Post: #1

I tried to search but didn't come up with anything. Maybe my search skills just suck.

Anyway, if there's already a thread out there that someone could point me to, please do, if not, then my question is for those who are traveling perpetually and living on an online income.

My question is, how do you move around every couple of months and get everything you need for a comfortable lifestyle?

Living in hotels and eating in restaurants all the time would cost too much, so that leaves renting furnished apartments. But how do you live out of a suitcase forever? And what do you do for the first few days until you can find the apartment? Even just a few days in a hotel would put a big dent in your savings, no?

How do you manage to have a real wardrobe that consists of more than three t-shirts and two pairs of jeans? That's fine for a one week vacation somewhere, but if you're going place to place around the world, you want to have enough clothes that you're not always wearing the same thing. Three or four pairs of shoes. A couple of suits. Enough socks, underwear, some ties, a couple of belts, a dozen shirts, a couple of jackets, a winter coat if it's cold where you plan to go, etc. etc.

I just keep thinking that I would need three or four large suitcases with me at all times if I don't want to LOOK like I'm always traveling. Am I way off base and overestimating? Can you be comfortable and avoid looking like a bum with only one or two suitcases full?

And say you go somewhere really hot. You need to buy a fan. What do you do? Buy one and throw it away a month later when you move on? Sounds like it could get expensive if you keep throwing out stuff you need to buy and can't bring it with you. Don't buy one at all and suffer with the sweat? What about things like dish soap, detergent, toilet paper, kleenex, cling wrap and all that other stuff that we all use on a day-to-day basis but don't want to drag around everywhere? You go out and spend $100 or $200 to stock your place with all this and then just leave whatever's left behind when you leave two weeks (or two months) later?

Do you pack up a couple big boxes and ship them ahead of time to the next destination?

I'm having trouble picturing how you do all this so that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg and at the same time so that you're not living a terrible existence.

How are you guys all doing it? Any advice from experience?

Post: #2

Where are you from, where have you traveled in the past, and where do you plan on going? I can give you better info if I know more.

Get a hostel for the first few days while you scope out longer term rentals.

You need less stuff than you think. Dry fit clothes that can be washed in sinks. All you need for grooming is soap, baking soda, toothbrush, floss, and nail clippers. Use a good all natural soap which will also work for shaving cream. Use baking soda for shampoo and deodorant. This is also cheaper and healthier than all that chemical stuff.

http://www.tropicalmba.com/how-to-pack-t...the-world/

The cedonulli blog had a couple good posts on packing light but you will have to download the archive and find them /thread-26043.html

Post: #3

It depends how long you plan on staying in a place but anything closer to a year avoid furnished apartments. In my experience you can get an unfurnished apartment and bare bones furnish it for little more than 1k then just sell the furniture before you leave or make a deal with the landlord for them to buy it(ive done both in the past). I would recommend buying your electronics (tv/dvd player,fridge, microwave) and even furniture outside of the bed second hand through pawn shops/consignment shops/newspaper adds in the city you are at.

As for personal belongings as a guy you really dont need that much shit to be comfortable in my opinion. I also throw away shit I am not using every 6 months or so but I have been keeping my posessions down to 2 suitcases for the past 3 years.

Basically here is what I own

I have 8 long leave shirts
4 tshirts
swimsuit
7 boxers
10 pairs of socks
fleece
waterproof jacket
hat/gloves
3 jeans
1 dress pant
dress shoes 2 pair
hiking shoes
sandals
towel(2)
electronics
cell phone
universal adapter
small camera
small laptop

other small personal shit like
sunglasses
flashlight(small)
tolietries etc

For kitchen gear just buy that new but that shouldnt set you back more than a hundred dollars to get pots/pans/blender etc

If you are going to travel much more frequently like every couple months you will pay a premium for furnished apartments and you might find it more economical to just rent a room in one of those places with a local or fellow expat and if you go that route your only cost would likely be buying a bed for your room if that.

Good luck

Post: #4

(08-12-2013 01:54 PM)ImmoralPsychology Wrote:  What about things like dish soap, detergent, toilet paper, kleenex, cling wrap and all that other stuff that we all use on a day-to-day basis but don't want to drag around everywhere? You go out and spend $100 or $200 to stock your place with all this and then just leave whatever's left behind when you leave two weeks (or two months) later?

All that shit you bring up is not expensive, maybe 30 bucks for all that crap which you could just leave once you move on.

30-50 bucks will get you a nice new fan, which you could just resell for half that price to a pawn shop before you leave or even just sell it on the street in one of the outdoor markets.

Also, if it is uneconomical to travel every month or so just stay longer in a city/country. You probably will eventually want that as you will want to create relationships/friendships or want to take the time to learn the local language.

Post: #5

Here's why it works: Pick the right country and everything is cheaper, so even with the extra costs attached to short-term stays, it works out the same or cheaper than living at home for the same period.

It's not difficult to make it work, it just takes some adapting. The sum total of temporary stuff I bought and ditched after a few months in Asia probably came to not more than $100. Hardly breaking the bank.

In terms of living out of a suitcase, well, how much stuff do you really need? IMO, your requirements sound like a lot... it might seem like you need all that, but I bet you'd find you can function well with a lot less. You can easily bring 2 weeks' worth of clothes in one big bag before you need to do some washing. Do you really need more than that? Bringing more just for the sake of not being seen wearing the same thing twice in a given month...well... to me that's just not priority. I'm there for adventure and new experiences, and 2 weeks' worth of clothes is plenty.

The cost of the extras you buy and dump - fans, cutlery, ironing boards, whatever - is usually more than offset by the overall cheapness of the place if you're adventuring somewhere exotic like asia, south america, eastern europe, etc. (Btw, a fan costs $10-20. And all that other stuff you mentioned like toiletries and supplies will need to be bought multiple times over two months anyway. It's not even an issue.)

Even short-let furnished apartments in SE Asia were cheaper than a room in a shared house in the town I'm living in in my home country now. It's very possible to travel more cheaply, even including flights and temp hotels at the start, than the cost of living in a 1st-world country for the same period.

That said, the longer you can commit to a place, the more momentum you can build, the better deals you get and the more you can amortise the cost of temporary items over the duration of your stay.

I've recently settled back down at home for the long-term and there are definite efficiencies in doing so. You build momentum and put down roots, but even so, it's still working out no cheaper than life on the road.