We are not all great travelers, and having a certain level of personal comfort while traveling or on vacation is the least we can expect. We all want to make our gap year traveling a successful year.
📋 The key points to remember: Moving abroad requires preparation on 3 fronts: visa (student, working holiday, expatriate, freelance), income locally or remotely, and accommodation (Airbnb for 1 month to settle in, then rental). The most accessible French-speaking destinations: Canada (PVT/PEQ), Australia/NZ (Working Holiday Visa), Portugal (D7 or Digital Nomad Visa), Mexico (nomad visa since 2022). Allow 6-12 months for preparation.
The reality is more difficult than one might think. There are often success stories on television, and many things about travel are idealized. For example, on TV, it is said that Australia is the new Eldorado; I went there and lived for 15 months, and I can tell you it is more difficult than it seems. In this article, I will talk about things that will help you optimize your chances of success for your future trip or during your stay abroad.
The success of your trip
The success of a trip often depends on the traveler’s personality. If you are enterprising, if you can adapt quickly, or if you have a good level of motivation, you will succeed.
Here are some tips that will help you better succeed in your trip:
- See things differently,
This is almost one of the most crucial things to succeed in your trip. For example, if you want to look for a job in a city or in the countryside, you can do volunteering (woofing, helpx, and many other things). It is unpaid, but it can open new doors for you because you would be in contact with locals who themselves have contacts. Knowing you well, they will use their social circle that trusts their friend.
Having your personal comfort is important when traveling, but some of your choices will limit you. When I was in Australia, I was several times with groups of people with whom I felt very comfortable, but I chose to travel alone and leave them each time because I knew that if I went with them, I would have been limited in my choices. Instead of letting OTHERS limit YOU, be the master of your choices.
- Have sought-after skills or create a business before leaving.
I explained in another article about the best jobs abroad that it takes very little to stand out and succeed. One of the main qualities for your success is to have the courage, and it is the people who dared and who stepped out of their comfort zone who succeeded the most.
🌍 Did you know?
In 2022, Portugal created a Digital Nomad Visa that allows you to live there for up to 1 year (renewable) without entering the tax expatriate status. Conditions: prove €3,600/month of remote income. More than 50 countries now offer a similar visa (Spain, Croatia, Estonia, Costa Rica, Mexico).
I can give my personal example: for two years, I have created this blog and other websites aimed at funding my next world tour in 2014. I gave myself three years to achieve this feat and I have managed to do it for two years through relentless efforts (35 hours of work per week after my engineering job the first year). Now the result is beyond my expectations since I was able to finance my trips in 2012, 2013, 2014 (just under 6 months of travel in 3 years over more than 5 trips outside Europe and many trips in Europe) and my next world tour (which will last at least one year) thanks to my online activities.
🗣️ My experience: I settled my life in Lisbon in 2019. The hardest part was not the administrative stuff (NIF, opening a bank account), but the isolation during the first 3 months. Without a network, I had to rebuild everything. My hack: a coworking space from the 2nd week. In 3 months I had a circle, in 6 months I really felt at home. Anticipate this human aspect more than the logistics.
All this was possible because I did not wait for my world tour to travel and because I was proactive.
- Get as much information as possible from other travelers, form your own opinion and follow your instinct.
Making the right choices from the start is quite rare. You will inevitably make mistakes and your success will be based on your ability to learn and bounce back from your failure. In Australia, I really struggled at first (my first two months) but gradually, I adapted to the Australian way of functioning and made the right choices.
🍀 Living abroad: what you gain
- Often lower cost of living
- Bilingualism through immersion
- Strengthened international career
- Huge perspective on your previous life
🔻 The challenges
- Social isolation in the first months
- Heavy administrative procedures
- Healthcare system to understand
- Family far away (costs of round-trip tickets)
For example, I manage to get better discounts than others on hotel nights, excursions, various purchases, simply because I ask around and I dare to ask.
One of the things that makes my travels successful is that I seek out information instead of waiting for it. When you become active, you are the master of your destiny.
⚠️ Classic trap
Leaving without a long-stay visa thinking you can get it on site. Most countries require that the application be submitted from your country of residence. Once there with a tourist visa, many options close. Plan the right visa BEFORE the flight: it’s the detail that makes the difference between a successful project and a rushed return.
Here is a first draft of the things you need to do to succeed in your trip. I will give you my other tips soon in another article.
On the topic of remote work and nomadism, digital nomadism in practice digs deeper into the digital nomad lifestyle. To stay productive abroad, working while traveling explores jobs compatible with travel. And if you’re still hesitating to take the plunge, quitting everything to travel gathers the good reasons (and the false ones).
| Destination | Visa | Duration | Main conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | IEC / PEQ | 2 years | 18-35 years, lottery |
| Australia | Working Holiday | 1 to 3 years | 18-35 years, 1 year renewable |
| New Zealand | Working Holiday | 1 year | 18-30 years |
| Portugal | D7 / Digital Nomad | 1-2 years renewable | Stable income (salary/dividends) |
| Mexico | Temporary visa | 1-4 years | Proof of income €2,600/month |
| Costa Rica | Rentista / Inversionista | 2 years | Minimum monthly income $2,500 USD |
And you? What is the thing that makes your trip a success?
