Leaving the States: A Look at Long Term Travel
Europe
I’ve always loved to travel. I’ve been traveling since I was a baby, but in the last three years I’ve been spending most of my time outside of the United States and it’s not as expensive as you might think, it’s not as scary, and it’s not out of reach.
That’s not to say that I don’t recognize the incredible privilege that it is to be able to move around Europe and I’m here to help you get out there too.
Schengen Area | Adobe Stock Image
How does Europe work?
Europe is divided into two regions, the Schengen region and the countries that are not in it. The Schengen region comprises of most of the countries you think of when you think of Europe: Italy, France, Germany and the like. You are only allowed to be in the Schengen region for 90 days and then must not return to this area for 180 days after the fact. Luckily, you can stay in the countries outside of the Schengen region (Ireland, Cyprus, Turkey) for 90 days, and the UK (England, wales, Scotland) for 180 days (6 months), at which point you’re free to return to the Schengen region. Marking over a year of travel. But how does one afford this?
Worldpackers Website
Secrets the US doesn’t want you to know
Traveling abroad is a lot cheaper than it’s made out to be. I’ve frequently booked flights for less than €20 within Europe, buses are cheaper still and food can be quite doable if you’re on a budget. Plus there are so many programs that allow for people to volunteer in exchange for free accommodation and sometimes free food. Sites like worldpackers and workaway allow you to find tons of volunteer opportunities in everything from hostel work and party promoting, to teaching and social media. AuPairWorld allows you to find jobs in childcare, sometimes even paid, and Wwoofing allows you to volunteer on farms. While this won’t make your travel free and you will still have to pay to get to your chosen destination, this significantly reduces your travel costs.
Most of the volunteer experiences I’ve done have been with other volunteers and I’ve made friends that I’m still in contact with. They help you get better acquainted with the local community, and allow you to see the places in a deeper and more complete way. They’re also super fulfilling and usually a lot of fun, with only up to 25 hours of work a week.
My Volunteer Experiences 2022
My first volunteer experience, I worked at a dog hostel outside of Barcelona with 8 other women taking care of 20-30 dogs. We did family meals, practiced full moon magic and meditation and had 3 days off a week to go into Barcelona and party or explore. It’s one of my favorite travel experiences to date. My second experience was in Ireland, and it has completely reshaped my life.
Traveling solo
Most of my travels I’ve done alone, as a 5ft tall, brown girl. That being said I’ve rarely if ever felt unsafe. In fact I’ve felt safer outside of the states then I ever did in them. The intense stress that leaves your body when you’re not under the constant alertness of a possible shooting, knowing that guns are not around, should be studied. Seeing the mess that is the US political scene from a distance is both heartbreaking and comforting. I feel a peace that I was not able to have when I was in Texas.
I’ve walked the streets of Berlin alone at 3 am and had no one bat an eye and I did not feel scared. This is not to say that you shouldn’t be careful. You should still not go into places where you don’t feel safe and pickpocketing can be a problem, but the dangers do feel lessened here.
Italy
Your health
At this point it feels slightly cliché to say, but you will feel so much healthier if you leave the states. I’m sure it’s a mix of the walkability of the cities, (traveling I’ve never done less than 10,000 steps a day when exploring a new city), but the amount of bloat that leaves your body, the way allergies are lessened…
You could eat as much pasta in Florence as you like and you don’t feel the heavy body fatigue of the USA. Bread is so much better, both in taste and nutritional content. Street food is often cheaper and healthier than the things we’re used to from fast food restaurants. Most restaurants are independently owned and have locally sourced ingredients without a premium.
I noticed a change in my overall health about a month into my travels and it has not diminished. My seasonal allergies are a thing of the past, with the very rare occasional flare up. I’m overall more active and have better, cheaper, food options.
Nice France, 2022
You’re not alone
While starting off might be a bit daunting, if traveling is something you’ve wanted to do, I can not encourage you enough. Move back home, work a shitty job and save some money but get yourself there and I promise it is possible.
When I told friends and family back home that I wanted to travel for a long period of time, maybe years, they thought I was crazy. I felt like I was alone in this path and no one around me knew how to help. Once I arrived in Paris and met other travelers, I found that most people had been traveling for months if not years and they always had tips and suggestions on how to keep going. So many of my friends here have done years of traveling in Australia, Thailand, and South Africa. You’re not alone.
The travel community is vast and it is full of solo female travelers. I was never alone unless I wanted to be and people are so open to forming friendships it’s really far more welcoming than I had ever expected.
If you want to learn more about my travel experiences or learn more about travel in general, check out my Patreon or follow me on instagram.
