I consider traveling an essential part of personal growth. It’s incredibly important to get out and experience different cultures, whether it’s in a new country or even just a different city. When you travel, you learn about the people of the world, the different values they hold, and the different hardships they face. You learn how other people live, and why they live that way, and why it’s okay to live that way.
Traveling teaches you about history. It teaches you about religion. It teaches you about cultural differences. It teaches you to be independent. It teaches you to overcome your fears. But, most importantly, it teaches you empathy.
And yes, okay, traveling is a personal choice. Some people just aren’t very enthusiastic about it, and that’s fine! But there are so many people who express a desire to go somewhere or see something, but never actually do it.
So, why is that?
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#1: It’s too expensive
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Out of all the excuses I hear, this one is probably the most valid. I can understand how hard it gets, especially when you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck. You’re trying to support a family, you’re trying to pay medical bills, you’re trying go to school or get a better job. I get it.
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But here’s the thing: you won’t be struggling for money forever. So, if you really want to travel, here are some options…
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SAVE UP THE MONEY
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Everyone needs to put money aside in savings at some point. You can do the same for traveling. It doesn’t matter if it takes several months or several years – if you want to take a trip somewhere, put money aside for it with each paycheck.
TIP: Even putting aside $50 each payday can add up quickly. Three years later and suddenly you have enough money for that week-long dream vacation in Italy!
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TRAVEL CHEAPLY
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Seriously, there are so many ways to save money on vacations nowadays that it’s ridiculous. It’s just a matter of googling “How to visit [x] on a budget.” But if you don’t want to look on your own, here are a few common solutions:
- Do you eat at fancy restaurants every day? Probably not, because it gets too expensive. So why, then, would you go to restaurants for every meal when you travel? Save money and buy food from a grocery store or street vendors instead!
- Hostels or Bed & Breakfasts are a good alternative if you’re not planning on being in your room very often. Renting an apartment or condo is a good alternative if you’ll be staying somewhere for a long time, or if you have a large group of people you’re traveling with.
- Milk that student discount for as long as possible!!
- Do some research to find the cheapest airline flights. (But don’t compromise quality for price!)
- Join a frequent flyer program.
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Some links to get you started:
TripAdvisor www.tripadvisor.com/CheapFlightsHome/
Booking.com www.booking.com
STA Travel www.statravel.com
Airline rewards programs www.travel.usnews.com/rankings/travel-rewards/airline-rewards/
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CREATE A BUDGET
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Holy crap I cannot stress this enough. BUDGET. YOURSELF. Find out the currency conversion rate, figure out the cost of any big purchases you may want to make, and then create a maximum budget for every day and stick to it. There’s nothing worse than finding out you’ve blown through all of your money in the first three days of your trip.
TIP: Always make sure you have access to about $500 in case of emergencies and/or if you go over your budget. Because you will go over your budget. You will.
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#2: I don’t have time
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In the USA, full-time workers receive on average 10 days of paid vacation time and yes, unfortunately, many employers lump “sick days” in with that time. So I understand that things happen and sometimes you just have to use up all your vacation days.
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But you still have the time. You do. Sometimes you just don’t realize it.
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YOU DON’T HAVE TO STAY FOR LONG
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“Traveling” does not necessarily mean flying to a foreign country; even driving to another city for the weekend can be an adventure! Head over to a neighboring state for a long weekend and explore – eat new food, meet the locals, sight-see, and maybe even stop by the local arena for a game. (Yeah, sport-ball!)
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MAKE TIME
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How many times do you visit family over the holidays and spend most of the time sitting on the couch? How many weekends do you spend doing nothing? Well, guess what; you could be doing nothing on a boat in Jamaica.
Traveling is just like any other time-consuming activity: if you want to take the time, you have to make the time.
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#3: I’ll go someday
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Sorry, I can understand most of the other excuses, but this one just frustrates me to no end. “Someday?” When is “someday??” You are procrastinating on happiness. Come on.
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PICK A DATE
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Seriously, just pick a date. It can be three days from now, it can be three years from now; just pick one, even if it’s hypothetical, and treat it like it’s real – look at flights, figure out hotels, research things to do. Talk about the trip like it’s going to happen, and soon you’ll realize that it will happen.
“Someday” will always be “someday” until you change it. So make a decision and go.
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“What is today, but yesterday’s tomorrow?” – Mr. Krabs
(and someone else more important, probably)
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#4: I don’t want to leave family/friends/pets
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I’m a total homebody (when I’m actually home), so I have actually had this worry before. But in all likelihood, you’re probably not afraid of leaving loved ones at home – you’re afraid of leaving home without your loved ones. There’s a huge difference.
Traveling alone can be scary and take you too far out of your comfort zone, especially if you’re young or inexperienced. But there are a few things that can help you take that leap…
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BRING THEM WITH YOU
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I love vacationing with my family! Having something (or someone) familiar at your side at all times makes adjusting to a new culture infinitely easier and more comfortable. And like I said before, you don’t have to visit a foreign country… take your dog camping; visit a different city with your family; take a road trip with some friends!
Obviously traveling with family will be a different experience than traveling with friends, and so on. It all depends on what kind of vacation you’re going for.
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YOU WON’T BE GONE FOREVER
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I tend to get pretty tired and homesick after about three weeks; this tolerance differs from person to person. But something that always helps is the reminder that I won’t be away from home forever and I can choose to end my trip early and go home whenever I want.
Video chatting over Wi-Fi helps, too.
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#5: I don’t speak the language
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Not speaking the language of whichever country you want to visit can be quite a deterrent for many people. Being able to communicate is something that is essential to traveling. Luckily, most people throughout the world speak at least a little English, as it is quickly becoming the “world language.”
Even so, there are areas of the world where English is not commonly spoken. But I’ve found a few ways to overcome that problem.
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KEY WORDS & BODY LANGUAGE
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You’d be surprised what you can communicate with a few short phrases and some creative miming. Just make sure to look up offensive gestures beforehand, so you don’t accidentally make anyone angry!
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TRANSLATE ON-THE-GO
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It’s always a good idea to have quick access to translation books, apps, and guides for more complicated phrases or in case you forget something. This is especially useful in emergency situations, however rare they may be. And it’s nice, because the translation can go both ways!
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TRAVEL WITH A GROUP
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Group travel makes taking on foreign languages a less daunting task. I spent most of my time visiting Spain with a friend who is fluent in Spanish, and though I attempted to speak the language a few times, it was nice to have someone who could speak for me or correct me if I was wrong. Group tours are great too, because your guides take care of most translation issues for you!
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#6: I’m too old
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Really? Really?
I once read about a 90-year-old couple who took a multi-day hike to Machu Picchu.
In Ireland, my mom and I met a man on his way to walk across the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge because it was his 70th birthday.
Age is just a number; if you feel physically and mentally well enough and you want to go somewhere, then go. The only one stopping you is yourself. And there are a few things that can make the trip easier and more comfortable…
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TAKE IT AT YOUR OWN PACE
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Only go as fast as you want to go; you know your own limits. There’s nothing wrong with visiting one city and staying in the surrounding area the entire vacation. In fact, the less you travel around, the more money you’ll save!
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BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU
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No matter where you go, things will be a thousand times easier if you bring someone with you. Wouldn’t you rather have someone to talk to? Someone to wake you up in the morning? Someone to make getting lost fun? Someone to help if you have any problems? Someone to share the memories? It’s always more fun when you have friends or family with you!
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#7: No one to travel with
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“But Lindsey,” you ask, “what if I don’t have anyone to go with?” Well, let me tell you two things that may or may not blow your mind.
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GO ALONE
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Hear me out.
Solo travel is terrifying, yes. But it’s also one of the most empowering and incredible things you will ever do.
Why do you hear about so many people, women especially, traveling the world alone? Because it gets you out of your comfort-zone and builds independence and self-sufficiency in the most memorable way possible. You learn to handle so many different situations because you only have yourself to rely on.
Beyond that, traveling alone helps you realize that the world is not as big and scary as you may have been led to believe. You’re more careful because you’re alone, but you learn to talk to people out of necessity, and you start making more calculated risks. And people love to help you. It’s important to exercise caution around strangers, but most people are very kind at heart and will go out of their way to help you have a great vacation.
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GO ON A GROUP TOUR
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A group tour is a very specific kind of travel, and there are quite a few pros and cons for traveling with an organized group. But at the very least, group tours are a great way of meeting and bonding with new people who may become life-long friends!
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#8: I’m afraid of flying
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I have met a lot of people (friends and strangers alike) who’ve expressed a fear of flying; it’s pretty common. And even though I’ve never been a nervous flyer, I do admit that being stuck in a confined space for extended periods of time can get uncomfortable.
Luckily, being as I am an experienced airplane passenger, I know some tricks to make the journey a bit easier.
(Keep an eye out, because soon I’ll be posting a list of tips & tricks for first-time and nervous flyers!)
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STAY LOCAL
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Again, no one says that “traveling” means you have to fly somewhere far away. If you feel more comfortable driving, then take a road trip! If you want to start working your way up to longer flights, start small – there are plenty of flights that last an hour or less.
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#9: It’s dangerous
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This.
This is the one that frustrates me the most.
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WOULD YOU GO?
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Think of a place you really want to visit. You’re number-one place. The place you would drop everything to see if you could; it can be anywhere in the world. Got a place in mind?
Now, imagine someone makes it so you can travel there, all expenses paid, but only for one day.
Think about it like you’re actually planning the trip. Think about the “what ifs.” Think about what you’ve seen in the media. Think about the culture and the flying and the people.
Make a decision. Would you go?
Now, imagine you learn that you’ll die tomorrow. The person asks if you’d like to travel to that place. Would you change your answer?
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EVERYWHERE IS DANGEROUS
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Everything you do is dangerous. Walking in the snow? Dangerous. Visiting a club downtown? Dangerous. Driving a car? Actually deadly. You can slip and fall in the bathroom.
The only way you can actively avoid danger is by literally sitting in bed and staring at the ceiling. And what kind of life is that?
I’m not going to let the fear of “what if” stop me from doing what I love.
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SOMETIMES IT IS DANGEROUS
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I’m not saying to throw all caution to the wind, because there certainly are situations that are dangerous. Be smart and listen to your gut; if something feels wrong, it probably is wrong. Even so, don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from living your life the way you want.
As FDR said,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
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#10: No, seriously, I can’t travel right now
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Okay, fine.
That won’t be true forever.
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#11: I don’t even know where to start
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No worries, friend. I’m here to help. Break it down and take it one step at a time.
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PICK A DATE AND DESTINATION
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I like to keep track of places I want to visit on my Pinterest page because it keeps things organized and visually interesting. But figure out where you want to visit most and where you’re capable of traveling based on finances, time, etc.
Then do a bit of research to find out roughly what month you want to visit. If you don’t have a specific date to visit, pick a hypothetical date at random.
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE & DO?
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This is one of the best parts: make a list of things you absolutely, positively must do and see when you’re there. Things that you would punch yourself in the face for missing. Things that you have dreamed about. Those kind of things.
Add pictures if you want.
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LOOK AT ITINERARIES
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Don’t want to plan everything out? There are plenty of people like me who plan itineraries just for fun. Take a gander around the internet and see if you can find any itineraries that you like – at the very least, it may give you a few ideas!
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ASK OTHERS
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Take some time and talk to people, ask them what they’d recommend. Ask travel agents, ask friends, ask travel enthusiasts – heck, ask the hotel workers when you get there! You’re almost guaranteed to get different answers every time, but someone may bring up an idea you hadn’t thought of before, or may even give you details like what to avoid and the best times to visit.
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So yes, traveling is important.
And yes, you can do it. Regardless of what you may think, you can do it.
So it’s time to stop making excuses. It’s time to pack your bags and go.
Adventure on, my friends.