“Latte con soya?”

I looked up to find a waiter standing above me, repeating my daily order back to me with perfect precision. It was a typical morning in Costa Rica, sitting at a oceanside cafe and writing in my journal. Though a seemingly insignificant moment, it filled me with the deepest warmth. Here I was, in a foreign country, thousands of miles from home, and yet a waiter at the local coffee shop knew exactly what I liked to drink in the morning. This became a sort of signal for me during my travels– once a town’s cafe had memorized my order, I knew it was time to leave. 

I have met many “fast travelers” on the road who go somewhere, do everything they can as quickly as they can, and run off to the next place on their list within a few days. I prefer to take things more slowly. I find myself staying in places for weeks at a time– crafting a routine, becoming friendly with hostel staff, finding my favorite restaurants and generally trying to make myself feel at home. Beyond long backpacking trips, there is a myriad of ways to slow travel, from doing workaways to even moving abroad. While there is nothing wrong with resort holidays or site-seeing trips, long-term travel gives a unique insight into the fabric of a destination and also forces a harder look at your own country.

Here is an extensive list of ways you can live abroad full-time and master the art of slow travel:

Workaway

Workaway has been my secret weapon for travel in terms of saving money and seeking authentic experiences. Annual memberships cost $50, but the website definitely gives value for money. Workaway pairs travelers with local hosts and facilitates a work exchange–  the travelers get a free place to stay and the hosts get free labor. Win-win! You can put your desired destination into their search tool and add filters like expected duration, type of host and availability. Anyone can post on Workaway so it’s a hodgepodge of all different kinds of jobs. You may end up doing anything from bartending at a hostel in Rome to volunteering at an eco-lodge in Machu Picchu… The world is your oyster! 

WWOOF

WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Each country has an individual website, and like Workaway they pair travelers with local hosts; however, in the case of WWOOF, all hosts are farms. The work exchange involves around 4-6 hours of work each day, with food and accommodation given in return. It’s a great opportunity to learn about organic farming and experience a different side of a foreign country. The only downside with WWOOF is that you have to buy a seperate membership for each country or region. 

Get a Remote Job

While this is certainly easier said than done, having a remote job gives you the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. Some countries even grant remote work visas, which allow you to base yourself in one place. Other options include moving around and finding hostels/hotels with co-working spaces. Selina, a hostel chain spanning every continent, offers monthly co-live memberships that give you access to accommodation, co-working spaces, and activities at their hostels (you can find more information about this here). Digital nomadism is growing exponentially and entering a career that lends itself to location independence means that travel can be part of your long-term lifestyle. 

Study Abroad

While spending a semester abroad in university is fairly common, many people don’t realize they can do their entire degree in a foreign country. This is an excellent option if you want to live abroad, as acceptance to an overseas school will almost guarantee you a 2-4 year visa in your chosen country. Here are some things to look out for when applying for schools: the language that courses are taught in, the duration of the degree program (many schools in Europe are only 3 years), access to student housing and options for student life.

Get a Working Holiday Visa

Working holiday visas offer young adults/ recent graduates the opportunity to work abroad part-time for 6 months to a year. Where you can apply for one of these visas is determined by your nationality. As an American, you are eligible to apply in Australia, South Korea, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, and Canada. While many jobs take place within the hospitality/tourism sector, you can find a variety of different jobs based on where you choose to go and what kind of experience you have. Working holiday visas are ideal for when you’re young and don’t know exactly what you’d like to do yet. You can find more information on visa applications on each country’s government website. 

Get a Seasonal Job

Seasonal jobs are temporary employment opportunities that coincide with certain times of the year. Think of staff at ski resorts, summer camps, national parks, cruise ships, country clubs, etc… Imagine spending your winters in the Swiss Alps and your summers on a lake resort in California and you’ll see why seasonal work can be so tempting. While many jobs are entry-level, you may need specific qualifications for things like adventure sports or hiking tours. There are several sites online dedicated to posting seasonal jobs including, Wander Jobs, Cool Works, and Backdoor Jobs. 

Get Your Yoga Certification

Learning to become a yoga teacher is another way to guarantee location independence. If your course is certified by Yoga Alliance, you’ll be qualified to teach all over the world. While yoga training can certainly be pricey and time-consuming, it is a great investment and also a chance to improve your health and wellbeing. Some options for using a yoga certification to travel include working at retreat centers, resorts, or even teaching online. Workaway is also a great resource if you are looking to travel on a budget rather than make an income from teaching. 

Apply for a Fulbright Scholarship

The Fulbright program is unfortunately only available to U.S. citizens but offers numerous opportunities to live abroad. Successful applicants receive a grant to undergo a graduate program, research project, or teaching job in a foreign country. Fulbright offers scholarships in a multitude of countries and areas of study. They even have special programs for people interested in pursuing medicine, languages, and global issues. You can check out their available programs here. 

Teach English as a Foreign Language

Teaching English as a foreign language not only allows you to travel but may also offer substantial compensation while you’re abroad. Some of the best countries to find teaching jobs include South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Spain, and Prague, but that is not an exhaustive list. Before searching for jobs, you should get your TEFL certification, which generally takes around 120 hours. There are programs that will place you in schools abroad and help you handle things like accommodation, but you can also look for job listings yourself online.  

Work at a Hostel

You will find a huge range of hostels while traveling, from places with a few dusty rooms to places with their own bars and swimming pools. Hostels often have work exchange programs that allow you to live/eat there for free, but I’d be weary when choosing where to work (I once got roped into cleaning toilets for 5 hours a day for a $5 bed). Living and working at a hostel will allow you to stay in one place for a while and get to know the local staff. As guests come from all over, you can also travel the world without ever leaving your dorm room. You can find hostel jobs on Workaway, World Packers, Hopper Jobs, or by reaching out to hostels directly. 

Become an Au Pair

Au pairs tend to be young people who come from abroad and live with local families. In exchange for babysitting and other household duties, you will get free housing/ food and a stipend each week. If you really want to get to know another country, improve your language skills and make meaningful connections, this is the perfect opportunity. Au pair is a French saying for “equal to”, proof that it is not merely a job but a chance to be taken in as part of a family. Your experience will of course rest on who you stay with, but I’ve heard way more successful stories than otherwise. 

Volunteer Abroad

Volunteering abroad may sound enticing, but it’s important to be careful with how you go about it. The internet is full of countless horror stories of voluntourism gone wrong, with volunteers often doing more harm than good in local communities. My advice is to stay away from volunteer programs and reach out to smaller NGOs to see how you can be of help. Make sure you aren’t taking jobs away from locals and if you must do a program, ensure that it is ethically run (for example, programs with longer durations and adequate training). Volunteering abroad can be a mutually enriching experience for you and the community you serve, but it is essential to do your research beforehand and be certain that you can make a positive impact. 

That should give you enough ideas to stay abroad for an entire lifetime–and you definitely should. With the abundance of resources available today, it has never been easier to make travel slower and more meaningful. So if you’re like me and you want to travel forever and ever… What are you waiting for?