Post: #1

When I started traveling internationally, I gave away or sold my property, car, and house. Every time I return to the USA, though, I miss all my stuff. I don't have any friends or family who would keep my property when I am overseas. I suppose I could rent a storage locker, but I am afraid that if I have a one year lease and stay overseas for 14 months, I will lose everything. I hate buying and selling a car every time I come to back to America. The US is not too convenient without car. I am also wondering how do people get US mail when they travel abroad. Do you rent a mailbox at the post office? What do you do with your stuff when you travel?

Post: #2

Friends and family for me. Surely you can find one friend who'd be keen on having a free car, flat-screen or whatever it is you need stored for a year! Also Ive had friends who have bought an old shipping container and arranged deals with local businesses with big grounds (like factories) to leave it stored there for a period of time.

Post: #3

If you have somebody who can check your mail for you, I'd recommend a service like what the UPS store has. It's like a PO Box but they can sign for packages and certified mail too.

If you don't have somebody, there are services that you can forward your mail to and they will scan and email you your snail mail.

As for renting storage, I dont really think that's an issue. If you end up staying longer, call them on skype and make a credit card payment on the phone.

If you haven't already, read Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Workweek for more tips.

Post: #4

Just read your other post, didn't realise you were 50. I understand what you mean now, it'd be considerably more difficult to offload a lifetime of possessions to other friends or family that too have a lifetime of possessions. Im only in my mid 20s so finding friends who wanted my car, and better appliances etc for a year for example was no problem.

Post: #5

Your post sounds suspicious for several reasons:

1. A person can't just sell or give away EVERYTHING they have. One has mementos, pictures, gifts people have given you, documents, etc. that one needs whether you're in the US or abroad. I don't believe that you haven't had to put some stuff into storage. I know this. I've been traveling for the past 10 months and have had to put stuff in storage AFTER selling everything I could on eBay and Amazon, selling my car, lending my furniture, giving away loads of stuff and throwing away more loads of stuff.

2. Even if you haven't put stuff into storage, I don't believe you haven't even looked into it, especially since you make it sound like this has been seriously on your mind for the years that you've been traveling. It's as easy as opening the yellow pages. Storage companies are fairly easy to deal with. I have a month to month lease with auto pay via my credit card. If the storage company has a year lease, they can email you the lease doc, you print it out, sign it and mail it back.

Post: #6

I rented my house to a friend and stored the few boxes I had left in the attic, sold my car my other worldly possessions, now when I go back to the US I stay with friends. Honestly it was the most freeing thing I have done in a long time.

I do sort of miss have "my own place" to go back to, so my plan was to buy an RV, you can get a nice one very cheap, and have that as a place to crash when I get back, barring that.... the container idea is a great one, only down side is humidity, cold, heat could ruin your shit, depending on where you are. Also if you are 50, you cant tell me you dont have friends or family that can store a few boxes of your important stuff, or keep a car for you and start it here and there.