know set a goal, systematically set aside money and went. My personal calculation for Asia is 700-1000 bucks a month. Yes, you can live on 400-500, eat rice for a dollar on the street, not buy anything, sleep in dorms and use a shared bathroom for six months. But let’s be honest with ourselves, this is not the picture that appears in the head when we dream of such a trip. There are, of course, crazy people with burning eyes who are ready to see the world at such a price, but this is not about me. I can live in this mode for a couple of weeks, no more. Then I lose the meaning of it all and start wanting to go home. Moreover, I see travel as an integral part of life, where you want to enjoy every moment and from such simple things as the place in which you live and the food you eat.

A post about how I personally raised money for my trip, I already wrote a year ago. Nothing has changed, so who cares:
Money for Heaven

3. “I would have gone, but I have no one with whom, but alone I’m scared (boring, sad ….)

Another reason many are still where they were.

Understand one thing – finding a person with whom you will be comfortable and interesting on such a journey is an incredibly difficult task. Because this is not just a vacation on paradise islands, where everything is already decided for you, everything is paid for, where a guide who speaks Russian met you and took you to the hotel. And all you have to do is grumble unhappily that the windows do not overlook the sea, and local dermal alcohol interferes with allinclusive cocktails.

Almost every minute you will be faced with a choice – where to live, where to go, what to see, or maybe stay for a couple more days, because it’s very cool here, or maybe leave right away, because it’s not mine at all, but I want to walk to the markets and shops and not to drag around all ten attractions of the next city in the 40-degree heat. And there will also be buses that are 7 hours late or trains that you are late for. Or the road is 20 hours long. In short, when the nerves are at their limit … And therefore, there must be someone nearby who is ready to compromise in all these situations (I’m not saying that you want the same thing, because it’s generally from the category of fantasy), well, regret, calm down and do not get nervous with you. Believe me, finding such a person is simply an impossible task. Especially sitting in a big city and still faintly imagining what awaits you ahead. And therefore it is much better to go alone. And there already will be something. Perhaps you will meet a person with whom you want to travel further, or, on the contrary, you will learn to appreciate your loneliness and independence. But I certainly promise you – the feeling that you can do anything and any problem is solvable, and there is a way out of any situation – this feeling of pride in yourself is difficult to compare with something and exchange for something.

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And yes, I have never been scared in Asia – neither in the Himalayas, nor somewhere in the center of Bangkok at night, nor on deserted beaches ….

4. “ but how to solve the issue of visas and tickets? Do I have to do all this in advance, before the trip? “

First, having an approximate list of countries that you want to visit, study the visa issue for each of them. It’s easy to do on the website of the country’s embassy.

Basically, in Asia there are no problems with visas and they don’t even need to be done in advance. And, most likely, many will even be stamped at the border. It all depends on the length of your stay. And also from your citizenship. Keep in mind that the requirements for passports with Russian and Ukrainian citizenship are very different. And if some friend told you that everything is ok, you can do it without a visa, check the information. For example, Ukrainians will not be allowed to Indonesia without a visa at all (or rather, you will not even be put on a plane), and Russians will be given a visa upon arrival for a month. For 2 months and so, and so the visa must be done at the embassy. And not necessarily at home. In Bangkok, too, you can – and it’s even easier, it seems to me. Or in any other country. In general, all visas are made here much easier than at home. I don’t know what is the reason 🙂 But the fact.

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I personally use skyscanner.com to buy tickets from home to home. But in general there are a million analogues. In Asia, I often buy from the local discounter airasia.com. And almost never beforehand. Once in a week or two, I almost always manage to buy a flight at a normal price. Basically, a ticket to anywhere in Asia (while in Asia) costs up to $ 100. Of course, you can make a lot of money on sales for 20 bucks, but you need to plan everything in advance, but I can’t.

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And as a PS: travel does not solve the problems that you have now, and if you just hope to escape from something, then most likely, nothing will come of it. Thinking about life, about what you want to do, make a plan and draw a clear picture – yes. And that is not always the case, because you simply do not have time. Why? You are busy solving pressing issues in situations that you haven’t been before. And you do it, and you like it 🙂