8 tips for traveling the world in your 20's

I Spent most of my 20’s abroad, Vietnam, Turkey, South Korea, South Africa, Tanzania, Albania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, the list goes on.

Here are a few things you should consider.

1. Taxes. Doesn’t seem important when you start out, especially in your early 20’s. A lot of countries, require you to report in each year, regardless of your income levels or where you are travelling. I found this out the hard way and accrued some serious fines for not submitting my taxes.
2. It’s not really about where you are, it’s what you do. The things I have enjoyed the most when travelling are things I could have done back in England. A good friend to hang out with is a good friend, they don’t need to be exotic. One of my favourite things I started doing while abroad was playing Dungeons and Dragons, all it requires is a few friends.
3. Sign a contract, if you are staying somewhere for at least 3 months it's worth it. Now read your contract, and for god's sake, go through an agency, if they send that contract by text it’s not a contract.
4. Use expat groups, we have found apartments, friends, and whole communities. We have lost our dogs and, thanks to these communities, found them again. Facebook has many expat groups and it’s well worth looking into the WhatsApp equivalent of wherever you are. We are active in many groups on Telegram and they are invaluable.
5. Most cheap apartments are not well equipped. If you’re on a budget, you’re cooking. Here’s my list of mandatory kitchen items, they may seem silly, but you will thank me later. 1. Knife sharpener ( I guarantee the 1 knife they leave you is blunter than a brick) 2. Cheese grater (SO many things you can grate, get a good one!) 3. Potato masher. 4. Peeler (who likes carrot skin?)
6. We have travelled to many countries that are riddled with street dogs. Be careful, temperaments vary. We have found that the closer you are to the city center, especially in capital cities, the friendlier the dogs are. This is because animal control routinely round up reported dogs and dump them in the suburbs to maintain the tourist areas. So if you can afford it don’t live in the suburbs, we have several times and we always regretted it.
7. DON’T ADOPT A STREET DOG. God damn, they are cute, they tug on your little heartstrings and beg for a home. Give them a sausage and move on. We adopted two. Dogs are a lot of work, a lot of money. You don’t know what health problems they have and chances are they have been abused on the street and have some behavioural issues. We got lucky, one of our street dogs is exemplary, but the other… I love Walter, but he has been a constant challenge. We have spent hundreds on trainers and medications over the years. On top of that, depending on where you got the dog and where your home country is, many restrictions apply for bringing them back. Expensive restrictions.
8. Finally, manage your money well. Yeh, it’s an obvious one but hear me out. Before you leave find a stable line of work that can go remote and will provide you with solid skills and work experience when you return home. Things like teaching English online sound easy, but nobody cares about your experience, it is also becoming a less viable option with Chinese ESL schools shut down. The market is oversaturated and underpaid. At the very least have savings to bring you home.