"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. "
-Albert Einstein

Friday, February 27, 2015

To Travel or Not to Travel....That is the Question

Travel.  To most of us this can mean very different things.  Travel for work, travel for pleasure, travel for family, or even travel for relocation.

Whatever it means to you, travel for me means a renewing in my soul....it means a refreshed outlook on the world...it means adventure.

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer"  

It is almost cliche to say, 'I want to travel more'...what does that mean to you?  How do you plan on traveling more?  How far do you plan to travel?  These questions must be answered before embarking on any travel adventure.  My goal with this blog is to help you figure out that best ways to make travel a part of your life; big or small.

First things first.  How do you plan on traveling more?  Before you can answer this, you need to take a look at your own personal schedule, whether it be work or family life or both.  Do you work a Monday-Friday job with weekends off?  Do you work shift work?  Do you have designated time off for vacation?  Do you have small children that may or may not fit into your travel adventure?  Once you take a long hard look at your schedule with work and life, you can then determine how you can travel more.  You can find those extended weekends, or four day blocks that you can set aside time to take an adventure.

Okay, now you have taken a look at your schedule and decided when and how you can fit in more travel time.  It may be small at first, but that is alright, you must work within your given parameters and enjoy what you have. Once you make the conscious decision to make travel a part of your life, the time will begin to open up, you will reassign priorities and travel will become that large piece you desire.

Now that you have a block of time that you can designate for travel, how far do you plan to travel?  Where do you want to go??  This step can be the most fun and the most stressful at the same time.  If you are on a strict travel budget, the best idea is think small and go up from.  If you have never ventured outside the country, and want to go international, it is best to ease into it rather than go all out.  A trip to England is a far better choice for a first international trip than a trip to Istanbul.  The sites, sounds, language barrier could be too overwhelming for a novice international traveler...but a trip to England can be a great way to get accustom to international travel without seeming too much too soon.

In choosing where you want to go, think of things you are interested in seeing and doing.  Are you an outdoorsy type?  Are you a history buff?  Do you enjoy trying new, different foods? Are you traveling solo, with a partner or with a large group?  Do you want spontaneity in your travel or would you rather stick to an itinerary?  Once you have gone through these basic questions, you can then begin the in-depth research of your chosen location.

In my next blog, I will discuss budget.  I quickly touched on budget in the determination phase of adding travel, but the next entry will solely be on budget and how you can feasibly see the world on a shoestring budget.

Open your mind and explore the places you want to see and experience!  This life is all we have, make it a great one....see...do...explore!!  The world truly can be your oyster!