Fifty-six years ago, if you spent a summer in Russia as a foreign exchange student, dashed off to Paris for a week, then spent a week clickety-clacketing to Greece on a train before returning home, you were either desperate to finish college, quirky, a bit crazy, and in debt for six months to pay off your travel. Or maybe, you were wealthy.

But today you'd be a run-of-the-mill rover — and you wouldn't be in debt for long.

Now you can snag cheap tickets online, jump on a plane bound overseas, pick up a SIM card at the airport when you land, and book a room using your smartphone. Don't want a hotel? Try Airbnb and rent directly from an owner. Or house-sit. Own a home? Do a home exchange. Want to stay with locals and experience real daily life? Couchsurfing still connects travelers with willing hosts worldwide — though be aware it has required a small subscription fee since May 2020, when the pandemic forced the platform to abandon its original free model.

Need to get around? Grab a taxi, book through local ride-share apps, or rent a car or two-wheeler of your choice. Want to see Europe by rail? Buy a Eurail pass online for a flat monthly fee and zip across 33 countries at will. Gone are the days of checking chalkboard schedules at the station.

Looking for an inexpensive ocean crossing? Check out RepositioningCruises.com where you can book transoceanic voyages with no ports of call — sit back and enjoy the ride. For a deeper look, see our piece on how to cruise your way to a new life.

Our digital global village makes it easier than ever to be a citizen of the world. With 5G networks now reaching even some of the world's more remote destinations, you can find out where to go, what to do, and how to get there before you've left your armchair.

You Don't Have To Travel From Point To Point — You Can ROVE

When you rove, you'll meet like-minded people — young and old — all looking toward the next horizon, savoring the food and culture in each country they visit. You'll meet young people checking out of the rat race to wander through foreign lands while working online or volunteering abroad. You'll see retirees roving from country to country, savoring each culture as they go. They all have something in common: they're eager to learn, explore, grow, meet new people, and try something new. Rovers hate ruts.

If this sounds good to you, know this: you can do it too — and often for less than you would spend to stay at home. Roving is a great way to see the world, test-drive a possible retirement spot, build a résumé through volunteer work, or simply try out a different way of life. For more on what the rover life really looks and feels like, see our 8 truths about being a rover and our recent piece on whether roving is right for you.

We can give you the tools and the inspiration. All you have to do is test-drive your new life.

What COVID Taught Every Rover: Being Abroad During a Pandemic

The original version of this article was published in 2017 — three years before the world discovered what happens when a global pandemic closes every border simultaneously. COVID-19 was the most severe real-world stress test the rover lifestyle has ever faced, and it produced a genuinely mixed report card.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the disruption was staggering. The International Organization for Migration identified at least 3 million stranded travelers and migrants worldwide by July of that year. The U.S. State Department repatriated more than 98,000 Americans from over 60 countries — while tens of thousands more waited weeks longer, with every flight negotiated country by country. No one was automatically rescued. What follows is the honest accounting every rover deserves before they go.