in

Travel: 7 questions to ask yourself before embarking on a trip

Credit: Pexels.com

When you are moving abroad it is not the same are going on holiday.  There are some things that you should prepare for in advance depending on how long you stay and what country you have chosen.  You should solidify you desire to travel by asking yourself some crucial questions.

You can easily get the travel bug.  Who hasn’t had this urge at some point in their life?  However sometimes life situations can prevent us from our desire to travel.  Perhaps you are at the start of a  new relationship, job or a property investment.  Not everyone has the luxury to quit everything to travel the world!  However you can find a balance between your desire for adventure and your comfortable routine.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself so that you can see things more clearly.

1/ What is the aim of your trip?

Do you want a change of scene as you are fed up of your routine, colleagues or your country’s climate? Be careful, daily frustrations are not a reason to drop everything.  Remember that travel (whether alone or accompanied) involves asking some questions so you are sure you are making the right choice. If you want to learn a language without necessarily leaving everything to live abroad, many alternatives exist such as a linguistic internships for a few weeks or volunteering for a month in the summer.  In fact your desire to travel can be realized even though a more lively professional routine!  Now you will no longer be frustrated!

envie de voyager
Credits : Pexels

2/ How long would you like to stay abroad?

Is your desire to travel more than a teenage dream and in fact you’d like to settle in a foreign country for good?  If this is the case then you need to do more than work in a Woofing farm for a month pruning vegetables and looking after livestock.  Find out more information about getting an internship abroad or if there are opportunities to work abroad in your sector.  It is better that you can fund your rent by having some form of remuneration.

3/ Is your paperwork up-to-date?

Obtaining a visa is not always as easy as it might seem and you need to make sure you leave enough time before your trip in case of any hiccups. Here is a list of the countries that require a visa to travel or that you can visit freely with no problems.  It is also a good idea to check that your passport is up to date as well before buying your flights.

4/ What are your future plans?

If you see yourself staying only a year in an unknown territory, this temporary travel experience will fly by! Make sure that you don’t lose sight of your friends or business contacts if you want to make your return back to be easier.  If you are considering a sabbatical year make sure that you still have a place in the business when you get back.

5/ What are your main worries or fears?

As impatient as you are to fly across the Atlantic you will still have a few niggling worries at the back of your head.  Don’t worry, this is of course very normal and rather reassuring.  A language barrier, fear of loneliness or difficulties in finding a job when you arrive are all natural fears to have.  Luckily there is no problem that can’t be solved.  Those of you that are worried about the language barrier you could perhaps speak with a native speaker before leaving.  Start your job researches in advance and ask around if anyone knows more about the working environment in the country. As you’ll start to discover, the world is very small and you might discover that you have a distant cousin staying in America not far from the town you are flying into.  Social networks can also really help you out.

envie de voyage
Credits : TheDigitalWay/Pixabay

6/ Do you have the necessary finances to fund the trip?

If you are leaving to live abroad to work and you have already found your dream job the financial aspect won’t be a problem.  However finding a decent apartment is another story.  If your travel plans are a road trip style without a definitive end date, you should make sure you have an idea of how far your finances can take you so you don’t spend more than your means.

7/ Have you found somewhere to stay?

When you think about travel the world with a backpack, accommodation is more easily accessible than if you are going to work in an urban capital.  Have you already found a job?  Well done!  All you need to do is find a place to stay.  Try and have a few possibilities before arriving so that you can avoid staying with people you don’t know or forking out a lot of money on expensive hotels until you find yourself an apartment.

envie de voyage
Credits photos : Pexels.com

Related article:

Plane travel: 18 travelers that aren’t embarrassed to annoy others

15 safest countries in the world for worry free travel!

15 incredible travel and adventure tattoos