The to-do's of extended traveling

• Make a decision to leave (the hardest part!!!)
• ​Quit your job (or for shorter travel, request time off)
• Make sure your finances are in order - generally $18,000 is the magic number to have saved for 1 years worth of travel.. 
• Move out or sublet your living space (If you keep your housing, look into house swaping in a foreign country)
• Travel in the off season to offset rediculous mark ups
• For extended travel without a time restraint you don't need an itinerary.. create a list of destinations you'd like to visit & a possible route.. if you plan every minute it doesn't allow for random adventures! 
• Make sure your taxes are in order or ask for an extention
• Sell your belongings (donate what you can!) - or put items with sentimental value into storage
• Complete research on cost of products for wherever you are traveling - don't be fooled into paying tripple the average price because you're a tourist!​

• Will your passport valid for 6 months past your return date? If not, you need a renewal! 
• Order a decent amount of foriegn currency through your bank a few weeks ahead of take off.
• Check with your bank! Are they going to charge you monthly if you no longer have direct deposite? Do you need to maintain a certain amount of $$ in an account? Will they charge you up the ying yang on foreign transaction fees? The answer is probably yes to all of the above, so avoid it all & go check out Charles Schwab (they don't do any of the above!)
• Do you know the basic words of whichever language is spoken? If not, print out a list and keep it with you during your travels.
• Have you put any time into what you're doing with your phone? For extended travel ditch your current cell carrier and purchase a phone abroad for cheap in case of emergecies or ditch it all together & just connect to wifi when available!
• Check in with your primary doctor, speak with the travel nurse & if you're on medication.. make sure you have enough!​