Travelling For Need and Purpose Versus Travelling For Luxury

The world has become a village due to technology,  Despite the coronavirus pandemic, migration, immigration and emigration has also become the order of life – a lifestyle to nearly all citizens of the world. Technology has also made it easier to live and work remotely as a freelancer. That way, affording a nomadic and digital lifestyle. However, borders and documentation still determine and limit where you can go and what you want to do in any country you might think of visiting, even your own when you have stayed away and have already changed your citizenship. Despite all these limiting expectations at the borders, globetrotting from one country to the other is rising in the global village. There is continuous high rise of travelling for need and purpose rather than just for luxury and touring.

When I grew up, travelling from one country to the other was rare and was basically only for diplomats and a few who could afford and understood the importance and necessity of migrating, immigration, emigration and travelling for business especially as a way of breaking from the shackles of poverty, strongholds and curses of creating a new world for future generations. I had to learn to do it also and appreciate the value it added to my experiences about life, work and business. Within a period of six months I found myself travelling within the boundaries of five Southern African States like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa with my children who are now grown but once in a while still need my assistance when it comes to renewing their documentation back home.

Basic travel and tourism literacy

However, I have not yet gone abroad, but still from my friends, acquittances and strangers I have met in Airbnb facilities who have found themselves in different parts of the world like Europe or Asia, the stories echo the same concept of having basic Travel and Tourism literacy of knowing what I am presenting in this article. That is why it makes me happy to share with you all the lessons and experiences of my travels with my children especially with the limited budget of travelling for need and purpose. At times, I would find myself at the embassies of these  few African countries I have visited negotiating for extension of  my dates when days of stay expired. At times, it was because my children needed to stay behind to finish their schooling, while I had to be back home because my days had expired to stay within that country. It was a learning curve that left me rich with knowledge and experience in how best you can remain focused and level headed when travelling for need and purpose. So how best can you make your travelling for need and purpose stress free , relaxing, and enjoyable.

1. If it is for updating documentation, do it in time before the ones you have expire.
2. Get adequate information from your embassy and see what documents you might need at the border before you start travelling.
3. Be clear with the fees that are expected in all your applications of all documents you are going to renew and apply for.
4. Budget around those figures and include accommodation , which should be very accessible to government offices like Home Affairs or National Registry Offices.
5. Be flexible and adaptable to your expectations in all basic needs like accommodation and food.
6. Resort to stick to affordable, but secure accommodation, consider Airbnb facilities preferably a self-catering facility.
7. Consider to eat for health and stamina to withstand the stresses that come with going from one office to the other.
8. Learn to present your case in a polite and clear manner.
9. Avoid short cuts and bribery or getting involved with cons who might lure you into illegal activities.
10. Be legit and stick to all stages and procedures of your applications.
11. Prepare for days that they might take for your documents to come out like IDs and passports.
12. Use the appropriate language that the officials use, especially if it is your home country.
13. Be courteous and respectful to all people you will be dealing with.
14. Find something interesting to do, while you are waiting for your documents to come out.
15. Explore the locality for exposure and opportunities in business.
16. Capture any worthwhile moments especially those that inspire to feel at home in that particular country.
17. Open your heart to any disturbing situations in that country you are visiting if they are any like gaps in the market or any economic woes.
18. Be compassionate to sad situations around you.
19.  Be empathetic and feel like you are part of it all.
20. Talk to the most vulnerable, like teenage boys or girls and the elderly in the streets.
21. Listen to their stories and be part of their stories.
22. Use their stories to imagine creative solutions.
23. Offer help by being open with them with questions.
24. Counsel if there is an opportunity to do so.
25. You can also take details of their circumstances for enlightenment on what needs to be done to make the world a better place to live, work and do business. :

In conclusion, you do not need billions of dollars to remain calm, collected and focused  when travelling for need and purpose. All what you need is creativity and common humane sense of being compassionate and empathetic for yourself and anyone else you may encounter. Your mindset and your understanding of life and appreciation of it all is what will make you enjoy your travelling for need and purpose and your experiences and lessons worthwhile in helping you to dream and create the reality of what it can be and what it should be. All this can clearly be understood and put into practice with the Travel and Tourism literacy skills like;

Planning the journey:
Here, you must plan for the journey like what you really want to do, that is the main purpose for the journey and what you want to explore after you are done with your main business and waiting for your documents wherever you are planning to go. This brings back memories of all my experiences of how I planned my journeys. It is not only journeys into foreign lands that need planning. Even, a journey  back into your own home country  needs planning, to make it memorable and worthwhile. Here is how you can successfully do it.

#Your mode of transport:

If it is a local within the continent see whether you are going to use your own car or hiring. Research the costs and for any mishaps along the way. Make sure you have reliable wheels to avoid breakdowns. If it is inter-region, consider long distance coaches that can be relaxing and stress free compared to when you are driving yourself. For doing business within the country you are visiting consider using reliable car hiring facilities with a good reputation in being reliable and a comprehensive database for car hire with reliable drivers. It is also advisable to stick to one specific company or driver whom you can call any time you need trips to the government offices or any business you might be travelling for.

# Budgeting for the journey:
This is the most limiting aspect to most people. It is never easy whether you are travelling for luxury or for business purposes. The most important budget item to put in your mind if you are not going to stay at your own place is accommodation, because days of stay might stretch on and on with uncalled for delays of applications and So, budget for staying longer especially these days of uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

# Packing for the journey:
Just pack the basics that make you feel light with your luggage at borders and when you alight and finding your way to where you are going to stay. Heavy luggage can be stressful especially when you are just travelling  for need  and purpose not luxury.

# Health screening:
Make sure you are strong and health for travelling before you start your journey. You take necessary tests if need be, like your BP tests, or any other required tests as demanded at the borders especially these days with the coronavirus pandemic. This will put your mind at rest and make you feel relaxed during the travel and all the procedures and processes you are going to undergo.

# Itinerary for the journey
Be clear with your itinerary, it is a mind map of your journey and the purpose of your visit to that particular country. Make it adjustable to any circumstances that might interfere and conflict with your plans and things you had planned to do on your itinerary.  This will definitely limit all the stresses that come with travelling for need and purpose.