Is Traveling Your Passion? 10 Steps to Stop Dreaming and Start Packing

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The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine

Just about everyone lists travel as one of their passions in life.

We’re enamored with theideaof travel — getting away, doing something fun and adventurous, seeing cool things, and meeting different people. It all sounds so exciting.

But when it comes toactually planninga real trip (something more than visiting Grandma or going to the beach for a week), it’s too easy to find a reason not to go, not to make it happen.

Our lives are so damned busy and complicated. Between our jobs, kids, pets, commitments, and responsibilities, taking time out for a trip (or even doing everything that must be done to prepare for one) is enough to make you hyperventilate with anxiety.

It feels like too much work to get a trip off the ground and yourself out the door. I think that’s why many of us spend so much time dreaming about traveling rather than actually doing it.

But traveling is one of the most life-affirming things you can do for yourself. Aside from the obvious fun involved, traveling can transform you on so many levels. It provides happiness and satisfaction long after the trip is over.

Why Travel?

Through travel, you will . . .

  • become a more interesting, engaging, and educated person;
  • have an appreciation for and perspective on different cultures and lifestyles;
  • challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone, providing a sense of accomplishment;
  • share experiences with people you care about;
  • meet new, interesting people;
  • take a break from the everyday stresses and demands of life by stepping into something entirely new and different.

There ismuch research and evidencethat experiences trump material possessions when it comes to sustained feelings of happiness and positive memories. Travel is one of those peak experiences that you can revisit in your mind for a lifetime.

I’m at the stage where I want to create my life around a few very important passions, travel is one of them. It is a priority for me. After many years of travel deprivation, I’m determined to experience the world and all of the wonders that are out there for exploring.

When my children were little, we used them as an excuse not to travel much farther than the coast. It was too expensive, too hard on them, too much trouble. In retrospect, I think we were just to tired to take action.

Don’t get me wrong, traveling with kids (and making all of the necessary arrangements to take them along) can be a pain in the butt. I’ve dragged enough Pack-n-Plays and sand toys to the beach to know how much work can be involved.

And that’s the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind. ~Dave Barry

But if you know your kids, what they can tolerate or even enjoy, and you plan accordingly, you can findwonderful tripsthat work well for all of you — not just the compulsory trips to visit family or the fallback beach vacation.

And if your kids are older or you don’t have children, then you’re ahead of the game with the ability to travel fairly easily.

With or without children, if you decide to make travel a priority in your life, then you’ll find a way to make it happen.

Make the Travel Decision

Is travel a priority passion for you?

Is it important enough to you to give up some other important events or possessions in order to make it happen?

It’s hard to answer that without knowing exactly what you will have to give up, reschedule, or sacrifice to make it happen.

But if your answer is generally, “yes, travel is a priority for me,” then you need to put in some pre-planning time to get the ball rolling.

10 Ways To Plan Your Passion Travel

The best way to ensure you plan travel into your life is to plan out your year of travel in advance. You don’t necessarily have to stick to the exact plan you create initially, but this pre-planning will provide a framework for launching your plans.

Sit down with your spouse or another travel companion (or alone if that’s how you travel) for a travel planning meeting.

You will likely need a few of these meetings, but the first one will set the stage for your year of travel.

Step 1: Plotting travel time

Discuss how much vacation/travel time you have between you. Look at national holidays, school breaks, and how many possible long weekends (in addition to full weeks) you might have.

Pull out your calendar for the year, and mark the pre-determined holidays, breaks, etc. with a yellow highlighter.

Step 2: Week-Long Trips

Discuss the big week long vacations first. Look at your calendar where you have marked the pre-determined holidays/long weekends. Fill in your weekly vacations several weeks or months apart from the shorter trips to space things out.

For example, you might not want to plan a summer vacation within a couple of weeks of Memorial Day weekend.

If you only have a one or two weeks of vacation a year, in addition to time off at Christmas, then consider taking a trip during the holiday season. A holiday trip (rather than spending money on gifts, a tree, etc.) could be an amazing way to create memories for you and your family.

Plot the weeks on your calendar for potential week-long trips. So far, you don’t have anything planned yet. You are just plotting out weekends and weeks for travel.

Look at other important calendars for events that might interfere with your travel (school events, work-related trips, etc.). This may require a bit of research or a few phone calls. Determine whether or not you need to adjust your travel weeks.

Step 3: Budgeting

Plan in advance for how much money you are going to budget for travel. If money is tight, look at what you have currently available for travel, and then start brainstorming ways you can save or earn more.

Think about these questions:

  • How much can I set aside a month to put in a travel fund?
  • How can I cut back in order to build my travel budget (ie: dinners out, impulse purchases, etc.)?
  • What could I sell on eBay or Craigslist or in a garage sale to bring in some extra cash?
  • How could I earn some extra cash to apply to the travel budget (ie: a special project, a part-time job, extra hours, etc.)?

Take a look atChris Guillebeau’s travel hacking productsfor ideas on saving money on airfares.

Write down your answers to these questions and create a realistic picture of how much money you will have available per quarter to allot for travel. Write that amount down for each quarter.

If money isn’t a big issue, then determine how much you want to spend on travel for the year, and write that number down.

Step 4: Brainstorming locations

Start discussing places you want to consider for your travel weeks and weekends. Begin with the week-long trips first. Write down every possible place you are considering. If there are two or more involved in planning, each person should make a list.

从这个列表,分季节的目的地。If it doesn’t matter the season, make a separate column for those destinations. Compare your lists to see where you have listed the same destinations.

Determine 3-4 options for your first week-long trip. Each person should be assigned one or more of these options for research.

Step 5: Research

Once you’ve determined possible travel options for your first trip, begin researching the destination. Look at the costs to travel there, the possible accommodations, a possible itinerary, and the highlights of the trip that you want to include.

ReadTrip Advisorreviews to get an idea of the best places to stay and things to do. Get aRick Steves’ Best ofbook to help you. (Rick Steves “advocates smart, affordable, perspective-broadening travel.”) Or consider getting a travel agent to work with you to find the best deals.

Have another travel meeting with your spouse or traveling buddy to compare notes and make a decision about where you want to go for this first trip.

Step 6:Rinse and Repeat

Repeat Step 5 for any other week long (or longer) trips you put on your calendar. Even if the trip is planned for 6 or more months down the road, go ahead and do the research and budget planning. This will give you time to save or earn extra funds if necessary.

Step 7: Weekend Destinations

Now take a look at the possible long weekend dates you have slated for travel. These shorter trips can be planned closer to the weekend date, but you still might want to think ahead about possible places to go.

Brainstorm a list of ideas as you did in Step 4, compare notes, and pencil in a few options for each particular weekend.

You might do this planning quarterly, starting your planning for one quarter in the last month of the previous quarter.

This planning also helps if an unexpected free weekend pops up. You’ll have your list of fun options available to choose from.

Step 8: Travel Checklist

Create a travel checklist so you know what needs to be done and when before you leave town. This might include:

  • stopping mail/newspaper
  • getting necessary medications and/or shots
  • updating your passport
  • arranging a pet and/or home sitter
  • paying bills in advance if necessary
  • knowing how you will get to and from the airport if necessary
  • having a general packing list

Step 9: Book the trip

Book the trip! You’ve got to pull the trigger. All of your planning doesn’t make the trip happen. Purchase the airline ticket, book the hotel, get the time off of work, notify people who need to know. The trip won’t be real until you spend the money and tell people.

Step 10: Stretch the memories

Take a journal and a camera with you. Even if you just jot down a few notes at the end of each day about what you’ve done, it will chronicle the memories and help you relive the experience months and years later.

After a family trip to Europe, we created a wonderful photo memory book through Shutterfly.

You might read a bit about creating great travel photos. If you travel a lot, you might end up with a bookshelf of wonderful travel books!

27 thoughts on “Is Traveling Your Passion? 10 Steps to Stop Dreaming and Start Packing”

  1. Great set of tips – and I agree completely about travelling with kids – what you said about knowing what they can tolerate and enjoy is the key. I just have one (he’s 2) and he’s reached a stage where he’s easy to travel with if I plan exactly according to that – what he can tolerate and enjoy. Every child’s different and that’s easily the best way to look at it.

    • Hi Amanda,
      You are so right, and what they can tolerate changes at different ages and stages of their childhood. But they are adaptable little creatures, and once you acclimate them to travel, they will learn to love and appreciate it as they grow.

  2. Wonderful tips indeed!

    I love travelling, though after marriage it’s lessened down a great deal due to the kids and their routine now. However, I remember the time when I was with my dad and how we used to plan our trips so well and make sure we had everything chalked out in detail.

    I guess when you are taking long trips you do need to take care of the smallest of details and ensure you are well equipped to enjoy your trip.

    Thanks for sharing.

    • Hi Harleena,
      我很高兴你喜欢它们。这是一个伟大的记忆you have about trip planning with your father. It is a good example of how experiences last longer and have more positive emotional benefit than material things. You will always remember that time with your dad. Now you can create the same memories with your own children.

  3. currently on a month-long trip with my husband to buenos aires, argentina and asuncion, paraguay

    and this is the FIRST time that we haven’t taken our sons along
    (they are now 19 and 14)
    they’ve been to canada, vietnam, china, brazil, and argentina
    as well as many u.s. states/cities

    i didn’t start traveling the world until i was in my 30s – married and with children
    but it’s been the best thing i’ve ever done in terms of challenge and growth
    pushing myself out of my comfort zone . . .

    • How wonderful April! Your children are so fortunate that they have parents who love travel and are willing to take them along. Enjoy your amazing month-long trip.

  4. …and all you say is true.

    Number one in our manifesto is Decide to Decide. We write about living an adventurous life and in fact just last week launched our first guide Travel Like A Pro…we must be on the same wavelength today!

    爱看到posti这样的人ng and encouraging travel!

    • Hi Carin,
      I love that — “decide to decide.” That is the first step in making it happen. Your guide sounds very helpful. Thank you for sharing and congrats on your launch.

  5. As someone who’s travelled all my life, first with my folks ‘cos my Dad was in the RAF then because it became a habit, your tips for travel are just great Barrie. Yes you have to really plan with kids, but quite honestly with a little forethought it’ll work out great. And the memories…aah they’re a thing of beauty and a joy for ever. For everyone.
    Encourage one another.
    Elle.

    • Hi Elle,
      How wonderful that your Dad’s work allowed you to travel so much when you were young. Travel just became part of your life. What are some of your favorite destinations?

  6. Nice and useful tips Barrie
    We all love to travel because of many advantages but due to many obstacles it has always seemed impossible to go beyond Kebili and Tunis!!!!!!!

  7. I was blessed to grow up in a big family that traveled a lot. I’m currently only in my twenties but I’ve been to Mexico, South Africa and all over the U.S. I’m so thankful to my parents for instilling the value of exploring and traveling the world. We did mission trips together and packed all 5 kids in the same van for hours, but we created priceless memories. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to let my passion for traveling take a back seat to other responsibilities in my life. But this post has reminded me, if I truly enjoy traveling, I need to create the time and make it a priority. Thanks for bringing me back to the right perspective!

    • Hi Carrie,
      What a wonderful gift your parents have given you! You probably don’t even know all of the ways this early travel has impacted your life for the better. I hope you will continue to integrate into your life now and when you have a family of your own. And with the advent of the Internet and blogging, you can meet people all over the world before you travel and potentially have friends everywhere!

  8. I have great memories of childhood family vacations. Memories that I will have forever. So I have always valued travel, and would love to see the world to fill in my pages. Instead we have started to make our own photo memory book yearly for our family vacations. And to help with relaxation, we take trips just as a couple every other year (instead of with the kids every year.)

    • That’s a great idea Marci. It is great for your marriage to get away and travel together. It will make traveling with your kids all the better because you and your husband have had time to recharge with each other.

  9. I used to love travelling on my own, for months at time
    but now I prefer to share it with one or two good friends
    and I’ve turned into a homebody… though I suspect more travels to come – next up: finland to see the Northern Lights and Santa Claus!
    Thanks for the tips and reminding me of my travel itch!
    Noch Noch

    • Finland sounds lovely! Don’t give up on your travels. We all have our “homebody” periods, but it can become a habit of “travel inertia.” Start planning that Finland trip!

    • Thank you so much Nikky! How nice. I really appreciate being included in such a wonderful group.

  11. Aloha Barrie,

    I travel a lot. I like your suggestion about journaling. The first trip I took to Peru I wrote a letter every night to myself. Years later it is wonderful to read and remember. I just realized that adding pictures from the day would be a nice addition.

    I savor my time at home as much as traveling these days. I am getting ready for a trip to Tokyo and I think I will buy a nice journal before I go and begin writing those letters again.

    Thanks for the reminder,
    Susan

    • That is fantastic Susan. You have taken some amazing trips. Please share your experiences in Tokyo with us! And if you journal, you can remember all of the highlights.

  12. Barrie, I’m traveling as we speak and will be doing so for a couple of months in Central America. I think I’m going to blog about some of my experiences on my blog as a form of journaling. Having friends and family overseas makes the travel experience slightly easier.

    • How fun Vishnu! I hope you are enjoying your travels. You should absolutely blog about your experiences. A month in Central America should provide plenty of topics to blog about!

  13. Thank U sweetie..Amazing list..iam going to Move out ofhome sn n travel. My parents r against it n since We are asians, there is no convincing them. I tried talking to them n explaining, but they don’t understajd nor do they want to. So i am going to live my dreamswithout their permission.

  14. Love your detailed blog, My family, we definitely have a passion for travel , we love to show our children the world in different ways or just go away together as a couple to regroup so its not just a dream. So much so that I write about it. I recently wrote about our Lourdes pilgrimage,and our bucket list is not even half way, Thank You so much Barrie for sharing all the lil details that most just don’t think about. Above all, one doesnt have to wait for a huge bank balance to feed that passion. Its all about planning or being in the right circles, connections, network!

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