Hola from Bolivia!
It’s Day 44 of my 2-year (or more) backpacking trip in South America, and I’m writing this now in Sucre, the so-called “white city” of Bolivia famous for its relaxed atmosphere, historic buildings, and nearby prehistoric sites (it has one of the largest collections of dinosaur footprints in the world!).
As much as I would love to leave this heater-less kitchen (it’s 12 deg C!) for my warm and comfortable room upstairs, I feel compelled to update my blog. After all, I’ve spent over a month in Brazil, and I have no post yet to show for it!
In any case, I want to address first one of the most common questions asked of me by my readers: how did I prepare for long-term travel in South America (and onward)?
At the Selaron Steps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Traveling long-term for other nationalities doesn’t seem to be a big deal. They work a few months to save up, then leave for a year or so. It’s called a gap year, a sabbatical, or an overseas experience. It’s not so hard for them to do given the relative power of their currencies.
For us, Filipinos, however, it can be a bit more complicated. Earning in pesos means we have to work much harder if we decide to embark on a long-term travel overseas. In planning for this trip, therefore, financial consideration takes precedence above all.
Unless you’re a millionaire, you have to consider your financial health before traveling long-term. Sure, you can stay for free in Couchsurfing, and work in hostels or organic farms in exchange for food and accommodation, but remember, you still have to pay for your transportation and other expenses.
I also don’t want to feel like a beggar when I’m traveling. I’m on a budget, yes, but I want to be able to pay for a bed if and when I want to. (That’s called freedom, yes?)
Build your savings.
To fund my travels, then, I saved up. I set up separate bank accounts for my daily needs and my travel fund, and put in most of my monthly salary to my second bank account. I was never much into gadgets, so my phone and laptop were never unnecessarily expensive. I also didn’t go out much, and shopping just for the sake of it was not in my vocabulary.
Most importantly, however, I learned skills I can use on the road. I found work online as a writer and editor/proofreader and even worked as a virtual assistant. My savings can always be depleted, but as long as I have skills I can make money from, I will never run out of money while traveling.
At the Monastery in Petra, Jordan.
What can you do if writing and editing are not part of your skillset? Plenty. You can be a virtual assistant, for example. Being a VA means helping clients with whatever they need, and oftentimes, those are not that complicated. They might ask you to email people (brush up on your English skills!), lay out a blog post (learn how to blog in WordPress, it’s free), schedule social media posts (you’re already on Facebook, so read up on other social networks), and a number of other things.
You can also sign up at Code Academy (it’s free), and learn some languages. If you’re a yoga teacher, you can make a living as a traveling yogi as well. Have you worked at a call center? Well, plenty of job posts at UpWork (formerly known as oDesk) are looking for call center agents. You can also teach English online.
Bottomline: Your finances are a major consideration in planning your long-term travel. Save up now and learn some skills you can use on the road. There are a lot of options if you’re really serious about doing this in the future.
Another frustration for us Filipinos is our need to apply for visas. The hundreds of comments from readers in my post How to Apply for a Schengen Visa in Manila shows how difficult it is for us to go to Europe and the U.S.
The good thing is that we can have a visa on arrival or even visa-free in 62 countries and territories. Sure, it’s not as much as a European or an American, but it’s a start. It’s mostly in Southeast Asia and South America, which is why I’m here now.
Philippine Passport
Here’s how I prepared for it (i.e., making it easy for me to get my visa applications approved): I started traveling abroad in 2008, accumulating stamps in my passport to show that I have a history of traveling without overstaying in countries I’m visiting.
Because of my travel history, the immigration officers in the Philippines don’t ask me questions whenever I travel abroad. I also now have a U.S. visa that allows me more countries to visit without needing to apply for visas in advance, e.g., Mexico and other countries in Central America.
Bottomline: If you want to travel long-term someday, start traveling overseas now to establish your travel history. Bangkok is good for solo travelers, but you can easily go to Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam as well. Wait for airline seat sales and stay in hostels, and you’ll see that you won’t need much for a few days in a foreign country. Read my tips for traveling on a budget.
What do you do with your things if you push through with your plan for long-term travel?
I have a house, with hundreds of books and clothes and other knickknacks collected for years. I also have two much-beloved cats. What did I do with them?
My babies Kabs (left) and Jumper.
First, I found myself a housesitter. She stays for free in my house, in exchange for paying the utilities and taking care of my cats. I paid my mortgage a year in advance, and I will ask my family to take care of paying for it after one year (sending money is so easy nowadays).
Then I sold some of my things and gave others away. Long-term travel requires a light load, physically and emotionally. By making sure someone is taking care of my cats and my house, and there are no material things I am attached to back in the Philippines, I can push through with my trip with a light heart.
Bottomline: Leaving my pets was one of the hardest thing I had to do when I left for South America. If you’re planning to be away for years, avoid getting attached to pets and material things, unless of course you have someone you can leave them with.
Here are some things you should pay attention to before you leave.
Cash, credit cards, or debit cards? Bring all. You don’t want to arrive at a new country and find that your debit card isn’t working. I brought with me $1,000 in cash, plus three credit cards (just in case), one debit card (dollars savings), and one debit card (peso savings). At the moment, I have just exchanged $200 when the ATMs in the border of Bolivia and Brazil wouldn’t accept my debit card. Elsewhere, I just withdrew money.
Important: Inform your bank about your travel plans before leaving! BDO disabled my card when I withdrew money in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, suspecting fraud. It’s a good thing they can easily be contacted, so the matter was cleared up in hours.
Immunization. Some countries require you to get certain immunizations. I have my yellow fever card, and I’ve also been immunized against Hepatitis B. Do your research beforehand as to what kind of immunizations your destination country requires to avoid problems at the immigration.
My yellow fever card.
Visit your doctor and dentist. This is one thing I forgot to do. Make sure to have a general check-up before you leave, and schedule an appointment with your dentist for cleaning and any dental filling that needs to be done. Bolivia is cheap, yes, but in terms of dental cleaning, the price is twice than what I usually pay in the Philippines.
Back up your documents. Take a picture (or scan) your passport, visa pages, immunization records, travel insurance, bank details (credit cards and debit card numbers), and other important documents and send them to yourself. You never know when you need them. Make sure though that the email address you’re sending them to is secure; use a strong password and change it regularly.
I have an external hard drive to store my photos and files, and I also backed up all of them in another external hard disk that I left with a trusted friend in the Philippines.
Travel insurance. A lot of travelers I know don’t have travel insurance. This can be a major mistake! Imagine if you’re boating in the Amazon River and something happens to you? Who would shoulder your immediate hospital expenses that can cost thousands of dollars?
And what if, God forbid, you pass away on the road? Repatriating your body can be very expensive, believe me. A travel insurance will make sure everything’s taken care of for you, if something happens. I use World Nomads, but it’s so expensive that I have to look for something else soon.
See you on the road soon?
Long-term travel is not for everybody, but if it’s something you dream of doing, prepare for it now. I never thought I could do it, but here I am. I’m not rich but I made this dream possible. You can, too, if you set your mind to it!
See you on the road!
Do you dream of traveling long-term? What stops you from doing it now? Share your answer in the comments section below.
27 Comments. Leave new
This is really helpful. Thanks for these reminders Aleah. I totally forgot about the Travel Insurance. I normally don’t get one but with where I’m going, I don’t want to risk it. hehe.
Nice stories, and the advice you give ( brng cash, money, save on room and board, ) etc is SOOOOOOOOO true. Many people have also asked me ” how much” do you make to travel so much, or ” You must be rich” to travel so much. To say that they are shocked when i tell them im not rich or oyu dont have to be to travel the world, that its aalllll about SMART planning and, at times, even negotiating certain things, and of course, learn how not to overspend (lol). I love Asia ( esp Taiwan) and Europe and Central America, still have yet to explore South America, but i hear its also very historical ? esp Bolivia and Peru (pyramids and ancient ruins? )
This is so timely!
I’ve been thinking a lot lately of a longer travel (will most likely start with Southeast Asia).
Right now, I’m focusing on building those skills that I can take with me on the road.
Thanks for the tips! Your blog has always been a good resource for Filipino travelers.
Looking forward to read more of your SA stories!
Good Luck in your long-term South American travel. Stay safe and share your travels with us.
I’m in my early 20s and I’ve always dreamt of travelling around the world. I’m really scared to travel alone especially that my whole family depends on me, more like a bread winner. I guess I’m too attached because its one of my responsibility as a member of the household. I also have a boyfriend of almost 8 years and though we aren’t talking about marriage yet, I believe LDR is not his thing if I’m going to leave the country. I feel like I have the strong desire to just do what I wanna do and explore as much as I want to.. But it looks like its not the right time yet.
Thank you for inspiring me. I know I’ll soon travel the world and i hope to meet you along the way.
Love, Lala
sweet read Aleah! Dropped by after you told me in instagram about this blog entry. How did you get that yelloe fever card? Bought a roundtrip Manila-KL as well for July next year but will fly from KL to China to Istanbul(30days) then finally to Brazil around October 2016. Hope to see you somewhere in South America by then.
Take Care Sweetie!
Very detailed guide … a neophyte traveler could use it and be well on their way to going on their first long term trip abroad with ease!
James: It’s not so detailed, but yeah, it can be helpful for those who are considering long-term travel.
I admire your courage to do something you’re passionate about despite all the factors you’ve mentioned above. I’ve been following your blog since eons ago, and can I just say, you’ve created a wonderful space here, it has been a great help to all sorts of travelers.
So in relation to this post, I’d like to ask a question which really interests me, how does the Immigration treated you when you’re about to leave for a long term trip such as this one? We’ve all know how IO’s can be A-holes at times, and I have experienced it myself. So I’m wondering what kind of questions/how do they interrogate long term pinoy travelers? I’m asking because I’m planning to start my big trip soon as well. Thank you in advance! 🙂
Simon: here’s the secret–don’t leave from the Philippines LOL I bought a cheap round trip ticket for Kuala Lumpur (P1,000) and then I left for Brazil from KL. Like you, I know how IOs can be and I avoided that by leaving from another city. Crazy eh?
Hi! <3 Maybe this is a weird question, but I am wondering how much money you've estimated to spend on average (per month or so) during this trip through South America. I find it hard to determine what my (minimum) budget should be. Thanks!
Hi Iya. I’m trying to keep it to below P40,000 because otherwise, I’d go broke. 😀 It’s very easy to do in cheaper countries like Bolivia, but in Brazil, I went over my budget.
Thanks so much!
oh and what does this cover actually? I assume food, hostels, buses/taxis, visiting cool places (it doesn’t cover costs of flights within the countries or smt, right)?
Hi, Aleah! This post inspires me to travel again. Been inactive since last year. Thanks for this article; it’s very moving.
We all change priorities. I’m sure you will travel again when you need to 🙂
Now I’m having doubts with traveling outside Philippines. There’s just so many things to do. Requirements. Uggh. Maybe for the mean time, I’ll spend more in the Philippines. But still, I will pursue in traveling such places you’ve already visited. Thanks for these Miss Aleah!
Better start now, with the numerous seat sales. It’s not so expensive anymore to go outside the country. Once you’ve had your first 2-3 trips abroad, no questions na usually from the Immigration officers. Usually. 😀
You’re right Ms Aleah. I noticed lot of seat sales already. I hope I can start next year. Thanks! 🙂
Nagpaplano nako ng long term trip soon pero ilang taon pa need to fix some things first and make my passport look good for those that I need a visa for haha
Don’t push it back too long. Life might happen, you know. 🙂 Kaya mo yan, especially with your skills!
I love travelling too just to unwind, to relax and visit new places but I’m not for long term travel because I miss being at home. I’m one of those people who don’t have travel insurance. 🙂
I usually don’t have insurance when I travel, too, but only in Asia. When it comes to travel in Europe and the Americas, one is really needed. Who knows, di ba? 🙂
Your post is inspirational and scary all at the same time 🙂 I myself am planning for a break from my job and taking my skills on a global travel adventure. Keep going… you are reminding me to keep the eye on the prize! – Joseph
Good luck, Joseph!
As much as the romance of traveling long term promises, I simply am not meant to be a long-term traveler. I have so much attachments (outside of the cats) that tug at me after 2 weeks away from home.
Your cats are so cute. I too have a catsitter when I go away, but I call every night to see if the litter box has been cleaned and the food bowls and water bowls refilled. I’m so anal when it comes to my kitties.
Can’t wait for even just a sneak peek of Brazil on this blog soon.
I didn’t think I would like long-term travel too, given my attachments. However, it’s Day 48 of my trip and I’m not raring to go back to the Philippines. Yet. 🙂 I have to start playing catch-up soon. I have so many stories to share about Brazil!