Travel hurdles come in all shapes and sizes. There are numerous reasons that people give to delay that vacation just a bit longer. If you allow yourself to give into these excuses, you can miss out on so many wonderful experiences. We’ve compiled a list of the “travel hurdles” we hear most often, and some tips on how to clear them!
Travel Hurdle: I Have No Money
Money is a big reason why people say they can not travel. It’s true, that for most trips you will need to shell out some cash in order to go. You can find deals on destinations if you do your research. Also, it’s possible to cut some expenses to put toward that vacation that are easier than you may think. The people that do travel make travel a priority in their lives. We are willing to cut out some things in order to make that trip a reality.
Travel Promotions/Packages
A great way to start planning a trip is to look for some promotions for the destination you are interested in. Better yet, if you are a bit open-minded, pick your travel destination based on the promotions you find. You can often find deals on great vacations just by traveling in the off season or shoulder seasons. (the time between peak and off seasons) Honestly our favorite times to plan trips are in shoulder seasons. There are pros and cons such as the weather may not be as ideal as in the peak season or businesses may have limited hours. However, you deal with less crowds and there is a significant cost savings.
Companies can also sometimes offer huge discounts on destinations if they are trying to fill up the last few spots on an itinerary. In order to take advantage of this, most times you’ll be booking last minute but that’s not always the case. If you’re a solo traveler this is a great option because it’s difficult for companies to fill that “last spot.” There aren’t as many people willing to travel alone and if you are you can definitely take advantage of this.
Booking vacation packages is another great way to clear these travel hurdles. If your vacation requires multiple aspects (airfare, hotel, car rental, etc.) booking everything together can help reduce the cost. There are plenty of companies out there so do your research and pick a reputable one. It’s always a good idea to check reviews and to see how companies resolved issues that occurred. Issues are bound to happen with bad weather, flight delays, or natural disasters but reputable companies are well equipped to help their guests through these issues.
Cutting Back On Unnecessary Expenses
As I stated above, those that travel do so because we make it a priority. We are willing to forgo certain things in our everyday lives to put that money away in a travel fund. There are many ways to do this but I will discuss ways we have personally used. One of the first things we ever did to cut expenses was to get rid of our cable bill. This was long before all of our current streaming service were available but it offered a significant monthly savings immediately. I now find that when I have access to cable, all I do is scroll through the channels never really finding anything to watch anyway.
With the wide variety of streaming services available today, it is easier than ever to cut that cable bill. However, these services can add up as well so be choosy. Do you have one or two that you don’t really use as much? If so, cancel those and focus on the services you do use. You can also pause your services so you are not paying monthly. If you have a certain show you love to watch, then only use that service when the new seasons air.
Guilty Pleasures
This next one we are all guilty of so there is absolutely no judgement here!! Cutting back on daily expenses can really add up. These are those inexpensive things we pay for that don’t seem like much initially but over the course of a week, month, or year can pay for a vacation on their own. Before I discuss these let me preface this by stating these are perfectly fine, but if you can cut back a bit you will notice a significant savings.
That “designer” coffee, those nights out, or the take-out you’re getting on a regular basis can be major travel hurdles. You can make coffee at home for a significant discount. Cutting back on going out one night a week, or one or two nights a month, can save you a lot of money. Finally cooking meals at home or packing lunches for work are not only healthier options in most cases, it’s so much more affordable than eating out. Again, you don’t need to completely eliminate these if they are important to you, the social aspect has its advantages, just cut back a bit. We always looked at it by cutting some of these out at home, it provided another night out on vacation!
Travel Hurdles: I Have No Time Off/No Time
If you have read our past posts, you know that even short trips are beneficial to your health. Also, you become more productive in your everyday life when you take the time to step away from your daily responsibilities and recharge your batteries. If you followed our advice above and got rid of cable, how many hours would that add to your week?
Limited PTO
These two travel hurdles may seem similar but really they aren’t. I’ll start by discussing some options for those that have limited time off. Sadly in the US many of us have limited, if any, PTO. (paid time off) It can be hard to plan a vacation when you cannot get time away from work. However, most of us are not so vital that we can’t afford to step away for a day or two.
We have been in that role many times but things still got done if we took some time away, even if it’s unpaid, to enjoy a short trip. You can also plan your trip around holidays or weekends (or your normal days off) to help get a little more out of any PTO you may have. By using some PTO around a holiday weekend, suddenly you have a four day span in which to travel.
Limited Time
For those that lack time, try to stay local. Visit local attractions such as museums or a sporting event. Plan a picnic in a local park with your family or friends. These may seem trivial, but it’s just about breaking up your day to day routine. It gives you something to look forward to. If you can’t travel to Thailand, try eating authentic dishes at a Thai restaurant. If you long to visit France maybe go see a French film at a local theatre. Of course these aren’t like the real thing but it still is better than not trying at all.
For those of you that live more rurally, a great way to “travel internationally” is by inviting friends over for theme dinners. Mexican nights and margaritas are always a hit. Italian nights with some great Italian wines are easy to do and fun for everyone involved. Really the only limit is your imagination but you will find these are a great way to ease that travel bug a bit.
Travel Hurdle: I Have No One To Travel With
First off, you don’t need anyone else in order to travel. Traveling alone can really open you up to amazing experiences. Also, with no one tagging along, you are able to do all the things you want to do without worrying about someone else being negative about them. As I stated above, you can sometimes find great deals through promotional discounts when companies are trying to fill that last spot on a given itinerary.
We realize this isn’t for everyone. Some good first steps would be to go to dinner by yourself while staying off of your phone. You could also go see a movie by yourself. These help you get more comfortable just being by yourself and doing an activity. By being more comfortable, you may find that you are willing to open up to others around you and making connections with people that you never would have connected with if you were traveling with someone else.
Finding People To Travel With
Of course many people will not travel alone and that is ok. Luckily technology can help you clear these travel hurdles. Plenty of apps are available to help you find like minded people. Simply by selecting a few interests you can find groups of people that share your interests or that share a similar travel desire. For travel groups, typically you would do a few meet and greets with others before a trip was planned to see how you connect. This helps you possibly finding someone to share a room with while traveling. Although, you always have an option for single occupancy it just costs a little more.
One of the apps we used the most was Meetup. This app was incredibly useful when moving to different locations to help us connect with locals. We’ve done lunches and happy hours, full moon kayaking, white water rafting and star gazing, and even long trips through this app. You can also plan ahead for a destination to see if there are any events taking place that you would enjoy attending while on vacation.
I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends
If traveling alone or with strangers is not something you still feel comfortable with there still is another option. Think of all your friends and family. Do any of them currently reside in an area you would like to visit? If this is the case, maybe planning a trip to see them would be a great option. By doing this you can tie in a visit but possibly venture out on a couple of things on your own. Maybe they can recommend a few highlights from the area that you could do while still having that “safety net” close by. This could also be convenient for those you are visiting since they don’t have to play tour guide while you visit. By combining visits with solo activities it may give you the confidence to check out a new place and build new memories.
Travel Hurdles: I’ll Travel Someday…
There are many travel hurdles that people give that fall into this category. We will discuss the ones we hear most often and give some advice on how to clear them.
Children:
Traveling with children does present challenges, but it doesn’t make travel impossible. Whether you are waiting for them to get older, working around their school schedule, or waiting for them to leave the nest, it is possible to still travel when you have a family. Looking for a family friendly vacation that has an option for child care available is a great way to spend time with the family while giving you the option of some adult alone time as well. Go see a show, or have an intimate dinner, its ok for Mom and Dad to enjoy themselves as well.
Traveling with friends that have children is another great way make that trip happen. If you have friends along you can do things as a group but then also swap babysitting duties so the adults can have some alone time while still having the peace of mind that their kids are ok. This option is also great for parents that want to travel without their kids occasionally. By leaving the kids with friends or family, you have the freedom to enjoy a trip without the guilt, just make sure to return the favor!
It’s Not A Good Time At Work:
There are a number of ways that work can interfere with your travel plans. Maybe you are new and don’t have the time off. Also, you could be slammed with responsibilities and just can’t get away. Whatever the reason is for not taking a trip, just know you are more productive when taking time for yourself. Work is necessary for most of us and it is important to keep that job. If work is holding you back, then plan on doing those short trips or visiting local attractions on your days off. Looking forward to those quick getaways will allow you to be a better employee.
I’ll Travel When I Retire:
Retiring from work does open up your time and allows you to travel more consistently. It’s great to plan on traveling when you retire but you shouldn’t have to wait until then to take that vacation. We hear from many retirees, being in the RV community, how great it is that we are doing this now. Now we have our own travel hurdles to overcome since we are not retired, but for us we wouldn’t change a thing.
The physical aspect is a big reason why waiting to travel can be detrimental. Now when we lived in Colorado we met plenty of people in their 60’s and 70’s that handled those mountain hikes better than us when we were in our 30’s. We are by no means saying that you can’t do physical activities in your retirement years. However, I think we can all agree that as we age, physical activities can become more challenging. By putting off certain travel experiences until you retire, you run the risk of not being able to do them when you are older. Just think about the things you would like to do and try to save the ones that are less physically demanding for later on in life. There will always be a reason not to go and by putting your travels off you run the risk of never going.
Travel Hurdle: Fear
All the excuses that people give as to why they can’t travel often come down to fear of the unknown. We don’t want to admit we’re afraid so we put the blame onto something, or someone else. An easy way to get over this fear is to do your research.
The more you research about your destination the more comfortable you will feel with traveling there. Of course there are always risks, but we’ve found that common sense goes a long way to overcoming any difficulties that may arise. There are many travel blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels out there that can help you feel more comfortable. Of course we would love for you to follow ours 😉 but you shouldn’t limit yourself to one. The more exposure you have, the greater your chance of taking that plunge.
You could also start by visiting areas you’re comfortable with. Visit places in your county, your state, or your country. By exposing yourself to this type of travel it will give you the confidence to continue to push yourself farther and farther into the world. I promise you, once you start it will get easier each time!
Thanks so much for visiting our page. Hopefully if any of these travel hurdles were holding you back you feel a bit more confident to book that vacation. We’d love for you to check out our podcast or our other posts on our blog for more tips on making travel possible! Take care.
