I'm actually planning on doing both -- I plan on using the LLC to travel, and taking enough runway for roughly a year. If in that time I can't bootstrap some business that provides a livable amount of recurring revenue, I'll be contracting/consulting where I can.

Worst case, run out of runway, and start contracting for some big company where I plan to move (or come back to the states)

I dunno if starting the LLC "just because" makes sense -- you can report side-work on your taxes even if you don't make the LLC... I didn't really look for resources on going it alone, mostly because I just don't think there's that much in it. Maybe I'm underestimating the amount of effort here, but I expect some more stress around tax time, and maybe having to create a business bank account but other than that, I get the feeling I won't think about it much.