Travelling is truly an experience that enrichens you. Exploring new cultures, seeing exciting new sights and tasting food that goes beyond what is typically conveniently available to you definitely comes with the benefit of expanding your horizon and generally being fun! That being said, I’m not now, nor have I ever been – a one size fits all type of person. I’ve never truly grasped the concept of feeling like the things you do or the way you live your life matters more or less when compared with other. Yes, I do seek out others for inspiration but comparing yourself to others is either going to make you feel unbelievably good about yourself (huge ego alert!) or truly down and out – both of which are as ridiculous as they are unfair. People are different and doing this is sometimes like judging a fish on how well it can climb a tree. It might not be able to but it was never meant to however it will darn well swim faster than any monkey on the planet! But I digress…
If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re the adventurous sort who likes to travel anyway and can fully articulate all the aspects of travelling you enjoy (and are probably planning your next trip away as we speak) and this is a great thing. A lot of travel bloggers however seem to go on and on about how you must travel a lot, see the world…etc and go on and on about how much you NEED (not want!) to travel. I don’t think this holds true for everyone. Whatever it is that people do, I feel it ultimately has to be something personally fulfilling to them and something that they find fun! Here are 5 reasons why you might need to quit your job, pack your bags and go travelling:
5 REASONS TO GO TRAVELLING
1.) You hate your job. This is simple. You won’t miss the job when you leave. Its not what you were meant to do. Save enough to get your dream of travelling rolling – not too much now otherwise you’ll never do it (unless you have other income from something else), pack you bags and head out to explore the world.
2.) You’re bored with where you live. You know everything there is to know about everything and everywhere around you – even your neighbour’s dogs’s middle name and this bores you silly. Chances are, you’re more adventurous at heart and you’ll never be happy in the confines of this ‘small space’. It’s time to claim your happiness and be the person you’re truly meant to be.
3.) You dislike routine and like to live more by the cuff of your sleeve. The idea of constantly doing the same thing day in day out for the next year let alone 5 years fills you with dread. You like to have late nights, followed by early mornings yet enjoy a long lie in from time to time. You find the idea of not knowing what you’re gonna do the next day/week terrifying yet exciting. Chances are an extended period of travel is just what you need in your life.
4.) You truly want to see the places you’ve seen in pictures and on TV. You want Machu Picchu to be more than just a photo on your computer screen. You want to be there and take in the sights yourself. You’re not sated by the Danny Boyle depiction of life in Thailand – you want to find out yourself what these places are really like. And do you know what? You really should. You owe it to yourself and it will make you really happy to accomplish this goal of yours.
5.) You’re ready to ‘settle down’ but still feel like you want to ‘expand your horizon’. This is the time to do it. Settling might mean having kids, your dream job, buying a home, getting married…etc and while you feel happy about these life choices, you still feel like there so much you need to do first. Don’t leave your dream on hold for much longer. Take the time off you need and go and see the world!
As the post title and the long spiel at the top suggested, travelling is not for everyone and this is equally perfectly valid – actually, more than that, it’s great! It’s your life and you have to make choices that make you happy. Here are 5 signs that a life of packing things up and heading off travelling is probably not for you.
5 REASONS NOT TO GO TRAVELLING
1.) You LOVE your job. You can’t imagine not having it and you even love the slightest little details of your work life. The idea of doing something else fills you with dread. You’re one of the lucky few that has found something that truly makes them happy. Hold on to it!
2.) You’ve never really wanted to go travelling in the first place. Chances are that this was someone else’s dream but they sold it so well to you that you started to believe that this was something you wanted to. It seemed shiny and exciting and why should you not want it right? If it doesn’t genuinely excite you or keep you awake making plans or even have you day dreaming about it then you probably don’t care as much about travelling and probably shouldn’t uproot yourself and everything you own to go travelling.
3.) You’ve got a major case of F.O.M.O. (Fear of missing out). You want to be there when your godchild takes their first step. You don’t want to miss the village’s annual fête. You want to find out who your friend Lucy will end up with – Harry or Peter. (C’mon Lucy, pick one already!). You care more about this than seeing the world. You’re way too interested and invested in everything that’s going on around you and wherever you are in the world, your thought will keep going back to these people and these events. This is not a recipe for happiness if you leave so it’s probably best to be in the place that makes you truly happy.
4.) You have commitments at home. You have a 3 year old to look after. Not everyone can afford to uproot everything everything and just head out into the sunset to go to travelling. You have to prioritise in life and I daresay choosing to spend more time with that child will be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll have. NOTE: Rewarding and Easy are two entirely different things! It’ll be tricky, exhausting and exasperating but ultimately rewarding.
5.) You’re being pushed into it. Work has decided you will have to leave the UK to be based in Africa followed by a stint in South America. Your boyfriend or girlfriend who you never really pictured a future with has decided that he wants you to go travelling for 1 year with him/her. You don’t want to. You really don’t want to. Well in this case, you should stay where you are. If you’re forced to have to travel, you’ll end up resenting them and yourself for letting it happen so it’s best to steer clear in this case.
Things to remember – you don’t have to quit your job and experience a whole new dramatic life to be a traveller. New travel destinations are constantly opening up and the opportunity to see the world is a lot cheaper and more convenient than it was even a decade ago. You can see most of Europe even with short weekend holidays at a reasonably affordable price. What am I getting at here? That there is a middle ground. You can have the security of a job, a strong stable family unit and still get to travel the world. Whatever choice you decide on, make sure it’s the one that makes you happy.
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