I read a review recently of my book, The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, that wasn’t exactly favorable. Though she was nice about it, Anastasia over at the Bird Brain(ed) Book Blog, suggested that I didn’t address long term travel enough and instead concentrated on travel for business types and their ability to travel for just weeks at a time.
What stood out to me was that she was craving more information about long term travel. You know, those round-the-world trips that seem to be so trendy now that people have found themselves out of work, unable to find a job after college or simply looking for more meaning other than their 12-hour a day job in the tech world.
Anastasia was absolutely right. I didn’t touch on this type of travel much because when I wrote the first edition of this book 4+ years ago, there was little mainstream talk about long-term travel. My year-long trip in 1992 was an anomaly at the time to most Americans and Canadians (for which my book was primarily written). But I’m ecstatic to now hear about so many people, including WanderMom, that are in the middle of, just returning from or are working on details for long term travel, whether it’s a month, several months or a year away.
While Rolf Potts has done a great job for years at inspiring people to plan for long-term travel (from 6 weeks to 2 years), a few years ago I wouldn’t have said this was a big trend in travel. As a matter of fact, I can’t even find any statistics on this “trend” which makes me think it’s so not a trend as to be pre-trendy. (Anybody have stats on whether people are actually traveling for longer periods of time?)
Anecdotally, I can say that I’ve never heard so many people talk about long-term travel as I have since the economic downturn. Not to pick on her, but Anastasia, at 21, might be a little young to know that this is a recent phenomenon. And the fact that young people think this is the norm and that all travel guides should address this topic is a good sign that the world of travel is changing.
I recently met Warren and Betsy at a Seattle travel event. They launched Married with Luggage to share information and stories about their planned four-years of travel. They’ve sold their home and most everything in it. Early in their planning phase, they discovered that it’s actually cheaper to travel for an extended period of time rather than a short time because of the cost of flights and other modes of expensive transportation involved when you’re in a hurry. You know the adage, you either have time or money. While most of us travel with more money than time, Warren and Betsy have turned that on its head and decided to spend more time and less money.
But they aren’t the only ones…
Just in my circle (which admittedly might be unique), many people are taking off on a vagabonding trip. My friend, Dave, just returned from a bicycle trip from Seattle to the tip of South America. He upped and quit his tech job, sold his house and jumped on the bike. WanderMom is leaving at the end of the summer with her family on a worldwide tour with her husband and 2 young boys. Then there’s Gary at Everything Everywhere and NomadicMatt who are on seemingly non-ending journeys. And Johnny Jet, who by all appearances has a home but is always on the road.
What are your travel plans and have they changed in the last few years?
Travel Well!
Beth
Related links:
Unsafe Travels in Uncertain Times
What Constitutes a Dangerous Destination?
Getting Over Reverse Culture Shock
A Monk Walks onto a Plane
American Travel Ethos
Photo credit: Globe by Horia Varlan
Meg Noble Peterson says
Hi, Beth, traveling for long periods of time is right up my alley as you know. My first trip through 14 countries and three continents was in 1987 and the subject of my book, Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy? An Intimate Journey Through Africa and Asia. Since then I’ve done one in 1996 and extended journeys every two years since. I always backpack and get my reservations as I go along. I meet numerous people of all ages who are doing exactly the same thing and I write about it. My speech, Traveling Off the Beaten Track, always elicits enthusiastic questions and in several cases has led people to do exactly what you described in your blog…take off as a couple or with children for a year’s sojourn into the unknown. I don’t think we realize how many older people are doing exactly this and now, with the economic downturn, people are taking this opportunity to see parts of the world and cultures they were formerly too “busy” to explore.
Looking forward to your long-term travel book! Meg
WanderMom says
Hey! I’m thrilled to be mentioned in this post ๐
I haven’t done any research into rtw/long-term travel in the U.S., but I can say that taking a “gap year” between high school + college has long been a popular thing to do in the British Isles: http://www.planetgapyear.com/gap-year-def.
Lauren says
I think you hit the nail on the head about the age thing – I’m 25, and traveling for long periods of time doesn’t seem abnormal or unusual at all among my group of friends. That said, people have been backpacking through Europe and Asia since the 60s, haven’t they? The hippies started it, so my generation definitely can’t take all the credit. Living abroad for my age group seems like the thing to do also, whether it’s teaching english in Japan or Korea, or living with British boyfriends, or volunteering in Mongolia or South Africa. I’m the under-achiever of the bunch.
Marian says
I am an American in Australia and the traveling RTW fares are extremely popular here-with the Youngys (after HS) and before work-the infamous Gap Year. I have decided to take my Gap Year this year and am planning a RTW trip as we speak!!! Can’t wait! But would love to hear how others have made this type of trip work! Very exciting!
Beth says
Yes – popular in other parts of the world but it hasn’t quite caught on here – eh? I know that Rita Golden Gelman is working on a website/program to encourage young people from the US to participate in gap years. Here’s her site:
http://letsgetglobal.org/
jessiev says
you’re so right, this seems to be a big trend now, but before, NO ONE did it! it doesn’t work for me, in that way. we’re working on being home for 4-5 months and then going and living somewhere overseas the rest of the year, in one place. with my disabilities and a kid, it’s a much easier model to envision. great article!
Mary Jo says
While I think long term travel is a recent trend, I think that trend is only for a very small percentage of the population.
It’s easy to think that the trend is larger than it is when we talk with travel writers, bloggers, and people close to the industry. But trends are measured against the larger population, and I think if you walk down any street in the US, you’ll find that the overwhelming percentage of the population is not looking at embarking on long term travel.
This doesn’t speak to whether it’s a good thing to choose long term travel (for some it is, for others it isn’t), just that I think we need to be cautious in how we view it as a trend in the big travel picture.
AirTreks Nico says
Judging by the sort of business our company does I’d say that yes, long term and extended travel or like people call it “nomadic” travel, is a growing trend, more popular than ever. Even over the course of the recession last year people were still looking to get away on the road for long periods of time.
The more assessable the world gets and the more we can stay connected no matter where we are makes it a smaller and smaller leap for everyone. I’m guessing that the trend continues.
Thanks for the post!
J. says
My husband is about to embark on some business travel. It will take him around the world over the next several months to a year. Our children are young (almost) 4 and 2. We’ve begun to consider me and the kids following him. Or at the very least flying out to meet him at a destination that he will be at for say a month or so.
My concern is my 4 yo. He should be starting preschool this Sept. What to do? Do I start him and then take him out for travel? Do I forgo preschool altogether. Here in Los Angeles, where parenting is a blood sport, the idea of not putting your kid through preschool is akin to child abuse. So I’m interested to hear from other parents who have taken their children on travel that lasts more that just a week or so.
I will also check out your link to WanderMom.
I’ve only just come across your blog and I’m glad I did.
J.
Nico says
As a former statistician, I’m quite interested in this question of travel trends (are more, however you define that, people engaging in, however you define that, long-term travel, however you define that?).
Here is a thought.
I know a woman who doesn’t have a computer, who doesn’t give a sh*t about Facebook or social networking, and who would laugh at the self-referential world of “travel blogging.” This woman has been here and there, always on the move, following her spirit of adventure for a full 8 of her 26 years.
There has always been, and always will be, people like her. Wandering bards, pilgrims, nomadic laborers, I mean, heck, The Canterbury Tales is from the point of view of a bunch of vagabonds!
I think the difference now is that everyone and their mother has a blog and wants the entire world to know about their trip. Ironic, eh, since so many of us go to the same places and do the same things. I’m quite guilty of this, and every time I meet a person like this woman, and she starts telling me about Bulgaria and Cuba, I have a moment when I remember that some people just got that wanderin’ spirit and don’t give a stinking rat’s tail about “travel trends” and “blog success.”
I guess what I’m saying, from my completely subjective point of view, is that the same amount of long-term travel is taking place: not much. We all feel like we know so many people who are on the road, but is that because there are more people who are actually on the road, or because it’s easier to find the people who are, easier to get to know them from the personal information they share, and before you know it, your internet best friends are all traveling, so, well, it’s gotta be a trend?
I don’t know. Show me the numbers, and I’ll make a conclusion. ๐