Thinking about putting your home on the market among the Memphis houses for sale or anywhere else and hitting the road full time? An increasing number of people are doing just that – in fact, according to itravelft.com, there are at least 93 million worldwide traveling full time. 

Of course, many who want to embark on this amazing journey come up with lots of excuses not to, from a lack of money to having kids, but there are few that cannot be overcome. For those who are passionate about making it happen, these tips from those who’ve been there and done that will be a huge help when it comes to accomplishing your goal. 

Create a Plan

There are many ways to fund your lifestyle for traveling full time these days. Do you work online, or can you take your current job online? Or, maybe you want to quit your job and embark on a new career that will allow you to do so. Some people travel while getting by on very little money by joining something like WWOOF, World Wide Organization of Farmers. It allows you to stay somewhere for free and often includes meals in exchange for work like organic farming, harvesting grapes at a vineyard, caring for animals, building biodegradable straw-bale homes, decorating tourist apartments, and much more. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you’ll want to have some form of income to sustain your travels, but it doesn’t have to be a lot with so many options for cheap and even free stays.

If you have children, you might be surprised that many parents have taken their kids out on the road, providing homeschooling combined with an education of the world that would be impossible to get in a traditional school staying in one place.

Eliminate Your Debt

One of the biggest barriers to living the life you want is debt. If you don’t have any debt it will be much easier to sustain your new traveling lifestyle. As soon as you’ve decided to make the leap, work on paying your debt off. If you have a house to sell and can make a profit, even better as you’ll have extra money to get started with. Same goes with your car as it usually doesn’t make sense to transport it overseas.

Get Rid of Your ‘Stuff’

In addition to selling your house and car if you have them, long-term travelers are usually fans of minimalism, as traveling with a lot of stuff isn’t easy. And, if you have to store it somewhere, those monthly payments add up. Plus, odds are, by the time you’re out on the road discovering all those new places, you’ll realize you don’t even need it. One of the biggest challenges of letting go of “stuff” is the sentimental attachment. Evaluate each item carefully to determine how important it really is – save those and then donate, sell, or give away the rest to family members and friends.

Travel With Just a Carry-On

Invest in multi-functional pieces of clothing that will ideally allow you to travel with only a carry-on. When you have one bag that’s easy to carry or wear on your back, you’ll be much freer to wander and explore unencumbered while saving money on those checked bag fees.

Make Your Money Stretch as Far as Possible

While some people make a significant amount of money working from wherever they are in the world, if your budget is tight, there are many ways to save. Even if you aren’t “WWOOFing” or volunteering in other ways in exchange for room and board, by staying in hostels with shared kitchens, taking advantage of free CouchSurfing, or inexpensive Airbnbs with kitchens, you can make many of your own meals on the cheap. Try to walk instead of using taxis, Uber, or even public transport as it doesn’t cost a thing, you’ll get good exercise and a better familiarity with the destination.