Where do you live?

There are an abundance of living arrangement options for the long-term traveler.  For me, long-term travel is more about what I do rather than where I sleep.  One of the downsides of long-term travel is that you never really have a home, more just like a place to stay for a while.  I have called numerous locations home for a while and my living arrangements have included a combination of the following:

Tent

Badlands National Park in South Dakota, 2005

When I first started traveling around the United States I camped at National and State Parks in a L.L. Bean 2 person dome tent.  After a couple years I upgraded to a smaller but lighter and more weather-proof North Face backpacking tent.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota, 2008

Camping is a good option for budget travellers.  There are even a few places you can camp for free.  And even if you’re not on a budget, camping at National Parks provides a completely different experience than staying at a hotel nearby.  Even if I was a millionaire, I would choose to camp at National Parks for the all-encompassing outdoor experience it provides. And then after hiking for a few days and getting all grubby, get cleaned up and pamper myself at a lodge for a night.

Car

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

There are times when I have been camping when I didn’t want to sleep in my tent so I opted for my car instead.  Like when it snows in the mountains in the middle of summer and I don’t want to deal with the cold and snow on my tent.  Or when the campgrounds are bear infested I would rather have peace of mind in a hard-sided vehicle instead of waking up at every sound of heavy footsteps.

In the past year I have experimented with occasionally sleeping at rest areas off of interstates in my car mostly because it is free and convenient. Sleeping in your car at rest areas works in a pinch and is an ultra-economic form of travel.  But sleeping your car gets old after a while.  Well, maybe unless your vehicle looks like this:

The Ultimate Road Trip Vehicle...except for gas mileage....

Hotels

Watching the Sunset over Florida from a Hotel Balcony

I don’t stay at hotels very frequently when traveling mostly because they break your budget quickly.  But if you need a place to stay for more than a night or two most hotels offer reduced weekly or monthly rates.  I stayed at a hotel for a little over a month once and the lady the front desk was super excited to give me sizable refund since after a month you become a resident and don’t have to pay hotel tax.  Also, if you travel in what is considered an off-season for the location you are visiting the staff may be willing to negotiate a reduced rate for an extended stay.

Hostels

Hostel in Boulder, Colorado

Hostels are the typical budget travelers accommodations.  Hostels are good for meeting people, but other than that I’m not a big fan of hostels.  They are typically loud, dirty, and sometimes can even cost as much as a hotel.  But staying at a hostel is a way better option than writing off your dream of traveling because it is too expensive.  And you will definitely meet some interesting people.

Employee Housing

Employee Housing at Wallops Island, Virgina

There are an abundance of seasonal jobs that offer modest housing along with modest wages in exchange for work.  You’ll live where you work and most likely work long hours, making days off a much needed getaway.  Given the choice, I would rather get a higher paying seasonal job so I can bank some money for traveling and find cheap housing on Craigslist.

Craigslist Roommates

My Craigslist Digs in Naples, Florida

Craigslist is an excellent resource for finding short and long-term housing.  Many places will rent rooms month-to-month or even week-to-week so there is no lease to worry about.  And you can get a furnished room so there is no need to cart all your possessions around while traveling.

Of course you run the risk of having a roommate horror story.  The key to having a good experience with Craigslist is knowing what you are looking for and the right questions to ask.  Ask yourself what living style you are looking for and then find someone who fits that.  Don’t get desperate and take the first place you look at if it isn’t a good match.

Family, Friends, & House/Dog Sitting

Dog Sitting in Santa Cruz, California

After traveling for extended periods it is always fun to meet up with family and friends, share a few laughs, and recharge.  Thanks to everyone who let me crash for a day or two…or a couple months.  : )

There are an abundance of housing options available for long-term travelers.  Don’t let the fear of not knowing where you are going to live get in your way if you want to give long-term travel a try.  It really is more about the journey and the adventure than where you live.

A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown. - Denis Waitley

One of the most common questions I get when I tell people that I solo road tripped the lower 48 is:

How do you plan for something like that? And why don’t you have a van?

The truth is I never planned to solo road trip the lower 48. It just happened. And that is why l lived out of a sedan and station wagon while traveling instead of a much more comfortable van.

My plan was to solo road trip the National Parks of the West and then my curiosity led me to the East coast since I had never been there. And once I had traveled about half of the United States I thought it would be cool to visit all of the lower 48 states. One thing led to the next, and eventually, to more than what I thought I was capable of — solo road tripping the lower 48.

If I had planned to solo road trip the lower 48 I would have never done it. I would still be planning.

I would be overwhelmed with all the what ifs and self-doubt since the longest I ever solo road tripped previously was one week. Too many unknowns to go along with my lack of travel experience.

Even solo road tripping just the National Parks of the West felt overwhelming before I left. I was excited yet terrified. But I went anyway.

Once I was on the road I tried to plan ahead a few times. But something would always come up to foil my plan: bad weather, car troubles, the flu, etc. Within two days my plan was usually obsolete, so I never planned ahead more than two days. I winged it.

While I didn’t have a detailed plan, I did have a general direction – a fuzzy goal.  The National Parks of the West, East coast, the South, the Southwest, and eventually to complete the lower 48. I just didn’t know the pathway that would get me there.

I picked a direction and made a leap of faith.  Jumped into the unknown and figured out the details along the way.  The more time I spent in the unknown the more comfortable I became dealing with uncertainty.  Now I plan on not being able to plan.  My “plan” for journeys into the unknown is:

Pick a direction.  Take a leap of faith.  Make lots of mistakes.  Learn.  Adapt.

If you want to make a major change in your life sometimes you just need to take that initial leap of faith and then figure out the details along the way.  Pick a direction and blaze a new trail into the unknown.  The unknown holds more than you ever dreamed possible.