Is it Better to Travel Young or Save for Later?
Most students and young people with wanderlust face a very difficult decision as they begin to enter the workforce – should I travel now or should I save up some money and do it later? While everyone’s circumstances are different and people have different reasons to argue either way, the majority of the travel community always say that you should travel now and not wait until middle age or retirement to see the world. While it makes sense to be careful with your money and save up for the things you want, it also makes sense to take life in both hands. If you don’t know when to travel, here are a few reasons why you should be booking your plane ticket right now:
Maybe you won’t have the money
The expectation for young people that wait to travel is that they will land a successful and stable job and won’t experience much in terms of financial hardship; then, when they’ve reached the age of 30 or 40, they will have enough money to buy a fantastic trip around the world. The only problem with this idea is that things don’t always go to plan and money you have today won’t always be there tomorrow. Similarly, it is possible that you could be saving money for the rest of your life and still not gather enough to make your trip as special as you hope it would be. So, if travel is really something that you’re passionate, you’ll find that it’s possible to travel on almost any kind of budget.
Being young allows you to do more
When you’re young you can make the most of the experiences that come your way when you’re travelling. You have the physical fitness and energy to explore everything and go wild, whereas when you have 40 years under your belt you might not be quite as spritely. If your dream is to climb Mount Everest or run with the bulls then don’t leave it too late.
There will always be distractions
If you’re a notorious procrastinator, then you would be far better off travelling now than leaving it for ten years down the line. That’s because life doesn’t always allow us to have free time and we can often get distracted by other preoccupations. If you don’t travel now, who’s to say that you’ll remember about your plans to travel once you’ve finally saved up the money? Obligations can always interfere as well, so it’s better to go when you have minimal responsibilities.
You’ll get too comfortable
When you work so hard to make a life for yourself it can become difficult to leave it. The downfall of many wannabee travellers is that they get too comfortable in their current situation and get to the point where they actually don’t want to travel anymore. It just seems so much easier to use all of the money you saved up for your trip to buy a car or pay rent for the next couple of months. Maybe the next time you get the time to travel you won’t have the guts to do it. That’s why it’s better to go now while it’s fresh in your mind than add it to a bucket list that you might never complete.
The world is changing
The populations of certain species are dwindling, natural marvels are being affected by climate change, global politics changes all the time, and even cultures can change drastically. Who’s to say that tomorrow the Eiffel tower won’t be swallowed up by a giant sinkhole? – or that Italy tomorrow won’t suddenly run out of pasta? Things can change in a flash and these incredible sights and opportunities around the world won’t always be there. Just think about the implications of Brexit. UK citizens who currently receive health insurance coverage around Europe might not be able to tomorrow. That means that in as soon as a few weeks their European health card renewal might be pointless and accessibility to Europe for them will be dramatically reduced. So, if there are certain places you want to visit or specific things you would like to see, go there now while you can.
You should find out what makes you happy
A lot of young people entering the workforce aren’t actually passionate about their job. There is so much pressure to build a career and succeed according to society’s definition of success that young people are just going through the motions and doing what they feel they should be doing rather than what they want to do. However, the sooner you find out in life what makes you happy, the easier it is to build a career around it. When you travel you experience a lot of new things that may just lead you into a career that you never thought of – one that makes you happy. Rather than spending 30 years in a job you don’t like and finding your ideal career when you’re close to retirement, it’s better to find out when you’re young and have the time and freedom to align your future career with the things you love.
If you want to see the world as it is right now then the best time to see it would be right now. The world is changing all the time and what is there today might not be there tomorrow, so don’t waste an opportunity to see it all.
