Base to Base Travel: Extended Visits Abroad
An Introduction to Base Travel
When people begin exploring the world, they might think that their life has transformed into one of nonstop journeys. This might be true for people sailing around the world, riding motorcycles through the highlands or adhering to van life. But for others, Base to Base travel another option.
Base to Base travel allows a person to spend extended time in a single location before hopping to the next point. This form of travel is generally a bit slower, but it offers many advantages when compared to constant exploration.
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Better Culture Understanding
One major advantage of Base to Base Traveling is access to a culture. A person traveling rapidly tends to get a very quick view of the local culture. However, a person sticking around for a month gets a much deeper understanding of how people live.
Base to Base travelers get to try more of the local foods, find out how people manage their daily activities, discover local nooks and pick up at least a little of the language. While passing through an area reveals a lot about a land, staying there for any period of time can illuminate deeper wonders and complexities.
Base to Base traveling involves selecting a central hub for transportation in an interesting area and doing frequent trips spiraling outward to view all the local points of interest.
Money Saver
Dollar for dollar, Base to Base Traveling is usually cheaper for several reasons.
The first financial advantage is lodging. Generally, booking an Airbnb, apartments, hostel or hotel for a month results in deals which lower the price. Nightly stays become much cheaper and more affordable.
Secondly, it’s much easier to cook and prepare food when living in a single location. Food can be bought, stored and saved without needing to be sturdy enough for constant backpack travel.
Base to Base Traveling also limits throe amount spent on rapid transit. A full-time traveler has to spend constant money when getting to the next location, whether that’s a bus ticket, airline ticket, gas or train.
While there are forms of constant exploration which are cheaper (camping-trekking or hitchhiking and couch surfing) Base to Base traveling is much cheaper for many travelers.
Deeper Appreciation for an Area
Did you know Tulum has a half dozen secret cenotes scattered in the jungle? And a free beachside yoga class which allows for walk by members? And a diving point slightly to the north to snorkel the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef? And a traditional Mayan culinary experience restarant?
Travelers who spend more time in a single location end up with a much deeper knowledge regarding the location. They learn about the hidden coves, woodland parties and local events in a way that thru-travelers simply can’t.
If you’re a traveler who truly appreciates an area and wants to know more about it, Base to Base traveling for some time might be an appealing change of pace.
Locals and Language
If you’re in a country hoping to learn a new language or culture, staying in a single location for a period of time is helpful. Locals, while unlikely to join you on the road, are wonderfully hospitible . Many are willing to show you around, share their culture with you and explain nuances of language that are difficult to understand.
Meeting a country’s native is always an enriching experience. They generally come from completely different worldviews, belief systems and understandings of the world.
While thru-traveling means making friends with other travelers, staying in one location for any amount of time usually results in local friends.
Research, Work and Language
Base to Base traveling is the favored for of travel for researchers, students and some types of digital nomads. Having a stable place to frequently work out of can improve productivity and learning speeds. Having resources, such as books, favorite cafes and friends in a stable area makes goal achievement easier.
Better for Resting
Exploration and thru-traveling can be exhausting. Constant motion, constant new stimuli and constant energy expenditure eventually results in a bit of burnout. When this happens, settling down at a nice base to recover is a good option. Base to Base traveling allows for considerably more downtime and rest.
For some people, Base to Base travel is generally better for travel. On average, it requires less energy and more stability. For others, moving from thru-travel to Base travel is something to do when rest and recover is needed.
There are also some pitfalls when traveling the world by hoping from Base to Base. Knowing these can help sidestep any negative effects.
Firstly, a Base to Base traveler tends to double back a lot. When a person wants to see the countryside or other nearby places, they can’t necessarily cut through a route visit and ten continue on. Instead, they might have to loop back to their home base, which takes a bit more travel time and money.
One of the best ways to mitigate this is by picking your next location while staying at your original base. For example, a person in Lima wo wants to head South in a month can choose to take their vacations north, knowing they’ll see everything to the south while in-transit to their next destination.
Single Point Lodging
Booking for a month at a single location can be a big commitment, since there’s no way to totally verify the quality of a living space. When in Merida, Mexico, I booked a lovely room which happened to have a sugar ant problem in my bed.
While this wasn’t ideal, I was able to sling up an interior hammock and sleep suspended above my bed for the full month. However, when my month was up, I rapidly switched lodging locations despite staying in Merida.
When looking for long-term lodging, check the reviews of other travelers. Make sure that the location, host or company has been verified by third parties and stay flexible. Look for flexible cancelation policies and complaint refund services if there are real issues. Even if your new home isn’t exactly what you hope for, try to enjoy the experience. Life is an adventure, and no adventure should be perfectly predictable.
Normal Life
Some people, when traveling, want to feel like their journey is a nonstop adventure.
Strictly speaking, any journey still has aspects of the mundane. We still must sleep, eat and drink. Even the most ambitious explorer had to work, handle self-care and perform drudgery tasks.
This is simply part of life. Base to Base travel can feel more like normal life than anything else. But never forget you’re in the midst of doing something brave and extraordinary. Not many people have the courage to embrace the world from a completely different perspective. Enjoy your islands of normality when they come along.
Switch Travel
Generally, global exploration can be done through constant thru-travel or Base to Base traveling. But the two aren’t opposites. There’s no need to do either type of travel exclusively. Traveling nonstop by doing treks through Europe can be a wonderful way to spend two months, followed by another two months resting in Turkey. Spending one year sailing the world followed by another year working in New Zealand are two sides of a life lived well. While Base to Base travel might be a helpful strategy for some time, always know other lifestyles and adventures are available to you.
Overall, Base to Base Travel is the preferred method of exploration for many vagabonds and travelers. Rooting yourself for a deeper understanding of a culture and country is commendable and enlightening.
Whatever method of travel you choose, recognize it for the enriching experience it is.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean