How to travel more in 2011
Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up in a family that travels or supports the idea of travel. To many people, the idea of travel as a lifestyle or the concept of exploring the world is just too foreign to conceive. It’s easy to stay in a life that’s comfortable: never leaving your home town, state or country while taking the same vacations to the same cabin, beach or resort every single year.
That’s the mindset that I’m encountering at home. Friends are supportive of what I’m doing, but they could never imagine doing it themselves. They all promise to visit, but rarely does that promise become reality.
To people who have grown up traveling, passport checks and flight shopping are more mundane than moving. But not everyone has had the opportunity to travel, whether it’s long-term backpacking or just a vacation outside their comfort zone. For those who are looking to escape their hometown in 2011, I offer the following simple–albeit necessary–tips:
Get a passport. There’s nothing wrong with exploring your home country. I’m actually embarrassed by how much I haven’t seen (I’ve only crossed 15 states off) in the United States–including the fact that I’ve seen nine countries’ capital cities and not my own. But I still stick by the belief that seeing other cultures makes you appreciate your own differently. Being somewhere where you can’t understand the language, where the food isn’t something you’ve ever seen before, where you realize that history has been occurring for millions of years before your country was even discovered: that’s powerful stuff.
But it’s still shocking to think that only 20 percent of Americans have passports, that only one in five of us are able to leave the country–and that even fewer probably do.
If you’re even thinking about traveling, get a passport. Right now. Seriously, I won’t even get mad if you stop reading and drive right on over to your nearest post office. The process can take up to three months, and wouldn’t you rather have one just in case you decide that the same family trip to the lake isn’t going to cut it this year?
Save money. Sure, travel can be expensive. But so are fancy cocktails, a new pair of shoes, an extra caffeine shot in your Starbucks. It’s all about priorities–make travel one of yours. My personal tricks for saving money: drinking tap water instead of splurging on sodas or coffees, suggesting happy hour dates instead of late nights, avoiding the mall or Target unless I have something specific to buy–and then sticking to my list. More than anything, I ask myself before I buy: if I don’t really need it, wouldn’t I rather put this money toward my next plane ticket? Most of the time, the answer’s yes.
Research destinations. Think about what you really want. If you can’t resist buying a new Eiffel Tower poster, think about capturing that charm with your own camera. If you’re a foodie on a budget, have your taste buds take a risk at the street markets in Thailand. If you have friends who are working or studying abroad, ask if you can visit–chances are you’ll get a free place to stay and a built-in tour guide who knows the best local haunts. Choose something that really excites you: it will make saving money a lot easier. No idea where to start? Check out a Contiki tour, Gap Adventures or TravelRepublic.ie for some tried-and-true itineraries.
Book it! There’s nothing I love more than the feeling after I click the “book” button on a web site for a plane ticket. I always book my plane ticket first because it forces me to pull things together: it’s too expensive to bail. No matter what, you know you’re going–so it’s time to figure out what the heck you’ll be doing there.
Need a little more inspiration? Check out these great posts that will infect you with the travel bug:
- The Year is New and the World is Waiting, by Almost Fearless
- 2011, by Where My Heart Resides
- 10 Fascinating Places I Traveled to in 2010, by Backpacking Matt
- The Asia Jaunt: Month Two in Review, by Adventurous Kate
