I wish I could travel but I’m so busy and I don’t have time for it… The only thing stopping me is money -travel is so expensive… Planning a trip? I don’t even know where to begin… Have you ever said any of these things to yourself? In this post, I’ll teach you how to travel more (which is want we all want!) What’s inside: my secret to making time for travel, money-saving strategies, and trip planning hacks. BONUS: Take the COMPASS CHALLENGE to get started today!
I’ve met so many people that wish they could travel more often.
You see trips other people are taking, and you can’t help but feel envious. You want that for yourself!
But it feels out of reach, and you’re not even sure where to begin or how to get started.
Can you relate?
Let’s Do This
So let’s get into what exactly you can do to start traveling more. Sound good? I’m excited to get started and share my tips with you! In this post I’m sharing 20 ways you can travel more this year. Here are a few things we’ll uncover:
- practical tips to take time off work (without feeling guilty)
- a few things you may need to
get rid ofto make your travel dreams a reality - smart ways to improve your financial situation
- hacks for finding cheap travel deals
- ideas for trip planning that aren’t complicated or overwhelming
Anything is possible if you’re willing to get creative and try a few outside-the-box ideas. And in this case, the reward (traveling more!) is pretty fantastic and can be life-changing.
Wait, Why Am I Doing This?
Before we talk about the strategies you can use to travel more often, take a moment to pause and think about why you want to travel in the first place.
This step is actually really important! You’re much more likely to follow through and take action if you have a strong conviction to push you forward. Ask yourself these questions:
- Why do I want to travel more?
- Where do I want to go?
- What types of trips do I want to take?
- How would my life be different if I traveled more?
- How would traveling more change me as a person?
- What new perspective would I gain?
For me, traveling gives me a sense of adventure. Since I was a kid, I’ve always had this feeling of “there’s something more out there”. I think it’s what motivated me to leave the small town I grew up in and join the military. I wanted to see and do more, meet new people and go places I’d never been before!
My love of travel has continued throughout my life, and what motivates me is the love of adventure.
It’s fascinating to see how other people live and to uncover both the differences and what we have in common. I also think travel helps you to become more self-reliant and confident. You’re often facing uncertainty and have to adapt.
Everyone has different reasons they want to travel, so get in touch with yours. It’s a great starting point and will help you stay the course when life’s distractions get in the way.
It happens. It’s easy to get caught up in work, family/friends, and obligations. And it loops and loops again. Rinse and repeat. But if you truly want to travel more often, some changes will be needed.
How To Travel More
Finding The Time
Ok, first the obvious: we only have a limited number of hours in the day and days in the month and so on.
But how we spend that time is up to us. Work, family, and other important obligations will still be a part of our life, but they shouldn’t rule our life.
So don’t let time be your excuse for not traveling more often! Here are a few strategies to find the time:
1. If you earn time off from your job, set a goal for yourself to actually use those days within a certain time frame! Don’t let them go to waste
2. Plan ahead and even if the trip isn’t booked yet, go ahead and block days in your calendar
3. Make an “appointment” with yourself for travel! Treat it like any other appointment that you’d never dream of canceling
4. To eliminate guilt, communicate with your job/family/friends ahead of time that you’ll be away
5. Do an assessment of where your time is currently being spent – what can be shortened or eliminated?
6. Prioritize where your time is spent (and push travel up higher on that list!) Be ruthless
Budget Tips
I know what you’re thinking… you’re probably skeptical about this one. But if you’re willing to make some sacrifices in order to travel more often, you can do this.
Traveling does take $$$, but you don’t have to be rich to travel. There are lots of different tactics to save for travel and find the money to make it happen:
7. Eliminate expenses and cut back on your usual spending habits
8. Increase your income by working more, getting a side job, etc.
9. Choose an affordable destination for your trip (and go during “shoulder season” to travel more affordably)
10. Take shorter trips (try a weekend getaway, for example) to cut back on travel costs
I have several great resources on this topic, like How To Travel Cheap for spending less and doing more. Another great read is How To Save Money With Shoulder Season which is all about shoulder season and how you can use it to save money when traveling.
Resources To Help
Maybe the excuse holding you back isn’t time or money. Sometimes we procrastinate because we just don’t know where to begin! Feeling overwhelmed can stop you dead in your tracks and keep you from going after what you want.
I’m so guilty of this one. As a (trying to recover) perfectionist, my nature is to want things all detailed out and perfect before taking action. But let me tell you, if you wait for things to be perfect or to have all the answers, you’ll never go anywhere
Instead, give yourself permission right now to plan a trip even if you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. And luckily, there are soooo many resources out there to help you! Here are a few examples of travel resources that can help you travel more often:
11. Seek out pre-made itineraries (talk about trip planning made easy!)
12. Work with a travel agent
13. Find resources and travel tips from a travel blogger (that’s me!)
14. Sign up for a guided tour so you don’t have to worry about the logistics
15. Keep it simple! And remember it’s not a requirement to have tons of activities pre-booked to travel somewhere – just get there and be spontaneous!
16. Don’t let packing stress you out – rely on a great packing list so it’s one less thing to worry about
Just Do It
Lastly, keep in mind that sometimes the biggest thing holding you back is you. Fear and doubt can creep up and make you believe that you don’t have what it takes, or don’t deserve what you want. But have courage! And go after what you want!
If you think this might be true in your life, here are some good resources to check out that can help build your confidence and courage:
17. To beat travel anxiety, check out my post where I talk about strategies to let go of stress
18. For practical ways to build courage, read this
19. To take a free fear assessment (and figure out how to overcome what’s holding you back), check this out
20. Get some great advice about courage and how it relates to travel
Travel More (starting today!)
YOU CAN DO THIS! It may not be easy, and you’ll probably need to make some changes in your life, but remember how great the payoff is. If you start traveling more often, you’ll be adventuring more, learning new things, meeting new people, discovering things about yourself….
The list goes on and on. Travel can bring so many positive things into your life, and bring a sense of purpose and a greater understanding of this amazing planet we live on!
Take The Compass Challenge!
Now that you know how to travel more often, it’s time to take action!
The Compass Challenge is a 5-day challenge that will inspire and motivate you to move closer to your travel goals! Each day will bring a new travel-related activity that will keep you focused (and having fun) along the way. CLICK BELOW TO GET SIGNED UP!
The daily challenges are simple to complete and will help you put into action all that you learned in this post. I’ll be alongside you, cheering you on the whole way and sharing tips and tricks. Ready to get started???
