Top Excuses To Not Travel & How To Overcome Them
Traveling allows you to step outside of your comfort zone and really experience the world. Before traveling I could not imagine how vast the world is in people, culture, landscapes, amongst so many other things. The things that I have seen, experienced, and learned around the world are truly breathtaking and you can watch all of the Youtube, TikTok, and Instagram videos that you’d like, but there are some things that photos and videos do no justice. Things that you can only truly experience through travel and immersing yourself into a world outside of your own.
If we are all liking, commenting, and subscribing to all of this travel content and admiring these destinations and experiences, then what’s holding so many people back from living these experiences on their own? Here’s what kept me vacationing instead of traveling and what I am sure keeps a lot of other people from doing the same.
I couldn’t travel because of my job.
I didn’t have the money to travel.
So then how did I do it? Well, I stopped making excuses because the truth is, if you really want to do something, you’ll find a way to do it.
Here are 8 of the Top Excuses Not To Travel:
And here is how to overcome them:
I Don’t Have The Money To Travel
I use to believe this too! I thought that I needed to be rich to travel long term until I gradually started to vacation and realize that traveling long term doesn’t mean you have to be a millionaire. I would meet people all around the world who would share stories of how they left home with as low as $500 USD and started a lifestyle of continuous travel. I left with just a bit more than that.
I constantly hear comments like “You’re so lucky,” “You must have saved a lot,”, “I wish I had the money to do that.” The truth is, you do have the money to do it without breaking the bank or saving a fortune! You’ll have to make some sacrifices, but its doable.
The Solution: Make sacrifices and change your lifestyle.
Modern day luxuries become more difficult by the day to resist. The expensive dinners, the beautifully decorated cocktails, the pent houses, the fast cars, the hand stitched gowns. It’s all very tempting, but saying “no” to dinner invites or those new shoes that have been calling your name could probably afford you a cheap flight and a comfort style accommodation.
Still can’t figure out how to afford travel, here is what my monthly fees were before traveling vs approximately how much I spend traveling per month.
Cost of Living Before Traveling
Rent/Housing Fees: $1,500/monthly
Car Fees: $300-500/monthly
Food: $150-300/monthly
Social Life: $500/monthly
Hair/Nails: $150-200/monthly
I spent roughly $2,850/monthly before traveling.
Cost of Living While Traveling (not including flight): ~$600-1,000/monthly depending on the country.
In my experience, traveling cost me a lot less than my lifestyle before traveling.
I share a lot more specifics about this in my E-book.
I Can’t Travel Because of My Job
Even while working my 9-5 I still figured out ways to travel. Actually, I traveled 12 countries while employed, before I decided that 1 to 2 weeks of Paid Time Off (PTO) just wouldn’t cut it for me.
In fact, traveling is what taught me how important work-life balance is. I will never use the excuse, “I can’t travel because of my job” again because it’s just simply not an option that I will work a job that compromises my freedom.
I have completely transitioned to remote work that allows me a source of income and an opportunity to have a flexible schedule. Even if remote work isn’t your thing, you should make sure that your job has benefits that work for you and your lifestyle.
The Solution: Choose a job with travel benefits and flexibility or create your own!
Ultimately it is us who choose our careers. After years of thinking “I can’t leave my job”, “How will I survive?”, and that it would be impossible to find something that gave me the benefits that I wanted, I realized that I get to make those decisions and that it’s 100% up to me. I found opportunities that I never imagined really existed that worked hand and hand with traveling!
I Don’t Have Anyone To Travel With
Having a traveling companion that enjoys the same travel style as you, wants to travel to the same destinations as you, has similar travel goals as you, and is truly enjoyable company is amazing, but it’s also rare.
My first solo travel trip was with my best friend, who I found to be completely incompatible with my travel vibe. We were complete opposites! I wanted to walk along the streets and explore, he wanted to stay in the accommodation. I wanted to visit the local beach, he wanted to visit the luxury spa. I wanted street food, he wanted fine dining. I wanted to stay 6 days, he was homesick after 2 days, which resulted in him leaving our trip 4 days earlier than expected. And that's okay, we all have different ways that we prefer to enjoy traveling.
During this time I was not prepared for my first solo travel experience, but wow, it changed my life. I actually prefer solo travel now for these reasons:
You get to go at your own pace, whether that is slowly immersing yourself into everything, moderately slowing it down and speeding it up, or fast paced and seeing everything! There is no one that you need to keep up with or who you have to worry about keeping up with you.
You are only responsible for yourself.
You are more likely to connect with locals, other travelers, and even other solo travelers.
You’ll learn the power in being alone.
The Solution: Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new.
There is a growing number of solo-travelers out there like myself who are here to share and teach tips, hacks, and the experience of solo travel.
Whether it’s a short trip out of your town or to an international destination, there are tons of perks to traveling alone and chances are, once you get the chance to experience it, you’ll probably never want to wait on others or join large groups to travel again.
I’m Too Old To Travel
I have encountered long term travelers from so many different walks of life. Your age is not holding you back from exploring, your fears are.
Keith Wright was a 95 year old backpacker who only set off on his journey at the age of 85.
The Solution: Stop letting time pass you by
We have a funny way of postponing our lives just up until we decide that it’s too late. It’s never too late to start something, the pity is to never start at all. There are many travel destinations, tour groups, housing developments, amongst other accommodations dedicated to senior travelers.
I Have Kids
I have always said that if I were to have children, we would be a traveling family. I would want my children to be well traveled and truly learn from experience.
One of the first travel bloggers I started to follow was The Mom Trotter. She and her family travel full time in an RV and internationally. It was so inspiring to see wife life, mom life, and travel life all happening simultaneously! There are so many ways to travel with children and tons of resources out there to help you navigate it.
The Solution: Travel with your children
Travel is so broad and there are tons of ways to make travel work within your life, whether that be solo travel, couple travel, group travel, or traveling with kids. Find resources and inspiration that best fit into your life.
It’s Not Safe To Travel
A recent 2021 study done by Safe Home revealed that “45% of people are experiencing more daily anxiety and fear than they were 12 months ago,” ranking things like mass shootings, hate crimes, civil unrest, death, and terrorism at the Top 10 of this list for Americans.
It comes at no surprise that if people are this fearful in their home country, they will be even more fearful traveling to a different country.
I get it, but I cannot lie, I often roll my eyes in annoyance when people ask me “Have you seen the movie Taken?” amongst many other horror film references to deter me from feeling safe on my travels.
The truth is, 20 countries in and I am proud to share that I have always felt safe on my travels. Yes, some places and activities are to be avoided and government warnings should be considered. No, you shouldn’t leave the nightclub in foreign country with a stranger after a few drinks. No, you shouldn’t wander in neighborhoods that are reported to be sketchy. No, don’t share your hotel address. No, you shouldn’t violate any laws in the country. These are common things that you just shouldn't do anywhere.
The Solution: Use Common Sense While Traveling
I find the rules to keeping safe while traveling to be very simple. Simply, do not do anything to put yourself in danger, be cautious of your surroundings, always share your whereabouts with someone you trust, preferably a friend or family member, don’t watch the news or horror based television frequently, and don’t allow people to project their fears onto you. Every single place in the world has areas that you should be cautious of, even your hometown. Traveling is no different.
There are 195 countries in the world, selecting one or a few to start your travel journey can be intimidating.
Travel inspiration is all a round us; the books we read, food, the music we listen to, vlogs, and even people. Last year, I read “The Garden of Eden” by Ernest Hemingway and I just knew I had to Spain. I have been to Spain twice since and it’s easily one of my favorite countries and although I watched “Eat, Love, Pray” after booking my move to Bali, Indonesia, I was so inspired to set off on my journey after seeing glimpses of the culture, people, and beauty in Bali. The movie does the place no justice!
The Solution: Spark Your Curiosity
The worst thing you can do is force yourself to travel to a place. The experience is much more welcoming and worth while when you are really inspired to be there. Check out some travel vlogs, films, books, or observe the things around you that peak your interest. You may find your next destination hidden in the details. One day I'll be in Colombia learning Spanish and a fulfilling my deep desire to salsa many nights away!
I Can’t Leave My Family
Being away from loved ones for a long period of time is tough. Especially when you add adjusting to a new environment, culture, food, and people to the list. A tough pill that I had to swallow was that while I love my family, I would also rather live my life. Choosing to not enjoy your life because of your fear of detachment from your family is not really helpful to either party. Mostly, your family wants to see you thrive and follow your dreams!
When I set off to live abroad my family was super sad, but also supportive. They were happy to see me living out my dreams and we still kept in contact throughout my travels. When I returned home one year later they all welcomed me with love and open arms.
The Solution: Your Family Wants To See You Happy
Even if your family thinks that you are crazy for such a bold choice, mostly, they just want to see you happy. Being away from your family will take some adjusting and it’s not always going to be easy, but you’ll have some amazing life experiences that you’ll be able to tell them all about!
The hard truth is, when you stop making a world of excuses, the world opens up to you!
