I know how you feel. You have made plans for years, a million times, to quit work and indulge in world travel but have never had the courage to actually do it. You have spellbinding visions of that elusive day. When it comes right down to it, however, butterflies gnaw at your stomach.
You are afraid of the great wide unknown that is the world out there. And then there is family, work, kids…commitments that won’t just let you get up and leave, you tell yourself. But someday in the very near future, you will… you definitely will, you comfort yourself. Bust that myth. There is no time like now to do it and here is why-
Regret is a dirty word
Years down memory lane you just might regret it. If you keep putting off the call to explore, you are more likely than not end up never doing it. Why not build memories in lieu of monotony? You will have extraordinary stories you can regale your grandchildren with and/or your less intrepid friends with at the very least!
Never too old, but why not sooner
There is no such thing as being too old to travel. Yes, you might not be in the prime of your youth. You might not be able to scale, jump and run like you used to but that’s just reason to do it as soon as you can. Japan is a perfect example. Retired folks both men and women of this island nation appear to be the ones hiking, trekking and taking on physically arduous activities, both inside the country and out. There is no reason to miss out just because of you are richer in terms of years.
You don’t have to break your bank
There are tons of countries you can visit on less than 50$ a day. Cost of living therefore might be so low you might end up actually saving money more than you would have living in your home country. Besides, you can always use a dozen travel hacks to cut costs. For instance, they say the best way to know a place is on foot. Walk everywhere. It is the perfect way to use your travel as your free fitness program and in the bargain you save so much more. Other options are taking a working holiday (such as in Australia where working holiday visas entitle holders to work for a year or more), work for food and board on an organic farm using sites like WWOOF that links volunteers to farms. Or pack fish in Alaska, work on a trawler or engage in some other such exhilarating life changing experiences. In South East Asian countries you could easily find work teaching English if you are equipped with the necessary qualifications.
Finding yourself and/or your soul mate
Eat, love, pray anyone? Whether you travel by yourself or with a friend or partner, travel allows you more time with yourself for you. Travel might be a great way to explore boundaries if travelling with your loved one. It is an interesting and fun way to get to discover both yourself and your partner inside out.
It is a different ball game altogether for those going it alone. Most times when you embark on travels that stretch for months or even years, it is difficult to find companions free of worldly commitments to take the same leap. Do not despair. Travelling alone comes with a host of advantages. Sometimes you may even find a soul mate. It may not necessarily be someone you want to get married to. It could be your soul mate in very many different ways. For instance, you could find your travel soul mate. That one person you get along so well with temperamentally that you could comfortably travel with them to the moon and back. But more than anything, however clichéd it may sound, it gives you the luxury of time to find the most important person of all – you.
Take advantage of technology
With the advent of low cost airlines around the globe, if you are flexible with dates it is possible to find international round trip tickets for under 300$. You can also use Round The World tickets that are offered by various airline alliances. You can choose from 4 segment to 18 segments or more to make travel around the world a more economical and convenient affair. Moreover with technology at your fingertips tools like Google’s ITA matrix make it a cakewalk to find the cheapest tickets for multi-segment travel in the blink of an eye.
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