People have several excuses to rationalize why they don’t travel. Most of the reasons people give for not traveling are minor and can be refuted by using simple facts.
The reality is that if the person really wanted to travel, they would find a way to.
If you’ve always wanted to see the world, now is the right time to do it. There is no need to let your dreams pass you by as you keep postponing the things you’d love to do year after year. Time waits for no man, and soon you’ll realize that you’ve grown old with the dreams you had in your youth still unfulfilled.
When you realize that the reasons you give for not traveling are just excuses coming from a place of irrational fear, you will find the courage to get your act together and finally start living out your dreams.
Here are some of the most common excuses people give for not traveling and why they are mostly false:
1. I Am Way Too Busy.
The most productive people in the world take a lot of breaks to rejuvenate. Your willpower depletes with each task you do, you can renew it by taking short breaks between tasks and longer breaks such as vacations after working for a long stretch of time.
No one is too busy to take a vacation.
If you don’t even have two weeks out of the year to treat yourself, you are doing everything wrong. Most workplaces allow their employees at least two weeks of paid vacation.
You should, at the very least, take advantage of these two weeks to treat yourself.
2. Traveling is Too Expensive.
This excuse can be attributed to the image of travel portrayed by lifestyle magazines where travelers stay in luxurious resorts and hotels in far away exotic locations.
The reality is that there are travel options for pretty much every budget.
Some of the most fulfilling traveling experiences come at such a low price that you wouldn’t even believe it. More and more budget travel facilities are popping up all over the world as an increasingly higher number of young people with less disposable income embrace travel.
3. I Am Paying Back Student Loans.
The fact that you are paying back student loans does not mean that you can’t set aside some money to live life.
If you are good at personal money management, you can put aside money for retirement, entertainment, and vacation and still have enough money to meet your monthly loan repayments.
Make saving for vacation one of your financial goals. If you know the specific amount you will need to take a given vacation, it will be easy to figure out how much you need to save each month to accumulate the amount needed to fund the vacation.
4. Traveling is Not Worth The Money.
Until you’ve traveled, you won’t know how amazing the experience is.
People who make this excuse are people who have not traveled for leisure. Research shows that spending money on experiences such as travel makes you much happier than you would be if you spent your money on things.
Travel is a better use of your money than spending it on a bigger TV or a fancy purse. Besides the feelings of fulfillment and joy, travel also makes you cultured and enriches your life. You become a more interesting person to be around.
5. I Can’t Travel Alone.
While solo travel is one of the fastest growing travel trends in the world right now, making the argument that you can’t travel alone when you are fully healthy is kind of a lame excuse.
You know you can physically travel solo. Furthermore, your life is yours to live and you can’t wait for other people to accompany you to live your life.
There are several great travel packages for solo travelers today. Even resorts accept solo travelers. If you absolutely don’t want to travel alone, you can book with a tour company and join a group of travelers from your city.
6. I Have Small Children.
If you wait for your children to grow up before you can travel, you will be giving up some of the best years to experience what the world has to offer. Having small children is not a valid excuse to put off travel.
In fact, bringing along your small children on your travels might make them even more fun.
As long as your itinerary has some activities that can engage the children, you will be fine. Don’t be selfish by having an entirely adult vacation.
Consider going to an all-inclusive family resort rather than an adults-only resort. This way, you can include some kid-friendly activities in your itinerary.
7. I Have Never Traveled Before.
Well, if you don’t gather the courage to go now, you will be saying the same thing 30 years from now. Everyone has a first time.
Traveling is not a scary experience, so being a first-timer shouldn’t be an issue. If you love adventure, you will love your first time out in the world. Treat it as an adventure and let the experiences unfold as they should without having any expectations.
Just Have Fun.
When you’ve never traveled before, travel can seem like a pretty daunting task. Wait till you develop some wanderlust after going on a few trips.
Your mindset will shift and you will be amazed at how misguided your reasons for not traveling were. The cure for all the above rationalizations is to just pack your bags and hit the road. You will be glad you did.
