When I share my travel photos or I’m discussing my next trip, I’m often met with quizzical glances and questions like, “how do you travel so much?” I could dive into the way I research travel and how the nuances of graduating college debt-free have put me in a better financial situation, but the simple answer is this: I prioritize travel.
I suppose I always have. Even in high school, I researched budget-friendly or close proximity trips to which I could convince my mom to travel. In college, when I certainly did not have much time or money at my disposal, I still made traveling a priority.
My advice is this. If you want to travel more, make traveling more a priority. If you can comfortably afford a car payment and rent, you likely can afford to travel. The caveat to this is you may not be able to afford to travel to those Pinterest board destinations that plaster your screen with over-sea bungalows and spas in the mountainside. But just because you might not be able to afford a trip to the Maldives or Iceland right now, it does not mean you can’t afford to travel at all. There are so many budget-friendly options that don’t overtake social media in the same way the aforementioned places do but are equally desirable destinations.
For me, travel is less about the destination and more about the experience. I feel a sense of euphoria when I travel. I sometimes feel more like myself in places I’ve never been with people I don’t know than in a place I’ve lived my whole life. There is so much more to travel than a predetermined destination. Anywhere you travel can lead you to new experiences and can awaken a part of yourself that has been dormant.
When I plan a trip, sometimes I don’t begin with a destination in mind. I might know that I want to go to Europe, but I won’t be any more specific in my search than that. While I’d love to explore Scotland or Italy, I know that my money won’t go as far there, so for now, I exclude those places from my search. I might hop onto Skyscanner and look for the cheapest flight into Europe. Lately, Norway has had the cheapest direct flights from New York City. Again, I know that my money won’t go as far in Norway, so I can use Norway as a pitstop along the way. I might stay in the city for a night and take a quick (and cheap, like $60 cheap) plane ride to Portugal or Romania or Hungary, where I know my money will go a lot farther.
Portugal, Romania, Hungary, or other countries like it are not my “top” bucket-list destinations. But the more I look at the Portuguese beaches and Romanian castles and countryside, the more excitement I feel about potentially traveling to these places.
Romania is actually considered a cheaper alternative to Scotland because of the natural beauty, lore, and sheer number of castles. If I had been determined to go to Scotland without expanding my search, I would not only have not discovered Romania, but I also wouldn’t have been able to travel any time soon.
When I go to Scotland, I want to experience all it has to offer. Right now, I’m not in a financial position to go there. That’s fine, I can and still will travel.
Don’t be so hung up on the specific destination, because travel is so much more than a particular place. It is about the journey and experiences you have not only when you arrive, but along the way.
Be open to places you’ve never heard of and be willing to research and plan to find affordable options and destinations. Travel does not have to break the bank. I repeat, travel does not have to break the bank.
I travel because I want to, because I believe there is so much of the world to see and experience. For me it’s as simple as that. If I want to travel, I will. It may not be to my bucket-list destination right away, though I’ll get there someday. Some of my best adventures have been traveling to places I’d never heard or thought of simply because I was determined and open to making travel a possibility.
The simple truth is this: if you want to travel, travel.
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