{"id":49467,"date":"2017-03-09T10:26:40","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T15:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=49467"},"modified":"2024-09-04T16:23:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T20:23:06","slug":"never-right-time-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/travel-blogs\/never-right-time-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It’s Never the Right Time to Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"solo<\/p>\n

Kristin Addis from\u00a0Be My Travel Muse<\/a>\u00a0writes our regular column on solo female travel. It\u2019s an important topic I can\u2019t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other women travelers to help cover the topics important and specific to them! This week, Kristin covers why there will always be reasons not to travel and how there will never be a perfect time to go!<\/em><\/p>\n

Life is short \u2014 we have limited time to do the things that we really want to do. It\u2019s also a voyage \u2014 or a sack of coins that are yours alone to spend. (Those are my metaphors for life, anyway.) And it\u2019s supposed to be fun. <\/p>\n

For a lot of people, that means not waiting until retirement to travel but rather getting out there and exploring now.<\/p>\n

If you want to travel now, but you\u2019re scared to go it alone, you\u2019ll be able to find excuses everywhere\u00a0if you look for them. You\u2019ll find ways to say you can\u2019t do it right now: you\u2019re not ready; your job, friends, or fears are holding you back; you have too many obligations.<\/p>\n

These excuses mean you\u2019ll never get on the road. <\/p>\n

Because at every stage of your life, you\u2019ll be able to find a reason why it can\u2019t work for you. It will never be the right time to travel<\/a> \u2014 especially as a woman.<\/p>\n

The truth is, the perfect time to travel will likely never come. You just need to make the most of the time you have and take the plunge.<\/p>\n

To help you find the courage to take that first step, here are 6 questions you’ve likely heard \u2014 and answers you can use to support your desire to travel the world as a solo female traveler.
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1. Aren’t you going to settle down?<\/h3>\n

\"The
\nA common question I get from people back home concerns when I\u2019m going to \u201csettle down.\u201d Don\u2019t I want a relationship and a family of my own? My question back to them is: Why is traveling and having a family mutually exclusive in this day and age? <\/p>\n

Families travel all the time<\/a> \u2014 some even full-time<\/a>. These days, it’s entirely possible.<\/p>\n

Of course, I have had to make choices and there are sister lives that I didn\u2019t live because I chose to travel. I won\u2019t know what could have been with the handsome Frenchie, because I didn\u2019t choose to stop being a travel writer and move in with him. It might have been nice, and, naturally, I can\u2019t ever be sure that I made the best call, but I do know that sitting on the beach in Tanzania<\/a>, writing this to you, is one of the happiest moments of my life. <\/p>\n

I have these moments all the time because adventuring is what gives me life.<\/p>\n

I used to think that if I wanted a relationship I\u2019d have to give up this life of traveling. But since something in me always whispered, \u201cGo\u201d \u2014 and I always left. <\/p>\n

It hurt me to my core, but I had to. Because Mr. Right will only have one thing to say to me, and that\u2019s \u201cMay I join you?\u201d
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2. Shouldn’t women stay home and follow social norms? <\/h3>\n

\"Woman
\nWe women don\u2019t have it easy. We are expected to be smart, collected, beautiful, graceful, strong, and slightly independent, but still docile enough to be loved and cared for by a partner. We are supposed to chase opportunities \u2014 but only the ones handed down to us by the status quo.<\/p>\n

What I always find interesting, though, is that the women in history who are heralded are the ones who did the opposite of all of that.<\/p>\n

Think of Harriet Tubman, Joan of Arc, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, and an endless list of other women who are pretty much universally loved and respected for doing the exact opposite of what society expected of them. We praise them for their bravery, and for having the kind of foresight and ability to question the system that made them into heroes later.<\/p>\n

Now, traveling the world won\u2019t make you a hero to the world, but what about to yourself?
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3. Won’t you stand out as a target for criminals abroad?<\/h3>\n

\"Woman
\nIn the week before I started traveling on my own, an article came out<\/a> about two girls who died in Vietnam<\/a>, supposedly due to poisoned alcohol. <\/p>\n

Everyone was sending this article to me, telling me to \u201cbe careful\u201d \u2014 ignoring that a deadly movie theater shooting had just taken place in Colorado, much closer to home than Vietnam. <\/p>\n

I went anyway, and I\u2019ve stayed safe through over eight years of solo traveling. Sure, there are travel scams<\/a> to be aware of<\/a>. But the world isn\u2019t as scary as it\u2019s so often portrayed.<\/p>\n

Traveling safely isn\u2019t rocket science. Do what you do at home to stay safe, follow a few important safety tips<\/a>, and choose places that are great for solo female travelers<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Start there, get your feet wet, and branch out as you gain experience and confidence.
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4. How will you afford it?<\/h3>\n

\"Kristin
\nI used to think that I needed to retire before I could travel full-time, and even then, I\u2019d need to be pretty rich. For my week\u2019s worth of paid time off, I was easily spending $2,000 USD in Mexico<\/a> or Hawaii<\/a>, trying to do it all and come back with photos of me having a blast on the beach with an expensive cocktail in my hand.<\/p>\n

What I didn\u2019t realize back then was that my money would have been worth two or three times as much had I strayed a bit farther away from home. Southeast Asia<\/a>, India<\/a>, and much of Central America<\/a> can be dirt cheap, especially if you\u2019re willing to do it on a shoestring. <\/p>\n

Staying in hostels<\/a>, eating and traveling like locals, and moving more slowly are all great ways to save money and turn that week of PTO into a sabbatical instead.<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re earning minimum wage<\/a>, having trouble figuring out how to travel cheaply<\/a>, or just think you\u2019re too poor to travel, if you\u2019re sitting at a computer reading this right now with a passport that lets you go to other places in this world, you have the ability to make it happen financially. <\/p>\n

Change your mindset<\/a>, and the rest will follow.
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5. Won’t your family freak out?<\/h3>\n

\"girl
\nThe toughest part of traveling solo is often the pushback from our parents. We wonder how we can get them see it from our point of view and support us.<\/p>\n

The more important issue is what you\u2019ll regret later. Will you wish that you\u2019d stayed at home to please your parents, who \u2014 since they undoubtedly love you \u2014 do<\/em> want you to live a happy and fulfilled life? <\/p>\n

Even if they don\u2019t necessarily understand or support everything we do, our parents want the best for us. That\u2019s what having a child is \u2014 understanding that you\u2019re creating a human who will have her own brain, and eventually be an adult who is self-sufficient.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your life, not theirs. Letting other people make monumental decisions for you is a great way to go down the path of regrets<\/a>.
\n <\/p>\n

6. Why don’t you wait for someone to join you?<\/h3>\n

\"travel
\nI understand not wanting to travel alone. I didn\u2019t want to do it either, until I decided that I really just had<\/em> to travel the world and it had to happen prior to turning 65. <\/p>\n

I knew my friends couldn\u2019t do it with me \u2014 they had jobs they didn\u2019t want to leave. So did just about everyone else I could think of. <\/p>\n

Sometimes, the dream to travel will be yours alone, and that means you have to do it by yourself if you\u2019re going to do it at all.<\/p>\n

I was pretty worried about being lonely<\/a>, but when people asked about that a few weeks into my trip, I laughed that I had ever had that fear. I was meeting other people constantly. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re shy; someone will probably start a conversation with you, especially if you stay in a social hostel. <\/p>\n

Once you get out there, you\u2019ll see what I mean. It\u2019s all about just taking that first step.<\/p>\n

***<\/center><\/p>\n

Every problem seems insurmountable at first, but there are ways to get around those obstacles that keep you from traveling. The key is to look for the solutions and break them down into manageable pieces rather than trying to tackle the entire thing at once. <\/p>\n

Save up, break the news to your parents, do your research so that you (and they) will be less worried, and let everyone else\u2019s opinion stay with them. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s your<\/em> bag of coins, and your<\/em> life. Get out there and spend it how you want to!<\/p>\n

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over eight years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There\u2019s almost nothing she won\u2019t try and almost nowhere she won\u2019t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse<\/a> or on Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/em>
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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n

Book Your Flight<\/strong>
\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

Book Your Accommodation<\/strong>
\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

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong>
\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