Lifestyle Trend: The ‘Travel Lifestyle’ As Told by Someone Who’s Lived It You Should Know

In recent decades, the concept of traveling has come to include more than the simple vacation. Today, many people build their lives around it — working and living abroad in pursuit of a more adventurous and meaningful way of experiencing the world.

But is the travel lifestyle really as incredible as it seems?

I recently spoke with Casey Wurtz, a real lifestyle traveler, and she offered an honest look at the joys, challenges, and overlooked realities that come with a life built around travel.

What is the travel lifestyle?

Imagine waking up in a new city every few weeks, packing your life into a backpack, or working every day from a café in a foreign country. This is the reality for those who have chosen a lifestyle of constant travel.

And while this travel lifestyle may be common today, it was not always possible. For most of history, long-term travel was a privilege reserved for the wealthy or adventurous few. Only after modern transportation infrastructure developed did travel become accessible to a broader population.

Pioneers like Hilary Bradt and Tony and Maureen Wheeler helped define this shift, popularizing international backpacking and encouraging travelers to prioritize authentic experiences and cultural immersion over comfort or luxury. Their approach inspired generations to rethink what it meant to see the world. 

Soon, more diverse forms of travel lifestyles developed. Hitchhikers, Van Lifers, and digital nomads emerged, placing exploration, cultural connection, and adventure at life’s center. While the specifics differ, the travel lifestyle generally describes someone whose life revolves around travel, authentic exploration, and worldly experiences over conventional milestones.

From the outside, this way of living seems exhilarating, colorful, and endlessly interesting. But for those who live it day to day, the reality is more nuanced. What is it really like to build a life around travel, and what does it take to sustain it?

Meet Casey, an authentic ‘life traveler’

In early 2023, I had the opportunity to find the answer to those very questions myself. I imagined rugged landscapes, unfamiliar languages, and the kind of “off-the-beaten-path” adventure that travel writers and influencers often romanticize. Instead, I ended up at a Mexican resort drinking margaritas out of a foot-long swirly straw. Hardly the pinnacle of cultural immersion.

But it was there, in an overly themed rainforest bar on the coast of Mexico, that I found the perspective I was looking for – not through my own experience, but through someone else’s. That’s where I met Casey Wurtz, then a senior psychology major at SUNY Cortland and an avid traveler with a passion for seeing the world.

Over the course of the past two years, Casey has spent half of each year traveling, and the other half at home in Buffalo, New York, working to save up for her next adventure. I’ve followed Casey’s journey on Instagram ever since. In almost every way, she pursues a lifestyle revolving around international exploration and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

This past November, I had the chance to catch up with Casey and talk in depth about her life abroad. What she shared offered a rare, honest look into what the travel lifestyle is really like.

The appeal of a life on the move

The allure of a life built around constant travel is easy to understand. For many, it’s the freedom to explore new places, meet new people, experience unfamiliar cultures, and create memories that stay with you long after the journey ends. Casey echoed all of these sentiments and more throughout our conversation.

She began by telling me about her first long-term trip: a summer spent backpacking across Europe as a graduation gift to herself. The sightseeing was incredible, she said, but what meant the most was the personal growth that came from navigating the world alone.

After spending two weeks traveling intermittently with a friend, she was on her own for the rest of the trip. “I was really anxious, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do it,” she told me. “But I did, and it was the best experience of my life. I grew a lot as a person in the process.”

Some of the friendships she formed that summer became lifelong connections. Earlier this year, she spent two weeks in the Azores staying with someone she had met during her excursion through Europe. They road tripped around São Miguel and shared meals with students from around the world studying at the same program as her friend. “It’s small moments like those meals together that have really stuck with me,” she said.

For Casey, and the many others who choose this path, this is what makes the travel lifestyle so appealing. It’s the chance to create unforgettable memories, form friendships that span continents, and learn about yourself in ways everyday life rarely allows. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to grow, push your boundaries, and experience moments you’ll carry for the rest of your life.

The hidden challenges

Of course, the travel lifestyle is not all glamour. In our conversation, Casey spoke openly about the challenges that come with being constantly on the move: loneliness, goodbyes, feelings of guilt, and anxiety about falling behind.

Reflecting on her first long-term trip in Europe, she described how isolating solo travel can be. “I was calling my mom every day,” she said. “Everyone back home knew how lonely I was feeling.” Being in a foreign place with no roots and no familiar faces can quickly turn excitement into fatigue. And when you’re always on the move, loneliness is often paired with the repeated heartbreak of goodbyes.

Lifestyle travelers rarely stay anywhere long enough to build lasting connections, so when meaningful friendships do form, leaving them behind becomes even harder. Casey admitted that the goodbyes were painful, but they also made her more present and appreciative of the time she shared with others.

Another challenge she described is one that’s almost never talked about: guilt. While recounting her experience riding the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam – a four day adventure through the northern mountains on the back of a guide’s motorcycle – she remembered passing impoverished families and questioning her impact. “I didn’t know what to do. Was I making it worse by being here? Am I making their situation better?”

And then there’s the fear of falling behind. “I’m happily not rushing myself into a career,” she said, “but there are questions of being behind.” Many long-term travelers grapple with the same worry: how do you justify time away from traditional work, and what will it mean for your future?

These challenges don’t negate the beauty of the travel lifestyle, but they do complicate it, revealing a reality far more challenging than one would expect.

Is it worth it?

There’s no universal answer to whether someone should become a full-time traveler. No two people will ever have the same experiences – good or bad – and each person navigates the lifestyle differently. What you can count on, though, are a handful of shared challenges and rewards that most full-time travelers encounter in some form.

Ultimately, the lifestyle becomes what you make of it. What works seamlessly for Casey may not work for you, and that’s completely fine. The real beauty of full-time travel is that it refuses to fit into a single definition. It’s flexible, personal, and constantly reshaped by the person living it.

If you’re interested in seeing more of Casey’s story, you can follow her on Instagram: @casey_wurtz