This is one of the biggest questions people ask when they start thinking seriously about long-term travel:
“But what do you do with your house?”
And honestly?
There’s no perfect answer.
What you do with your house while travelling depends on your plans, your finances, your stress levels, and what “home” really means to you and your family.
We’ve travelled for a year already, and we’re about to embark on another year of travel. Along the way, we’ve thought a lot about this question — and changed our minds more than once.
So rather than telling you what you should do, I want to share the main options, explain what we’re doing (and why), and help you work out what’s right for you.
Our Personal Story: Why We’re Renting Our House Long Term
When we travelled for a year previously, we always knew we’d be back. This time, we’re heading off again for another year — but with a clearer plan.
For this adventure, we’ve decided to rent our house out full-time.
That decision didn’t come lightly.
There’s a lot to organise before handing over the keys:
- Gas safety certificates
- Electrical safety certificates
- Fire alarms and other safety checks
- Chimney swept
- Correct landlord insurance
- Speaking to our mortgage provider to make sure renting is allowed
This is something people often don’t realise until late in the process.
Some residential mortgages don’t allow long-term letting at all. Others only allow it with:
- Consent to let
- A time limit
- Higher interest rates
- Or a full switch to a buy-to-let mortgage
Changing mortgage products or providers can take time, so it’s worth checking early — especially if you’re working to a travel deadline.
Why Renting Works for Us
We’ve chosen to use letting agents, and while that does eat into profit, it removes a huge amount of stress.
We like knowing:
- Our house will be lived in and cared for
- Any problems can be handled locally if something goes wrong
- We’re not trying to fix issues from the other side of the world
- We still have a home to return to
That last point is really important for us.
Our children have been very clear: they don’t want to sell the house.
Knowing we can come home after our adventure gives them security, and that peace of mind is worth a lot.
If it were just Nick and me, we’d probably sell up, travel longer, and see if another place — or even another country — felt like home.
But with children, their sense of stability matters too.
Selling Your House to Travel
Selling your house can be a really valid option.
It might make sense if you:
- Don’t want the responsibility of a property while away
- Need the capital to fund your travels
- Are open to starting fresh somewhere new later
We’re fortunate that we’ve focused on building:
- Passive income
- Online work that allows us to earn from anywhere
That means we don’t need the money from selling our house to travel.
But if selling your house is your only option, I still believe this:
The experiences, memories, and time together you gain from travelling often outweigh staying put just to pay bills, scrape by each month, or live constantly stressed with little time as a family.
Houses can be bought again.
Time and memories can’t.
Short-Term Rentals: Airbnb and Holiday Lets
Another option is short-term renting through platforms like Airbnb.
This can work well — but it’s not as passive as it looks.
Things to think about:
- You’ll need reliable cleaners
- Maintenance people are available quickly
- Someone to handle guest issues
- Either:
- Hand your keys to a management company and lose some profit, or
- Manage the property yourself while travelling
Some people choose to buy a separate investment property for short-term lets, rather than using their family home, which can remove some emotional stress.
It can be profitable, but it requires:
- Strong systems
- A trusted local team
- Comfort with things occasionally going wrong while you’re far away
Leaving Your House Empty While You Travel
You can also leave your house empty and have someone you trust check in on it.
This keeps the option open to:
- Returning home at short notice
- Avoiding tenants or guests altogether
But it also means:
- Continuing to pay the mortgage
- Covering bills
- Checking your mortgage and insurance allows for long periods of vacancy
- Having money tied up in a property that isn’t generating income
Some lenders and insurers have rules around how long a property can be left empty, so this is another area where a quick phone call can save a lot of stress later.
There Is No Perfect Option — Only the Best Fit
This is the part I really want to stress:
There is no “right” answer.
Before deciding what to do with your house, it helps to ask:
- How long are we actually planning to travel for?
- Are we likely to want to return home within weeks or months?
- Or are we committed long-term?
- What income will we have while travelling?
- Are we reliant on rental income or the sale of our house?
- Does our mortgage allow what we’re planning, or will we need to change provider or product?
- Do we have savings set aside for maintenance and unexpected costs?
- If the house is empty, can we comfortably cover the bills?
Answering these honestly usually makes the decision much clearer.
The Most Stressful Part of Travel Planning (For Me)
For me, this is hands down the most stressful part of planning long-term travel.
It takes:
- Research
- Time
- Honest conversations
- And sometimes, uncomfortable financial decisions
But it’s worth doing properly.
Because the right choice isn’t about what looks best on paper — it’s about:
- How do you want to travel?
- What does your budget really allow?
- What are your long-term plans?
- And what kind of life are you trying to build?
Once this piece is in place, everything else feels lighter.
If your family is dreaming of travel, we share all the practical steps that made it possible for us — through our blog, our book, and our emails. You can find everything at alittlemoreoutdoor.com
If you enjoy discovering practical steps to make the life you want happen, The ALMO Escape Planner is a guide designed to take you from feeling stuck to confidently planning the life you want for yourself and your family.
