do you hear yourself saying this? do you find yourself browsing cheap flights without any actual plans to go on a trip? have you and your girlfriends been making plans for the past 2 years of going to spain or greece and it seems to never happen? do you sit on a couch with a pina-colada drink from a can watching the second part of bridget jones (the one where she’s going to thailand)? – then my friend, you’ve got it bad.

i think there is a number of misconceptions going around that are being used by people as an excuse why they cannot go traveling. i’ve assembled and analysed some of the most common ones to put a new perspective to what might just be YOUR excuse for not traveling more.

1. i can’t afford it right now

– classic. and classic BS may i add. if you can afford to go out drinking 3 nights a week, surely you can scrape enough money together for a road trip to italy or a week somewhere in eastern europe. or you could go for a serious time out and sublet your room/apt for a month and use the extra cash to book a flight to thailand or india for example (expect to pay €350 to €450) and keep it together when there. many people dont realise that once you’re IN that cheap 3rd-world country you get by for anything from €200 to €600 a month depending on how you handle your cash.

2. i’m too busy with work and all

– ok, you might go through a busy time in your life. i’m not saying you should pack your things tomorrow and leave. if you plan to go on a break in 2 or 3 months this leaves enough time for you to prepare everything so that you can allow yourself to leave your working life behind for a whiel and come back to it after your vacation (all tanned and juicy looking of course). women tend to feel the need to be responsible 24/7 but forget that it’s also a part of your responsibility to take good care of yourself. if you think you don’t have time – MAKE TIME.

3. i have no one to go traveling with

– i don’t like that excuse much but it’s valid and i sometimes don’t feel like traveling alone either. from my experience i can say that there are places where traveling alone is simply better than traveling as a group. any country or continent that is notorious for its backpackers will be a good place to travel to alone. a hotel vacation in turkey or a city trip somewhere is probably more fun with a friend. the solution here: if you’re alone – go far. go to china, bolivia, australia. think of it as your great adventure, the one you’ll tell your grandkids about. you owe them that story.

you may have a range of other excuses but remember: if you really wanted, you can make it happen. just jump right in.

happy travels,
katja

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