Ready to Travel Around the World? 5 Tips, Courtesy of 'Overland'

Pete Mandra, author of the new humorous travel narrative 'Overland' shares his experience in leaving corporate America behind for an around-the-world odyssey.

Ever dreamed of quitting your 9 to 5 job and traveling around the world? Would you visit the ancient pyramids of Egypt? Relax on a postcard-perfect beach in the Caribbean? Hike through the ruggedly beautiful Amazon?

You don't need to be a millionaire lottery winner to do so, according to Pete Mandra, author of the recently published book Overland, a humorous travel narrative based on his six-week travel experience with his wife and a group of strangers on a budget trip through Africa. A few years back, Pete and his wife, Jessica, both quit their jobs for a several month odyssey across the globe, highlighted with a tour through Africa, several stops in Europe, and a swing through the western United States originating in Alaska.

"Believe me, leaving all those comfortable things behind to travel - like a job, an income, a place to live - is not a decision to take lightly," Mandra shares. "But if you really get bit hard by that 'travel bug' like I did, and take a hard, honest look at your situation, you may conclude, like I did, that it's worth pulling off."

The following are Mandra's five points worth considering if you are weighing embarking on an extended journey:

1. Do you REALLY love that job? Sit down with a piece of paper and populate two columns related to your current position - 'Things I Love" and 'Things I Hate', then add up the columns to see where you stand. "When I really looked honestly at my situation," Mandra explains, "all I really loved was the comfort. I wasn't growing career-wise and the prospect of leaving it all behind was too tempting to stick around." If you're working somewhere you truly love and still enjoy the prospect of travel, try negotiating with your employer for a sabbatical-type leave. You may be welcomed back if the feeling is mutual.

2. What's tying you down? Circumstances may vary, but for some people, once you get past the job, nothing from a responsibility standpoint is keeping you in one place vs another. "When I traveled, things lined up perfectly," Mandra recalls. "I had no children and I rented an apartment, so it was easy to pick up and go." Own a home? Consider a house swap with someone from another country.

3. Will you REALLY go later? It's a tough question, but life gets in the way - children, finances, health. More rugged and adventurous trips should diffidently be enjoyed while you're younger, Mandra warns. "In Africa, we had a couple in their late 60s traveling with us. I give them all the credit in the world for toughing it out on a rugged, budget trip like ours, but they seemed miserable. I can't imagine they dreamed their Golden Years of travel would include pitching their own tent, dragging their heavy gear around, and washing our dishes."

4. Money. Setting a budget for such a long trip - and sticking to it - may seem just as daunting as saving for one. Be realistic when estimates all expenses, including food, souvenirs, and special excursion costs. In planning the trip, save money by looking at open jaw flights if you plan on hopping around the world. With open jaw flights, you may return from a city other than where you arrived from. And if you want to go as cheap, rustic and barebones as possible? "The younger you are the better," Mandra says. "Honestly, the younger you are, the lower your standards for comfort are. You won't mind sharing that hostel room with eight other people!"

5. Stuff. Specifically, what are you going to do with everything you've accumulated throughout your life while you're away traveling? Provided your family doesn't think you're completely crazy for picking up and going, they're your best bet - a garage or basement is much preferred to expensive storage costs. Craigslist, Ebay, or even a good old-fashioned garage sale will help you with reducing your inventory.

So Mandra's advice if you're on the fence about embarking on a trip around the world? "Do it," encourages Mandra. "Though my book Overland has a lot of fun with the annoyances of traveling with strangers, as well as the dangers of traveling through Africa, I wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. We slept under star-filled skies in the middle of nowhere, navigated the hippos and crocodile of the Zambezi River in canoes, and joined an armed military convoy through a patch of land contested by rebel fighters- if that's not living life, I don't know what is!"

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About the Author: Pete Mandra is the author of Overland, a humorous travel narrative ('Bill Bryson meets Generation X') chronicling his budget, six-week 'overland' tour through Africa with his wife and a truckload of strangers. To learn more about Pete and his novel, check out the Facebook page for Overland.