![\"Nomadic](\"https:\/\/media.nomadicmatt.com\/2018\/matt_africa4.jpg\")
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Remember New Year\u2019s? When you vowed you were going to lose weight, drink less, read more, save more, cook more, and maybe ride a unicorn (hey, anything is possible!)?<\/p>\n
You’d kick off the year with renewed dedication but, as time would pass, your excitement would fade. You\u2019d come up with a plethora of excuses for why you couldn\u2019t stick to your goal:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s too cold to walk to the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s John\u2019s birthday so I have to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to binge-watch Netflix so I didn\u2019t have time to read.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t save extra this month because I have to buy (insert some commercial object you just need<\/em>).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too hard to cook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnicorns don\u2019t exist so I can\u2019t ride them.\u201d<\/p>\n We’ve all been there (myself included). After all, inaction is the easiest action. Doing nothing takes less work than doing something<\/em>. <\/p>\n I do it all the time. I paid for a gym membership for years before I started to go regularly. And it took my years to finally get into a daily reading habit after lots of false starts. There are so many other things I want to do too, but when I don\u2019t do them, I can always find an excuse as to why.<\/p>\n No one likes to wake up and look themselves in the mirror and go, \u201cWell, I failed again.\u201d This is why we create our own myths as to why we couldn\u2019t live up to our own expectations \u2014 and why it wasn\u2019t our fault. We all have elaborate tales we tell ourselves to make us feel better and not like a disappointment.<\/p>\n I know mine. \u201cI didn\u2019t do X because I had to go to an event and there was good wine.\u201d Or \u201cI didn\u2019t do Y because I got carried away with work.\u201d<\/p>\n I know all<\/em> the other stories people tell themselves about why they don’t travel more:<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have enough money<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have anyone to travel with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy currency is too weak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t save enough.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t earn enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFlights are too expensive<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy credit isn\u2019t good enough to get a points card<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard every excuse there is. It\u2019s not to say these aren\u2019t valid excuses. They are. We all have barriers to success. We all have problems. We all have things that get in the way. Not everyone is going to be able to travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n But what if instead of letting those limits define you, you were the hero that defeats the dragon and saves Princess Travel? What if you became<\/em> the person who travels and has amazing adventures?<\/p>\n As T.S. Eliot said, “It’s never too late to become the person you might have been.”<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to say to yourself, \u201cOK, I want to travel, and maybe it is expensive, but if all these people I see online are doing it, maybe it\u2019s not so hard. Let me look into it. Let me Google some information.\u201d<\/p>\n Admit that you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n Admit to yourself maybe \u2013 just maybe \u2013 there is a way to travel but you just don\u2019t know what it is and your preconceived notions are demons holding you back!<\/p>\n Turn your excuses upside down \u2013 and into action plans:<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have enough money…so I will look to cut my expenses as best I can and change my spending habits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t save enough…so I will create a savings plan and take proactive steps to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t earn enough…so I will look for a second job or something in the gig economy. Maybe I\u2019ll become an Uber driver.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFlights are too expensive…so I will go someplace cheaper or start collecting points for a free flight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy credit isn\u2019t good enough to get a points card…so I\u2019ll start with an easier card to build my credit up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy currency is too bad…so I\u2019ll go somewhere cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have anyone to travel with…so I\u2019ll go on a tour or alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, travel can be expensive. Yes, it costs money. And yes, not everyone can travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n But when you start with a negative mindset, you\u2019ve already lost the game<\/a>. <\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying that magical thinking is the solution. No, magical thinking doesn\u2019t work. The Secret<\/em> is BS. Wishing for something won\u2019t make it happen.<\/p>\n Actions make something happen.<\/p>\n Americans trade time for money, and although we all complain about it, it\u2019s an arrangement we\u2019ve kept in place for decades<\/a>. <\/p>\n Taking extended time off is not in our culture. Although we say we envy Europeans and their long vacations, in the US, we still, on the whole, follow the \u201cwork, retire, travel\u201d model. It\u2019s a system that isn\u2019t going to change soon.<\/p>\n I was a victim of this arrangement until I met some backpackers in Chiang Mai, Thailand<\/a>. <\/p>\n As we discussed travel, time off, and doing what you loved, I kept thinking about how unhappy I was with the American bargain. I had never really thought about it before.<\/p>\n The more the backpackers I met told me about their lifestyle \u2014 meeting people around the world, living in bungalows on the beach, eating delicious and cheap food, taking local transportation, and just having fun \u2014 the more envious I became.<\/p>\n I went home and changed my mindset<\/a>.<\/p>\n I created spreadsheets, bought guidebooks, researched online, and cut my expenses as much as I could<\/a>. I was merciless.<\/p>\n I know people are going to read this post, roll their eyes, talk about my privileged middle-class upbringing, wonder if my parents paid for everything, tell me how they are in debt, and yada, yada, yada.<\/p>\n And there is no doubt I\u2019ve been blessed. There\u2019s no doubt I had a head start.<\/p>\n And there is no doubt not everyone is going to be able to travel.<\/p>\n But I still had to save, plan, and find ways to make that trip (and future trips) happen. My parents never gave me anything for my trip. They actively tried to discourage it.<\/p>\n If I asked you to turn the mirror inward and be completely honest, could you really<\/em> say to me you\u2019ve exhausted all<\/em> your options? <\/p>\n Could you really say you looked at your expenses to the penny? <\/p>\n That you looked at working overseas<\/a> as a way to fund your trip or pay off your debt? <\/p>\n That you couldn\u2019t have a piggy bank where you put at least a penny a day? <\/p>\n That you tried and tried but could figure out using points and miles<\/a>? That it\u2019s truly 100% impossible for you to save for a trip?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen people in wheelchairs<\/a>, seniors on pensions find ways to travel<\/a>, and others take on work to pay off debts<\/a>.<\/p>\n I think \u2014 nay, I know<\/em> \u2014 from experience that most of us haven\u2019t really done that kind of inner searching or planning. <\/p>\n The ones that have? Well, they\u2019re traveling right now.<\/p>\n Most of us haven\u2019t done anything more than come up with an excuse as to why our situation is special and unique.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n Our stories are not that unique.<\/p>\n Lots and lots of people have been in your shoes before.<\/p>\n And lots of people have found a way to travel.<\/p>\n Which is good because that means it is possible for you to travel too.<\/p>\n A few years ago, I helped a number of readers plan their trips and was a sounding board for their fears.<\/a> One of them was Diane, a senior from Canada<\/a> living on a strict pension. She had dreamed her entire life of visiting Australia<\/a> but never believed it could happen.<\/p>\n We talked extensively about how she could cut her expenses. She created a list of wants and needs \u2014 then stopped buying the wants. She changed her phone plan, monitored her bills, got her husband to cut back on smoking, and her grandkids to stop asking for things. <\/p>\n She got them all on board by explaining why this trip was important. It took close to two years, but eventually, she saved enough to go with her sister on her trip. <\/p>\n The world gives you nothing. You have to work for what you want \u2014 even if it takes years to get to where you want to go.<\/p>\n Too often we think about the million steps we need to take to get to where we want to go, get overwhelmed by it all, and simply give up.<\/p>\n But, remember, you can only take one step at a time.<\/p>\n Think about the ONE step in front of you and nothing else.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter if it takes ten years to save for your vacation. All that matters is the first step in front of you. That\u2019s the only thing you need to focus on.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, wake up and ask yourself, \u201cWhat is the ONE thing I can do today that will make traveling easier?\u201d<\/p>\n Not sure you can come up with the money? Track all your expenses and figure out where you can cut and put that money automatically each month into a savings account.<\/p>\n Not sure you can take three weeks off work to fly to Australia? Think of destinations closer to you. Or take multiple shorter trips.<\/p>\n Not sure you can get the visa? Find a different place to visit.<\/p>\n For every negative excuse, there’s a positive solution.<\/p>\n Don’t let your excuses win.<\/p>\n Start thinking about your first step, plan your trip<\/a>, ride that unicorn, and become the traveler you were born to be.<\/p>\n And, when you get to your dream destination, send me a postcard! My New York Times<\/em> best-selling book to travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you\u2019ll get off save money, always find deals, and have a deeper travel experience. It\u2019s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the \u201cbible for budget travelers.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to learn more and start reading it today!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n Book Your Flight<\/strong> Book Your Accommodation<\/strong> Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong> Want to Travel for Free?<\/strong> Need a Rental Car?<\/strong> Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip?<\/strong>
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\nHow to Travel the World on $75 a Day<\/span><\/h3>
![\"How](\"https:\/\/media.nomadicmatt.com\/bookimages\/HowtoTraveltheWorldon75aDay.jpg\")
<\/div>\nBook Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n
\nFind a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a>. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. <\/p>\n
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a>. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. <\/p>\n
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n\n
\nTravel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation \u2014 all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites<\/a> to get started and see the latest best deals.<\/p>\n
\nDiscover Cars<\/a> is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best \u2014 and cheapest \u2014 rental for your trip!<\/p>\n
\nGet Your Guide<\/a> is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more. <\/p>\n