Tips for Traveling Long Term

Taking an extended road trip, leaving the country or just getting away for longer than a month or two? Sounds great until the practical implications of how to manage your life outside your travels kick in. Here are some tips for the important things:

Get an address

Living by the seat of your pants? No problem! Make sure you rent a P.O. Box or even a UPS mailbox so you can always have a physical address. You can get important documents sent to a UPS mailbox, then utilize their mail forwarding system to receive your mail.

Sign up for online banking (if you haven’t already)

There are innumerable reasons to sign up and utilize online banking, the best of which is that you can manage your finances from anywhere in the world. Sign up with a bank that offers remote deposits from your phone and is willing to link other accounts, bill pays and recurring payments so you don’t have to worry. Just make sure to notify your bank if you leave the country, so they don’t put a hold on your funds for fraud purposes.

Keep a phone number

As tempting as it is to totally unplug from the world and take off, keeping at least a generic cell phone with a handful of useful numbers and contacts will come in handy when you least expect it. You never know when you might need a ride from the airport, a couch to crash on or a buddy to hit the bars with.

Carry a small address book

There’s nothing your loved ones back home look forward to more than hearing from you! Make sure you keep important addresses so you can send postcards and small gifts back to the people who will be there for you when your trip has ended.