Traveling can bring on such a new sense of wonder, cause us to open our minds to new experiences and leave lasting imprints on our hearts and minds. It helps us gather a broader understanding of the world and a deeper understanding of ourselves. There is so much to learn from simply getting out of our comfort zones and out of our hometowns to explore the globe. I, obviously, can’t say enough good things about all that travel can bring to your life, and I’m a huge proponent of traveling any chance you can get.
But does everyone “get” the chance?
Check out this article to learn more about why I travel.
Seeing all these perfectly timed and edited instagram photos, hearing stories of bloggers that spent the last 4 years galavanting the planet, watching youtubers hop from country to country…it all seems a little too good to be true. But is it?
The more I travel, the more questions I get like, “Do you have a trust fund to afford all your traveling” “Does your partner…” (who is often at home working while I adventure abroad) pay for your travels?” “Oh, did your parents pay for that trip for you?”
Side note: Although these are all real questions I have gotten, it’s a little rude to ask them.
The answers, for me, are simple. No, my partner does not pay for my travels. No, my parents do not pay for my travels, and no, I do not have a trust fund. (If any of these are the case for you, ya lucked out because for the majority of us explorers, we don’t have that kind of backing). My first real point here is that:
TRAVEL IS NOT JUST FOR THE RICH.
All of my life I have had this innate urge to explore, and all of my adult life I have been finding ways to feed that urge. Of course, local trips are easy and can be inexpensive. Shorter trips out of my home state are exhilarating and new. Adventures abroad bring on an entirely different sense of excitement. However, all of this does cost money…so the real question is: how do I do it (as a normal, everyday American)?
Of course, I still need to work to pay for the expenses that come with the adventure, so when I am home, I find whatever job I can get and work hard to save up. Then, when I have enough in savings, I make a plan to adventure once more. Sometimes it’s just enough for a shorter trip, and sometimes it’s enough to move to a foreign country for the greater part of the year. But the point is, travel is not just for the wealthy few! It can be attainable for anyone willing to focus on it. If you work hard, save your earnings and don’t spend frivolously, you can save up for the trip of your dreams, whether that is the next state over or the other side of the world.
Read The #1 Tip to Saving Money for Travel here!
TRAVEL IS NOT JUST FOR HIPPIES.
Traveling the world has opened my eyes to so many different types of people and that is one of the most magnificent parts of travel, to me. It has taught me so many different lifestyles and ways of processing our environment. It has brought me closer to the environment and nature and turned me, honestly into somewhat of a hippie.
When I initially tell people about my long-term travels, oftentimes they assume that I am a kind of “dirty hippie”. This stems from lingering stereotypes from the 70s, back when it really was just hippies traversing the planet. But we should well know, it’s not this way anymore.
I even wrote this blog post to explain further.
Long past are the days where caravaning hippies were the only vagabonders out there. Now anyone willing to open their minds and learn about other cultures can dive into all that the world has to offer by exploring its borders.
TRAVEL IS NOT JUST FOR THE ORGANIZED
There is a common misconception that you can only travel if you are a planner, organized enough to arrange transportation, accommodation, activities, and airfare before ever leaving the house. In fact, the opposite can be quite true. Although it can be beneficial to have an idea of a route, layout of the land (so to speak), and ways to get around, it’s not necessary to have everything planned out ahead of time. In fact, I discourage that strongly. One of my top recommendations when it comes to travel planning, is to not overplan.
When I was in Japan a few years ago, I met a pair of friends traveling the country together. One of the girls was going with the daily flow, and the other had their itinerary planned out to a T. I mean, she had a list of every activity they would do everyday of their entire journey, including meal times! Observing these girls in the hostel commons area taught me one thing: overplanning leads to stress and smashes spontaneity.
It’s nice to have some accommodation booked and a good idea of what type of transportation is available. Even looking into a few must-see places is great. But other than that, I recommend leaving room in your itinerary to follow suggestions of locals, stay in a family run b&b that isn’t on the internet, and eat at street carts you stumble upon.
SO WHO IS TRAVEL FOR?
Travel is for anyone that holds the desire to see more, do more, and experience more. Those that have a craving to learn different cultures and ways of life. It’s for the ones that want a taste of foreign food, made the right way. For the ones that feel the need to get outside of their comfort zones and push their limits. For the ones with a curiosity about new landscapes. For the adventurers at heart.
Travel is for you.
