There are a lot of different ways you can choose to explore the planet. One option is to be a simple tourist who only goes somewhere on vacation. Another option is to be a backpacker who visits different places for a few weeks while hopping hostel to hostel, sharing their pictures and adventures with their friends on Facebook. The ultimate level of travel, however, is being an expat actually living somewhere.
There are numerous benefits to the expat lifestyle, not the least of which is the simple fact that you can explore culture to a far greater degree than you can as a tourist or a backpacker. Consider backpacking or vacationing like to skim reading a book; you can get the overall gist of the concept and the plot, but you won't actually understand the characters or read any of the detailed descriptions unless you read that novel page by page from front to back.
Becoming an expat also means learning the language and going native, so to speak. While tourists are generally staying in the resorts, and backpackers generally stick to the hostels, expats choose to rent long-term accommodations such as apartments or condos, or even pick up local property considering prices in other countries are fairly cheap.
The reason that the expat lifestyle is considered hardcore in comparison to the typical vacation is the fact that you are staying for more than just a few weeks. Most long-term travelers earn secondary passports as a means to offshore investments through foreign bank accounts and secondary citizenships, but you can only do this if you are willing a major time investment of 3 to 5 years as a general rule, which is more than most tourists can commit to.
When you come right down to it, it doesn't really matter what type of traveler you are, you can still explore the world on your own terms. However, if you truly want to explore the fullest depths of a destination you will only be able to do so as an expat going through cultural immersion.
There are numerous benefits to the expat lifestyle, not the least of which is the simple fact that you can explore culture to a far greater degree than you can as a tourist or a backpacker. Consider backpacking or vacationing like to skim reading a book; you can get the overall gist of the concept and the plot, but you won't actually understand the characters or read any of the detailed descriptions unless you read that novel page by page from front to back.
Becoming an expat also means learning the language and going native, so to speak. While tourists are generally staying in the resorts, and backpackers generally stick to the hostels, expats choose to rent long-term accommodations such as apartments or condos, or even pick up local property considering prices in other countries are fairly cheap.
The reason that the expat lifestyle is considered hardcore in comparison to the typical vacation is the fact that you are staying for more than just a few weeks. Most long-term travelers earn secondary passports as a means to offshore investments through foreign bank accounts and secondary citizenships, but you can only do this if you are willing a major time investment of 3 to 5 years as a general rule, which is more than most tourists can commit to.
When you come right down to it, it doesn't really matter what type of traveler you are, you can still explore the world on your own terms. However, if you truly want to explore the fullest depths of a destination you will only be able to do so as an expat going through cultural immersion.
About the Author:
The lifestyle of a full time traveler is one of continual adventure, excitement and all the little things most people only do on vacation. Buying a condo in Cancun is going to be one of the last things you worry about.
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