When I was young, I always thought and lived by the rule – save your income for a house, a car, and retirement in your 20s and 30s. Once all the needs have been taken care of, I could travel to my heart’s content in my 40s or 50s. That was the plan and a sensible one. However, now that I am fast approaching the big 40, I realize that there was no reason for me to postpone all my travel plans to later years. I’m NOT saying that you should splurge all your hard-earned money on travel and that there is no need to save anything for a rainy day. No, that’s not what I’m saying. You should always have a nest egg for emergencies. However, it is equally important to allow yourself to have fun when you are young. Here are a few reasons why you should travel now when you are young,
1. Travel at the peak of your health:
It’s a known fact that as you age, your body starts to show signs of wear and tear. When you are young, your metabolism rate is high and so is your energy. You have the energy to hike all day and party all night. Past 30, this fast-paced schedule feels tiring and unappealing. As I grow older, I prefer to travel slow.
2. Your horizons will expand with travel
In your early 20s, your brain is like a sponge, it’s still growing and open to new experiences. You are more open to trying adventurous things like bungee jumping, rappelling etc.
When you interact with people from other cultures and see how they live, your mind broadens beyond your own life experiences. You develop a new appreciation and view of life in general. When you travel, you gain experiences- both good and bad. I hope you have good travel experiences, however, even a bad experience will make for an interesting anecdote. For example, I always talk about the travel scam in Bangkok, which had me completely fooled. Though it was a bad experience, there was a lot I learned from that experience.
3. Travel is more carefree in your youth
In your 20s you are more open to backpacking, sleeping in youth hostels, and have the strength and energy to lug that heavy bag around. In your 30s, hostels are less appealing, especially if you have a family and kids. So, everything ends up costing more. Even if you are single, you’ll probably desire resorts over hostels.
4. Your responsibilities are going to increase:
Photo Credit: (When you are in your 20s, you have only yourself to look after. After paying your bills and putting away some money towards your nest egg, if you have some money left, you can spend it all on your trip. As you near your 30s you are looking at marriage, kids, and a mortgage. Your savings will go towards your kid’s education, birthday gifts, house repairs, and car loan, the list is endless.
5. War, Natural disasters may happen any time
You can never predict how life is going to turn out. War and natural disasters may happen any day. The places you wanted to see may not even exist in the future. This may be a bit extreme but when you read the news nowadays, it seems like a real possibility.
6. Reminisce about your travels in your old age:
Photo Credit: (You will have fond memories of travel and adventure to reminisce in your old age. If you are one of the lucky ones, your health and wealth will still permit you to travel when you are old. However, there’s no need to wait that long. Travel now!
