I’m sick and tired of hearing excuses.
This kind of lifestyle didn’t just fall on my lap. I didn’t get up one day to find myself with thousands of dollars in my bank and the liberty traveling anywhere whenever I wanted. It turned out the complete opposite. I had negative balances and a job that retained me indoors, worn out, and lazy. I loathed it.
The only way anything was going to change was to be as focused as it can be towards my goal. Using priorities is essential to motivation and getting things done.
“I could never compromise X”: Having a passion for a hobby may seem difficult to give up. It’s understandable nevertheless, you don’t need to give it all up. My hobby was high-priced. I was a DJ and had some serious equipment. I purchased music and craved new gear. At first it was heartbreaking to give up but my concern was somewhere else. I still have a passion for it though and to get my fix, I do things which are easier on my wallet without having to completely give it up. I collect music, DJ as frequently as I can abroad, and involved in the community.
It does require some sacrifices if you wish to travel. It’s your decision to take sensibly in what is essential to you. Is going to concerts every weekend more valuable than travel? That’s up to you to decide.
“I’ll travel after I complete school”: School is important. I don’t recommend quitting. I do notice this statement frequently though and in some cases, I doubt they’ll travel soon after school. Americans are often bound to thousands of dollars in loans that will have to be paid shortly after graduating. This then puts Americans straight to work to begin repaying it. Several years pass and the calendar of beaches worldwide rests in their office.
Loans are difficult to avoid for Americans. I’m still paying mine and yet I’m traveling around the globe. As I worked, I paid just as much as I could so when I budgeted my trip, I ensured to budget the school loan repayments as well. This again goes back to owning priorities and motivation to make traveling long-term possible. Try everything in your power to have the least sum of money owed by the time you graduate. Apply for grants, scholarships, and anything available. If you really want to travel after school, plan for your trip while you’re still in college because otherwise, you’ll need to work for awhile after school to save up. There’s nothing wrong with that, just don’t kid yourself that you’ll be able to travel just after school when you’ll have no money to do it.
“I wish to travel, but I have a house and kids”: Everyones challenge is unique. A house and kids undoubtedly requires a extra devotion than what I had to do but it’s still possible to travel for an extended period of time.
In the book On the Other Guy’s Dime by G. Michael Schneider, he could travel for several years while still having a house and children in their early teens. As a professor, he had the summers off. Instead of picking up part-time work in the US or lounging around, he took a career teaching abroad. He still earned money and had a new experience of a different culture with the kids. The children continued to learn even through the summer. He could keep the house by renting it out three months at a time or more.
Search on Google “family long-term travel” and you’ll realize that this isn’t even a unique idea and so some people do it and come from different situations.
Listed below are more excuses I often found.
- I’m afraid of traveling solo.
- It’s dangerous abroad and I’ll get killed.
- How about all the drugs? What if I’m drugged and forced into a brothel?
- My work only gives me two weeks.
- I’m in my 30′s and too old to remain in hostels.
- It’s too expensive to travel.
- My parents/boyfriend/girlfriend won’t allow me to.
- How can anyone understand me with the language barrier?
- There’s weird foods there. What if I follow a dog by accident?
- I don’t eat fish so I would never go to China. (What?)
- Is there even a tourism guide in places like South Korea, Japan, or Australia?
- South Korea is close to North Korea. It must be dangerous there. (Yeap, I really heard this one.)
- I’ve been to Mexico before. Cancun is stunning. Everywhere else is dangerous.
I observed that there’s two different kinds of reasons. The first is originating from those who legitimately desires to travel but needs that additional push in research and motivation to make it happen. This falls more with the excuses of “I’m scared of traveling solo.” With investigation and experience, there’s little to be afraid of in relation to traveling solo. Then there are those people who are making reasons because they don’t actually care for travel and have other priorities. I’d rather someone tell me “I don’t want to travel because” than “I would travel but” because to me it sounds like there’s something stopping you from doing what you’d prefer.
What excuses have you ever heard?Or what’s your excuses?
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