How To Travel Full-Time

"How do I afford full-time/extended travel?" is a very common question. But, it's not the right one to be asking! In this week's episode, I break down the other important things to consider while you're creating all those forecasting spreadsheets. Research and number crunching, alone, won't lead to you feeling confident about your travel budget. So, tune in for tips on where to focus your attentio...

If you're like most people I talk to, you could win an award for the research, and the gorgeous spreadsheet you've created to organize all of it, as the basis of your plan to travel for a while. The problem with the research phase of an extended travel plan is that you can easily get stuck there. Research, on its own, doesn't create the confidence in your plan that lets you actually start the trav...

On this week's episode, I break down some of the different ways you can travel full-time (yes, that's right, it's not a one-size-fits-all decision!) and how to go about choosing the best option for you. As always, this applies to you if you're planning a career break, sabbatical, travel reset, or some longer extended full-time travel period. The lifestyle is accessible to everyone, but the way it...

Want to travel full-time before retirement without risking the financial security and stability you've spent decades building? But, feeling like, even though you don't want to wait that long, it's something you have to do? In this episode of How to Travel Full-Time , Heather Markel explains how to turn your full-time travel goal into a realistic departure plan BEFORE you reach retirement age. If y...

Sound familiar? Your life looks successful from the outside, other people think you "have it all"! But, for you, despite having everything you worked hard for, you feel dissatisfied, and stuck. You want change, yet the thought of walking away from everything you've built feels far too drastic. In this episode, Heather explores how time away can help you gain perspective, reconnect with yourself, a...

Your life looks successful from the outside. So why doesn't it feel like yours anymore? If you feel guilty for wanting something different after working so hard to build your career and security, this episode will help you understand what's really happening. Heather explores the quiet identity shift that can make a life that  once felt right, feel increasingly uncomfortable, and why gratitude and...

Could taking time away from work be one of the smartest decisions you make for your career and your life? In this episode of How to Travel Full-Time , I explore why intentional time away, including a career break, sabbatical, or travel reset, may become an important part of the future of work. Inspired by the Harvard Business School Managing the Future of Work episode, "Why Time Away May Be the Fu...

What if you need more than a vacation, but don't want to become a permanent nomad? In this episode, Heather explains why her work is expanding beyond full-time travel to include travel resets: intentional periods of travel designed to help midlife professionals rest, reconnect with themselves, and decide what comes next. In this episode Heather talks about the benefits of extended travel, and why...

Some people assume that long-term travel means sacrificing comfort, constantly moving, taking exhausting flights, and living out of a tiny backpack. But full-time travel can look very different than that, especially if you're designing it around your real life, energy, comfort level, and priorities. In this episode, we talk about how to travel full-time comfortably, what sustainable long-term trav...

How do you actually create stability while traveling full-time? In this episode, we talk about how to create stability while traveling full-time and what makes long-term travel feel sustainable in real life. If you've been wondering how to travel full-time without feeling constantly unsettled, this conversation will help you think about stability in a different way. We talk about routines, travel...

How do you actually get comfortable with full-time travel without feeling like your life is constantly in flux? Many people picture long-term travel as exciting… but also a little chaotic. In this episode, we talk about what daily life really looks like and how to make full-time travel feel stable, manageable, and comfortable. If you're preparing for full-time travel in the next 2–18 months, this...

Thinking about traveling right now, but feeling unsure about safety, rising prices, flight disruptions, or just whether this is the right time? In this episode, I'm talking honestly about how to travel in uncertain times and what travelers need to consider before making decisions. It's important to not let fear make every travel decision for you. So I put together some thoughts and strategies in t...

How do you choose where to go when you can go anywhere? That's one of the first overwhelming questions you'll be "lucky" to tackle when you commit to traveling full-time. It can feel overwhelming to choose a destination when the whole world is an option. In this episode, I'm breaking down the key things to consider before choosing your next destination for full-time travel, long-term travel, or a...

Taxes, healthcare, and money… not the most exciting part of planning full-time travel, but at some point, you realize you probably need to think about them. In this episode, I talk through how to approach these decisions without turning them into something overwhelming. Not from a "you need to know everything" place, but more from a "what actually matters right now" perspective. If you're in the e...

What should you actually do with your stuff before traveling full-time If you're planning full-time travel, one of the biggest questions people get stuck on is what to do with your home, your belongings, and your life at home before you leave. This part of full-time travel planning can feel surprisingly overwhelming, especially when you're trying to figure it out while still working and managing y...

In this episode, we talk about how to start planning full-time travel in a way that actually feels manageable. If you've tried to figure out full-time travel logistics and found yourself stuck in research mode, jumping between questions about taxes, health insurance, where to go, and what to do with your life at home, you're not alone. This conversation breaks down why planning full-time travel fe...

There's a war with Iran, fuel prices are rising, flights are being canceled, and anti-American sentiment is increasing. So, should you cancel your travel plans? I dive into this topic in this week's episode.  If you haven't already listened to it, you might also enjoy my last episode on a similar topic, episode 17 - Should You Travel Right Now ?

I Almost Quit Full-Time Travel After 2 Weeks: Here's Why In Episode 3 of our March series, we're moving past the "vacation high" to talk about the actual day-to-day reality of living on the road. Most people focus on the flights and the destinations, but the biggest hurdle to a sustainable travel life is often the mundane stuff. I'm sharing a specific moment from my first month in Costa Rica where...

Slow Travel vs Fast Travel: How to Choose the Right Pace for Full-Time Travel In this episode, Heather breaks down  slow travel vs fast travel and talks about how to choose the right pace for full-time travel. If you're planning full-time travel or long-term travel, deciding how often to move is one of the most important choices you'll make. Heather talks about how travel pace affects your budget,...

If you've ever sat down to figure out how to travel full-time and immediately felt stuck, this episode is for you. On this week's episode, How To Start Planning Full-Time Travel Without Feeling Overwhelmed, Heather explains the many reasons why getting started feels so overwhelming and breaks down: How full-time travel logistics connect to each other The most common mistakes people make when tryin...

Full-time travel isn't just about getting out of your job or finding the cheapest places to live. It's about building a lifestyle you can actually sustain. In this episode of  How to Travel Full-Time , we talk about the difference between "making it work" in the short term and creating a travel lifestyle that feels stable, realistic, and financially sustainable over time. If you've ever worried ab...

If you think you need to replace your full salary before you can travel full-time, this episode will change the way you look at money, work, and freedom. In this episode of  How to Travel Full-Time , we break down one of the biggest fears midlife professionals face when considering long-term travel: income. Do you really need a remote job right away? How much money is actually enough? And how do y...

If you've been stuck wondering whether full-time travel, a sabbatical, or a major lifestyle change is financially possible, this episode cuts straight through the noise. In this episode, Heather Markel breaks down the three financial numbers that actually matter when deciding whether you can fund the life you want — without guessing, panicking, or staying stuck in "someday." This conversation is d...

"I can't afford it." If you've been saying this about full-time travel, a sabbatical, or a major life change, this episode is for you. In this episode, Heather Markel breaks down  why "I can't afford it" is usually an assumption, not a fact , and how fear, unclear numbers, and outdated ideas about safety keep you stuck and unable to move forward longer than necessary. This conversation isn't about...

If you've ever wondered why manifesting felt effortless when you were younger, but now feels frustrating, blocked, or downright impossible, this episode is for you. Because if you want to travel full-time, I'm sure you're thinking about it all the time! So, here's another tool for your toolbox. As adults, we overthink everything. We trade curiosity for control, magic for logic, and possibility for...