I Want to Travel, But I Can't Seem to Find Where to Start?
I remember sitting behind my desk at my 2nd engineering job on my lunch break, saying to myself, "I want to go somewhere, do something big, but where and what?". The dream often comes well before any sense of practicality. Don't let that stop you, my goal with this blog is to show you how to travel with as little planning as possible.
I remember sitting behind my desk at my 2nd engineering job on my lunch break, saying to myself, "I want to go somewhere, do something big, but where and what?". The dream often comes well before any sense of practicality. Don't let that stop you, my goal with this blog is to show you how to travel with as little planning as possible.
Once you have the dream, this is where every other blog will tell you to get started on planning. I say DON'T and here is why:
1. The moment that you let the practical side of your brain kick in, the side that wants you to stay, be lazy, and keep your steady job, then you're fighting an up-hill battle. Your mind wants you to stick with your current habits (it's smarter and easier to change nothing, but a lot less fun).
2. Even if you do start planning, and then still decide to go, your brain has all the control over you and the trip won't feel as authentic as it could if you follow your dreams and feelings. i.e. Do you want to spend all day thinking about what you are going to eat? Or, would you rather to go explore the city and bump into some exotic street food?
3. As long as this thought is still a dream and not some planned vacation, you'll romanticize it. It will constantly be on your mind, while you sleep, while you work, while you read this blog. The endless possibilities will float and swirl in there and consume your thoughts (you're letting your mind be creative).
Now that the dream is still floating around up there, follow it! ("But HOW? That's why I'm reading this stupid blog anyhow.")
Okay, this is where you have to do the work, but it's simple! Be IMPULSIVE! Everyone is going to be different and have different passions. When you dream, talk, or think about traveling, what is the very first thing you feel? Do you think of a simpler life-style (Central & South America), extravagant art and history (Europe), or the middle of nowhere (Hike the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trails)? Do you think about snow covered mountains (Mongolia), a tropical beach (Caribbean), or rolling grass hills (Scotland)?
Your gut is going to tell you these things, not me. If you seriously can't decide, throw a dart at a map, or google.com/flights can tell you all the places and prices of flights from your city. Any country you go to is going to have variety and the important thing is that you get out there and try something.
The less time that you spend trying to think about the perfect place, the better. You're going to get overwhelmed and give up, or you'll spend your precious time planning a trip and building expectations that can never be true. After you read this blog you should never have to read another blog about deciding where to go.
Go, Do, Be, Enjoy!
1. The moment that you let the practical side of your brain kick in, the side that wants you to stay, be lazy, and keep your steady job, then you're fighting an up-hill battle. Your mind wants you to stick with your current habits (it's smarter and easier to change nothing, but a lot less fun).
2. Even if you do start planning, and then still decide to go, your brain has all the control over you and the trip won't feel as authentic as it could if you follow your dreams and feelings. i.e. Do you want to spend all day thinking about what you are going to eat? Or, would you rather to go explore the city and bump into some exotic street food?
3. As long as this thought is still a dream and not some planned vacation, you'll romanticize it. It will constantly be on your mind, while you sleep, while you work, while you read this blog. The endless possibilities will float and swirl in there and consume your thoughts (you're letting your mind be creative).
Now that the dream is still floating around up there, follow it! ("But HOW? That's why I'm reading this stupid blog anyhow.")
Okay, this is where you have to do the work, but it's simple! Be IMPULSIVE! Everyone is going to be different and have different passions. When you dream, talk, or think about traveling, what is the very first thing you feel? Do you think of a simpler life-style (Central & South America), extravagant art and history (Europe), or the middle of nowhere (Hike the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trails)? Do you think about snow covered mountains (Mongolia), a tropical beach (Caribbean), or rolling grass hills (Scotland)?
Your gut is going to tell you these things, not me. If you seriously can't decide, throw a dart at a map, or google.com/flights can tell you all the places and prices of flights from your city. Any country you go to is going to have variety and the important thing is that you get out there and try something.
The less time that you spend trying to think about the perfect place, the better. You're going to get overwhelmed and give up, or you'll spend your precious time planning a trip and building expectations that can never be true. After you read this blog you should never have to read another blog about deciding where to go.
Go, Do, Be, Enjoy!