Long-term travel is both exhilarating and exhausting. You’re getting to see places most people only dream of — but you’re also moving constantly and making endless decisions. Without the familiar locations and routines that put your brain into autopilot, there’s no mental break.
If you’re not careful, this constant mental and physical activity can lead to travel burnout…and before you know it, you’re ditching an expensive Airbnb and impulse-buying a $1000 plane ticket back home. (Yes, I’m speaking from experience. 😬)
Don’t make my mistakes! Instead, use my top tips for long-term travel. They’re hard-won and time-tested — I promise they’ll make your life easier and your travels more enjoyable.
Survival Tips for Long-Term Travel
1. Don’t judge a place before a good night’s sleep
This is my cardinal rule for long-term travel — or any type of travel, for that matter. It’s simple: reserve judgement about a new city or country until you’ve had a solid night’s sleep.
Why? Travel days are exhausting. After a day of hauling luggage around cities and train stations and airports, you’re tired, you’re sore, and your blood sugar is probably low.
In other words, you’re in no state to appreciate a new place.
Once upon a time, I flew from Bangkok to Kathmandu. I was up at 3am, almost missed my flight, got grilled by Nepalese customs agents, and took a terrifying taxi ride to the hotel. Then, I foolishly went out to explore — and a kid on a weirdly tall bike rode straight into my stomach and knocked me down in the street.
I went back to my hotel and cried. Not out of pain (I was fine), but out of sheer exhaustion. I hated Nepal. Everything was terrible. I looked at flights out of the country so I could leave as quickly as possible.
And then I slept for 17 hours.
When I woke up, everything was back to normal. In fact, Nepal ended up being one of my favorite countries in the world!
Moral of the story? Climb into bed and stream a comfort show (mine is The Office); you can explore in the morning.
2. Only take a suitcase you can lift with one hand
Before you head out for the airport, try to pick up your suitcase with one hand. Can you do it? Great! Now, try to climb stairs holding the bag in one hand. Then, lift the bag above your head, as though you’re going to put it in an overhead luggage rack.
If you struggle with any of those tasks, it’s time to downsize!
When you’re traveling long-term, you’re going to be hauling your suitcase through all kinds of places. (And if you’re like me, you’ll always opt for a nice public transportation ride over an expensive Uber.) If it’s too heavy to lift, you’re in for a world of hurt.
A few years ago, I had a truly ridiculous moment in London’s Victoria station. I couldn’t find an escalator or an elevator, so I had to haul my giant, full-size suitcase up a huge set of stairs. Every five steps, I had to stop to adjust my grip and gasp for breath. Passing Londoners looked at me with a mixture of pity and contempt, and I deserved it.
It was the first time I ever traveled with more than I could carry comfortably — and the last.
These days, I try to stick to 20kg max. It’s easy to lift, and it fits into the checked-bag weight limit for European budget airlines.
3. Pay attention to accommodation ratings
Most of my travel rules are flexible, but I’m downright militant about this one. I never stay anywhere with a rating that’s less than 4.8 out of 5 or 8 out of 10. I’ve done it; it always turns out poorly.
Why? We all know that online ratings and reviews are pretty easy to game — unscrupulous property owners can easily hire someone on Upwork to invest in a bunch of perfect ratings. That dilutes the real reviews, which means you have to have unusually high standards.
Plus, people tend to be overly kind when leaving reviews on Airbnb and other vacation rental sites. It’s hard to leave a low rating for someone you’ve met in person (especially when you know it’s going to impact their business).
I’m not saying you should blithely trust ultra-positive ratings, either. To avoid being scammed, find out how I evaluate hotel and Airbnb reviews.
4. Don’t feel guilty for going to Starbucks
Have you ever felt guilty about going to Starbucks or McDonald’s when you’re traveling? Stop that right now! Long-term travel is stressful — sometimes, you need something comforting and familiar.
And more importantly, do it without guilt. Savor every sip of your giant American latte. Revel in the normalcy of it all. Enjoy the free Wi-Fi and stare at Instagram and forget you’re somewhere new.
Your brain will appreciate the break, and you’ll leave feeling refreshed and ready to explore. Plus, you can always try a local place later. Or not. Who cares?
5. Stay longer in every place
The most tiring part of travel is…well, travel. If you’re moving to a new spot every three or four days, you can burn out quickly.
The older you get, the worse it is. In my 20s, I could take a lot more; if I tried that at 41, I’d be done in a month.
Now, I like to minimize transit days. It reduces stress, both physical and mental. Plus, by staying longer in each place, I can explore at a more relaxed pace. (I call it “part-time touristing.”)
6. No flights before 10am
This one is obviously a personal preference, but it’s one of my favorite long-term travel tips. Morning flights are the worst — especially when you consider how hard it can be to take luggage on public transportation or get an Uber during morning rush hour.
I need a solid 8 hours of sleep. If I have a morning flight, my brain suddenly becomes convinced that this is the time my iPhone alarms will fail to ring. As a result, I get little to no sleep and wake up feeling miserable.
When you’re traveling long-term, solid sleep is a must. So if I have to sacrifice a super-cheap 6am flight deal, I’ll do it. Is it your only option? Book a hotel right by the airport, and you’ll get a few extra hours of sleep.
7. Use packing cubes
You know when you find a product that you become an instant evangelist? For me, that’s packing cubes. These glorious, flimsy little fabric boxes keep my suitcase nice and organized, so I never need to dig through a jumbled mess of clothes.
I use one packing cube each for:
- Socks and underwear
- Workout clothes and pajamas
- Other clothing
- Bras and tights
- Swimsuit, microfiber towel, winter accessories
Anything extra, like shoes, a light jacket, or a set of pajamas, gets tucked among the cubes.
8. Always check a bag
So I know this goes against all of the carry-on only travel wisdom on the internet — but I always, always check a bag. (I’m a big fan of the Samonsite suitcases with a built-in plastic pocket for liquids and creams.)
Why, you ask? Four reasons:
- I don’t have to drag a suitcase through the airport. No navigating through tiny airport shops and busy concourses.
- I can’t travel long-term out of a carry-on. Even with 44 pounds, I find myself chafing at wearing the same outfits over and over again.
- I don’t need to worry about size restrictions for liquids and gels. When traveling full-time, full-size bath products are so much more cost-effective. It cuts down on plastic waste — plus, I don’t have to buy replacements as often.
- I never need to worry about finding space in an overhead bin. When everyone else is all stressed about getting on the plane and storing their carry-ons, I take my sweet time at the gate. My backpack and purse fit under the seat in front of me.
If you listen to the travel creators on TikTok, you might be concerned that your bag will go missing. Here’s some reassurance: I’ve been to 71 countries, and I have not lost a bag even once. Social media makes everything seem like an epidemic; it’s a lot less common than you think!
9. Choose travel buddies wisely
If you have adventurous friends and family members, they’re definitely going to want to join you on the road. Before you let them book a ticket, think carefully. Are they prone to complaining? Picky eaters? Averse to discomfort? If so, proceed with extreme caution.
Those tiny things that irritate you at home can get really big, really fast when you’re stuck together in a foreign country. And before you know it, you’re so exasperated that you threaten to punch your dear friend in the face if she says one more negative thing. (Yes, that happened to me. And no, I’m not proud of it.)
Thankfully, this is a lesson you only need to learn once. In my case, it’s something I could have avoided had I given it a few minutes of critical thought. That friend had never left the United States, but she wanted to join me in Nicaragua. I warned her that it would be a challenging trip, but she insisted.
Worst. Mistake. Ever.
This girl complained for two weeks, nonstop. She didn’t like the food. She was jealous that the women were so thin. Everything was too dirty. Why couldn’t these people just clean the city? Why doesn’t everyone just stop staring? Why can’t the cows just move out of the street? Why is it so crowded everywhere?
We both had a miserable time.
I learned two big lessons on that trip:
- Travel in developing countries isn’t for everyone
- Don’t impulse-accept every request to join me
Now, I pick travel companions carefully. Even more importantly, I match the destination to the person. Not everyone wants (or is equipped) to experience tough but fascinating trips — and in that case, I always suggest that they meet me in Western Europe.
10. Monitor your debit and credit cards
Before you start spending up a storm in London or pulling out cash in Bangkok, make sure you’re aware of what’s going on in your bank accounts. In particular, ask yourself:
- Does your checking account charge hefty fees for international ATM withdrawals?
- What is the average ATM withdrawal fee in your destination?
- What’s the currency conversion fee for international transactions?
I didn’t always do this. On one trip, I wasn’t aware that my bank charged me $5 every time I used an international ATM; worse, the ATMs themselves were charging an additional $5. I was doing a lot of cash withdrawals that year, and ended up spending about $1,000 on ATM fees alone.
11. Get a little cash at the airport
Don’t bother buying foreign currency at a bank before you leave home — it’s dangerous to carry a bunch of cash! Instead, go to an ATM at the airport and get about $20-$50 in the local currency. The idea is to have enough to get a ride on public transportation, a meal, and maybe a coffee the next morning.
Here’s the trick: before you leave the airport, go to a convenience store and buy something small to break the large bills you got from the ATM. Do it twice, if necessary.
This is especially important if you’re traveling in countries where cash is king. In some places, store owners will give you the stink eye if you try to pay with a high-denomination bill. Or, they’ll flat-out refuse to take it.
If you’re coming in on a later flight, a little bit of cash is super handy. It means you don’t have to make yourself a target by going to an ATM after dark, and you’ll have some money to buy food from mom-and-pop shops that don’t take cards.
12. If you hate a place, leave!
At the end of the day, long-term travel is supposed to be fun. If you find that you’re unhappy in a specific city or country, remove yourself. Why on earth would you spend your precious time visiting a place that makes you miserable? (Plus, the world doesn’t need the negative energy.)
This can be hard, especially when you want to love a place. Or, if you’re a Midwesterner like me, you might feel the urge to soldier through even if it sucks.
Sometimes, though, the vibes are just off.
I’m not saying you should scoot any time something isn’t perfect. However, if you force yourself to stick out too many uncomfortable situations, you’ll put yourself on the path to travel burnout.
13. Recognize when you need a break
Long-term travel can have an unexpected side effect: it can make you dread traveling. This comes as a surprise to many people — after all, how could you possibly hate doing something you love so much?
The answer is simple: it’s travel burnout. The constant flow of travel days and decisions and new places and new foods can get overwhelming. Wear yourself out, and you’ll find yourself thinking longingly of home, where everything is comfortable and convenient and familiar.
Of course, there’s no shame in calling it and heading home. But if you really want to keep going, I recommend taking a break. Book yourself a comfortable apartment — not a hotel room — and spend a few weeks doing absolutely nothing travel-related. Go to bed early and wake up late. Snuggle up on the couch and watch hours of your favorite TV show. Cook nice meals (or just make frozen pizzas). Get in a workout, if you feel up to it.
By reducing unfamiliar elements and external stimuli, you’ll recharge your emotional and physical batteries. When you emerge, you should feel rested and ready for a new adventure.
