I would start organizing at least one year before the planned start of your journey, especially if it will be a long-term one. I realize, of course, that a year is a very long time, but believe me: this will save you a lot of stress shortly before your departure.
And it really is not great if all you want to do is say goodbye to your friends and family, and spend some time with them before you leave, but you have way too much to do to prepare your journey.
Here are some of the most important questions that arise before going on a long journey:
What should you do about your job?
Basically, you have four options:
Saving vacation days, of course, would be the easiest option. But this only works if you do not want to travel too long and know exactly when you want to come back.
Leave or the unpaid leave is the best and most convenient solution for employers, because they do not lose their employee, and, on top of that, they must not pay for the time of the leave. Or better said, as well as, after a termination, they must not pay for social benefits.
If you want to take a sabbatical or sabbatical year, you have to discuss this with your boss. Unfortunately, this is not an option in all companies. As an example, a sabbatical could work this way: You would work four years full time, but receive only 75% of your monthly salary. In the fifth year, you would go on vacation, but still get paid by your employer. In this case, the employer also pays the social benefits, as usual. Of course, there are also many other models.
The termination of your employment contract has the advantage that you are untethered, and your journey can continue for as long as you want or your financial resources allow. The disadvantages are that after your journey you have to look for a new job, and that no one pays for your social benefits.
At first, I was thinking about taking a sabbatical year, but my employer did not allow it. In hindsight, I was glad about it. It was suggested to me that I could take a year's unpaid leave. During this time, I would neither receive a wage, nor would social benefits be paid for me. However, I would keep my permanent job, and I could start again in exactly one year.
That sounded pretty good to me at first. But after only two months in Africa, I realized that I would extend my journey. For some reason, the thoughts, that I should be back at work in ten months, stressed me. Somehow, I always had the feeling that I would need to travel a bit faster.
For this reason, I decided to simply send an e-mail with my notice to my employer. When I had done this, I felt really relieved, and an unexpected sense of freedom spread throughout me. Now nothing could hold me anymore. I was free of all ballast. To this day, I do not regret this decision in the least.
What should you do about your apartment?
To answer this question, you primarily have to think about these two things: How long do you want to travel? What type of apartment do you have: rented apartment or condominium?
There are basically three options:
Of course, if you do not travel too long, it may be a good idea to leave the apartment empty until you come back.
However, if you are traveling longer, you could sublet the apartment. If you have a rented apartment, the advantage is that you do not have to pay the rent during your absence. Of course, first and foremost, you have to talk to the landlord about what he thinks about the idea.
If you have a condo, subletting would be an additional source of revenue. A downside is that you should know approximately when to come back. After all, you cannot easily throw out the person to whom the apartment is sublet from one day to the next. Or what if the person, to whom the apartment is subleased, wants to move out prematurely? Then you would have to settle everything from abroad. Another drawback is that there is a stranger in the apartment, and you never know how they handle the furniture and other belongings left in the apartment.
My first idea was that I could sublet my apartment for a year. My landlord even agreed. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find someone in my village that only looks to stay for a year. Besides, I somehow had the feeling that this trip could take more than a year. And, of course, it could have been that I get homesick and therefore would want to return earlier. What would I have done then?
Based on these considerations, I decided to terminate my rental contract. The enthusiasm of my family was limited, as you can imagine. I would not have anything anymore. How I would imagine it all to work out.
But in the end, I had made the best decision. I could carelessly transform my planned one-year journey into an open-ended journey. I sold my personal belongings at flea markets, and the most important things were stored in the cellar with my friends and relatives.
What should you do with your car?
If you plan to travel only a few days or weeks, you can, of course, just leave your car in a garage and maybe shut down the insurance. For a longer period, however, this is not a good solution, as it is not good for the car to stand unused for so long.
Another option would be to lend the car. Best would be to someone you know. Whether you want / should, or should not demand something in return is up to you. But you have to think in advance what happens if the car would be damaged.
After a moment's thought, I decided to go for the all-or-nothing option and sold my car. That way, I even improved my travel budget a bit.
What insurances do I need?
On a longer journey, you do without comfort and have to pay attention to your budget. I would deeply recommend you to get an international health insurance. The costs of a hospital stay abroad can well exceed the five to six digit range.
According to my research, there are many cheap international health insurances for short trips. For long-term journeys, on the other hand, this can already be rather difficult. I really spent weeks researching and reading the fine print of all insurance providers. Eventually, after a detailed consultation in a "STA Travel" office, I decided for their international health insurance. For one, there is generally not much on the market for journeys that lasts longer than a year, and, secondly, their price-performance ratio had convinced me.
Important: You should also think of your statutory health insurance in your home country, since the international health insurance applies only to foreign countries. If you get a serious injury / illness, the health insurance company initiates a repatriation to your home country. If you have no job, you can – at least here in Austria, but as far as I know, it is similar in Germany – enter voluntary insurance. In Austria, this costs about 350 Euros per month. However, if it is possible to prove that you do not have a regular income, the amount will be reduced to about 100 Euros per month. Of course, that is still a considerable amount of money, especially for a traveler.
It is best to get in touch with the health insurance institution in your home country and to get informed in detail. In the meantime, I have terminated my voluntary insurance, but I do not want to recommend it to anyone, as you never know what will happen. Of course, everyone has to decide for himself or herself.
Other optional insurances (best discussed with your insurance advisor):
What else do you have to think about?