Making excuses not to go travelling? Finding reasons not to travel? Here are some achievable solutions to put your travel dreams into action.
So you tell yourself: I want to travel the world. Yet, you find plenty of good excuses not to go travelling. Your heart says go travel, and your mind finds excuses for not going somewhere.
You are more likely to want to travel just by thinking about it, and that’s a good place to start.
The beauty of human nature is that we all possess different qualities. While some are naturally stronger-willed, others take a little more time to realise the need for change and the means to make dream travel happen. But that doesn’t mean realising a dream is impossible, even if it is difficult to process.
So, it becomes the task of the strong-willed person to pass on wisdom to those who need a step up the ‘can do’ ladder. There really are no excuses not to travel.
I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me that they would love to be able to do what I am doing but can’t. This is usually followed by the one convenient means of hiding from a challenge: a list of excuses.
Unless you are truly happy in life (and I’m blessed to know people who are and who don’t desire to travel), the word ‘can’t ‘doesn’t exist. Finding the courage to break from conformity does. Instead, start thinking about the actionable how.
Excuse Not to Go Travelling: “I can’t afford it”
How to travel the world with little money. There’s no doubt some incomes leave little room to save or splurge for a big trip. But where savings do count is when looking at your lifestyle. You can afford travel as much as you can afford massive nights out on the town and increasing the content of your wardrobe.
When I announced that I was leaving for long-term travels, I had scowling comments including “You must earn loads,” “You are so lucky,” or “There’s always dad to help you, right?”
I was bringing in a decent enough wage to live comfortably, but I worked in media, so I was hardly scaling the banker’s bonus. I certainly didn’t earn enough to be able to save £20K for a round-the-world trip easily, and my parents don’t fund me (they don’t have that kind of capital, either). It was simply been a process of hard work, adaptability and extreme willpower.
I was lucky since the opportunity to take a long-term travel trip didn’t just come to me; I made it happen (alongside having the privilege to hold a strong passport). Still, I had to make changes to every single aspect of my life over 18 months to two years to save for the trip. I made travel affordable: I ate differently, I socialised less, I didn’t buy new clothes or daily take-out coffee. You’ll be surprised how much you can save.
The Solution: You will have to change your lifestyle
The reality is that it’s all down to sacrifice. If you want something that badly, you will adapt to make it happen.
Set an achievable goal and get into a savings routine.
There is no denying that it’s really tough having to go cold turkey on life’s regular luxuries. But even if you sacrificed just some of the small things to save £100 a month for an entire year, that would be enough for a return flight to Bangkok and to travel through Asia for a whole month. Travel is as affordable as you make it, and it’s easy to constantly compare cheap flights and decide on a destination.
The Excuse Not to See a New Destination: “I don’t have anyone to go with”
You want to find someone to travel with, and that’s perfectly ok. But, when someone stops holding your hand through life, it can be a very liberating process.
When I made the decision to travel around the world, I didn’t have anyone to go with either. No one wanted to go to the exact same places or was willing to make changes in their lives to save the same amount. The only potential candidates were the very young embarking on a GAP year – with a mentality and itinerary that never matched my own.
Sometimes, the thought scared me, but mostly, I got an adrenalin rush just thinking of the complete independence I would have and the people I would meet along the way. I was joining the growing ranks of solo female travellers who are doing just fine.
I was a solo and single traveller then, which meant I had no ties and no responsibilities to anybody other than myself. No one to answer to or have to begrudgingly compromise with or who would flake out on me. You can’t argue with that.
Meeting people on your travels is memorable, although sometimes you might be grateful for your own company. You will most certainly encounter many annoying things travellers say, but it’s all fun in the end.
You might not have anyone to leave home with, but you will find people along the way. At most points on the road, you will be with someone.
The Solution: Think of the positives of solo travel
You’ll gain confidence and life skills by learning to be self-sufficient.
You’ll make new friends because you will have to force yourself to interact in different social situations, but most of all, you will undertake a huge life-changing adventure: a personal achievement that tops any other in my eyes.
Test yourself
Book a weekend away on your own. I can still remember the rush I felt when I first got on a plane on my own, and I distinctly remember the daunting feeling of getting to the hostel and then later forgetting all about it when the wine and gossip were flowing. It’s even a chance to test your navigation trouble-shooting skills. And if it’s really not for you after this, at least you tried it to know.
Join other solo travellers
There are plenty of amazing tours out there for people in this situation, and I have mostly travelled this way in parts up until now. Choose a tour where you have lots of free time for your own exploration, and you will have the best of both worlds.
READ MORE: How to tell your Parents you are Going Travelling
The Excuse Not to Travel: “I’m in a long-term relationship. I wish I’d done this when I was single.”
You will not be expelled from travelling circles or not fit in because you happen to be with someone. Travelling with children is still a happy and successful way to travel.
The Solution: Follow your heart, regret will always linger.
Answer this: Are you staying put because you want to or because you think you have to?
There are two parts to this: one simple and one blunt. If you are both passionate about travelling, you can support each other in making it happen. By saving together (and sharing the pain of mutual lifestyle changes), you can overcome the ‘I can’t afford it’ scenario and overcome the fear of travelling alone.
But if your other half doesn’t want to, and you really do, you may (sadly) have to assess your compatibility. I was once in this predicament, and it took months of thought, heavy discussion, and someone trying to compromise my plans when saying, “I think if you were away for three months, that would be okay, I guess.” It wasn’t okay because I wanted to travel longer and loved that thought more, so we broke up.
The Excuse Not to Go Travelling: “It’s too late now / I’m too old.”
You are never too old to travel. It’s more a case of: I want to travel the world, but where do I start? I’m actually glad I didn’t do a gap year at 18 or in my very early 20s, when I had less cultural understanding and maturity. At the time of the first long travel trip, I was approaching 30, eight years into a decent career, and felt as though I had honed enough life skills that would come in handy on the road.
I’ve met people in their 40s, 50s and 60s, both single and married, who sold up everything to leave, even if just for a few months.
Times have changed, and age is no longer an issue. Material possessions and money tied up in property seem to be less of a desired norm.
I have no doubt it’s probably a lot easier for my generation to drop everything for a while since we generally have more security and less fear to do so, but no matter what age, I’ve learnt from these people that it is possible.
The Solution: Negotiation, saving or retirement.
I have met people who have either negotiated time off from work following a long period of service to the company, were able to save for longer to have enough to live on when returning home, are working abroad and using it as a base to explore other destinations, or have simply waited until retirement to do what they always dreamed of.
Take a leaf out of the 95-year-old backpacker in Australia that made headlines. There are no excuses that overshadow that guy’s achievement, and he’s proof that if you want to keep travelling, you can.
The Excuse Not to See the World: “It will affect my career, and I’ll find it hard to find a job when I return.”
I bet you would find many good excuses to miss work if you could. But to put it simply, travel won’t harm your career if you want to take a break from it.
I have many friends who returned from long-term travels and landed jobs within weeks. Of course, how easily you can snap up a job on return depends on your experience level and the employment climate, but when I’ve asked Directors (and people in positions to hire) their thoughts on this, it is not seen as detrimental to someone’s career. There may be some employers who don’t like it, but then, would you want to work for them?
So many people do it that it’s no longer off-the-scale outrageous. Plus, many people work while travelling, so it can actually boost your skills, not just your life experience. You are hired not just for the skills you bring to the table but for who you are. Travelling can be an aid to this.
And who knows if you will want the same job when you return?
I used my time out as a tester for what made me happy (I have never returned to the career path I was on) and instead made a career steer into development and charity work, eventually landing on journalism and travel writing, which utilised the skills I most loved using during my former-life PR roles.
The Solution: Choose a job with travel benefits
If the thought worries you, look out for companies that offer sabbaticals after a certain service period. You could get three to six months off and have a job to return to.
Use travelling to boost your CV.
Personally, I actually feel more at ease that I travelled with a CV full of a near decade’s worth of career experience, which essentially acted as security should I have needed to find a job that paid well in order to top up my funds.
If you find yourself full of reasons to get out of things and not be able to travel, know that change is difficult, but it’s possible.
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