If you ask someone what is on their bucket list, traveling to a certain place is usually the number one answer. However, it often seems that traveling is put on the back burner for people, so they don’t always get to fulfill these types of dreams. Due to scheduling conflicts or financial constraints, many bucket list goals are postponed or never achieved. Over the past two years I have gotten to travel a lot, and although it has been quite expensive, I think that it has definitely been worth the price. This article highlights why I believe the memories made outweigh the price tag.Â
Over the past two years, I have been lucky enough to go to some incredible travel destinations, including Nashville, Tennessee, Hawaii, and Ireland. Every single time I have told my older relatives or family friends that I am going on these trips, they say the same few things. Some of the reactions I often get are, “Oh wow! I have always wanted to go there!” or “That’s so exciting! I hope I can go there someday!”
Comments like that make me think, “Do people go to the places they’ve always wanted to go?” Obviously, not everyone achieves every single one of their goals, but how often is traveling stalled to the point that it simply never happens? These thoughts reinforce my belief that traveling at a young age is truly worth the investment. I might not have the money to travel in “luxury” like I might later in life, but I would rather experience the places I have always seen in pictures than let the chance slip away.Â
Right now, I don’t have as many bills to pay or people depending on me. As I get older, more and more I will have to pay for things. So, although it is still expensive, I can use some of the money that I am making to pay for a trip, and not be as worried about it as I might be in the future. Â
I also think a huge benefit of traveling young is that, if you are in school, it usually naturally fits into your schedule. Being in school gives you built-in breaks where you might not have to take time off of work in order to be able to travel. Two of my trips have been over a spring break, which has made planning much easier. While that might not apply to every student, breaks have been an integral part of making my travel experiences possible. It has been really helpful to not have to jump through barriers in order to plan a time to travel, since I already have set weeks off from school.Â
Finally, I think that traveling young expands the amount of activities and experiences you are able to fully enjoy. Although this might not apply to everyone, many older people cannot move around as well as they could when they were younger. Traveling young permits me to go on hikes and adventures that I might not be able to do if I was older. These hikes and adventures often also are cost-efficient because the trails and landscape are usually free to explore.Â
Hikes have typically been some of the most memorable moments from my trips because of the beautiful scenery. Plus, it can become a bonding experience for the people on the trip. I often joke about it being a shared misery, especially if the hike has you going uphill, but that joking around makes these endeavors one of the most fun parts of the trip. In both Ireland and Hawaii, I was able to go on some really beautiful cliff walks with lighthouses and views of the ocean with friends that I might not be able to do in the future.Â
Ultimately, I think that traveling young is 100% worth the cost of the trip. Even if that means only having a little bit of spending money at the destination, getting to the destination is better than never getting there. I have traveled young and relatively broke many times now, and I am happy to say I went and saw corners of the world that some people never get to see. Budgeting can definitely be tough, but saving up for a trip has always been worth it to me. So, I say if you get the chance to travel somewhere young, even if you don’t have a ton of money to spend, do it. It’s always been worth it for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone who can do it because you only live once.