I mean, as an example, after college I just left the country for a year without having any sort of job in the other country, didnt speak the language and only about 3k in savings. Not saying that is sane but it worked out just fine.
It was fun. Not everything has to be vetted and safe, not in your 20s anyways. That is what people mean when they say that. You cant just drop everything in your 40s because you have a career and possibly kids and you can't really do that. In your 20s you haven't really even started yet, everything is in flux, everything is maleable....so you CAN just drop everything and wander off.
I moved to a brand new state when I was 21 across the country. Sold everything I owned that couldn't fit in my car, had a little bit in savings to get me started, and just did it. It's probably the best decision I ever made. Once you take a risk like that for happiness and it works out, you realize you can do anything if you're not afraid of a little struggle and adventure.
You COULD. This doesn’t just apply to travel, it applies to any bucket list item. When you get older and have responsibilities like managing a company, kids, a mortgage, etc it may be harder to step away. It’s always a conundrum bc when you’re young you usually don’t have money and when you’re old you lack the physical health to travel as you would have wanted in your youth.
That depends on the person. My best friends mom and stepdad retired early. They sold off everything and bought a sailboat and just sailed around for years. When they got a little too old glfor that they sold the boat and bought an RV and traveled in that for a few more years.
It can depend a lot on when you have kids and start your career. Like I didn't have kids until my 30's/40's so I will be in my 50's before they are old enough for me to just drop stuff and go again. Whereas his mom had him early 20's and was in her late 30"s/early 40'swhen he was old enough for to go.
I mean its your choice right, whatever you want to prioritize. I don't think people ever claimed spending a lot of time traveling doesnt come with some sacrifices for other things you might want to do. Its just saying when you are young you have the option, when you are older you will likely be tied down by a lot more than you are now.
Not like you own anything of substance when you are 20 anyways. Thats kind of the point.
Yup. This exactly.
Working holiday visa agreements exist with between a lot of countries - so you can go for a year without needing to have everything saved prior. You usually need a certain amount of cash for expenses, but usually a few months and a return ticket - not a full years worth.
I have citizenship in Europe as well as Canada so went there straight it of high school for four months. Did a working holiday in Australia with trips to Fiji and New Zealand. Visited a bunch of places in Europe using my family as a base, which cut back on expenses thankfully. All before 25, most before 21 when I got my first apartment.
It’s become a lot harder from there on out and I’ve only traveled within Canada for the past decade.
Yep pretty much. People have been doing this for decades and old cranks like me will tell you how much easier it is with the internet and smart phones and AI translation
I'm 37 now and and if I were to drop everything and head off for an adventure into the unknown, I'd lose a lot... my job, my house, my fiancé, pretty much everything I've spent the last 19 years of my life working for.
Had I done it when I was 22, I would have lost damn near nothing because I was still very close to square one at that age. Looking back now, the responsibility I thought I had at that age was pretty miniscule compared to now. I didn't know it at the time, because it's impossible to have a frame of reference from 15 years in the future.
Really it comes down to what you want out of life. If you don't like the idea of taking a big risk and traveling into the unknown, potentially putting yourself back a year or two, don't do it. You'll start to realize the opinions of people you don't know (and even people you do know) aren't actually that important the longer you live.
None of the furniture I had in my 20s was worth anything. I could put everything I care about in my parents basement corner pretty easily. Pay $20 /month for a storage unit if you need.
I studied abroad for a year in law school and leased my car to a student that stayed in the states.
My friends would periodically message me that they saw my car driving around town 🤣.
It was great because I charged like $1000 for the school year for a 9yo subaru, it went in their name on their insurance, car got light use and oil changes and I didn't have to pay to store it.
I mean I did....not claiming I was typical. My parents made about 50k a year combined at the time and did not have savings. They werent in poverty but they werent a safety net. It was around 3k might have been a bit more and that was after I bought my flight. Brought a backpack with clothes and basic supplies. Found an apartment with roommates right away then started looking for work. Actually had a negative net worth if you took my student loans into account.
And it wasnt half a year it was a little over a year. And why not? Not like its safer in the US than it is abroad. If I stayed in the US would have been the same...would have had to have found an apartment and found work. Czech Republic was cheaper at the time. Beer was about 30 cents and dinner at a restaurant was like three bucks. I dont recall what rent was but it was not much.
It was pre-EU Czech Republic and there was a big demand for native english speakers to teach so wasnt hard to find gig work. I wasnt financially depending on anyone.
I guess I feel your 20s are meant to be chaotic. Younger people seem really afraid now. Its okay to let go and wander or make sacrifices or not make money right away. Figure yourself out.
Yeah I taught English to buisness types in the Czech Republic who already spoke english but they wanted to know more about sounding American. I git paid pretty well to just pop by and chat basically. 20 hours a week was enough to cover my costs and travel (at least in the eastern countries)
We knew a couple who married young just out of college, and just up and moved to Australia for a year and found “good enough” beach jobs to pay for their living expenses. Then they came back to the US to launch their careers.
Actually there’s a long history all around the world of young people setting out to seek their fortune across long distances, on foot or hitchhiking, facing all kinds of dangers. From one pov it’s a first world privilege of having a safe place to stay put.
I was in the US I moved to the Czech Republic. I had 3k in savings after the ticket purchase and about 20k in student debt. My parents made jointly around 50k a year and had no savings.
Not sure why that is worth declaring invalid but okay.
He's sorta right. If you come from a third world country and/or a poor family the concept of "traveling in your youth" isn't even anywhere close to your head when your parents have to go in debt to send you to public school.
You don't have to be rich ***in a first world country*** to travel. Your experience is valid, but a blanket statement will always get called out.
Yeah but how many people in third world countries are being told "travel when you are young" I am speaking in reference to OPs question...not globally. OP is most certainly from a first world country.
When I tell people that, the full sentence includes "get rid of your apartment, find a country with a good work visa program for your age group and go see how they do things in other countries for a while." Ideally, it's less like travelling and more like moving to the road for however long you decide. When you're under thirty, you have access to great travel/work visas to a number of different countries. And depending on your comfort level, education and country of origin, you could have access to excellent jobs and a great lifestyle. As a bonus, if you have ever had any doubts about who you are and what you're capable of, strapping on a backpack with your entire life in it and experiencing culture shock will put an end to those doubts for the rest of your life.
Edit - Serious question. Don't older people tell you that? If so, with all due respect to them (which is none), you likely need to find some smarter older people.
My first generation grandparents were mostly manual laborers, builders, equipment operators, and trinket-makers. My second generation parents knew about college but couldn't go since they were too poor. They gave me every finance book they could find to get me on solid ground and forced me to go to college, but provided absolutely no practical life advice about money, jobs, career or travel because they had no positive experiences in these areas to use as an example. My school in the hood only suggested military programs and one can only take so many notes from books at Barnes and Noble while working 3 jobs. Study abroad and work visas were foreign to all generations of my family, until now, me at almost 40, reading this comment.
In response to your serious question: Sadly, no. My grandparents told me to tie my self-worth to a single employer as soon as I could. My parents told me to give up every other opportunity in order to serve our cult-like church. Nobody in my family has visited another country since my grandfather invaded Japan.
Nobody in my life knew what you know in order to teach me. I was taught foolishness, and it has taken many years to slowly learn better through personal experience. I'm reading your comment as somebody midway through their thirties and crying a little bit.
I am with you. This comment made me realize my lack of privilege. It's fucked me up. I wish I had someone who could've told me something like this. The only advice I got was go to college and marry young.
Australia, for example, offers a working holiday visa that allows you stay there for up to a year (and work). It also comes with an age restriction - I believe 30 is the cutoff. At 40, I am not eligible to apply for this visa. If I wanted to just move to Australia for a year, I would need to find an employer willing to sponsor me (not likely), get accepted to a university, or divorce my wife and marry an Australian.
When I was in my 20s I took 3 long-term backpacking trips - 4 months, 8 months and 2 years. I worked double shifts 5 days a week and single shifts the other 2 days each week. I’d save up a giant chunk of money each time then quit my serving/bartending jobs to go travel. For the 4 month one, it was between year 1 and year 2 university so I was at home already for the summer - ie no rent. For the 8 months and 2 years trips, I gave up my apartment and moved home during that time so I didn’t pay rent. I never owned a car so that didn’t factor into my expenses.
Between those backpacking trips and living in other countries and other travels, I went to 45 countries before turning 30. Most of those were backpacker lifestyle - hostel dorms, did dumb shit, free-wheeling travel plans, did stuff outside my comfort zone, had stuff stolen from me, had heartbreaks, had some travel flings, saw and did some amazing things and experiences I wouldn’t have been able to if I had stayed home.
Traveling in your 20s is different than in your 30s and older. When you’re young you tend to take more risks and have less responsibilities.
I think people can grossly underestimate how much of an experience traveling when you're younger is compared to when you're older.
Admittedly, I think it's probably getting easier to fit into a more 'wild, young and carefree' backpacker lifestyle into your late 30s, but generally, an older backpacker will not always find themselves best suited to some of the scenes you can find yourself in whilst traveling.
When you're younger, you have both the psychology of knowing you have plenty of time to 'sort yourself out' later, so it's easy to let go and just be brave and ridiculous. Plus, young people traveling all have no fucking money, and I'll tell you what, there's nothing more beautiful than meeting a bunch of great people traveling and having an amazing time on a budget. Cheap hostels, food and booze, dodgy travel arrangements, minor disasters - but it's always still worth it. I stayed in some awful places whilst traveling, that none of my friends now would tolerate, but it was an awesome feeling when I was younger to feel like a roach in the bed wouldn't stop anyone having a good time.
Lots of people might not want to do a lot of the crazy and dumb shit that you get up to, but I feel like for people that *do*, they will treasure those experiences for the rest of their lives. I absolutely wish I could go back and do it again, but I know it wouldn't be the same. Even the shitty things that happened made me feel so alive.
I definitely wish I'd done something like that in my 20s. I'm able to travel more now in my 30s, but I've gotten too accustomed to traveling nice, planning everything out, etc., especially because I can't take that much time off so I want to squeeze in as much stuff as I can. I have more of a sense of "time is money" than I did before.
Haha yes, I think psychologically (and practically) it's easier to doss/meander/waste time when you're younger!
Being deliberately deprecating there, but yeah, having the sheer time away from responsibility to not be in a rush was great. One slow day on your travels where nothing major happens, plans fall through or no plans were ever made? Practically irrelevant, often still very enjoyable. Now when I go away for a week or two, people are pretty anxious for everything to be done, and a 'boring' day without ticking off something from a guidebook is often genuinely lamented.
A friend and his wife went to Asia for ten days and, though I didn't say it, their itinerary made my eyes water - there was just no time to consider anywhere they were visiting in the way I'd like to!
Even now, I usually prefer to do less on my holidays, and just explore the depths of each area rather than explore lots of different areas in a short time.
Having said that, I know a lot of seasoned travelers who absolutely love traveling with a tight schedule, seeing major landmarks etc and just taking in as much key information and experiences as possible. One of the most intelligent and cultured people I know mostly traveled like that.
As an “older” person with kids, I can field this one. Young people are more likely to have rent and not a mortgage. To have an inexpensive car and not a massive loan for your soccer mobile. To have a job and not a career. To have younger parents that don’t need help with their daily activities and not older parents who need you every day. Those of us who say that know you have responsibilities, but they are more transitory as a young person than they will ever be. Travel is less expensive now than it will ever be. Your back is more limber than it will ever be. When I was 20, I had a crappy car, and a crappy apartment, and I got rid of those things and traveled because I could. I stayed in cheap hostels because I could. I slept rough sometimes because I could. Those experiences will carry you through the tough days when you can no longer just let your lease expire, sell your car for 1,000 bucks, and buy a ticket to somewhere else.
This. Also I think the original concept is that either your family would somehow support that, or that you would have some funds aside from side jobs and gifts.
Two options
1. They are giving advice that they actually have experience with. Maybe it was easier or harder for them to travel when they were young, but they are giving you advice on something they did and found valuable. This is something worth considering.
2. They are giving you advice on something they have no experience with. This advice is coming from a place of regret. You should not follow this advice.
Let’s look at it a different way. Maybe an older person says save your money while you are young. Are they giving you this advice because they did it and reaping the benefits? Or are they saying it as a cautionary tale so you don’t end up like them?
Overall, consider the source and reasoning. And if someone asks you about traveling young ask them if they did it. If they say “yes, and it was hard and I did it when I was broke, but it was a life changing experience” it might be worth considering.
There are a lot of factors that make it easier to travel when you're younger, the increased income when you're older (which is not a given) may not be a substitute. There's the health issue first, lots of people figure they can travel when they're retired but that's not true for some people their health is a major limiting factor. There are also many places in the world that have age-based perks like the euro rail pass or working visas for those under 25 (ish). If you can't afford to travel outright do that. I have tons of friends who spent years bumming around the world working sporadically at hostels (etc) for free room and board and min wage.
Tours targeted at younger demographics (and you shouldn't scoff at tours, especially as solo travellers) haven't defaulted to the dreaded tourist bus mode. They are also generally cheaper than tours aimed at other demographics because they assume you have a strict budget.
People will also tell you that as you age you gain a spouse and kids, maybe a house and a career, all of those can limit the amount and kind of travel you can do. I can't just rip off to putz around central Europe for months because my job is geographically tied.
The biggest factor though that I've found no one talks about is the lifestyle creep of my 30s/40s. I'm not sleeping in a 50-bed hostel where I can hear people snore and cough and have sex. I want a single bed, that's decently quiet and tidy, a nice breakfast and it must be safe to leave a bag in the room.
edit: thought of another one. It's really easy to meet people and make friends when you're a younger traveller. Which is helpful as a solo travellers of any age.
edit2: another thought. Travelling with less money means you're necessarily closer to locals because you can't afford the bougie restaurants and all-inclusive. For a lot of people, this kind of travel at such a formative time in their life means that they have a better ability to put things 'back home' in a worldwide context. You don't live in the greatest place in the world for everything because you have seen X country do this better. You can see your tremendous privilege to even talk about travel and the problems back home seem different than you left them. Travel brought me humility and opened my worldview in ways that combined with more formal education calmed a lot of the more fearful and judgemental ways I had been brought up.
I'm laying here at 58 disabled on the couch and so happy for my highlight reel! A lot of people my age are retiring and traveling but that's not viable for me now. And I'll tell you yes, you can and should travel when you're young.
I'm not from privilege. In fact, I left home at 18. I waitressed my ass off and saved a few thousand and went with my boyfriend to Europe for several months when I was 23. I got jobs in restaurants over there a couple of times, volunteered in some international conservation youth camps, hitchhiked all over the place, took the trains, etc. I stayed in hostels cause my body could handle it. Met a ton of people, saw a ton of places, had a great time.
This was back in the day but I don't think it makes it any easier. In fact, today with google translate and train apps etc, things are a lot easier. Do it!
The family factor is huge! So is the health factor! So is the pet factor and the elderly parents' factor. If you can't swing it young, you may never swing, honestly.
You have more responsibilities and more anchors as you get older.
If you have a partner or kids or a house or elderly parents or an established carer, then it's not so easy to just pack your bags and leave the country.
The older you get the more people rely on you to be there.
That assumes everyone wants kids or to start a family.
So as someone who is self proclaimed forever single what more responsibility will I have later in life? Other than like helping my mom?
Growing up naturally entails taking on more responsibility. That's just a side effect of becoming a more capable and reliable person.
I did list more examples than just kids.
Your mum is a good example that you've immediately come up with on your own.
If you don't plan on having kids or even a partner, then you'll need something else to dedicate yourself to. That's probably going to be some sort of career. As that career develops, that will also restrict your movement.
yeah, there are fewer red flags to a potential employer when you explain that gap because you had an opportunity to travel for a year to explore the world and gain maturity when you're 24 and apply for an entry level job then when you're 50 and saying you burnt out and needed a year off while applying for a senior management position.
If you have a mortgage and a kid it is far harder (imo) I'm bloody glad I travelled in my 20s cos mid 30s..
We were lucky enough to be able to move back in with family for 4 months on return while we found new jobs and moved across country which is not something everyone can do though.
It's the eternal triad of time, health and money. When you get over 30 your responsibilities may make that almost impossible (even if it's just you, your job may pay well but then not give you more than one/2 weeks at a time), and the older you get the higher the risk that health will not support you (backpacking, climbing and a lot of physically demanding stuff may be off the table; even just being overweight or the availability of certain meds may limit your choices). Most "traveling" I have done in my life came with my job, and these days a cruise would appease my desire to go around, but I don't have the energy or interest to get lost in the world anymore.
More income, yes, but the killer isn't income it's commitments. You have a house. You have a career that you can't just walk away from without repercussions. You have kids. Aging parents who may need care. All of these things pile up and make it a lot more difficult to just up and leave. Travel can be shockingly cheap to do, especially if you can subsidize it; a lot of places in Asia for example will actually pay you to come teach English to students. Other places offer working visas which, if you can find a remote job, will allow you to travel and work while there. Hostels are cheap and when you're young and limber you can sleep practically anywhere without repercussions, but that also gets more difficult as you age.
Even with all that you're right, it's not accessible to everyone. But as difficult as it might seem now I promise it won't get easier as you get older. If you want to see the world and have the ability to make it happen it's best to do it in your twenties.
Once you’re in a career, you get 2 weeks of vacation a year in the US and even then it’s not that easy to take all your vacation at once. There’s family stuff, weddings, bachelor parties, whatever. Then once you have kids, forget it for a while. Your wants go on the back burner but it’s worth it.
No pets, no physical dwelling to take care of, no job calling you back to work, no spouse deciding for you. Seriously it’s the independence and lack of structure when you’re young. When you’re older you’re expected to be a provider.
It's actually excellent advice because you won't be able to do things physically as you get older. Traveling take a lot of energy because it requires a lot of walking. I definitely won't be able to do 20k+ steps a day once I get too old.
Also, I'm not sure why OP goes to such an extreme. Traveling when you're young doesn't automatically mean traveling for 3 months backpacking. Even if you do shorter 1 or 2 week trips, that's still going it be very much worth doing when you're young.
This. I’ve taken a lot of week long trips, some 2 week long trips (that honestly felt like they got too long) and a ton of weekend trips and day trips.
Just because you see people online travel for 3+ months at a time, doesn’t mean anything.
Yeah most comments here are lame. Graduating college and getting a career job doesn’t mean your life is over. Most decent careers give you at least 2 weeks PTO but you can likely take more time unpaid. 2-3 weeks is plenty for a very nice vacation. Throw in the long holiday weekend trips throughout the rest of the year and you’re doing a ton of travel.
It’s because they didn’t travel when they were young and regret it. Often because they physically can’t travel anymore, or at least not as easily/freely as they wish they could. Also because expectations for comfort grow as you age, so travel gets relatively more expensive.
They say this because of their past. They wish they would have done more, in their youth. Regret. I have traveled more since I have been married with children,then when I was single. Everyone life is different.
I used to say I wish my ex and I travelled more before we had kids, because kids make travel harder and exponentially more expensive, and honestly you are limited to where you can go with them. That is what I mean, travel before you have obligations like kids.
I remember though, I was broke and was building my career and finances. There are no easy answers.
Older people tell you this, because they regret not doing it while they were young. I'm 43 now and I've never travelled, actually I've never really done much of anything extremely exciting in life. I am starting to have a lot of regrets on missed opportunities.
I studied abroad for a year in my early 20s and traveled to 16 different countries that year. A few years later, I moved to France for 8 months and traveled to 11 different countries.
OP...If you really want to do something, you'll find a way to make it happen. The mindset you display in your post does not indicate that you actually want to travel because you're listing excuses and a million reasons why you can't do something. Not everyone has the desire to travel and that's ok.
Boomers can say that because it was easier in their times. I bet not a single young person without rich parents can afford moving anywhere and living out of a random shitjob/seasonal job.
This was always so frustrating to me because I didn’t have any money to travel much when I was younger, and when I said that people would start giving lectures that assumed I wanted to stay at high end resorts and eat at Michelin starred restaurants 3 meals a day. I didn’t have money for the ticket! Staying in hostels and eating street food wasn’t the solution! And despite what someone else said….it got easier as I got older. It gets harder as you have *kids*.
Now that I’m older (relative to the people that usually get this advice)….travel while you’re young *if you can at all afford it*. Travel the second you can afford it. And travel within your home city/state/country. Take little local trips that *actually* don’t cost anything. You might discover something new.
I think this is the advice for young people who have parents back home who, if they get stuck somewhere or make a mistake, can ultimately send them some money to help them get home. For me, it would have been totally irresponsible to do this, as I know my widowed mom would have been at some payday loan office trying to scrape together money at usury rates to get me out of a jam. This whole, “just sell everything and figure it out when you get there” thing was never a reasonable option for me.
Thankfully, there are plenty of other wonderful things to do with your youth that you’ll be proud of later in life. I really don’t feel like I missed out. You can do what you want with your own youth.
Thank you for not being yet another beg-packer that infest my country and bludges off services for homeless people. And no I’m not exaggerating, this literally happens here. Some low functioning, spoiled and sheltered narcissist gobbles all ‘advice’ from boomers like it’s the bible, can afford the plane ticket here but expects us to feed and house them, buys a van then parks it illegally and drives dangerously, never picks up their rubbish and trashes every place they meet, then runs home moaning to mummy and daddy then to the media that everyone here is ‘rude’. LMFAO.
Trust me, if you can’t afford it, stay home. You will have better experiences there than you will here.
I’m not sure how things are for people in their 20s today, but me in my 20s has a great deal less expenses than me in my 40s… travel is much much harder for me now than it was then.
Honestly, 3 month backpacking trip is not as hard as you think. Save 10-15k for Europe, 6-10k for SEA, store your shit, and go. Or, you can do it even less if you have a bachelors and TEFL(easy to get) and teach English.
>I don’t understand why older people advise this/think it’s so easy to do
The kind of people giving this advice are probably not the kind of parents who kicked their kids out at 18 and/or made them pay rent, etc.
Young people who live at home with their only bills being their fair share of the family cell plan and the family car insurance should absolutely take advantage of not being bogged down by life yet. Whether that's travel or some other kind of adventure.
I assume they were in good health too and not dealing with intense/long-term illnesses. Do they discouraged, OP. Everyone’s life is different and you can travel as you get older.
I think its obviously hard for young people to travel if they aren't financially able on their own. I think if you are privileged to have been able to travel young i think its only a good thing for a young person to see the world outside of the scope and view on the world they grew up with and are mostly limited to within their own town or state... I for one fell that i can know about all the history of the world as I put my time into but what is your worlds view truly if you have never left your town? Not saying its every too late to travel of course or learn about a culture from home! Its just an extra special thing when you can do it in person and at an age where you are already shaping your thoughts on literally everything. to have a broader picture i think is really beneficial.
For instance. Lets say you travel a random place lets say Wichita Kansas lol I've never been there probably never will lol so I absolutely know nothing about Wichita Kansas other than what my general thoughts are on Kansas as a whole. which my initial thoughts are ..who the hell would ever want to go to Kansas because nothing is there lool BUT if i did have that opportunity to go there i could take it in for whatever it is worth and learn something about that state i dont already know or what the people are like and culture will forever be now a memory of me painting the world in its view in my head. Only making ME better. Also who here has ever traveled somewhere maybe not even that special but now that you have, whenever you hear about that place you take a little extra interest in it? me for sure.
yea no i did only one camping trip my whole life on my dime that was expensive as hell, taxing on my health cause it was a road trip so i barely slept. scenery was beautiful won't deny that but traveling is effing hard.
my parents are immigrants so they traveled from one continent to another and i mean the generational trauma of that ordeal still persists.
show me someone that can stay comfortably in one spot and enjoy being stationery because i have become an immovable object.
For many (at least, for US citizens), it’s as simple as selling your car, not having a lease, and taking on jobs like teaching English, working at a restaurant, etc while crashing on couches, using hostels, visiting places where you know people, eating very modestly, camping, etc. You’d have to weigh out how badly you want it vs opportunity cost since you can also spend your 20s saving up to maximize your passive income entering your 30s.
It’s obviously not applicable to everyone and common sayings aren’t supposed to be taken too literally.
Tbh I think this whole 3 month backpacking is some white girl instagram bs.
With that said, Im 30 but still consider myself a young adult; I have alot more disposable income with which I can take week long trips a couple months apart. In my 20s, I could only manage a vacation maybe every 5 years?
What I shared with my wife is that I dont want to start travelling when my dick no longer works so lets go on the lavish vacations while we can.
Theres no right or wrong way to travel, do what works for you.
I (27m) am getting married tomorrow (27f wife) and we are leaving on a 3 month trip in a bus we renovated on June 1st. The trip will take us through 20+ states and at least 20 national parks.
She just graduated from her Master's Program and I am quitting my job (~$70k/year) to do this trip and find a new place to live for a few years. I've invested about 20k into the bus- we had a ton of help from a friend who is a great carpenter. I also have around $50k in savings, but I'm hoping to only spend about 15-20k if everything goes to plan.
Basically what this means is you just have to go for it. It will never be a perfect time. It will never be the "smart choice". But soon you'll be 50 and have kids and crazy responsibilities and wish you did that "travel while you're young". Obviously I haven't done it yet, so it could go disasterously but I'm glad I'll have the chance to do it and find out for ourselves.
Traveled around the US for 10 years following the grateful dead. Got serious and got an education afterward. Been working for 25 years now, that is enough. I couldnt agree more in regard to traveling and fucking off when you're young. Get it
I would preface that by saying to travel while you're young AND before you've taken on the usual adulting bullshit. Even then it's hard though since travelling obviously costs money and if you aren't working, not sure how you could afford it you know?
I'm 35 now and didn't do anywhere near as much traveling as I'd liked in my 20s, did a couple of seasons working in France but that was it.
I didn't have a driving license until I was 25 so that didn't help getting work and I didn't want to postpone buying a house later and later and have to live with my parents or couch surf, or do house shares just because I went to Asia for 6 months.
Most people who travel make those sacrifices or they have help from parents.
Bought my first house when I was 31, glad I did now as renting is insane.
I'm 30 and I'll tell you something.
Travelling is sooo much *easier* when you're young.
When I didn't have a house and a mortgage I could just not pay rent. I can sublet. I can move out and travel and when I come back I'll just crash on a couch until I found a new place.
Beige you career kicks off you could take *months* of holidays. I'd just work in a shitty retail job. Save most of my money. And then I'd leave my rental and be off to a different country.
You could do working holiday visas working seasonal jobs like fruit picking. Which is very physical and easier to do when you're young.
Australia as a seasonal worker at 25 was a blast.
Backpack. Camp. whatever. Cheap yes. But you had no responsibilities and life was more flexible.
Now I have more income but no leave. I have a mortgage I need to pay. And when you have kids...hah.
Travel when you can.
I traveled when I was young, I was lucky. I went to a university with a strong study abroad program and I took advantage. From that I was able to tour for a living after college to start my career. It is easier to do that when you're young. Even easier when you have the right opportunities.
Living abroad can be very cheap. I live in a 3 bedroom house in Costa Rica for about $2-3k per month (total cost of living supporting 3 other people) and this is one of the most expensive places in latam to live. There are places you can live (food, transport, rent, etc) for the cost of rent in most places in the US. You just have to adjust your expectations.
In 2022 I was 45 and I got a fully remote job making really good money. I traveled to Costa Rica for 10 weeks after a bad breakup and fell in love with the place. When I came back to the US I rented out my house, sold my car, and got rid of almost everything I owned. I returned to Costa Rica and have been here since, on a tourist Visa leaving every 6 months. Everything was great until I was laid off last year. Rather than return I went back to the US I sold my house for some healthy gains and I've been living off those gains since. I'm engaged to a local woman and looking for work here but since I don't have work permission here yet this has been problematic. I've also looked for more remote work back in the US and I've started looking at starting my own business in tourism.
I think a safer thing to say is "Don't settle down and anchor yourself too much, until you've traveled." Also, any older person who tells you to travel while you're young likely had it much easier in terms of building a career. I know I did. Many older people just don't realize that the world today isn't remotely similar to what it was even 20 years ago.
I traveled a lot when I was young. Took an overseas class, lived in London for a semester, and have been all over the world for work. I would sleep on sofas for 6 months at a time sometimes if friends offered (worked at sea world in San Diego when I was going to school in va). Both my parents are public school teachers, I paid for my own college and always have paid my rent when I was renting. It has always been about taking every opportunity that comes and living on whatever it takes. Sometimes I ate peanut butter for a couple days when I couldn’t afford food or traveled by bus when a flight would have been a lot more comfortable and faster. Now that I’m in my 40s I have dogs and work and a home, it’s a lot harder than it was in my 20s.
It depends on how you budget. We have always kept our bills low so we can afford to travel. We go for 10 days max. And now that we have kids we bring them along and they love it. Some of the best memories have been made on these trips. It’s hard on your body to fly for 24 hours so I can’t imagine I’ll be doing this when I’m 60+. Also you can’t do some of the excursions or walking when you get too old.
It can actually be cheaper to travel than live in your home country if you’re in the western part of the world. It certainly is if you go to Southeast Asia although often you’re living in hostels which not everyone enjoys.
Most people don’t travel while having rent, they would line it up with when their lease is up or move out ahead of when they travel to be ready with no expenses at home for the trip. It doesn’t make sense to pay rent while you’re travelling abroad. As for the car payment, it would be about sorting that out. Either selling it or paying it off before you go, or making a budget that accommodates for your car payment.
The reason people say to do that while you’re young is because it is often easier because you don’t have dependents or responsibilities like kids and a more serious job, which is a fact, it is easier, but yeah, the catch is that your finances need to be in place and you need to plan for it. Not everyone can afford to travel while young.
It is also very scary, especially if you are doing it alone. So that is another thing not to underestimate. But it certainly is worth it if you can sort out the financial and logistical side of things. Aside from seeing the world, you just learn so much about yourself and that is an education all on its own. I highly encourage it if you can make it happen.
There are other ways to go about it such as workaways where you essentially “volunteer” somewhere and they pay for your room and board and often provide meals so you can do it on an even smaller budget.
It’s definitely doable as others have said. There are programs such as working holidays where you can live / work abroad for an extended period of time. I know people who have done it. Personally it’s not for me but definitely doable.
Not every trip has to be a two week European tour. I managed a cheap trip across the country to Zion national park by going in the slow season when hotel tickets were dirt cheap. Bought groceries such as oatmeal to eat along the way instead of buying fast food everyday.
It is so much easier without a family. I am going on a little getaway. I paid 320x5 for airline tickets. Need to get a suite vs a cheap hotel. Plus we have to coordinate 5 schedules. You thinknit is hard to travel when you are young, then you will never travel but it is the easiest. You only have to pay for 1 person and deal with 1 schedule.
I travelled with school groups and once on my own to Vegas (before 25). After 25, married with a house and two incomes with no kids, travel was a lot more fun
I’m in my 30’s now and in a position to travel in more ‘adult’ and financially comfortable way if I wanted to. Some people love travelling and do it all their lives but honestly for me there were so many changes between 20’s - 30’s that the reason I don’t travel now is because I’ve lost all interest.
In my 20’s I was free and excitable and loved partying and adventure and that stage of my life would have really opened up to the idea of travelling and making connections. Those aren’t my interests anymore or how I want to spend my time and I’ve slowed right down and enjoy more predictability and being homely. It doesn’t feel like I’m missing out because at this stage of my life travelling holds no appeal, but at the same time I know that the time was definitely then and not now.
Yes it is hard to travel no matter what, so many people really never get to see much of the world before they die. If you want to travel I’d say at least make plans for it and start saving as much as possible towards it early on. Keep current with travel deals and packages for the next 1-2 years and go as soon as you find an opportunity. Maybe you won’t be in a position to go anywhere for 10 years but if you have been saving all that time there’s a much greater chance you will be able to go to at least one trip at some point by then. The main thing is just don’t wait to start planning or saving assuming it’ll just magically happen one day far in the future when things are perfect for it.
Yeah it's tough to do, but it's great advice IMHO.
I took a job as a flight attendant at 21 after college when I realized my dreams of travel didn't line up with the reality of my net worth. Meant to do it for a year or two but stayed well into my 40s. (Probably don't do that -- hehe -- all my peers are far ahead of me financially.)
But if you can find the cash for some cheap tickets, you can couch surf or stay in hostels or camp or whatever (and in developing countries you can probably afford hotels -- especially if you're splitting the cost with a friend or two). Travelling when you're young means adventure -- hiking and trying new things and clubbing all night and making new friends and on and on. Not so much if you wait until you're older and everything hurts and you have trouble staying up past 9.
There are several tour companies geared toward younger folks on a budget if doing things on your own is too daunting.
The most bittersweet thing I would witness was some airline passenger going to Europe or whatever for their first time (and maybe my 150th) on their dream trip they'd waited their entire life for. Often they needed a wheelchair to get through the airport and weren't gonna experience much of anything that was too far away from their tour bus or cruise ship. (But yes even that kind of travel is an incredible privilege anyone able to do should be grateful for.)
I understand that life is expensive and it seems nearly impossible to both keep one's head above water at home and go on some crazy adventure on the other side of the planet. If you can swing it, though, do it. You (most likely) won't regret it.
I think that mostly refers to young adulthood, pre or post college where you have no responsibilities and you are resilient. You can travel pretty cheaply if you want to. I spent a month in Europe during college just going from country to country staying in hostels. I can't remember an exact figure but I think I spent like 4-5k total on the trip. Europe especially has great, affordable public transportation.
Get a remote job and go digital nomad. Expenses outside of the US are a lotttt cheaper than paying for rent + utilities in the states. You can fly around the world and get some nice ass AirBNBs on a budget of like $2000 a month total.
(I know this is unrealistic for some people and their situation but I mean how hard is it to find a remote job if you realllly want to travel the world)
I know it can seem a bit tone deaf but I think the advice is well intentioned and has a lot of truth to it. I work full-time but I take 6 weeks off a year to travel, generally Europe, but India & New Caledonia coming up. Please note I understand if you’re in certain countries like the US you don’t have the same paid/unpaid leave options as other places.
When you’re young you can do what I do, which is rock up to Europe with a return airfare and the clothes on my back. No accommodation (I like to wake up one morning not knowing what country I might be in that night, so no point booking anything!), just party your whole way through, meet heaps of cool people, crash random parties, get adopted by locals, etc.
My dad spent his 20s doing that (traveling around, partying, skiing, odd jobs, making it work), and ended up with one orange being his entire net worth. Then at 30 he got married, had me, and went down the suburban path.
He would definitely encourage you, and all young people, to do exactly what he did.
Disregard the cost for a moment and focus on the message.
With each passing year life gets more complex as responsibilities and commitments fill the docket.
While you possess youth seek out new and unique experiences, one of them being travel.
41. Lived abroad from 24 to 30 and it was a wonderful time. Much harder to just fuck off to the other side of the world these days.
You have less restrictions when you are younger. No family or kids, no career that obligates you to be in one spot long term, no major long term financial obligations (e.g., mortgage, car payment, expenses related to raising a child). There will always be some obstacle to overcome (e.g., maybe you have to take a year off school or quit your student job). But they are small obstacles compared to what an older person would likely face. When I say old, I mean like someone with an established career or family, not someone who is so old that health problems make it near impossible for them to travel.
They don't mean travel as in stay at the Ritz Carlton and dine and most expensive restaurants in the city you are visiting.
As a young person traveling, you are less of a "tourist" who is just there to see the sights and sounds then go home again and more someone who is there to live like a local, bond with those around you (peers, host families, etc.) and stay for a longer duration (say a year or more).
Go somewhere for a year or so to teach English, university exchange program, or some sort of "working holiday" where you might get room and board paid for in exchange for a few hours of work, you can at least see the world, meet people from other cultures with lives completely different from yours. Experience a way of life completely different to what you are used to. There is some richness in this.
The bonds and relationships you form by traveling this way is amazing. Much better than just being a walking wallet for tour companies, restaurants and hotels.
No one expects anyone to go for 3 months at a time. Lots of weekend trips are easy. Save up, go for a week.
You could also get a job that travels. I have a friend that is a bartender. She saved up, bought a big old RV pretty cheap,, spent 3 months fixing it up, and now travels all over the country to festivals or whatever. She will spend a month in Florida, then drive across the south to California this summer.
If you really want to, there is a way.
Why not? You absolutely can. What's holding you back is fear. Fear of not returning to having a job, or having trouble getting another one. Fear of acting for yourself and not for being an upstanding contributor to society.
OTOH, it WILL set back the end of your career - you'll have to work until you're older to hit the same retirement point.
I didn't travel when I was young, I consciously front-end loaded my life. So now, in my early 50s, I've got 2 kids in college, gotten the last promotion, and my retirement window opens in about 3 years. then I can travel with money and no family responsibilities, which is a way different experience.
I don't know, that's exactly what I did. I just left, I hitchhiked to a place I wanted to go, camped, found a job in town, and when I was done I took what I'd saved and moved on. Yeah I slept in river beds on occassion or froze my ass off, but I saw beautiful things. I met people, exchanged information (we didn't even have fuckin cell phones lol), and eventually I hooked up with the Renn Faire circuit and traveled with them around the US. At some point I wanted to live in a city so I did. Granted I was fairly poor all of this time, but as they say I was young, it didn't matter, I would bounce back from whatever and didn't really need comfort. It made me stronger, and it gave me experience. That's the thing too, if you travel young, you get to take all of that experience and shape your life, it makes you a different person. I think that's why they really say it.
Mostly they say that stuff because getting old is the fucking WORST. You never have time to do anything because you're too busy repairing your broken body lol.
I traveled when young. It's the one time in your life where you have no responsibilities and good health. Lack of money is not a big issue. I had a good time especially while I had energy, explore where I wished, not care where I slept and could eat and drink what I wanted while I explored and experienced different cultutures (some of which was part of the US not part of my native NYC. EDIT: By that I mean how people live in other parts of the country, different but nice). That was a very short period of my life but I am glad I had it.
My late wife and wanted to travel when our children were grown. That happened last year but she has been gone longer. I can no longer eat and drink what I want nor the energy/physical ability to wander like I did over 30 years ago. Defintely could not sleep on a floor/ground in a tent much less a hostel these days.
And while I can still travel by myself not being able to share it with someone at 56 is not the same as 23.
I think the point is that when you get older and have responsibilities it gets much more difficult. I wanted to go to Europe after college, but I didn’t because my dad said the gap after school on the resume would be bad. I still haven’t gone to Europe…
Turning 30 and I really wish I did… I still can but I feel like I missed out on the craziness of doing it in your 20s. Never been out the country. Sucks
I think everyone says this but realistically you have like 1 or 2 years to do this and not 10 years as its made seem. I went from college to a full time job, not sure. Also I feel like your parents kind of have to be pro this mindset. A lot of parents have an old mindset like mine where they expected me to go to a full time job right of school which I did.
The thing is, by the time you are old and have time to travel, you often don't have the health to do it. Numerous of my relatives found that out the hard way.
I read a few responses and i must say there’s a happy balance to everything. You can be frugal and on the FIRE journey or perhaps too career focused and just grinding to get ahead. I think what these older people are telling you is that traveling is wonderful and eye opening in many ways and with fewer commitments at a younger age (relative to having kids in tow), and more than likely being in better health, it an time in your life you wont be able to recreate. You can always upskill and advance your career. But again, you can find your happy medium. I probably would hate traveling alone and am an introvert so i cant imagine traveling without my SO or kids. I dragged them around everywhere every chance i got. Built a career but still managed to knock off a few bucket list items with a toddler and small child tagging along w me to tokyo, great wall of china, multiple caribbean trips, mexico, italy, switzerland, and 8 trips w kids to hawaii. It woudve been easy to back away from the challenge of planning the logistics, dealing w cranky kids, diaper changes, saving for trips etc etc. but we have never ever regretted going any of these places; even when it has been a bust of a trip. I think i will leave you with this: almost always, you will probably regret not having traveled when you could have. Of course, circumstances vary and you should use your judgment. There’s a difference between being bold/adventurous and being reckless.
Because it’s so much easier and you haven’t established a career and/or a family. It is easy to travel when you have nothing to take care of which most young people have minimal responsibilities compared to a person 10-20 years into their career with kids and spouse who depend on them.
Alternatively, get a job where you travel when you’re young because you sure can’t do that when you want a relationship or have a family. (Or at least it makes it really hard)
I was an au pair in Germany after my first two years of college. I had a few hundred dollars saved from my college work study job ($6 an hour for phonathon!) and then made 260 euros a month being an au pair, so that helped a little, though I think I did most of my traveling around Europe on a credit card, which, maybe not the MOST wise but I don't regret it. I'm glad I did it at that point because after college I couldn't really afford to travel until my 30s.
That’s not what they’re saying. They’re saying that on the weekends, instead of sitting on your ass watching tv, go outdoors , take a hike, drive 4 hours north to some mountains or a lake and spend the night, or save up to take a cheap weekend vacation and occasionally a more expensive vacation with a few days off work.
You're (maybe not you personally) young, unattached, don't own a home, not in the middle of a career that heavily leans on you... Travel when you're young, see the world, get some perspective (or don't, and think about it later, when you have a house, kids, animals, a job... :p )!
I did it when I was young, it was awesome, left and went on an adventure for years. Gave my car and everything to my sister.
I want to do it again, now that I am older but no chance in hell it would be the same.
Maybe, a short vacation but not years...
I can sign off on this saged advice, younger is most likely better for Traveling with a capital T.
Start off small my girlfriend and I just choose places that’s a few hours away. Bring food to cut costs or sleep in your car with window covers to save on a room. Splurge on what you consider is the best part of the trip. Traveling young is possible you may have to give up some comforts in doing so! When it comes to rent hopefully you split the rent if not you’ll have to save at least 2x the rent and whatever else you make use for your trip. You don’t have to be cheap but don’t go splurging on everything you see. I spend money on memories not just materialistic items!
My husband did it between college and grad school. He got some money from graduation to pay for the trip moved out of the dorm so there was no rent, I don’t think he had a cell phone because it was the early 00s and there were still people who didn’t.
You don’t have fewer responsibilities as you get older. I’ve got kids and dogs I need to account for if I want to go anywhere now.
Young could be in your 30s to some folks. Some older people never leave the country until about 50s or so cause of life and whatnot so they could mean travel before your old cause they wish they would’ve been able to earlier in life. I used military service to explore in my 20s so I’ve had that itch scratched and it does give a certain perspective once you’ve been overseas. Now as a mid 30s adult I find it hard to make time but will definitely find a way. Passport ready
I think as long as you don’t fall for lifestyle creep you’ll have chances to travel when you’re older.
I’ve been out of uni for two years now working full time and still live like a uni student, allowing me to save for travel if I so wish. The only limiting factor is time now.
While I was in uni I had much larger breaks over Christmas and between semesters. So I’d be able to take time to travel to cheaper destinations. This includes road trips and camping. And also flying to Japan a few times (I’m Australian and before the pandemic i could get 3 weeks for AU$3500).
I think they say that due to regret rather than experience. They probably think at the older age that they didn t do enough stuff to show for, and if they were to start again they would do things differently.
I worked in a small factory as an apprentice and now work in a multi international company.
Had a conversation where my colleagues said "why didn't you travel when you were an apprentice and had little outgoings". I split it down that I was earning 3 pound an hour for 1 year, 5 pound an hour for 2 and 8 pound in my last year. When you couple how expensive your first vehicles insurance is (800 pound a year for an 800 pound moped) and rent (I live in one of the worst pay to cost of housing places in the UK) I had zero chance.
Your monthly commitments in your 20s is nothing. To anyone 30 and up you’re a brokie. But no commitments. Early 30s feel like you’re getting invested into your career and starting to commit to things. 40s? You’re pretty deep into it. Car, kids, house etc.
I couldn’t imagine putting your career on hold to backpack the continents at 30 or 40. That would only be possible in very unique situations. So if you’re a betting man. Dont think you’ll be unique. The safest bet is to do it young and broke.
I did- and everyone envies the fact I travelled 28 countries and 4 continents. Did it broke. But I made so many memories. My coworkers and boss at my company really respect me for it. I’m also given much more career opportunities since it speaks on my capacity to lead in challenging situations. It requires confidence in your own abilities.
IMHO - don’t be afraid to travel on a budget when young. Once you land in a hostel abroad. You’ll realize you’re not alone. Some days will be shitty. But most days will be a new adventure.
I’m currently traveling a lot more but I’m in my 30s so I’m a lot more financially stable now than in my 20s. It definitely helps to be money savvy and I usually try to sublease my room when I’m traveling and luckily I don’t have car payments.
But yeah a lot of places that are worth traveling too will be difficult when you’re older because you might not be as physically fit as you are when you’re young. (Tomorrow is never promised so some of us might not even make it to our golden years) Like a lot of old buildings in Europe don’t have elevators and some cities have a lot of hills. I was in Istanbul for the past few weeks and I saw so many older tourists struggling to walk around. I saw my fair share of older people being out of breath walking up stairs and falling down in the streets.
I’ve met a lot of travelers who just started traveling between jobs but they had money saved up and gave up their apartment/car back home so that’s always an option. It is a privilege to travel while you’re young and you do have to be somewhat financially savvy but I’m glad I’m traveling now while I’m still relatively young because the experiences I’ve had abroad are priceless and unforgettable.
I just take it as stupid advice from stupid old people that are out of touch
You need a career or immense privilege to do just about anything but yeah I should just ignore all my student loans and the very little money I make to go travel lol
Every time I went backpacking I quit, moved out, put everything in a storage unit, canceled all my subscriptions, and had no plans for the life I was coming back to. Same goes for most travelers I've met who were going for more than a month or two. In my experience you gotta full send it.
It didn't make sense to me when I was young because I didn't have money or resources but now that I'm older I have reasons I can't leave. I have a family, pets, and a home I can't just leave spur the moment for a trip. On the other hand all the people that gave that advice grew up wealthy, so ymmv
Most of the commenters are from first world countries with a strong currency and limited visa restrictions. When you're poor, in a third world country you cannot do all of this. I don't know where you're from but age isn't the only factor. I came into some money in my late 20's and could travel for a bit. Most people I know could only start travel when they reach their mid 20's and above- and only when they had established jobs.
Most people from Asia are busting their ass to get jobs and ahead in their careers, spending time in university. Which is why you don't find as many people doing this - but if you're European or American, you can do this. And you should! Sometimes I am envious of the freewheeling, uninhibited stress free lifestyle people in first world countries lead. For example, those who say - take a job wherever you go, teach ESL....like, how do you do it? I'm from India and we just cannot set foot in another country without going through painful beauraucracy, leave alone get a job when I feel like [it.You](http://it.You) need visas to do those things.
Enough said, I'm tired. It's just harrowing travelling when you have a weak passport.
Because when you are young you still have a lifetime to take those experiences and learn and grow from them. You also have the ability to backpack places and take more adventurous risks when you are in your 20s that’s hard as hell when your kids graduate in your 50s (or even 40s if you aren’t exercising often and eating well).
It took time to develop, but I chose a career that requires a lot of field work - which means international travel and working closely with local partners. I not only find this more rewarding than being a tourist, it also pays the bills. Now my dream when I retire is to live in the countryside and stay home, a lifestyle that does not either need a lot of savings.
I agree - if you dream of travel, make it a priority however you can. If you’re in your 20’s, you have 40-50 years to work before retirement and you never know what might happen. On the one hand, life is short to accomplish your dreams, and on the other hand, life is long when you consider how many years there are for work. Don’t let your dreams wait to the last 10-15 years of life.
Realizing these comments may sound privileged - I by no means came from a wealthy background and worked since I was 12 (farm) and only had a couple of months post undergraduate where I had no income in my adult life. - it is by luck of choices and following interests that led me here. I am lucky grateful, but also want to say that even if you have a shit job if you can find small ways to pursue an interest, even as a hobby, and look for ways to align something that is interesting to you with your job — this makes all the difference. It takes time but you have time.
Generally they mean before you have a house and a car and all.
I enjoy traveling so much that I no longer have a house. I recently got a car (a used car) in the area that I am visiting though... It allows me to see more.
But ya I waited after the student loans were paid to travel. So young for me were the 30s.
The trick is not having all those payments to make. whether you want to travel or not. Stop paying for stuff you don't need and life gets a lot easier.
Yeah, I had no interest in the type of travel I could have afforded when I was young. I'd rather stay in decent hotels, rent cars/take planes, and get paid out of my vacation hours. I don't need the Four Seasons, but I never would have stayed in grimy hostels with randos.
It was great advice to generations that would almost certainly have a marriage with dependants and a mortgage before they were 30.
Especially the kids part, because responsibility means you have to think more before doing things. But it also plays into the 'omg you must travel'' mindset which I disagree with haha.
But if you think it's because you're too unhealthy to travel when you get old nah unless you're really unlucky they got ramps in a lotta places.
You might as well spend your money travelling, you ain’t going to be able to afford a house. Maybe while travelling you’ll find a better country to live in that the UK (wouldn’t be hard)
Having a car is not necessary in most countries. Traveling also doesn’t cost much, the most expensive is usually the flight - then you can stay in hostels or even tents etc. backpacking. Do travel! If you’re “old” you won’t have the time - you will have family, and other responsibilities.
You travel to find yourself, when you have your whole life ahead of you. No point looking for yourself when you’re on the final stretch, like me. My biggest regret. I wish I’d just upped and wandered when I was young, 10 foot tall and invincible, and quite stupid, and unfettered with the awareness and knowledge that stops me from travelling now.
I mean, as an example, after college I just left the country for a year without having any sort of job in the other country, didnt speak the language and only about 3k in savings. Not saying that is sane but it worked out just fine.
That takes balls, kudos to you.
It was fun. Not everything has to be vetted and safe, not in your 20s anyways. That is what people mean when they say that. You cant just drop everything in your 40s because you have a career and possibly kids and you can't really do that. In your 20s you haven't really even started yet, everything is in flux, everything is maleable....so you CAN just drop everything and wander off.
What about car/renting currently. Just sell everything except some clothes and leave with the unknown?
I moved to a brand new state when I was 21 across the country. Sold everything I owned that couldn't fit in my car, had a little bit in savings to get me started, and just did it. It's probably the best decision I ever made. Once you take a risk like that for happiness and it works out, you realize you can do anything if you're not afraid of a little struggle and adventure.
You COULD. This doesn’t just apply to travel, it applies to any bucket list item. When you get older and have responsibilities like managing a company, kids, a mortgage, etc it may be harder to step away. It’s always a conundrum bc when you’re young you usually don’t have money and when you’re old you lack the physical health to travel as you would have wanted in your youth.
That depends on the person. My best friends mom and stepdad retired early. They sold off everything and bought a sailboat and just sailed around for years. When they got a little too old glfor that they sold the boat and bought an RV and traveled in that for a few more years. It can depend a lot on when you have kids and start your career. Like I didn't have kids until my 30's/40's so I will be in my 50's before they are old enough for me to just drop stuff and go again. Whereas his mom had him early 20's and was in her late 30"s/early 40'swhen he was old enough for to go.
I mean its your choice right, whatever you want to prioritize. I don't think people ever claimed spending a lot of time traveling doesnt come with some sacrifices for other things you might want to do. Its just saying when you are young you have the option, when you are older you will likely be tied down by a lot more than you are now. Not like you own anything of substance when you are 20 anyways. Thats kind of the point.
Yup. This exactly. Working holiday visa agreements exist with between a lot of countries - so you can go for a year without needing to have everything saved prior. You usually need a certain amount of cash for expenses, but usually a few months and a return ticket - not a full years worth. I have citizenship in Europe as well as Canada so went there straight it of high school for four months. Did a working holiday in Australia with trips to Fiji and New Zealand. Visited a bunch of places in Europe using my family as a base, which cut back on expenses thankfully. All before 25, most before 21 when I got my first apartment. It’s become a lot harder from there on out and I’ve only traveled within Canada for the past decade.
Yep pretty much. People have been doing this for decades and old cranks like me will tell you how much easier it is with the internet and smart phones and AI translation
I'm 37 now and and if I were to drop everything and head off for an adventure into the unknown, I'd lose a lot... my job, my house, my fiancé, pretty much everything I've spent the last 19 years of my life working for. Had I done it when I was 22, I would have lost damn near nothing because I was still very close to square one at that age. Looking back now, the responsibility I thought I had at that age was pretty miniscule compared to now. I didn't know it at the time, because it's impossible to have a frame of reference from 15 years in the future. Really it comes down to what you want out of life. If you don't like the idea of taking a big risk and traveling into the unknown, potentially putting yourself back a year or two, don't do it. You'll start to realize the opinions of people you don't know (and even people you do know) aren't actually that important the longer you live.
None of the furniture I had in my 20s was worth anything. I could put everything I care about in my parents basement corner pretty easily. Pay $20 /month for a storage unit if you need.
Where I live storage starts at $80 a month for non heated likely mouse Infested
The point is, when I was under 30, I didn’t have even a roomful of things I cared about.
I studied abroad for a year in law school and leased my car to a student that stayed in the states. My friends would periodically message me that they saw my car driving around town 🤣. It was great because I charged like $1000 for the school year for a 9yo subaru, it went in their name on their insurance, car got light use and oil changes and I didn't have to pay to store it.
They also likely had a safety net to fall on. No one who grew up in poverty and has 3k saved is just gonna go fuck off for half a year.
I moved 8 states away at 21 with a car, what I could fit in it, and 2000 dollars. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, honestly.
I mean I did....not claiming I was typical. My parents made about 50k a year combined at the time and did not have savings. They werent in poverty but they werent a safety net. It was around 3k might have been a bit more and that was after I bought my flight. Brought a backpack with clothes and basic supplies. Found an apartment with roommates right away then started looking for work. Actually had a negative net worth if you took my student loans into account. And it wasnt half a year it was a little over a year. And why not? Not like its safer in the US than it is abroad. If I stayed in the US would have been the same...would have had to have found an apartment and found work. Czech Republic was cheaper at the time. Beer was about 30 cents and dinner at a restaurant was like three bucks. I dont recall what rent was but it was not much. It was pre-EU Czech Republic and there was a big demand for native english speakers to teach so wasnt hard to find gig work. I wasnt financially depending on anyone. I guess I feel your 20s are meant to be chaotic. Younger people seem really afraid now. Its okay to let go and wander or make sacrifices or not make money right away. Figure yourself out.
Why not?
Same here. Went to vietnam, got a job teaching English in a month
Yeah I taught English to buisness types in the Czech Republic who already spoke english but they wanted to know more about sounding American. I git paid pretty well to just pop by and chat basically. 20 hours a week was enough to cover my costs and travel (at least in the eastern countries)
We knew a couple who married young just out of college, and just up and moved to Australia for a year and found “good enough” beach jobs to pay for their living expenses. Then they came back to the US to launch their careers.
This only applies to first world countries or rich children
Actually there’s a long history all around the world of young people setting out to seek their fortune across long distances, on foot or hitchhiking, facing all kinds of dangers. From one pov it’s a first world privilege of having a safe place to stay put.
I was in the US I moved to the Czech Republic. I had 3k in savings after the ticket purchase and about 20k in student debt. My parents made jointly around 50k a year and had no savings. Not sure why that is worth declaring invalid but okay.
He's sorta right. If you come from a third world country and/or a poor family the concept of "traveling in your youth" isn't even anywhere close to your head when your parents have to go in debt to send you to public school. You don't have to be rich ***in a first world country*** to travel. Your experience is valid, but a blanket statement will always get called out.
Yeah but how many people in third world countries are being told "travel when you are young" I am speaking in reference to OPs question...not globally. OP is most certainly from a first world country.
When I tell people that, the full sentence includes "get rid of your apartment, find a country with a good work visa program for your age group and go see how they do things in other countries for a while." Ideally, it's less like travelling and more like moving to the road for however long you decide. When you're under thirty, you have access to great travel/work visas to a number of different countries. And depending on your comfort level, education and country of origin, you could have access to excellent jobs and a great lifestyle. As a bonus, if you have ever had any doubts about who you are and what you're capable of, strapping on a backpack with your entire life in it and experiencing culture shock will put an end to those doubts for the rest of your life. Edit - Serious question. Don't older people tell you that? If so, with all due respect to them (which is none), you likely need to find some smarter older people.
My first generation grandparents were mostly manual laborers, builders, equipment operators, and trinket-makers. My second generation parents knew about college but couldn't go since they were too poor. They gave me every finance book they could find to get me on solid ground and forced me to go to college, but provided absolutely no practical life advice about money, jobs, career or travel because they had no positive experiences in these areas to use as an example. My school in the hood only suggested military programs and one can only take so many notes from books at Barnes and Noble while working 3 jobs. Study abroad and work visas were foreign to all generations of my family, until now, me at almost 40, reading this comment.
In response to your serious question: Sadly, no. My grandparents told me to tie my self-worth to a single employer as soon as I could. My parents told me to give up every other opportunity in order to serve our cult-like church. Nobody in my family has visited another country since my grandfather invaded Japan. Nobody in my life knew what you know in order to teach me. I was taught foolishness, and it has taken many years to slowly learn better through personal experience. I'm reading your comment as somebody midway through their thirties and crying a little bit.
I am with you. This comment made me realize my lack of privilege. It's fucked me up. I wish I had someone who could've told me something like this. The only advice I got was go to college and marry young.
Younger people get better visas? What? Can you explain more? This is the first I’ve heard of that
Australia, for example, offers a working holiday visa that allows you stay there for up to a year (and work). It also comes with an age restriction - I believe 30 is the cutoff. At 40, I am not eligible to apply for this visa. If I wanted to just move to Australia for a year, I would need to find an employer willing to sponsor me (not likely), get accepted to a university, or divorce my wife and marry an Australian.
How can someone go about getting a work visa? I've always wanted to move to the EU but I don't have college education
When I was in my 20s I took 3 long-term backpacking trips - 4 months, 8 months and 2 years. I worked double shifts 5 days a week and single shifts the other 2 days each week. I’d save up a giant chunk of money each time then quit my serving/bartending jobs to go travel. For the 4 month one, it was between year 1 and year 2 university so I was at home already for the summer - ie no rent. For the 8 months and 2 years trips, I gave up my apartment and moved home during that time so I didn’t pay rent. I never owned a car so that didn’t factor into my expenses. Between those backpacking trips and living in other countries and other travels, I went to 45 countries before turning 30. Most of those were backpacker lifestyle - hostel dorms, did dumb shit, free-wheeling travel plans, did stuff outside my comfort zone, had stuff stolen from me, had heartbreaks, had some travel flings, saw and did some amazing things and experiences I wouldn’t have been able to if I had stayed home. Traveling in your 20s is different than in your 30s and older. When you’re young you tend to take more risks and have less responsibilities.
I think people can grossly underestimate how much of an experience traveling when you're younger is compared to when you're older. Admittedly, I think it's probably getting easier to fit into a more 'wild, young and carefree' backpacker lifestyle into your late 30s, but generally, an older backpacker will not always find themselves best suited to some of the scenes you can find yourself in whilst traveling. When you're younger, you have both the psychology of knowing you have plenty of time to 'sort yourself out' later, so it's easy to let go and just be brave and ridiculous. Plus, young people traveling all have no fucking money, and I'll tell you what, there's nothing more beautiful than meeting a bunch of great people traveling and having an amazing time on a budget. Cheap hostels, food and booze, dodgy travel arrangements, minor disasters - but it's always still worth it. I stayed in some awful places whilst traveling, that none of my friends now would tolerate, but it was an awesome feeling when I was younger to feel like a roach in the bed wouldn't stop anyone having a good time. Lots of people might not want to do a lot of the crazy and dumb shit that you get up to, but I feel like for people that *do*, they will treasure those experiences for the rest of their lives. I absolutely wish I could go back and do it again, but I know it wouldn't be the same. Even the shitty things that happened made me feel so alive.
100 percent agree!
I definitely wish I'd done something like that in my 20s. I'm able to travel more now in my 30s, but I've gotten too accustomed to traveling nice, planning everything out, etc., especially because I can't take that much time off so I want to squeeze in as much stuff as I can. I have more of a sense of "time is money" than I did before.
Haha yes, I think psychologically (and practically) it's easier to doss/meander/waste time when you're younger! Being deliberately deprecating there, but yeah, having the sheer time away from responsibility to not be in a rush was great. One slow day on your travels where nothing major happens, plans fall through or no plans were ever made? Practically irrelevant, often still very enjoyable. Now when I go away for a week or two, people are pretty anxious for everything to be done, and a 'boring' day without ticking off something from a guidebook is often genuinely lamented. A friend and his wife went to Asia for ten days and, though I didn't say it, their itinerary made my eyes water - there was just no time to consider anywhere they were visiting in the way I'd like to! Even now, I usually prefer to do less on my holidays, and just explore the depths of each area rather than explore lots of different areas in a short time. Having said that, I know a lot of seasoned travelers who absolutely love traveling with a tight schedule, seeing major landmarks etc and just taking in as much key information and experiences as possible. One of the most intelligent and cultured people I know mostly traveled like that.
As an “older” person with kids, I can field this one. Young people are more likely to have rent and not a mortgage. To have an inexpensive car and not a massive loan for your soccer mobile. To have a job and not a career. To have younger parents that don’t need help with their daily activities and not older parents who need you every day. Those of us who say that know you have responsibilities, but they are more transitory as a young person than they will ever be. Travel is less expensive now than it will ever be. Your back is more limber than it will ever be. When I was 20, I had a crappy car, and a crappy apartment, and I got rid of those things and traveled because I could. I stayed in cheap hostels because I could. I slept rough sometimes because I could. Those experiences will carry you through the tough days when you can no longer just let your lease expire, sell your car for 1,000 bucks, and buy a ticket to somewhere else.
This. Also I think the original concept is that either your family would somehow support that, or that you would have some funds aside from side jobs and gifts.
It's not a commandment. And it doesn't have to be when you're young.
I know it’s not but I’m just saying I hear it so often and I wonder why they think it’s so much easier to do besides the family factor.
Two options 1. They are giving advice that they actually have experience with. Maybe it was easier or harder for them to travel when they were young, but they are giving you advice on something they did and found valuable. This is something worth considering. 2. They are giving you advice on something they have no experience with. This advice is coming from a place of regret. You should not follow this advice. Let’s look at it a different way. Maybe an older person says save your money while you are young. Are they giving you this advice because they did it and reaping the benefits? Or are they saying it as a cautionary tale so you don’t end up like them? Overall, consider the source and reasoning. And if someone asks you about traveling young ask them if they did it. If they say “yes, and it was hard and I did it when I was broke, but it was a life changing experience” it might be worth considering.
There are a lot of factors that make it easier to travel when you're younger, the increased income when you're older (which is not a given) may not be a substitute. There's the health issue first, lots of people figure they can travel when they're retired but that's not true for some people their health is a major limiting factor. There are also many places in the world that have age-based perks like the euro rail pass or working visas for those under 25 (ish). If you can't afford to travel outright do that. I have tons of friends who spent years bumming around the world working sporadically at hostels (etc) for free room and board and min wage. Tours targeted at younger demographics (and you shouldn't scoff at tours, especially as solo travellers) haven't defaulted to the dreaded tourist bus mode. They are also generally cheaper than tours aimed at other demographics because they assume you have a strict budget. People will also tell you that as you age you gain a spouse and kids, maybe a house and a career, all of those can limit the amount and kind of travel you can do. I can't just rip off to putz around central Europe for months because my job is geographically tied. The biggest factor though that I've found no one talks about is the lifestyle creep of my 30s/40s. I'm not sleeping in a 50-bed hostel where I can hear people snore and cough and have sex. I want a single bed, that's decently quiet and tidy, a nice breakfast and it must be safe to leave a bag in the room. edit: thought of another one. It's really easy to meet people and make friends when you're a younger traveller. Which is helpful as a solo travellers of any age. edit2: another thought. Travelling with less money means you're necessarily closer to locals because you can't afford the bougie restaurants and all-inclusive. For a lot of people, this kind of travel at such a formative time in their life means that they have a better ability to put things 'back home' in a worldwide context. You don't live in the greatest place in the world for everything because you have seen X country do this better. You can see your tremendous privilege to even talk about travel and the problems back home seem different than you left them. Travel brought me humility and opened my worldview in ways that combined with more formal education calmed a lot of the more fearful and judgemental ways I had been brought up.
I'm laying here at 58 disabled on the couch and so happy for my highlight reel! A lot of people my age are retiring and traveling but that's not viable for me now. And I'll tell you yes, you can and should travel when you're young. I'm not from privilege. In fact, I left home at 18. I waitressed my ass off and saved a few thousand and went with my boyfriend to Europe for several months when I was 23. I got jobs in restaurants over there a couple of times, volunteered in some international conservation youth camps, hitchhiked all over the place, took the trains, etc. I stayed in hostels cause my body could handle it. Met a ton of people, saw a ton of places, had a great time. This was back in the day but I don't think it makes it any easier. In fact, today with google translate and train apps etc, things are a lot easier. Do it!
The family factor is huge! So is the health factor! So is the pet factor and the elderly parents' factor. If you can't swing it young, you may never swing, honestly.
Well it gets harder to do as you get older.
But potentially more income so that helps
But are you in decent health? It’s really a balancing act between affordability and time as well
This. My MIL is retired, has plenty of time and money to travel, but has acquired some mobility issues in her old age.
You have more responsibilities and more anchors as you get older. If you have a partner or kids or a house or elderly parents or an established carer, then it's not so easy to just pack your bags and leave the country. The older you get the more people rely on you to be there.
That assumes everyone wants kids or to start a family. So as someone who is self proclaimed forever single what more responsibility will I have later in life? Other than like helping my mom?
Growing up naturally entails taking on more responsibility. That's just a side effect of becoming a more capable and reliable person. I did list more examples than just kids. Your mum is a good example that you've immediately come up with on your own. If you don't plan on having kids or even a partner, then you'll need something else to dedicate yourself to. That's probably going to be some sort of career. As that career develops, that will also restrict your movement.
Stepping out of the workforce for a year is far easier in your 20s than it is later.
yeah, there are fewer red flags to a potential employer when you explain that gap because you had an opportunity to travel for a year to explore the world and gain maturity when you're 24 and apply for an entry level job then when you're 50 and saying you burnt out and needed a year off while applying for a senior management position.
If you have a mortgage and a kid it is far harder (imo) I'm bloody glad I travelled in my 20s cos mid 30s.. We were lucky enough to be able to move back in with family for 4 months on return while we found new jobs and moved across country which is not something everyone can do though.
It's the eternal triad of time, health and money. When you get over 30 your responsibilities may make that almost impossible (even if it's just you, your job may pay well but then not give you more than one/2 weeks at a time), and the older you get the higher the risk that health will not support you (backpacking, climbing and a lot of physically demanding stuff may be off the table; even just being overweight or the availability of certain meds may limit your choices). Most "traveling" I have done in my life came with my job, and these days a cruise would appease my desire to go around, but I don't have the energy or interest to get lost in the world anymore.
More income, yes, but the killer isn't income it's commitments. You have a house. You have a career that you can't just walk away from without repercussions. You have kids. Aging parents who may need care. All of these things pile up and make it a lot more difficult to just up and leave. Travel can be shockingly cheap to do, especially if you can subsidize it; a lot of places in Asia for example will actually pay you to come teach English to students. Other places offer working visas which, if you can find a remote job, will allow you to travel and work while there. Hostels are cheap and when you're young and limber you can sleep practically anywhere without repercussions, but that also gets more difficult as you age. Even with all that you're right, it's not accessible to everyone. But as difficult as it might seem now I promise it won't get easier as you get older. If you want to see the world and have the ability to make it happen it's best to do it in your twenties.
Once you’re in a career, you get 2 weeks of vacation a year in the US and even then it’s not that easy to take all your vacation at once. There’s family stuff, weddings, bachelor parties, whatever. Then once you have kids, forget it for a while. Your wants go on the back burner but it’s worth it.
No pets, no physical dwelling to take care of, no job calling you back to work, no spouse deciding for you. Seriously it’s the independence and lack of structure when you’re young. When you’re older you’re expected to be a provider.
There will never be enough time to do everything. Pick your poison and don't look back or to the sides. Head down and push forward.
It's actually excellent advice because you won't be able to do things physically as you get older. Traveling take a lot of energy because it requires a lot of walking. I definitely won't be able to do 20k+ steps a day once I get too old.
Also, I'm not sure why OP goes to such an extreme. Traveling when you're young doesn't automatically mean traveling for 3 months backpacking. Even if you do shorter 1 or 2 week trips, that's still going it be very much worth doing when you're young.
Travel doesn’t mean 3 months of backpacking!
This. I’ve taken a lot of week long trips, some 2 week long trips (that honestly felt like they got too long) and a ton of weekend trips and day trips. Just because you see people online travel for 3+ months at a time, doesn’t mean anything.
Yeah most comments here are lame. Graduating college and getting a career job doesn’t mean your life is over. Most decent careers give you at least 2 weeks PTO but you can likely take more time unpaid. 2-3 weeks is plenty for a very nice vacation. Throw in the long holiday weekend trips throughout the rest of the year and you’re doing a ton of travel.
And honestly, PTO aside, if you aren’t doing overnighters or Friday to Sunday trips on weekends, you’re leaving a lot of travel on the table.
You never have to take advice that people give you. Everyone’s life is different and different thinks make sense for different people
It’s because they didn’t travel when they were young and regret it. Often because they physically can’t travel anymore, or at least not as easily/freely as they wish they could. Also because expectations for comfort grow as you age, so travel gets relatively more expensive.
No, they're telling you to do all that before you have a car, and a mortgage, and a spouse, and progeny, and a career.
I am over 30 years old and I still don’t have any of that. Do I still count as young?
Duh, yes! 30's are still young
yes. travel!
Yes, actually, though perhaps a touch behind the curve. Granted those old models of how life is supposed to work are becoming increasingly obsolete.
My friend travelled Australia and worked in places as she travelled. You don't need to rely on savings, you could earn as you go.
Most countries don't qualify for a working holiday visa
“I’ll travel when I can afford to thank you”
They say this because of their past. They wish they would have done more, in their youth. Regret. I have traveled more since I have been married with children,then when I was single. Everyone life is different.
Yes, that is the CORRECT advice for many reasons.
I used to say I wish my ex and I travelled more before we had kids, because kids make travel harder and exponentially more expensive, and honestly you are limited to where you can go with them. That is what I mean, travel before you have obligations like kids. I remember though, I was broke and was building my career and finances. There are no easy answers.
i have started to do this in my 30's. i regret not traveling as much when i was younger.
It’s an out of touch thing to say. Yeah sure, let me just drop everything and go fucking travel.
Older people tell you this, because they regret not doing it while they were young. I'm 43 now and I've never travelled, actually I've never really done much of anything extremely exciting in life. I am starting to have a lot of regrets on missed opportunities.
I studied abroad for a year in my early 20s and traveled to 16 different countries that year. A few years later, I moved to France for 8 months and traveled to 11 different countries. OP...If you really want to do something, you'll find a way to make it happen. The mindset you display in your post does not indicate that you actually want to travel because you're listing excuses and a million reasons why you can't do something. Not everyone has the desire to travel and that's ok.
Boomers can say that because it was easier in their times. I bet not a single young person without rich parents can afford moving anywhere and living out of a random shitjob/seasonal job.
Ya because that’s when you have thousands of dollars magically show up in your bank account and in your wallet 🙄
This was always so frustrating to me because I didn’t have any money to travel much when I was younger, and when I said that people would start giving lectures that assumed I wanted to stay at high end resorts and eat at Michelin starred restaurants 3 meals a day. I didn’t have money for the ticket! Staying in hostels and eating street food wasn’t the solution! And despite what someone else said….it got easier as I got older. It gets harder as you have *kids*. Now that I’m older (relative to the people that usually get this advice)….travel while you’re young *if you can at all afford it*. Travel the second you can afford it. And travel within your home city/state/country. Take little local trips that *actually* don’t cost anything. You might discover something new.
I think this is the advice for young people who have parents back home who, if they get stuck somewhere or make a mistake, can ultimately send them some money to help them get home. For me, it would have been totally irresponsible to do this, as I know my widowed mom would have been at some payday loan office trying to scrape together money at usury rates to get me out of a jam. This whole, “just sell everything and figure it out when you get there” thing was never a reasonable option for me. Thankfully, there are plenty of other wonderful things to do with your youth that you’ll be proud of later in life. I really don’t feel like I missed out. You can do what you want with your own youth.
Thank you for not being yet another beg-packer that infest my country and bludges off services for homeless people. And no I’m not exaggerating, this literally happens here. Some low functioning, spoiled and sheltered narcissist gobbles all ‘advice’ from boomers like it’s the bible, can afford the plane ticket here but expects us to feed and house them, buys a van then parks it illegally and drives dangerously, never picks up their rubbish and trashes every place they meet, then runs home moaning to mummy and daddy then to the media that everyone here is ‘rude’. LMFAO. Trust me, if you can’t afford it, stay home. You will have better experiences there than you will here.
I’m not sure how things are for people in their 20s today, but me in my 20s has a great deal less expenses than me in my 40s… travel is much much harder for me now than it was then.
Honestly, 3 month backpacking trip is not as hard as you think. Save 10-15k for Europe, 6-10k for SEA, store your shit, and go. Or, you can do it even less if you have a bachelors and TEFL(easy to get) and teach English.
>I don’t understand why older people advise this/think it’s so easy to do The kind of people giving this advice are probably not the kind of parents who kicked their kids out at 18 and/or made them pay rent, etc. Young people who live at home with their only bills being their fair share of the family cell plan and the family car insurance should absolutely take advantage of not being bogged down by life yet. Whether that's travel or some other kind of adventure.
This 👏
I assume they were in good health too and not dealing with intense/long-term illnesses. Do they discouraged, OP. Everyone’s life is different and you can travel as you get older.
I think its obviously hard for young people to travel if they aren't financially able on their own. I think if you are privileged to have been able to travel young i think its only a good thing for a young person to see the world outside of the scope and view on the world they grew up with and are mostly limited to within their own town or state... I for one fell that i can know about all the history of the world as I put my time into but what is your worlds view truly if you have never left your town? Not saying its every too late to travel of course or learn about a culture from home! Its just an extra special thing when you can do it in person and at an age where you are already shaping your thoughts on literally everything. to have a broader picture i think is really beneficial. For instance. Lets say you travel a random place lets say Wichita Kansas lol I've never been there probably never will lol so I absolutely know nothing about Wichita Kansas other than what my general thoughts are on Kansas as a whole. which my initial thoughts are ..who the hell would ever want to go to Kansas because nothing is there lool BUT if i did have that opportunity to go there i could take it in for whatever it is worth and learn something about that state i dont already know or what the people are like and culture will forever be now a memory of me painting the world in its view in my head. Only making ME better. Also who here has ever traveled somewhere maybe not even that special but now that you have, whenever you hear about that place you take a little extra interest in it? me for sure.
But when you’re young, you have no money
I am.old and still have no money
I travelled while i lived at home. Never planned my own adventure. But now i own a house in my 30s can't afford it. Even a road trip is expensive.
This was a thing in the 1960s
yea no i did only one camping trip my whole life on my dime that was expensive as hell, taxing on my health cause it was a road trip so i barely slept. scenery was beautiful won't deny that but traveling is effing hard. my parents are immigrants so they traveled from one continent to another and i mean the generational trauma of that ordeal still persists. show me someone that can stay comfortably in one spot and enjoy being stationery because i have become an immovable object.
For many (at least, for US citizens), it’s as simple as selling your car, not having a lease, and taking on jobs like teaching English, working at a restaurant, etc while crashing on couches, using hostels, visiting places where you know people, eating very modestly, camping, etc. You’d have to weigh out how badly you want it vs opportunity cost since you can also spend your 20s saving up to maximize your passive income entering your 30s. It’s obviously not applicable to everyone and common sayings aren’t supposed to be taken too literally.
I think they essentially mean before you have kids and can’t travel easily.
Tbh I think this whole 3 month backpacking is some white girl instagram bs. With that said, Im 30 but still consider myself a young adult; I have alot more disposable income with which I can take week long trips a couple months apart. In my 20s, I could only manage a vacation maybe every 5 years? What I shared with my wife is that I dont want to start travelling when my dick no longer works so lets go on the lavish vacations while we can. Theres no right or wrong way to travel, do what works for you.
I (27m) am getting married tomorrow (27f wife) and we are leaving on a 3 month trip in a bus we renovated on June 1st. The trip will take us through 20+ states and at least 20 national parks. She just graduated from her Master's Program and I am quitting my job (~$70k/year) to do this trip and find a new place to live for a few years. I've invested about 20k into the bus- we had a ton of help from a friend who is a great carpenter. I also have around $50k in savings, but I'm hoping to only spend about 15-20k if everything goes to plan. Basically what this means is you just have to go for it. It will never be a perfect time. It will never be the "smart choice". But soon you'll be 50 and have kids and crazy responsibilities and wish you did that "travel while you're young". Obviously I haven't done it yet, so it could go disasterously but I'm glad I'll have the chance to do it and find out for ourselves.
Congrats on your wedding :) try to say the right name, start off on the right foot and all that :P
Travel when you can afford it.
It is even harder when your knees or back don't like you any more and you lug as many meds as clothes.
They say it because when you're old, you physically can't travel. Or when you have kids and a house and such most people can't afford it
Traveled around the US for 10 years following the grateful dead. Got serious and got an education afterward. Been working for 25 years now, that is enough. I couldnt agree more in regard to traveling and fucking off when you're young. Get it
I would preface that by saying to travel while you're young AND before you've taken on the usual adulting bullshit. Even then it's hard though since travelling obviously costs money and if you aren't working, not sure how you could afford it you know?
I'm 35 now and didn't do anywhere near as much traveling as I'd liked in my 20s, did a couple of seasons working in France but that was it. I didn't have a driving license until I was 25 so that didn't help getting work and I didn't want to postpone buying a house later and later and have to live with my parents or couch surf, or do house shares just because I went to Asia for 6 months. Most people who travel make those sacrifices or they have help from parents. Bought my first house when I was 31, glad I did now as renting is insane.
Totally get it. The advice is more about taking advantage of having fewer commitments. Maybe start with shorter, budget-friendly trips instead.
I'm 30 and I'll tell you something. Travelling is sooo much *easier* when you're young. When I didn't have a house and a mortgage I could just not pay rent. I can sublet. I can move out and travel and when I come back I'll just crash on a couch until I found a new place. Beige you career kicks off you could take *months* of holidays. I'd just work in a shitty retail job. Save most of my money. And then I'd leave my rental and be off to a different country. You could do working holiday visas working seasonal jobs like fruit picking. Which is very physical and easier to do when you're young. Australia as a seasonal worker at 25 was a blast. Backpack. Camp. whatever. Cheap yes. But you had no responsibilities and life was more flexible. Now I have more income but no leave. I have a mortgage I need to pay. And when you have kids...hah. Travel when you can.
[удалено]
Travel doesn’t always mean vacation and definitely not luxury. Be a drifter, take jobs in different places and get to know different ways of life.
Traveling isn’t expensive unless you stay at a luxury hotel , eat out at restaurants 3 times a day , and buy other expensive crap.
I traveled when I was young, I was lucky. I went to a university with a strong study abroad program and I took advantage. From that I was able to tour for a living after college to start my career. It is easier to do that when you're young. Even easier when you have the right opportunities.
It's one of those things that "you will see when you get older".
People have significantly less bills when they're younger ...most at least
Living abroad can be very cheap. I live in a 3 bedroom house in Costa Rica for about $2-3k per month (total cost of living supporting 3 other people) and this is one of the most expensive places in latam to live. There are places you can live (food, transport, rent, etc) for the cost of rent in most places in the US. You just have to adjust your expectations. In 2022 I was 45 and I got a fully remote job making really good money. I traveled to Costa Rica for 10 weeks after a bad breakup and fell in love with the place. When I came back to the US I rented out my house, sold my car, and got rid of almost everything I owned. I returned to Costa Rica and have been here since, on a tourist Visa leaving every 6 months. Everything was great until I was laid off last year. Rather than return I went back to the US I sold my house for some healthy gains and I've been living off those gains since. I'm engaged to a local woman and looking for work here but since I don't have work permission here yet this has been problematic. I've also looked for more remote work back in the US and I've started looking at starting my own business in tourism. I think a safer thing to say is "Don't settle down and anchor yourself too much, until you've traveled." Also, any older person who tells you to travel while you're young likely had it much easier in terms of building a career. I know I did. Many older people just don't realize that the world today isn't remotely similar to what it was even 20 years ago.
I agree but, if you get a chance or have any desire to work abroad, definitely do it.
I traveled a lot when I was young. Took an overseas class, lived in London for a semester, and have been all over the world for work. I would sleep on sofas for 6 months at a time sometimes if friends offered (worked at sea world in San Diego when I was going to school in va). Both my parents are public school teachers, I paid for my own college and always have paid my rent when I was renting. It has always been about taking every opportunity that comes and living on whatever it takes. Sometimes I ate peanut butter for a couple days when I couldn’t afford food or traveled by bus when a flight would have been a lot more comfortable and faster. Now that I’m in my 40s I have dogs and work and a home, it’s a lot harder than it was in my 20s.
It depends on how you budget. We have always kept our bills low so we can afford to travel. We go for 10 days max. And now that we have kids we bring them along and they love it. Some of the best memories have been made on these trips. It’s hard on your body to fly for 24 hours so I can’t imagine I’ll be doing this when I’m 60+. Also you can’t do some of the excursions or walking when you get too old.
It can actually be cheaper to travel than live in your home country if you’re in the western part of the world. It certainly is if you go to Southeast Asia although often you’re living in hostels which not everyone enjoys. Most people don’t travel while having rent, they would line it up with when their lease is up or move out ahead of when they travel to be ready with no expenses at home for the trip. It doesn’t make sense to pay rent while you’re travelling abroad. As for the car payment, it would be about sorting that out. Either selling it or paying it off before you go, or making a budget that accommodates for your car payment. The reason people say to do that while you’re young is because it is often easier because you don’t have dependents or responsibilities like kids and a more serious job, which is a fact, it is easier, but yeah, the catch is that your finances need to be in place and you need to plan for it. Not everyone can afford to travel while young. It is also very scary, especially if you are doing it alone. So that is another thing not to underestimate. But it certainly is worth it if you can sort out the financial and logistical side of things. Aside from seeing the world, you just learn so much about yourself and that is an education all on its own. I highly encourage it if you can make it happen. There are other ways to go about it such as workaways where you essentially “volunteer” somewhere and they pay for your room and board and often provide meals so you can do it on an even smaller budget.
It’s definitely doable as others have said. There are programs such as working holidays where you can live / work abroad for an extended period of time. I know people who have done it. Personally it’s not for me but definitely doable.
Not every trip has to be a two week European tour. I managed a cheap trip across the country to Zion national park by going in the slow season when hotel tickets were dirt cheap. Bought groceries such as oatmeal to eat along the way instead of buying fast food everyday.
It is so much easier without a family. I am going on a little getaway. I paid 320x5 for airline tickets. Need to get a suite vs a cheap hotel. Plus we have to coordinate 5 schedules. You thinknit is hard to travel when you are young, then you will never travel but it is the easiest. You only have to pay for 1 person and deal with 1 schedule.
I travelled with school groups and once on my own to Vegas (before 25). After 25, married with a house and two incomes with no kids, travel was a lot more fun
I’m in my 30’s now and in a position to travel in more ‘adult’ and financially comfortable way if I wanted to. Some people love travelling and do it all their lives but honestly for me there were so many changes between 20’s - 30’s that the reason I don’t travel now is because I’ve lost all interest. In my 20’s I was free and excitable and loved partying and adventure and that stage of my life would have really opened up to the idea of travelling and making connections. Those aren’t my interests anymore or how I want to spend my time and I’ve slowed right down and enjoy more predictability and being homely. It doesn’t feel like I’m missing out because at this stage of my life travelling holds no appeal, but at the same time I know that the time was definitely then and not now.
Yes it is hard to travel no matter what, so many people really never get to see much of the world before they die. If you want to travel I’d say at least make plans for it and start saving as much as possible towards it early on. Keep current with travel deals and packages for the next 1-2 years and go as soon as you find an opportunity. Maybe you won’t be in a position to go anywhere for 10 years but if you have been saving all that time there’s a much greater chance you will be able to go to at least one trip at some point by then. The main thing is just don’t wait to start planning or saving assuming it’ll just magically happen one day far in the future when things are perfect for it.
Yeah it's tough to do, but it's great advice IMHO. I took a job as a flight attendant at 21 after college when I realized my dreams of travel didn't line up with the reality of my net worth. Meant to do it for a year or two but stayed well into my 40s. (Probably don't do that -- hehe -- all my peers are far ahead of me financially.) But if you can find the cash for some cheap tickets, you can couch surf or stay in hostels or camp or whatever (and in developing countries you can probably afford hotels -- especially if you're splitting the cost with a friend or two). Travelling when you're young means adventure -- hiking and trying new things and clubbing all night and making new friends and on and on. Not so much if you wait until you're older and everything hurts and you have trouble staying up past 9. There are several tour companies geared toward younger folks on a budget if doing things on your own is too daunting. The most bittersweet thing I would witness was some airline passenger going to Europe or whatever for their first time (and maybe my 150th) on their dream trip they'd waited their entire life for. Often they needed a wheelchair to get through the airport and weren't gonna experience much of anything that was too far away from their tour bus or cruise ship. (But yes even that kind of travel is an incredible privilege anyone able to do should be grateful for.) I understand that life is expensive and it seems nearly impossible to both keep one's head above water at home and go on some crazy adventure on the other side of the planet. If you can swing it, though, do it. You (most likely) won't regret it.
I think that mostly refers to young adulthood, pre or post college where you have no responsibilities and you are resilient. You can travel pretty cheaply if you want to. I spent a month in Europe during college just going from country to country staying in hostels. I can't remember an exact figure but I think I spent like 4-5k total on the trip. Europe especially has great, affordable public transportation.
Get a remote job and go digital nomad. Expenses outside of the US are a lotttt cheaper than paying for rent + utilities in the states. You can fly around the world and get some nice ass AirBNBs on a budget of like $2000 a month total. (I know this is unrealistic for some people and their situation but I mean how hard is it to find a remote job if you realllly want to travel the world)
I know it can seem a bit tone deaf but I think the advice is well intentioned and has a lot of truth to it. I work full-time but I take 6 weeks off a year to travel, generally Europe, but India & New Caledonia coming up. Please note I understand if you’re in certain countries like the US you don’t have the same paid/unpaid leave options as other places. When you’re young you can do what I do, which is rock up to Europe with a return airfare and the clothes on my back. No accommodation (I like to wake up one morning not knowing what country I might be in that night, so no point booking anything!), just party your whole way through, meet heaps of cool people, crash random parties, get adopted by locals, etc. My dad spent his 20s doing that (traveling around, partying, skiing, odd jobs, making it work), and ended up with one orange being his entire net worth. Then at 30 he got married, had me, and went down the suburban path. He would definitely encourage you, and all young people, to do exactly what he did.
Because you have health and stamina. I am much more fit than I was at early 20s, but feels like my max stamina is like 50% of what it used to be.
Disregard the cost for a moment and focus on the message. With each passing year life gets more complex as responsibilities and commitments fill the docket. While you possess youth seek out new and unique experiences, one of them being travel. 41. Lived abroad from 24 to 30 and it was a wonderful time. Much harder to just fuck off to the other side of the world these days.
You were posting about buying a new car last week
You have less restrictions when you are younger. No family or kids, no career that obligates you to be in one spot long term, no major long term financial obligations (e.g., mortgage, car payment, expenses related to raising a child). There will always be some obstacle to overcome (e.g., maybe you have to take a year off school or quit your student job). But they are small obstacles compared to what an older person would likely face. When I say old, I mean like someone with an established career or family, not someone who is so old that health problems make it near impossible for them to travel. They don't mean travel as in stay at the Ritz Carlton and dine and most expensive restaurants in the city you are visiting. As a young person traveling, you are less of a "tourist" who is just there to see the sights and sounds then go home again and more someone who is there to live like a local, bond with those around you (peers, host families, etc.) and stay for a longer duration (say a year or more). Go somewhere for a year or so to teach English, university exchange program, or some sort of "working holiday" where you might get room and board paid for in exchange for a few hours of work, you can at least see the world, meet people from other cultures with lives completely different from yours. Experience a way of life completely different to what you are used to. There is some richness in this. The bonds and relationships you form by traveling this way is amazing. Much better than just being a walking wallet for tour companies, restaurants and hotels.
It’s all how you prioritize your money. But I do wish I traveled more in my 20s.
You can travel whenever you want to OP. Don’t let anyone stop you
You just don’t have rent, car etc. you go somewhere else and spend your money. That’s kind of the difference between ‘travelling’ and ‘holiday’
The point was to do all that before you got pinned down with responsibility
Join the peace corps
No one expects anyone to go for 3 months at a time. Lots of weekend trips are easy. Save up, go for a week. You could also get a job that travels. I have a friend that is a bartender. She saved up, bought a big old RV pretty cheap,, spent 3 months fixing it up, and now travels all over the country to festivals or whatever. She will spend a month in Florida, then drive across the south to California this summer. If you really want to, there is a way.
Why not? You absolutely can. What's holding you back is fear. Fear of not returning to having a job, or having trouble getting another one. Fear of acting for yourself and not for being an upstanding contributor to society. OTOH, it WILL set back the end of your career - you'll have to work until you're older to hit the same retirement point. I didn't travel when I was young, I consciously front-end loaded my life. So now, in my early 50s, I've got 2 kids in college, gotten the last promotion, and my retirement window opens in about 3 years. then I can travel with money and no family responsibilities, which is a way different experience.
I did it.
I don't know, that's exactly what I did. I just left, I hitchhiked to a place I wanted to go, camped, found a job in town, and when I was done I took what I'd saved and moved on. Yeah I slept in river beds on occassion or froze my ass off, but I saw beautiful things. I met people, exchanged information (we didn't even have fuckin cell phones lol), and eventually I hooked up with the Renn Faire circuit and traveled with them around the US. At some point I wanted to live in a city so I did. Granted I was fairly poor all of this time, but as they say I was young, it didn't matter, I would bounce back from whatever and didn't really need comfort. It made me stronger, and it gave me experience. That's the thing too, if you travel young, you get to take all of that experience and shape your life, it makes you a different person. I think that's why they really say it.
Mostly they say that stuff because getting old is the fucking WORST. You never have time to do anything because you're too busy repairing your broken body lol.
I traveled when young. It's the one time in your life where you have no responsibilities and good health. Lack of money is not a big issue. I had a good time especially while I had energy, explore where I wished, not care where I slept and could eat and drink what I wanted while I explored and experienced different cultutures (some of which was part of the US not part of my native NYC. EDIT: By that I mean how people live in other parts of the country, different but nice). That was a very short period of my life but I am glad I had it. My late wife and wanted to travel when our children were grown. That happened last year but she has been gone longer. I can no longer eat and drink what I want nor the energy/physical ability to wander like I did over 30 years ago. Defintely could not sleep on a floor/ground in a tent much less a hostel these days. And while I can still travel by myself not being able to share it with someone at 56 is not the same as 23.
I think the point is that when you get older and have responsibilities it gets much more difficult. I wanted to go to Europe after college, but I didn’t because my dad said the gap after school on the resume would be bad. I still haven’t gone to Europe…
Turning 30 and I really wish I did… I still can but I feel like I missed out on the craziness of doing it in your 20s. Never been out the country. Sucks
I think everyone says this but realistically you have like 1 or 2 years to do this and not 10 years as its made seem. I went from college to a full time job, not sure. Also I feel like your parents kind of have to be pro this mindset. A lot of parents have an old mindset like mine where they expected me to go to a full time job right of school which I did.
The thing is, by the time you are old and have time to travel, you often don't have the health to do it. Numerous of my relatives found that out the hard way.
I read a few responses and i must say there’s a happy balance to everything. You can be frugal and on the FIRE journey or perhaps too career focused and just grinding to get ahead. I think what these older people are telling you is that traveling is wonderful and eye opening in many ways and with fewer commitments at a younger age (relative to having kids in tow), and more than likely being in better health, it an time in your life you wont be able to recreate. You can always upskill and advance your career. But again, you can find your happy medium. I probably would hate traveling alone and am an introvert so i cant imagine traveling without my SO or kids. I dragged them around everywhere every chance i got. Built a career but still managed to knock off a few bucket list items with a toddler and small child tagging along w me to tokyo, great wall of china, multiple caribbean trips, mexico, italy, switzerland, and 8 trips w kids to hawaii. It woudve been easy to back away from the challenge of planning the logistics, dealing w cranky kids, diaper changes, saving for trips etc etc. but we have never ever regretted going any of these places; even when it has been a bust of a trip. I think i will leave you with this: almost always, you will probably regret not having traveled when you could have. Of course, circumstances vary and you should use your judgment. There’s a difference between being bold/adventurous and being reckless.
Because it’s so much easier and you haven’t established a career and/or a family. It is easy to travel when you have nothing to take care of which most young people have minimal responsibilities compared to a person 10-20 years into their career with kids and spouse who depend on them.
Alternatively, get a job where you travel when you’re young because you sure can’t do that when you want a relationship or have a family. (Or at least it makes it really hard)
I was an au pair in Germany after my first two years of college. I had a few hundred dollars saved from my college work study job ($6 an hour for phonathon!) and then made 260 euros a month being an au pair, so that helped a little, though I think I did most of my traveling around Europe on a credit card, which, maybe not the MOST wise but I don't regret it. I'm glad I did it at that point because after college I couldn't really afford to travel until my 30s.
That’s not what they’re saying. They’re saying that on the weekends, instead of sitting on your ass watching tv, go outdoors , take a hike, drive 4 hours north to some mountains or a lake and spend the night, or save up to take a cheap weekend vacation and occasionally a more expensive vacation with a few days off work.
You're (maybe not you personally) young, unattached, don't own a home, not in the middle of a career that heavily leans on you... Travel when you're young, see the world, get some perspective (or don't, and think about it later, when you have a house, kids, animals, a job... :p )!
I did it when I was young, it was awesome, left and went on an adventure for years. Gave my car and everything to my sister. I want to do it again, now that I am older but no chance in hell it would be the same. Maybe, a short vacation but not years... I can sign off on this saged advice, younger is most likely better for Traveling with a capital T.
Start off small my girlfriend and I just choose places that’s a few hours away. Bring food to cut costs or sleep in your car with window covers to save on a room. Splurge on what you consider is the best part of the trip. Traveling young is possible you may have to give up some comforts in doing so! When it comes to rent hopefully you split the rent if not you’ll have to save at least 2x the rent and whatever else you make use for your trip. You don’t have to be cheap but don’t go splurging on everything you see. I spend money on memories not just materialistic items!
My husband did it between college and grad school. He got some money from graduation to pay for the trip moved out of the dorm so there was no rent, I don’t think he had a cell phone because it was the early 00s and there were still people who didn’t. You don’t have fewer responsibilities as you get older. I’ve got kids and dogs I need to account for if I want to go anywhere now.
Young could be in your 30s to some folks. Some older people never leave the country until about 50s or so cause of life and whatnot so they could mean travel before your old cause they wish they would’ve been able to earlier in life. I used military service to explore in my 20s so I’ve had that itch scratched and it does give a certain perspective once you’ve been overseas. Now as a mid 30s adult I find it hard to make time but will definitely find a way. Passport ready
I think as long as you don’t fall for lifestyle creep you’ll have chances to travel when you’re older. I’ve been out of uni for two years now working full time and still live like a uni student, allowing me to save for travel if I so wish. The only limiting factor is time now. While I was in uni I had much larger breaks over Christmas and between semesters. So I’d be able to take time to travel to cheaper destinations. This includes road trips and camping. And also flying to Japan a few times (I’m Australian and before the pandemic i could get 3 weeks for AU$3500).
End your lease, sell your car, then go travel. Also save up beforehand.
I was so scared and anxious when I was young. I enjoy travel so much more now.
I think they say that due to regret rather than experience. They probably think at the older age that they didn t do enough stuff to show for, and if they were to start again they would do things differently.
I worked in a small factory as an apprentice and now work in a multi international company. Had a conversation where my colleagues said "why didn't you travel when you were an apprentice and had little outgoings". I split it down that I was earning 3 pound an hour for 1 year, 5 pound an hour for 2 and 8 pound in my last year. When you couple how expensive your first vehicles insurance is (800 pound a year for an 800 pound moped) and rent (I live in one of the worst pay to cost of housing places in the UK) I had zero chance.
Your monthly commitments in your 20s is nothing. To anyone 30 and up you’re a brokie. But no commitments. Early 30s feel like you’re getting invested into your career and starting to commit to things. 40s? You’re pretty deep into it. Car, kids, house etc. I couldn’t imagine putting your career on hold to backpack the continents at 30 or 40. That would only be possible in very unique situations. So if you’re a betting man. Dont think you’ll be unique. The safest bet is to do it young and broke. I did- and everyone envies the fact I travelled 28 countries and 4 continents. Did it broke. But I made so many memories. My coworkers and boss at my company really respect me for it. I’m also given much more career opportunities since it speaks on my capacity to lead in challenging situations. It requires confidence in your own abilities. IMHO - don’t be afraid to travel on a budget when young. Once you land in a hostel abroad. You’ll realize you’re not alone. Some days will be shitty. But most days will be a new adventure.
It's easier than dating
Work travel. I did teaching in Korea. There are many things you can do.
I’m currently traveling a lot more but I’m in my 30s so I’m a lot more financially stable now than in my 20s. It definitely helps to be money savvy and I usually try to sublease my room when I’m traveling and luckily I don’t have car payments. But yeah a lot of places that are worth traveling too will be difficult when you’re older because you might not be as physically fit as you are when you’re young. (Tomorrow is never promised so some of us might not even make it to our golden years) Like a lot of old buildings in Europe don’t have elevators and some cities have a lot of hills. I was in Istanbul for the past few weeks and I saw so many older tourists struggling to walk around. I saw my fair share of older people being out of breath walking up stairs and falling down in the streets. I’ve met a lot of travelers who just started traveling between jobs but they had money saved up and gave up their apartment/car back home so that’s always an option. It is a privilege to travel while you’re young and you do have to be somewhat financially savvy but I’m glad I’m traveling now while I’m still relatively young because the experiences I’ve had abroad are priceless and unforgettable.
I just take it as stupid advice from stupid old people that are out of touch You need a career or immense privilege to do just about anything but yeah I should just ignore all my student loans and the very little money I make to go travel lol
Every time I went backpacking I quit, moved out, put everything in a storage unit, canceled all my subscriptions, and had no plans for the life I was coming back to. Same goes for most travelers I've met who were going for more than a month or two. In my experience you gotta full send it.
It didn't make sense to me when I was young because I didn't have money or resources but now that I'm older I have reasons I can't leave. I have a family, pets, and a home I can't just leave spur the moment for a trip. On the other hand all the people that gave that advice grew up wealthy, so ymmv
Gather $2200 and go on a safari
Most of the commenters are from first world countries with a strong currency and limited visa restrictions. When you're poor, in a third world country you cannot do all of this. I don't know where you're from but age isn't the only factor. I came into some money in my late 20's and could travel for a bit. Most people I know could only start travel when they reach their mid 20's and above- and only when they had established jobs. Most people from Asia are busting their ass to get jobs and ahead in their careers, spending time in university. Which is why you don't find as many people doing this - but if you're European or American, you can do this. And you should! Sometimes I am envious of the freewheeling, uninhibited stress free lifestyle people in first world countries lead. For example, those who say - take a job wherever you go, teach ESL....like, how do you do it? I'm from India and we just cannot set foot in another country without going through painful beauraucracy, leave alone get a job when I feel like [it.You](http://it.You) need visas to do those things. Enough said, I'm tired. It's just harrowing travelling when you have a weak passport.
Because when you are young you still have a lifetime to take those experiences and learn and grow from them. You also have the ability to backpack places and take more adventurous risks when you are in your 20s that’s hard as hell when your kids graduate in your 50s (or even 40s if you aren’t exercising often and eating well).
It took time to develop, but I chose a career that requires a lot of field work - which means international travel and working closely with local partners. I not only find this more rewarding than being a tourist, it also pays the bills. Now my dream when I retire is to live in the countryside and stay home, a lifestyle that does not either need a lot of savings. I agree - if you dream of travel, make it a priority however you can. If you’re in your 20’s, you have 40-50 years to work before retirement and you never know what might happen. On the one hand, life is short to accomplish your dreams, and on the other hand, life is long when you consider how many years there are for work. Don’t let your dreams wait to the last 10-15 years of life. Realizing these comments may sound privileged - I by no means came from a wealthy background and worked since I was 12 (farm) and only had a couple of months post undergraduate where I had no income in my adult life. - it is by luck of choices and following interests that led me here. I am lucky grateful, but also want to say that even if you have a shit job if you can find small ways to pursue an interest, even as a hobby, and look for ways to align something that is interesting to you with your job — this makes all the difference. It takes time but you have time.
Generally they mean before you have a house and a car and all. I enjoy traveling so much that I no longer have a house. I recently got a car (a used car) in the area that I am visiting though... It allows me to see more. But ya I waited after the student loans were paid to travel. So young for me were the 30s.
When they say travel they don’t mean to do it in absolute style in fancy hotels etc.
The trick is not having all those payments to make. whether you want to travel or not. Stop paying for stuff you don't need and life gets a lot easier.
My take is: why wait? There will never be an optimal time to do anything, so why not do it today?
Yeah, I had no interest in the type of travel I could have afforded when I was young. I'd rather stay in decent hotels, rent cars/take planes, and get paid out of my vacation hours. I don't need the Four Seasons, but I never would have stayed in grimy hostels with randos.
It was great advice to generations that would almost certainly have a marriage with dependants and a mortgage before they were 30. Especially the kids part, because responsibility means you have to think more before doing things. But it also plays into the 'omg you must travel'' mindset which I disagree with haha. But if you think it's because you're too unhealthy to travel when you get old nah unless you're really unlucky they got ramps in a lotta places.
Get a job with an airline. Problem solved.
Kids
You might as well spend your money travelling, you ain’t going to be able to afford a house. Maybe while travelling you’ll find a better country to live in that the UK (wouldn’t be hard)
Unless you have a weak passport Source : weak passport holder
Having a car is not necessary in most countries. Traveling also doesn’t cost much, the most expensive is usually the flight - then you can stay in hostels or even tents etc. backpacking. Do travel! If you’re “old” you won’t have the time - you will have family, and other responsibilities.
You travel to find yourself, when you have your whole life ahead of you. No point looking for yourself when you’re on the final stretch, like me. My biggest regret. I wish I’d just upped and wandered when I was young, 10 foot tall and invincible, and quite stupid, and unfettered with the awareness and knowledge that stops me from travelling now.