Stop Waiting for the Right Time to Travel
If you wait for the right time to travel - you may never travel.
There will always be a seemingly infinite number of reasons not to take the trip. Just off the top of my head I can easily think of a handful:
It’s too expensive
What about my dog? (or cat? or hampster?)
I shouldn’t miss work
What if my kid misses a _______ (sport, club event, test, party)?
What if my flights cancelled?
What if I don’t like the food?
What if there is an emergency at home?
What if these is an emergency where I’m traveling
Is it safe?
Is it really worth it?
My kid won’t remember it anyway
What if I’m uncomfortable?
what if what if, what if.
How many times have you told yourself, “I’ll travel when the time is right”? But here’s the truth: there will never be a perfect time. Life will always throw obstacles your way, and if you keep waiting, you may never take that dream trip. If you have no desire to travel, then this post is not for you, but if you do want to travel, to experience the world, see new things, try new adventures, then you have to stop letting your excuses control you and start finding ways to overcome them, one by one.
Why you Should Stop Putting Off Travel
Instead of waiting, it’s time to take action. Here’s why you should stop putting off travel and start making it a priority today.
1. Life is Unpredictable
You never know what the future holds. Putting off travel for “someday” could mean missing out on experiences that may not always be available. Destinations change, opportunities pass, bodies get older and your circumstances may not always allow you to travel later.
2. You’ll Never Feel 100% Ready
Waiting until you have enough money, time, or confidence may sound practical, but there will always be reasons to delay. The best travelers aren’t the ones who wait until everything is perfect, they’re the ones who take the leap, even when things aren’t ideal. Accept that you there will never be a perfect time and commit to finding the best time.
3. Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
Many people wait until they have a big budget to take a trip, but travel doesn’t have to break the bank. There are ways to explore on any budget, from using travel rewards to choosing affordable destinations or embracing budget-friendly accommodations.
4. You’ll Regret What You Didn’t Do
At the end of your life, you’re more likely to regret the experiences you didn’t have rather than the ones you did. Travel is about collecting memories, not just ticking off destinations. Every adventure adds richness to your life, so why wait?
Read about how Travel Helps you Form Core Memories.
5. You Can Always Start Small
If a big international trip feels overwhelming, start with something smaller, a weekend getaway, a road trip, or even exploring a new city in your own country. Taking the first step will make it easier to plan bigger adventures in the future.
6. Travel is an Investment in Yourself
Experiencing new places, cultures, and perspectives broadens your horizons in ways that nothing else can. Travel is not just about seeing the world, it’s about growing as a person, gaining confidence, and making unforgettable memories.
See more about the benefits of travel.
Stop Waiting—Start Planning
If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to travel, consider this your sign to stop postponing and start making it happen. Pull out your calendar, choose a destination, and take that first step. Your future self will thank you.
How I Actually Overcame Obstacles and Now Travel More
Right before my 3rd child, Freja was born, we moved from France to a town right outside of Schenectady, NY. With 3 kids under the age of 4, Dave and I were outnumbered, and I was juggling day to day life and while also fullfilling my lifelong dream of living on my own homestead.
With young kids, I felt like it was the perfect time to slow down, grow a huge garden, raise some chickens and try to keep life as simple as possible.
And I did.
The problem - besides feeling strongly about living on my own homestead and facing the challenge managing so many young kids, I started to put my love of travel aside. My husband and I would talk about travel, but I would always say - later. I had all the excuses: when we have more money, when our kids can walk, or when we have a community to help with our animals.
The thing is - these weren’t just made up excuses - these are all very good reasons NOT to travel. Traveling with young kids is hard, leaving behind animals is hard, not having money to travel is hard. Not only did these obstacles keep us from long adventures, but they often kept us from nearby travel. We let ourselves stop doing what we loved simply because it felt like too much work.
When Freja turned 4, we had the opportunity to travel to Sweden. It was the first big trip with just our family of 5 since Freja was born and we finally convinced ourselves that we would make it work.
This trip was life-changing. It reminded Dave and I of what we wanted from life before we let all the obstacles pile up. We saw other travelers facing some of the same challenges, and realized that we were letting these obstacles keep us from what we really wanted.
After we got home from Sweden, I began to look directly at what was keeping us from travel. For each excuse, I came up with long term ways to overcome these obstacle.
And I didn’t just focus on the obstacles - I started to identify the the invisible benefits of travel and weigh these against the obstacle:
Everytime I made an excuse for not traveling, I responded with with a benefit and then looked for a solution.
Obstacle: my kids will miss a soccer game
Benefit: but they will get to snorkel for the first time and see a coral reef.
Solution: I’ll let the coach know at the beginning of the season and make sure my kid understands the choice.
Or
Obstacle: Let’s wait until next year when we have more money
Benefit: but my kid goes to college in two years, so let’s trvel now as a family
Solution: can I find a less expensive apartment instead of a hotel to save money
This method isn’t perfect and there are times when obstacles might actually keep you from traveling - like a broken leg, or losing a job. The key is to look for long term solutions so that you can make travel (or whatever is truly important to you) the priority.
Drop a comment and let me know how you’ve overcome obstances to travel or maybe which obstacles are things you can’t overcome.
Have fun out there,
Gretchen
Looking for more tools to build the life you want? I recently launched an extension of Chasing ADVNTR designed for women looking to create a more adventurous, creative and purposeful life. This is a separate newsletter - you can subscribe and learn more over at BOLDLY UNBOUND.
Well say, especially the point about life being unpredictable
I became a travel writer to help fund my wanderlust. While it doesn’t pay much, I am experiencing destinations in ways I couldn’t otherwise. I am nearing the end of my travel days and I still want to collect memories not stuff.