We hear it all the time. “You guys are so lucky!” “We just can’t do what you do?” “I’ve really wanted to go to <fantastic destination> but I just don’t have the time or money.” We’ve heard it all. And even told ourselves some of these lies along the way.
We get asked by people all the time how they can do what we do, or at least incorporate more travel into their lives. And we’ve done many posts in the past to help show you how amazing destinations can be within your reach. But we’re rolling out a new section here at WWY: Travel Tip Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, we’ll be posting tips and tricks that can help you make your travel dreams a reality.
But first up, it’s time to dispel some rumors about travel and why you just can’t do it. Here are the top 3 lies you tell yourself about travel and why they just aren’t true.
Travel is too expensive.
This is my favorite lie about travel. People say this to us all the time and it is the most popular excuse for why people don’t travel. And I’m incredibly grateful that it is not true. Travel has never been more affordable. If it wasn’t, we’d be back home in the US with no stamps in our passport.
The truth is that every destination is within your reach. It just takes a bit of creativity and imagination, and a little bit of legwork. First up, your budget is all about your priorities. If you want to make travel a priority in your life, then you have to make it a priority in your budget. Whether that means forgoing your daily Starbucks a few days a week, spending less money on clothing, or cutting back in some other area of your life in order to devote more resources to your budget.
Plus, who says you have to take a 2 week 5 star vacation in order to call it travel? There are always affordable local options and so many great (somewhat hidden at times) deals that you can capitalize on. Over the next weeks and months we’ll show you how to save money on travel and make it both more affordable and more accessible.
I don’t have the time.
A study for the US Travel Association found that 40% of Americans don’t use all their vacation time. We all love to travel and take vacations, yet many of us choose not to use our vacation days for a myriad of reasons ranging from worrying about returning to a pile of work, fear that nobody else can do your job, or that if you are gone your company might realize you are replaceable. We are a nation of work martyrs, and everyone always seems to be proud of how busy they are.
But studies show that taking time to recharge can make you even more productive when you return. Take the time to relax, play, take a break, or explore something new. Travel makes us happier and allows us time to recharge with family and friends and make those bonds even stronger. It also reduces stress and makes you a happier and more effective employee. Why wouldn’t you want to spend time on that, especially if your company will compensate you for your time?
Figuring out where to go, where to stay, and how to get there is too complicated.
I get it. Planning and booking a trip can be confusing and stressful. There are so many websites and it seems like airfares and hotel rates change every five minutes. We all want a good deal and are afraid we’ll screw things up and then be stuck paying too much for a trip we end up hating. It just seems like things were so much easier in the good old days when travel agents handled everything.
But the reality is that planning and booking your own travel has never been easier. We now have access to all the resources that a travel agent does. And there are so many helpful websites that can help you find and plan the perfect trip at the right price point.
We’ll help you distill that overload of internet websites down to a usable set of sites that will help you consistently get the best ideas and the best prices. Soon, planning that dream trip will be a breeze and you’ll wonder why you waited for so long.
Okay, so now that we’ve gotten the three biggest myths out of the way, it’s time to start planning your travel. What sorts of questions do you have? Or what travel tips would you like to see? Tell us in the comments.
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