Preparing to Travel Full-Time, Part 4: Plan for Departure

Now that the biggest tasks required to travel full-time are complete, it’s time to plan for departure. Thankfully, you only need to deal with a couple more things before you leave.

For instance, you need to plan to handle business in each destination you visit. Similarly, you need to make plans for healthcare while traveling. You should think back on the things you have done over the last year and consider if any other those will need attention in the future. If so, you should make all the necessary arrangements.

Finally, it’s time to pack your bags and say goodbye. Don’t overlook these tasks, they may be more difficult than you might think.

Every country has different rules for visitors. You should research the requirements for each destination. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are a few examples from the places we have visited.

To conduct many types of business in Italy – including things as simple as buying a sim card for your cell phone, you need a Codice Fiscale.

You can get a Codice Fiscale from your regional Italian Consulate before you leave the United States or go to your local Revenue Office in Italy. We recommend doing this before you leave rather than waiting.

To conduct many types of business in Croatia – including things as simple as taking your dog to a private veterinarian, you will need a Personal Identification Number (OIB). Information about the online application process can be found on the Ministry of Finance – Tax Administration page.

You do not want to neglect your health while traveling full-time. With a little effort, you can get the same level of healthcare in Europe that you’re accustomed to in the United States.

For many U.S. citizens, global health insurance coverage (excluding coverage in the U.S.) will cost significantly less than what you’re currently paying. Cigna Global is a popular provider of international health insurance.

Before leaving the U.S., you should consider visiting your primary care physician for an annual health exam. At least in Europe, private healthcare is high quality and widely available. However, you probably want to get comfortable traveling full-time before you have to deal with scheduling a doctor’s appointment.

As with the health exam, you should consider scheduling a dental exam close to your departure time. At this point, we have had dental cleanings in Italy and Croatia. Interestingly, these cleanings were two of the most advanced and thorough of my life!

At some point, you have to tell people about your plans to travel full-time. The timing of this announcement will be different for everyone and every situation.

This part may not be fun and can be a bit tricky. On the one hand, you will undoubtedly be excited about your new adventure and may want to share the news with others. Conversely, you may not want to tell people about your plans because plans can change.

Regardless of when you decide to tell them, everyone may not receive the news well. But, hopefully, they will understand you’re chasing your dream and be supportive.

Depending on your occupation and future career plans, giving notice or transitioning away from work may be more or less stressful.

In 2023, more and more people can work remotely from anywhere in the world. If this is an option, you may want to start the discussions long before your departure date. However, if your announcement won’t be received well, you may want to wait as long as possible.

The considerations of when and how to give notice are far beyond the scope of this article, but what is relevant to our discussion is that you start thinking about everything that has to be done before you leave.

Packing your bags for full-time travel is more complicated than it sounds. There are airline restrictions and personal limitations (i.e., how much you can carry) to consider. We spent months deciding what items were necessary and researching lighter alternatives. The lighter things are, the more things you can take!

The first step in deciding what to pack is figuring out how many bags you can carry or pull. While this will be different for everyone, experience has taught me that the maximum number for most people will be three: a rolling bag, a backpack, and a shoulder bag.

Even this is too many. You should consider holding off on the shoulder bag. Inevitably, there will be additional things you need once you start traveling. If you are at maximum capacity from the start, there won’t be room to carry these items. You might want to pack an empty bag for this purpose.

The next step is figuring out which bags you are going to use. There are probably as many combinations of styles and brands as there are travelers.

After significant research, we chose the Osprey Rolling Transporter 90 for our primary bags. These are 90-liter rolling duffels with large wheels and high ground clearance. They are perfect for rolling on rough cobblestone streets. But, as explained below, they’re too big for full-time travelers.

Also, we each carry a large backpack – one for our camera gear and other electronics, and one for toiletries and everything else. The size and type will be different for everyone based on individual needs, as well as personal fitness and strength.

While lighter is better, sometimes more is just more. After traveling for a year, we wish we had brought a lot less.

Unfortunately, the 90-liter rolling duffels are too big. This bag holds about 50 lbs of clothes. That’s too much weight to carry to a new destination every month. Our next bags will be 60-liter rolling duffels. This bag holds about 35 lbs of clothes. This will make moving a lot easier.

Similarly, the large backpack we use for our camera gear and electronics is 55 liters and weighs 32 lbs. This pack is also too heavy for comfort. I suggest something closer to 25 lbs.

While the bags are easily manageable on their own, they’re too much when you combine them and try to get on or off a train that’s only stopped for a minute or two. For more information, check out our article “Full-Time Travel Packing List for Men.”

Enjoy your travels!