Full-Time Travel

The primary differences between digital nomads, long-term travelers, and full-time travelers (expats are a bit different) are whether they are working or not and whether they intend to travel for a specified period or indefinitely. Specifically, digital nomads are typically working and plan to travel indefinitely. Long-term travelers generally are not working and plan to travel for a specified period. Full-Time travelers usually are not working and plan to travel indefinitely. Expats include anyone living outside their native country. Significantly, expats typically stay in one location and do not travel from destination to destination.

Avoiding travel fatigue is a significant challenge for full-time travelers. To be successful, you need to have the right mindset. You must accept the fact that you cannot go everywhere and see everything.

To avoid burning out, we stay in each destination for one to two months. This allows us to relax and settle in. By the end of our stay, we know quite a bit about the people and the place and feel like we have a connection to the community. More importantly, we are not exhausted but ready to move on to a new and exciting destination.

U.S. citizens have a lot of visa-free travel options. Significantly, U.S. citizens can spend 90 out of any 180 period in the Schengen zone, which includes most European countries, without a visa. Consequently, U.S. citizens can legally stay in Europe indefinitely by spending half of their time outside the Schengen area.

Several different visas allow travelers to stay in a country for more extended periods. These include:

• • Work visas
  • Digital Nomad visas
  • Investment visas
  • Retirement visas

The requirements and benefits for these programs vary by country.

In 2023, many Europeans speak English, and almost everyone in the tourist industry speaks English.

There are circumstances where travelers would benefit from knowing the local language. But, it’s possible to get by using a translation app on a smartphone.

Even though it’s not necessary to speak the local language, we find it helpful to learn a few simple words in the local language. It’s always welcomed with a smile.

Your itinerary will depend on whether you get a long-term visa or travel visa-free. Specifically, long-stay visa travelers must choose many destinations in a single country. In contrast, visa-free travelers must choose a few destinations in multiple countries.

In addition to choosing places you find interesting, you should consider the weather and crowds during the relevant time of the year when deciding what destinations to visit.

To ensure compliance with visa requirements and reasonable transfer times between locations, we typically plan and book a six-month block of destinations at a time. This includes three months in the Schengen area and three months outside the Schengen area.

Before leaving for an extended period, full-time travelers should do the following:

• • Make plans to handle business in each destination
  • Make plans for healthcare
  • Select your bags

There are many ways to travel from destination to destination in Europe. Public transportation within and between most countries is excellent. But, some countries have better public transportation systems than others. Also, some means of public transportation are more pet friendly than others.

Unfortunately, it is difficult for U.S. citizens without a residence permit to own a car in Europe. For us, private transfers are often the preferred option if public transportation does not work.

Full-time travel does not involve full-time sightseeing. In order to have some grounding and avoid boredom, you need to have a hobby. Here are some obvious choices that will enhance your travel enjoyment:

• • Photography
  • Learn a language
  • Study history
  • Study architecture
  • Study art

Full-time travel can cost as much or as little as you want it to cost. People are traveling in Asia for as little as $10 per day. We don’t think that’s sustainable, but it certainly doesn’t cost $100k per year to travel full-time comfortably. To help calculate the cost of full-time travel, we have prepared monthly budgets for the cities we have visited.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• • Mostar
  • Sarajevo

Croatia

• • Dubrovnik
  • Rovinj
  • Trogir

Italy

• • Bologna
  • Florence
  • Genoa
  • Rome – coming soon
  • Siena
  • Trieste
  • Venice

Montenegro

• • Budva
  • Herceg Novi

Based on our experience, we think most people can travel comfortably in Europe for less than $50,000 per year.

The requirements to get an EU Pet Health Certificate in the United States are:

• • Copies of all rabies vaccination certificates signed in blue
  • Contact information in the EU travel destination
  • An appointment with a USDA-accredited veterinarian two (2) months before the travel date
  • An appointment with a USDA-accredited veterinarian within ten (10) days of arrival in the EU (but long enough before departure for the certificate to be issued and delivered)
  • Fees for veterinarian and certificate

Many people want to travel with their pets. Flying with a dog can be difficult, depending on the size and breed. Flat-faced dogs (brachycephalic breeds) are particularly problematic due to potential breathing issues. Although it will take some planning, it’s possible to fly to Europe with a French Bulldog. Here’s how we did it successfully:

• • We got Gus down to a healthy weight
  • We talked to the vet about options to make traveling comfortable for Gus
  • We booked flights on the appropriate airline
  • We bought the correct dog carrier
  • We trained Gus to go pee and poo, if needed, on command

The Requirements to get an EU Pet Passport in Italy are:

• • Italian Residency Card or Italian Identity Document (which requires a residency card to obtain)
  • Codice Fiscale – you can get this from your regional Italian Consulate before you leave your home country or go to your local Revenue Office in Italy
  • Italian address
  • Italian phone number
  • EU Health Certificate that shows current rabies vaccine and microchip information

The Requirements to get an EU Pet Passport in France are:

• • Your passport
  • French address
  • French Phone Number
  • Health Certificate showing your pet’s current rabies vaccine and microchip information.

We visited the following destinations in 2022:

• Genoa, Italy
• Venice, Italy
• Siena, Italy
• Riomaggiore, Italy
• Motovun, Croatia
• Mostar, Bosnia
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Sarajevo, Bosnia
• Rovinj, Croatia
• Florence, Italy
• Trieste, Italy
• Trogir, Croatia

We visited the following destinations in 2023:

• Herceg Novi, Montenegro
• Budva, Montenegro
• Rome, Italy
• Bologna, Italy
• Sighisoara, Romania
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria
• Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
• Brasov, Romania
• Bratislava, Slovakia
• Graz, Austria
• Split, Croatia
• Ston, Croatia
• Kotor, Montenegro

We visited the following destinations in 2024:

• Bar, Montenegro
• Shkoder, Albania
• Orvieto, Italy
• Lucca, italy
• Turin, Italy
• Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Belgrade, Serbia
• Novi Sad, Serbia
• Budapest, Hungary
• Vienna, Austria
• Naples, Italy
• Saranda, Albania