It happens to me every time I travel overseas. I talk with people who hear about where I’m going, and they always say the same thing: “That sounds amazing! I wish I could do that.”
My reply is always the same: “What’s keeping you from it?”
I’m not being judgmental; I’m just trying to figure out what people’s motivations and priorities are. There really could be a good reason why someone doesn’t travel much, but the responses I hear back is usually variations of these answers:
- “I don’t have money to travel.”
Fair enough if it’s true, but for many people who say this, it would be better to say, “I’ve chosen to spend money on a lot of other things, so now I don’t have money to travel.” America is a country of great wealth, and many of us living here throw things away every week that would be prized possessions to lots of other people. If that sounds a little soapbox to you, read this New York Times article.
We choose what we value either consciously or unconsciously.
Many people, young and old, have no problem happily spending their money and even going into debt for luxuries each week. I’ve chosen to focus my own spending priorities on meaningful experiences.
One time someone told me that she couldn’t give to a charity event because she did not believe in going into debt, and that her husband believed that a pledge to give money was effectively a debt. I must have surprised the person making the comment, because I agreed and said that I also believe in living a completely debt-free lifestyle.
She nodded and said, “Yeah, we don’t have any debt either right now. Well, just the two cars… and the student loan… and the credit card… and of course, the mortgage doesn’t count.”
I was too shocked to say much of anything in response to that statement.
- “The rest of the world is dangerous.”
Most people don’t come out and say it that way, but that’s what they mean. “If I leave home, something terrible will go wrong.” Aside from the fact that bad things can happen in your own country just as easily as anywhere else, there are very few places in the world that are outright hostile to visitors.
The more you travel, the more you realize you are at least as safe in many places around the world as you are at home. Sure, you probably shouldn’t plan a trip to Baghdad or Mogadishu right now, but the list of inhospitable places is really short. The list of amazing places is incredibly long, so get started. Intelligent people usually recognize this fear to be somewhat irrational, so as long as you don’t let it keep you home, it’s not worth fighting.
- “I like staying at home.”
This is another way of saying, “I’m afraid of change and different experiences.” Before you write it off, understand that most of us feel this way at one time or another. It’s just something that needs to be overcome. A small group of people will be brave enough to do it, and the rest will stay home, never venturing out beyond their own culture of comfort. It’s their loss; don’t let it be yours.
- I’ll do this kind of stuff when I retire (or at some other distant point in the future).
I see nothing wrong with the general concept of delayed gratification. I have an IRA, I look both ways when I cross the street, and it’s reasonable to give up something now in expectation of greater future benefit.
What is dangerous, however, is when delayed gratification becomes an excuse for not living the life you want.
How many people do you know that actually do the things they say they are going to when they reach arbitrary ages of leaving the jobs they have given their lives to? Far more common is the downsizing of dreams along the way.
If you want to play golf all day and take your medication at regular intervals, the 40-year career track plan should work well for you. If you have other ideas or ambitions, though, don’t kill yourself as a slave for the future. Instead, go and figure out where you want to travel and do something about it.
4 Important Questions to Ask Yourself:
1) Am I satisfied with my work? Does it meet my needs and fulfill my desires?
Your work should not exist merely to provide income for the rest of your life. Ask yourself, what am I working for? Am I working to make a living or to make a life? If your work supports your goals, that’s great. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to make a change.
2) Think back to the times you have left your home country. What did you learn on those trips? Do you think you have more to learn?
For me, the more I have traveled, the more I learn, and the more I realize how big the world really is. When I was younger and had spent a fair amount of time abroad, I used to say that I had traveled “all over the world.” More than 60 countries later, I laugh at that idea. There are still many, many countries I have yet to visit, and even after I achieve my goal of visiting every country in the world, there will still be many places within those countries that I still won’t have experienced.
3) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be? (Don’t think about reasons why you can’t go there.)
Brainstorm through the six inhabited continents – Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, North and South America – and think about cities or countries on each of them that you’ve always wondered about. Chances are there’s somewhere, and probably several places, that you’ve always wanted to see.
Finally, while I believe that international travel is not nearly as expensive as the lifestyle many people wear themselves out to maintain, it’s true that it does cost money to travel around the world.
Therefore, you should also understand the answer to this question:
4) What are your financial priorities?
If you don’t know the answer offhand, it’s easy to get it.Just look back at your bank statements, financial software, or credit card statements for the last six months. Whether you like it or not, where you’ve been spending a lot of money is where your priorities are. If you’d like to value experiences more than “stuff,” you may need to make some changes.
***
In future essays, I’ll discuss exactly how you should go about pursuing the goal of world travel – or anything else you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t known how to get started. I’ll also cover the following topics in detail:
*How to earn money without a job
*How to achieve great things for yourself while also making a difference in the lives of others
*How to align your values with your life, reducing stress and ensuring that you are doing the right things the right way
*How to change the world by rising above the norm of mediocrity
For now, the rest of the story is up to you. Think about the questions and make a plan. What’s that one place – or ten places – you’ve always wanted to go to?
Write it down and stick it to your monitor so you’ll continually be reminded of it.
If you don’t take your own dreams seriously, who will?
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November 16, 2009
adriansabah
I have lived in several countries while growing up, and while I missed home terribly as a child, I looked forward to leaving home also. I thought of it as an adventure, and that made me want to get on the plane and spend the next few months away from home.
The biggest lesson I learnt is that people everywhere are the same. They have the same dreams, aspirations and fears. It doesn’t matter if you come from England, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia. Once you realized that, making friends is easy! The world is both larger and smaller than you think.
It is sometimes hard to answer when my friends ask me what people in England is like. I tell them that we’re basically the same, but they don’t get it. We watch the same movies, listen to the same hit songs, drink the same beer, even laugh at the same jokes. How are we different?
November 16, 2009
Maria Brophy
To Felicia, who was asking for help with her yearning to travel, but certain things hold her back:
See if you can take a smaller trip, first. I suggest going somewhere like Australia or New Zealand, where it’s very easy to travel alone. People are friendly, the public transportation system is excellent, and you can stay in cheap hostels (no matter how old you are) and meet people who are traveling just like you.
Ask your company to give you 6 weeks off. Tell them you need it. (I did this with my co years ago – they gave me 4 months off). Take time off – keep your house – and then once you’ve gotten a little taste and experience of traveling alone, then you can plan the BIG trip. (Sell your house, pay down your loan, get rid of all your stuff….)
Don’t let things and people hold you back. All your reasons for not going is what Chris is talking about when he asks “WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK” – sometimes it’s just yourself.
November 16, 2009
KF
Go, Nomer! Your story has inspired me and should inspire all of us, that it’s never too late to make our dreams come true.
November 20, 2009
Rhonda
I love your article. I have just booked up to go travelling around Asia for 3 months and your article has just reinforced all my reasons for doing it! My boyfriend doesnt want to go and i dont know if i’ll have a job when i return but life is too short……..go for it!
December 7, 2009
Fiona Leonard
As someone who packed up their life a year ago to go traveling, I really enjoyed reading this piece. All very true.
The comment I get a lot when people hear what we’ve done is: Well it’s all right for you! I couldn’t do it because….
Given that I had a house, car, motorbike etc etc and am now traveling with husband, dog and nine year old daughter, I figure I’ve pretty much proven that logistical difficulties can be overcome!
December 8, 2009
John R
I’m a single man and I’m planning to travel to New Zealand in February for a year. I have my working holiday visa and am just waiting on approval for a new credit card (I’m 29 now and never saw the need for one) so that I can book my flight. I have never been out of Ireland more than two weeks at a time. Once this is done I plan to tell my family. I have only told two close friends about my plans. I know that when I tell everyone else (family, workmates) they will think I am insane giving up a well paid job. I have a substantial amount of money saved even though I became a mortgage slave 4 years ago. I just think now is the right time to do this before I end up meeting someone and getting married and having kids. It does scare me about what I will do when the year is up as jobs are thin on the ground. But I always come back to this blog and others like it to reassure myself that everything will be ok and not too wuss out of this journey.
December 8, 2009
Mark
Wow what can I say; It’s so good to find a blog where people share the same values and passions in life!! Just reading peoples comments make me feel so positive that travelling the world is the way forward! I too am in a huge dilemma though, travel or progress with my career
I’m 22 yrs old and lucky enough to be working in good job since graduating at a blue-chip company as a project engineer. The experience money and future career prospects are extremely fantastic for someone my age but the huge problem is whether to say or go. I do enjoy my but I often wonder is it too much responsibility and stress for someone my age and can’t see myself being there forever.
During my placement I saved enough money to have my first experience of travelling and was lucky enough to spend 2 months in South America. The experience has changed me and views on life completely, making me so determined to see more of the world.
December 9, 2009
Mady
Just stumbled upon your great site. I agree with your way of seeing life and priorities and what truly drives the human spirit. I have been traveling since I was 12 years old and move to a different country every 2 to 21/2 years. I am now in Europe and looking to move to Germany and starting fresh again. I am a Nomad and I love it. I am changing my life and trusting my inner wisdom and intuition and letting synchronicity takes place so I can gain the most out of my travels.
I am looking to go to the Himalyas for a year and am trusting that the financing for the trip will come.
Travel is the best education that one can give to oneself and YES priorities are important. My priorities are to live life the fullest and learn and share with others and of course supporting sustainable ways of living and sharing my professional expertise with others while learning to further ground on the Earth plane. Looking forward to reading your future articles.
December 11, 2009
John
Good comments here. I’m glad many are from people who have also found a balance of frequent breaks with a job that allows it. I would rather be able to work ‘on the road’ or have an income while I’m away, and this is something I have been working towards for several months, but until then I will keep to spending every possible moment and penny either researching destinations or going to them!
December 19, 2009
Ken Harrington
Chris, it was eery reading this article. It sounded like I wrote it. I have been traveling for many years myself, and I hear the exact same questions you have. I have to agree! It’s all a matter of priorities. It’s really that simple. It has absolutely nothing to do with money. I live in a 3rd world country and bet I make maybe a fraction of the poorest person posting on this blog. However, despite my lack of finance or money, I bet (other than Chris) I am the richest person here. You cannot put a price on the experiences and memories that one acquires through travel and adventure. And the people that you meet and the relationships that follow, are priceless! Kudos to you Chris, keep up the good work!
January 2, 2010
Garret
A truly interesting site and this article in particular I have found very interesting (to the point where I’ve read it several times). I am currently pondering taking 6 months to a year to spend travelling to some of the countries in the world that I have on my “list” (I think we all have one of those!). The thing is, I have a fairly decent job in advertising at the moment but I’ve pretty lost interest in it. I don’t have any real commitments (no house, no car, still single) so I am not tied down by anything, except my career.
Despite the economic situation at the moment, I can’t get the urge out of my head to just pack it all in and go and book my travel. I know most of my friends and family would call me mad for doing it but I’m really getting to the stage where I’m realising you only get one shot in life, whats the point in continually putting things off when you most likely will forget about travelling and become mired in the 9 to 5 slog?
January 4, 2010
Eric Normand
Chris!
I just quit my job and I’m planning on traveling the world with my girlfriend. You were an inspiration to me. I really appreciate how open you are and how much you share with the rest of the world.
Thanks for being you
Eric
January 4, 2010
Steph Ruud
Love your articles/blogs, I’ve had the “traveler” mindset without actually getting to travel. I’m definitely one of those “I don’t have the money” kind of people, but I’ll be starting a new career this year and am going to keep travel and saving for it a huge priority. I want to learn & grow from the people I meet in different places.
Thanks keep the goodness coming!
January 15, 2010
AJ
Travel, for me, is icing on the cake, not the cake itself. So no, I wouldn’t quit my job because I love what I do. But I ALSO love to travel. And in fact, I shouldn’t quit my job because it gives me the means to travel.
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