
I can’t count how many times I’ve heard people around my age tell me that they’d like to travel later, when they are “more established,” or “have more money,” or just “are older.” For every person I’ve heard such excuses from there are at least two
older adults who’ve told me they wish they’d traveled at my age. Here are several perfectly logical reasons why now is the perfect time to go wandering:
1. It’s cheaper– many people figure that later on in life, they will have more money, so they should hold off on travel until then. I think this is actually counter-intuitive.
First off, this is not necessarily true. Troubling as it is, it is impossible to know what your financial situation will be like in 20 or 30 years. If the current recession has taught us anything it’s that your money situation can change in an instant. What a shame to delay your dreams only to have them dashed by circumstances beyond your control.
Secondly, although you may have more money to spend in the future, the cost of traveling goes up the older you get. It’s unlikely that at 45 you will be willing to bunker down in a youth hostel, or eat cheap street food for every meal. Many of the volunteer programs, cheaper youth tours and couch-surfing opportunities will not be available to you. Middle aged you also won’t be able to take advantage of the youth train passes, discount cards and other price cuts that you are now privileged enough to qualify for.
2. It’s more fun- Take this as you will, but chances are pretty good that you are as young, pretty and energetic now as you probably ever will be. This means that you have a wealth of opportunities and possibilities that older travelers probably don’t. You can travel longer, rougher and cheaper because you don’t need to worry about your heart problem, or the kids being entertained or many of those other grown up worries. You can go caving in New Zealand or surfing in Nicaragua without fear. You can stay up all night partying on the beach in Thailand and not hate yourself in the morning.
3. It’s easier- it’s a fact that the longer you live, the more responsibilities you acquire. While houses, spouses and careers are all things most people want, they do make it harder to just drop everything and go. Not to mention the obligations that come with having kids. Or aging parents. While you’re life may take some rearranging right now to get out in the world, chances are it’s only going to get harder with time.

4. It will shape your future- for me, and many others, the major joy of traveling is not that the famous landmarks and pretty beaches you get to see. It’s that the places you visit, the people you meet and the adventures you have change you. They shape you into a better-developed, more interesting person. You will carry theses memories your entire life- so have the experience when you are young and you will get the most value for all your hard work.
Now some of this is just a matter of preference. And I would never want to discourage someone older from taking the time to go travel (better late than never after all). However, if you have the desire to get out there, and you are of an age where you have all of these opportunities and advantages at your finger tips, why wouldn’t you want to make use of all that? As Mark Twain (a veracious traveler himself) once famously said:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Hi i’m from malaysia. I would like to thank you so much for this. You wake me up from my sleep that what is true meaning of travel. I hope i was never to late for travel. Tq steph tq so much for this 🙂
I could not agree with you more. Words I live by
If you wait there is always something that can get in the way – university, jobs, kids…etc When you have the chance just go!
Yup, there’s never a perfect time, there’s only now.
Couldn’t agree more with everything said!
I’m 22, recently had my first experience with a few weeks in Thailand earlier this year and am already saving literally as much as I can so I can go and explore SE Asia for 3/4 months at the end of the year… constantly trying to encourage friends to do the same, because… well, until you actually get out and experience it, you are completely oblivious to the amazing sights, experiences and people that are all out there to be discovered!
Please, for your own sake, just BOOK A FLIGHT! GO!!
Good for you! Seems like once people get out and do a little travel it makes it much easier to envision longer term travel.
Great post. Too bad most people dream all these opportunities when they are locked up in a cubicle. Maybe your next post should be somethig like: how to say bye to the cubicle 😀
regards
I’m working on it, trust me!
A very practical reason not to wait – working holiday arrangements (at least for Australians) are for 18-30 year olds. You could travel Europe for years using these arrangements alone, going from country to country!
a good point that American me missed!
Great post! I think a lot of people wait to travel and then that “perfect time” never appears. There is no perfect time; inspiring people to seize the moment is key! Thanks!
Definitely no perfect time, all you can do is get yourself together and go now!
YES! YES! YES! Listen to this woman and go NOW!! I always found it funny when my friends would say to me before our RTW trip, “Man, you are so lucky. I wish I could do something like that.”
It’s as though some people think that some magic travel fairy just came along and gave us a bundle of money, waved her wand, and said, “Go, you can now quit your job and travel the world for a year.”
It literally took years to plan and save for our adventure. But we came up with a plan, stuck to it, sacrificed a ton to make it happen, and made it our one main priority in life. And anyone can do the same. We figured it was the perfect time in our lives to do so, and we made it happen. When someone says something like “I wish I could do what you did,” my reply is, “You can. You just have to really want to.”
.-= Adam´s last blog ..Hoping for the Best in a City I Love =-.
Thanks Adam! Those are my basic feelings too. It’s been a lot of hard work and waiting but I am FINALLY preparing to get going on this trip- no luck involved!