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So you just graduated college… now what? You could get a job. But who actually wants a job? And besides, the economy is tanked and you have zero skills. So good luck with that. You could get an internship to gain more skills. But then you’ll just be spending your summer getting people coffee for little to no pay. You could go back to school. But then you’ll just be left with two worthless degrees and a pile more debt. None of those options sound good to me. Do they sound good to you? But what should you do instead? How about travel!
Post college is the best time to travel. You’re finally free from having any responsibilities in life. You’re still on your parents’ health insurance plan. And you’re young enough to enjoy the crap out of it.
But, how do you make it work? You’ve gone the last four years fucking around and not making money, all while accruing heaps of debt. Post college travel is IMPOSSIBLE, right? Wrong. It’s totally possible to take off on a life-changing journey fresh out of college.
Here are five top tips to making post college travel WORK:
1. Defer Your Loans.
Face it, you’re most likely leaving college with a pile of debt in the name of student loans. The good news is that most student loans have a six-month grace period during which time you don’t have to make any payments. So you can totally get your travel fix in in those first six months without ever having to worry. But what if you want to travel longer? You have several options. You could defer your loans. I don’t know how that works exactly but you probably just have to prove that you can’t get a job. No one has to know you’re not looking. You should enroll in a new school because you don’t have to pay for loans while enrolled full time in school. No one said you had to show up. It’s not ideal because you’ll flunk out of the program and incur more debt. But it will buy some time. You could just ignore the debt and not pay up. Defaulting on your loans works best if you plan to never stop traveling and never go back home. They can’t force you to pay if you no longer live there! Or you could just ask our parents to make the payments like they should have been doing in the first place. Speaking of parents…
2. Borrow Money From Your Parents
Since you probably can’t afford to travel on your own empty saving account, your parents will probably need to pay for your trip. You’ve been living off your parent’s dime for twenty some years anyways, so what’s a few more? Besides, after watching you waste away the past 4 years of your life they’ll be thrilled you actually want to do something in your life. (Here are some tips on how to travel the world on your parents’ dime.)
3. Start a Blog
Nowadays you can’t afford to travel without having a blog. Blogs are easy money to support your long term travel. Just write some bullshit posts about the best hostel in Bangkok (whichever one will give you a free night stay), the best cafe in Vientiane (whichever will give you free breakfast), and best travel backpack (whichever you can get for free). Just throw around words like “influencer” and “DA Score” and make yourself sound like a big deal. Then fill your blog up with affiliate links and ads. If you have a blog you will never have to pay for anything again. (Check out why you should start a travel blog today!)
4. Teach English Abroad
I know, teaching is a job. But if you have no money and your parents are cheapskates teaching abroad is a good way to get out of your country and earn some money. Plus teaching English in a country like Korea requires ZERO skills. Can you speak English? Done. And if you get sick of it or save enough money to go somewhere you really want to go you can just leave whenever you want. They can’t stop you.
5. Go Begpacking
If your blog isn’t making you money yet, your parents won’t pay, and you can’t get a job teaching English, the best option for you is to go begpacking. Begpacking means that while you travel you sit on street corners begging for money from strangers. Put up a sign like “help us make our dream come true!” and strangers will shower you with money. You can do it at home before your trip or anywhere on the road. Begpacking is a great option for anyone who can’t afford to travel but wants to — especially for anyone who wants to travel right after college! (Check out our guide to begpacking here!)
Is post college travel in your plans? How are YOU going to make it happen?
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