Start traveling, the top 5 beginning steps.
The world is an enormous place.
How do you even choose one destination? Just one.
If you have decided on a destination, how do you decide what to see in the short amount of time you have?
Fifty amazing sites but only have time for ten.
Planning a trip is not easy, especially if you have bills piling up, no time, or simply just don’t know where to begin.
Whatever the reason, don’t hold yourself back if it’s really what you want to do. Let’s look at some ways we can get your travel journey started.
Start out small and start thinking about these few things.
Start your travel journey from the beginning.
Stop listening to what society is telling you.
One thing that I have learned throughout the years of traveling is that not every country is the same.
Because, how society in the United States sees things is different than how Switzerland (picked a random country) sees things.
In the US, we are told that you:
- Finish High School
- Go to College (maybe experience a spring break trip)
- Grow Your Career
- Get Married (Honeymoon)
- Have Children (maybe a family trip or two)
- Retire (travel if you are able)
Don’t wait too long to start traveling
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to wait to travel until I’m 65 or older.
My knees are shot, I have a bad back, I’m carrying around an oxygen tank, and multiple pill bottles (half of them I don’t even know what they are for anymore).
Ummm, no thank you. I don’t want to wait that long. Do you?
Could you even imagine a 14-hour plane ride having all those issues? How about climbing to the top of a mountain like Macchu Picchu or swimming in the Great Bearier Reefe?
You couldn’t. Or you would have a very difficult time trying.
Start traveling, the beginning steps.
In Europe, and probably other countries, they take a year sabbatical after high school just to travel. You have no ties, (career, husband, or kids). It’s the perfect time to find yourself.
If you are past the age of high school, like I am, that’s okay too. I didn’t start my traveling journey until many years after high school.
However, I’ve realized, It’s never too late.
Don’t keep it a secret
The secret to start traveling, and taking the beginning steps is to not keep it a secret.
Shout it from the rooftops, get excited about it. You are going on a trip. Woot, woot!
Okay seriously though, tell people.
This will make the trip a reality.
Talking about something out loud is a way of telling yourself that you can do it.
You are a strong person.
And this will also stop you from backing out of taking those beginning steps.
Yep, you told people, now you have to go. Well, technically, you don’t buuuuuttttt it will push you to get on the plane.
Even though I’ve been on trips before, I still get scared to take that first step.
Think of it like taking the first step to anything.
Your first time riding a bike, first day of college, first job, first date.
It’s all scary but you did it.
You stepped out of that box because you knew that you wanted to ride that bike, wanted to go to college, wanted that job, really liked that girl or guy.
I’m assuming that you really want to travel, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this post.
Tell someone about it.
Get excited and scared all at the same time.
Get that heart pumping and start traveling.
Stop wondering what could be
Life is too short to have any regrets. Don’t live your life wondering what could have been.
Look at it this way, the Twin Towers in New York are gone, Venice is sinking, and the Great Pyramids of Giza are eroding. These are only a few of the many sites around the world that may not be there in the next ten to thirty years.
If you go on that first trip and realize that it’s not for you, then you don’t have to go on another one.
But If you want to travel, go!
Take these beginning steps and start traveling.
Because no one can predict the future on what may or may not happen however, you can stop wandering, what if?
Stop dreaming and start planning
All you dreamers out there (you know who you are).
Pinterest can only hold 200,000 pins for a personal account. Stop pinning and start planning.
It’s always amazing to me to look through the many different posts and pictures.
There is so much out there to see and do.
If your more of a visual person, like I am, we could and do scroll for hours.
It’s like a little kid getting lost in a candy shop. There are so many treats you don’t know which one to choose so you choose them all.
This doesn’t get you any closer to actually leaving.
Instead, get off your butt and start planning and booking things.
If you aren’t quite ready to take that leap of faith just yet, that’s okay too.
Instead, try getting into that travel mindset by purchasing some travel gear, getting some vaccinations, or start planning a budget.
Start traveling small
There would be nothing worse than planning a dream trip just to have everything go wrong.
I do not want that for you because then you would get hodophobia (fear of travel).
I don’t want that for you. Start small and work your way up from the beginning.
Start by going virtual in the comforts of your own home or with an easy destination on a staycation.
Traveling virtual, there is no need to leave the comforts of your own home.
But if you want to take that first step out the door, go on a staycation. This is simply exploring where you live.
There is so much you can do on a staycation.
If you live in a small town, visit a city near you.
I live in the Midwest. Grew up here and lived here my whole life so I thought that by the time I was 18, I would have seen almost everything in my state.
That is not the case.
There are so many little hidden gems that I didn’t know about.
My cousin posted a picture on Facebook of an old house one day. I asked her where she was and she stated it was a 15-20 minute walk from her house.
But If you want to travel, go!
A 15-20 minute WALK. Not drive, not hours, walk.
She only lives about half hour drive away from me.
Even the smallest towns have hidden treasures in them that are just waiting to be undiscovered. Start discovering them on your next staycation.
Believe it or not, you are now one step closer to that dream vacation.
Start traveling, from the beginning.
Don’t feel overwhelmed with all the questions, because you will eventually get there.
Start by taking your own path in life and don’t listen to what society or anyone is telling you. Especially, if it’s anything negative with your dream to travel.
Step out of your comfort zone and push yourself by telling your loved ones of your plans. Make it a reality by saying it out loud.
Live life with no regrets.
Stop pinning and start budgeting.
This may seem like a small step but it’s not, because it’s one that many people forget.
Even if you don’t have a destination in mind wouldn’t it be nice if, when you did decide on where to go, you already had the money?
Start with small steps by traveling virtual or going on a staycation. For ideas on where to go on your virtual vacation, click here. Or on how to find staycation activities, click here.
It’s a big world out there, you never know what you’re going to find.
