We keep keep getting the same questions from people when they hear that we are retired and traveling fulltime. People are usually very interested, and curious about how it can be done. The same questions come up in our nomad online communities, from our friends and family, or when we meet new people in person. The answers aren’t as easy. We have most of the answers for our personal traveling, but everyone in our community is different, and the answers vary greatly.
How much money does it take to travel fulltime? – Some people are doing this on just $1000-$3000 per month per couple. They often stay in free housesits or pet-sits and cook most of their meals at home. Single travelers have it a bit tougher because they don’t share housing costs. Many people are trying to live on $3000-$6000 per month per couple and spend a lot of time in airbnb’s and budget hotels. A lot of people use travel hacks like credit card travel points or hotel points to make it more budget friendly. Many people stay longer in each destination to reduce overall transportation costs. Some people are not as cost conscious and are able to spend $6000-$12,000 a couple per month or even more, and not focus as much on a daily budget. They can afford rental cars and more expensive tours in each destination. So….no real answer on how much people actually spend. It is all over the board….
What do you do about health insurance? Some people are risking not having insurance and just save their medical costs for cheaper countries where they pay out of pocket (not a good idea). Some people by international nomad health insurance plans which protect for major health issues but they also pay cash for regular health care in the cheaper countries. Note that often times, this regular healthcare is equal or superior to US healthcare. Some people are still covered by their former company’s retirement plans and save up their medical care for when they return to their home country. Some people are from countries that provide nationalized health care so they will also return to their home country. Many US people are paying for ACA (Obamacare) and will return to the US for their regular care. Medicare is an option for those that are old enough in the US. There are so many options out there that is probably the most discussed issue for new nomads. It is really complicated to find the best option for many people. Again no answer for everyone….
We are on Obamacare in Washington State and use Kaiser Permanente which is one of the rare plans that will pay for urgent care outside of the US. Not all states have those options. And use our summers at home to catch up on health maintenance stuff.
In addition to health insurance, many people purchase travel insurance. We have parents and kids back in the US so we want to be able to be covered if we need to return quickly. We buy TravelGuard to cover any potential urgent airfare costs.
How long do you stay in each location? When we only traveled 2-3 weeks per year, we would often stay 2-3 days in each city so we could cram as much site-seeing into our meager vacation allowance. Some retired people still travel like that, but it is rare. It can get rather tiring. Some people will stay 5-10 days in a location. We have found that most cities only have enough big attractions for 2-3 days but staying a week will allow you to have time to see those things at a more leisurely place. Many people will take a month or so in a location. This can get you monthly discounts on Airbnb’s and also reduce transportation costs. Some people are more comfortable staying even longer and just change locations when the seasons change. There is no one answer. We don’t have a consistent answer for this question.
Currently we are staying a week in most towns and plan to slow down someday…. but there is just too much to see in the world so we haven’t been able to actually do it yet. :>)
How far in advance do you book your travel? This is a fun question that often gets asked in our facebook groups. Some people don’t even plan, and won’t book their next place until they get tired of their current location. I am jealous of their freedom and flexibility, but they often don’t get the best deals for housing or transportation costs. Other people will book their next 1-3 months of housing and transportation. Some have plans out a year or more. Booking way ahead provides more options for housing and transportation and will often be cheaper but sometimes there are some great deals in last minute travel. It all depends on if you value freedom or security in knowing you have a plan. We really have many different views on this in our nomad community.
I am a planner and crave a long term schedule for security as well as finding good airfare and Airbnb deals. I book cross-ocean flights 8-11 months in advance so I can hopefully use airline points. I book Airbnb’s and hotels 4-8 months in advance. Short flights are 3-6 months in advance. Train and buses are usually purchased a week before. My wife would like a little more short term flexibility so I often make compromises if I know a location does not have much scarcity. But it can be a source of conflict in our partnership.
How much baggage do you travel with? Flying with just carry-ons is means no lost baggage and no waiting at the baggage claim. Walking to your accommodation with just a backpack or small rolly bag also makes travel day a bit easier. Trains, boats and buses are also easier with small bags. But to live out of a carry on for multiple months can be difficult, especially when you are visiting countries with very different climates. Many airlines are now charging for bags heavier than 10kg (and 7kg in some cases) so it is becoming even more difficult. I think nomads are also very split on this issue. Some of us are still checking the big bags while some of us are carry-on only.
Personally, we have carry on rolly bags that are just over the 10kg limit and we haven’t been caught yet.
What is your favorite destination? Don’t even ask us this question. We love most places. If we found the best place we might stop traveling. My best answer is “The place we are going to next“. I wrote a blogpost a while ago about my fear of this question. And I wrote another one last month giving some out of the way places that we really loved.
When are you going to stop traveling? I don’t think most of us know the answer to this. We love what we are doing and want to keep doing it. But that isn’t realistic…. at some point most of us will start to slow down. Our bodies getting old or sick might stop us. Sick parents or family members to take care of might become our priority. We might run out of money. We could get bored or tired of the on-the-go lifestyle but I actually can’t see that happening to us right now. Traveling can be exhausting, and is more difficult the older you get. A lot of people tend to find a few places they really like and spend extended time there. Some of us will choose a favorite country and become a mostly sedentary expat. Or we could move back home to be closer to family. But when is that??? who knows???
What do you do all day? All retired people get asked this question and there are so many answers especially for nomads. I have enough for a future blog post- so stay tuned!
How can I learn more? Read books, Read blogs, Read my post trying to define a retire nomad, or join our Facebook groups (Senior Nomads, Go With Less, Nomad Life (Eat Walk Learn), Full Time Travelers and Nomads and our new one- Nomadic Cooking,
Excellent, our own answers are all over the place.
How much time per week do you spend planning (what to see, how to get there, next destination/reservations, etc)? Seems like you would need to set aside some time on a regular basis to figure all these things out.
Happy trails!
Thanks. I spend a couple of hours a day but it is kind of a hobby for me. I will write about that next in what do we do all day. Some people don’t plan at all.