How to Start Traveling
Don’t have enough time? Don’t make enough money? Got kids? Tied to a house?
Anyone one can travel. Seriously…ANYONE. It all comes down to changing how we look at a few things. There are ways to travel when you have next to nothing, don’t make a lot, have children or own a home. Travel is doable and if you’re serious, if you want to get out there, like me, just do it! Let me share what’s helped and worked for me and see if it works for you too!
Time vs Money
Don’t most things in life break down into these two categories? Travel is no exception. Once you’ve decided to make traveling a priority, you’re going to have to deal with these two, but don’t let that scare you! That’s why we’re talking about them first to get the two biggest obstacles to travel out of the way. Time and money are two things you have to have to travel but you usually have only one or neither. In my case, I started out with neither so I had to make some choices to allow myself a bit more flexibility. First, I had to tackle time. When I decided to become a teacher, I’d be lying if I said that the holiday and summer breaks weren’t a huge draw! The vacation time is major perk that I know I wouldn’t have in a normal 9-5. The rest of the world, however, is also off and traveling during those months which means travel will be more expensive. My time off is priceless compared to other jobs so while there are drawbacks, I’ll take what I can get! The biggest drawback of being a teacher: the famously low pay. So now I have the time but not the money. In all honesty, freeing up money has yet to be completely solved. Enter Gypsy Near & Far. I started my travel blog not only to document and share my travels but as a way to help fund my trips. All teachers have a side hustle; this is just one of a few I have, but it helps me get back on the road. My life and plan isn’t perfect but I’m here to tell you that you can assess your situation and reconfigure things in a way that makes travel possible. Look at your situation and see what changes you’re willing and able to make. Waiting for the perfect time isn’t a plan, it’s a dream without a plan. And that’s not going to get you very far.
Mindset, Limiting Beliefs & the Psychology of Travel
Now let’s get into a major player in successful travel: mindset. I talked about this some when going over how to have a more authentic travel experience. If you don’t have a positive, open and adaptive mindset, you’re plan isn’t going to work. The reality is that everyone is very busy with extenuating reasons for not being able to get up and go all the time. Some people will get trapped in these limiting beliefs and these are the people who are referred to as dreamers, not doers. If you’ve got Pinterest boards loaded up with dreams but you never actually take those ideas and start forming a plan for how you should actually start planning your trip, then your mindset is off and your limiting beliefs are holding you back. The reality is, it’s never the right time to take the trip. You’ll never have enough money. The weather won’t be perfect. Parts of the trip or people will fall through, BUT if you don’t book the ticket, you’re just going to spend another night on the sofa scrolling through other people’s social media feeds of the places you wish you were brave enough to go. Just pull the rip cord. What do you have to lose? Ever heard of the quote “Travel is the only thing that makes you richer?”. Resetting your goals, mindset and beliefs towards actually traveling will make you the richest person you know. Once you’re able to shift your mindset, creating an actionable plan for travel becomes much easier.
Be Flexible & Look for Opportunities
An important part of a travel lifestyle is the need to be flexible. The best deals will often show up at the last minute. Now, there’s an advantage to planning a grand trip a year in advance however, don’t overlook the opportunities that can show up in your inbox for last minute deals on flights or cruises looking to fill openings for this weekend. I personally keep a few emails coming to my inbox all the time so I can keep an eye out for great deals. Here are a few tools I suggest to help you keep more fluid plans!
Know your Comfort Levels & Be Realistic
Of course, it’s important to always keep your comfort levels in mind when planning! This is so important because it can make or break your entire trip. Personally, I want my own space and prefer air conditioning (SEE POST HERE). Sorry, not sorry. These are my demands, lol! But seriously, you have to know how you will be comfortable away from home to travel as anxiety free as possible (is that even possible??). There is a balance of planning the trip of your dream trip and needing to be realistic. Be honest with yourself, your wallet and vision of your trip. I want to be the glorious backpacker who stays in hostels and just trots the globe, but I’m here to admit I prefer a touch more comfort than that. As for my wallet…well she just doesn’t always agree with my delusions of grandeur. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen, just means it might have to happen a little differently than I first envisioned. I’ve had to compromise on location or quality of hotels for cost/comfort, and leave out an excursion because of time or money. Sometimes you do have to be realistic and flexible but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have it all, it just may look a little different. For example, on my first trip to England we got to do everything on my list except for Stonehenge because it was too far away from everything else on my trip. I was bummed mainly because I fit everything else in and the perfectionist in me felt disappointment not finding a way to fit it in. In all reality though when I took a minute to really look at it, it was the thing on my list I wanted to see the least and it now gives me something to look forward to on my next trip there!
Educate Yourself
Finally, the teacher in me would be remiss if I didn’t somehow mention education. But seriously, without research and knowledge, you’re going nowhere. Literally! You can save so much time and money with just a little bit of research. There are plenty of tools and resources out there (HERE’S MY FAVES) for planning, booking, and traveling while on the road. Even when I’m on a trip, I’m still looking up the best places to eat, locations to shoot photos, romantic places to have a date night, I mean we walk around with computers in our pockets. Don’t over think it! You don’t have to meticulously check everything but a little peak throughout your trip, in different areas never hurts. The education never ends for me. Maybe it’s the teacher in me but, in my opinion, why wouldn’t you try to get the very best experience out of every moment of a trip?
Travel isn’t easy but neither is anything in life that’s worth it. Travel will make you richer, smarter, interesting, more connected and more worldly than you could ever imagine. Revisiting your plan and reworking your time and money is a major practical step to get you on your way. Rethinking the psychology of travel and banishing limiting beliefs will allow you to adjust your mindset towards your new goals. Keeping your eyes peeled for opportunities and being willing to adjust will open doors you thought were bolted shut. Knowing yourself, your comfort levels and being realistic will reward you and your piggy bank. Finally, being in the know on all the tools and resources out there to make your trip the most it can be will absolutely be a reward in and of itself. I absolutely believe that if you want anything bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen. Anyone can travel. You just have to want to prioritize it for yourself and be able to keep an positive, open and flexible mindset.
