My younger brother Christopher and I sat in the car driving to visit my grandmother. We had just been talking (re: arguing) about that saying that goes something along the lines of, “While you’re down here making plans, God is up there laughing,” as it is a saying that greatly irritates Christopher to no end.
“Do you have a plan?” he asked me.
“What do you mean do I have a plan?” I tried to keep my eyes on the road. I am a notoriously bad and nervous driver.
“I just never really asked you, and I don’t know. I wasn’t sure exactly what your plan is,” he said.
Though he does have dreams to travel, my little brother doesn’t have dreams to backpack. He admitted to me, “Am I jealous that I’ve never seen an elephant or a tiger or a like even like a snake out in the open before? Yeah, I am, but my goal is to work, establish myself, be very rich, and then take my holiday and do a safari in Africa or go off into the Amazon and crazy cool shit like that. Going away for months on end – nah. I’m not about that. Definitely not.”
He continued. “I mean, you get stressed out that you have no money and whatever, and you’re 25 – oh, you’re 27? really? okay – but I mean, once you save enough and you go off and travel again, don’t you think you’ll just be back at square one again? That’s what I don’t get about it. Like, what do your friends do? Just keep traveling? Have you ever talked to someone about life after backpacking?”
I thought about it for a minute. Christopher is incredibly smart and holy hell does my brother love to argue. He could easily get you to admit that the sky isn’t blue.
Traveling, especially the backpacking lifestyle, isn’t for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I do find that there are a few common…let’s say excuses that people use that keep them from even trying…or let’s say they are more a few fears and worries that people have that keep them at home when it comes to traveling the world.
“I don’t have the money to travel.”
I find that most often one of the first things people say is that they would travel but they can’t afford it. To some degree, yes, I get it, but you shouldn’t let not having money stop you. If you are so lucky and have the freedom and lack of serious responsibilities (in that I mean you have no one but yourself to be responsible for) to travel, then take a teaching job overseas to save some money, travel, and experience life abroad. Can you start backpacking when you have not a penny to your name in any bank account? Of course not, and obviously money doesn’t just appear out of thin air. But does that mean it is impossible to build your way up to a trip? No. There are plenty of travel hacks to be had and plenty of ways to start saving money.
“My parents don’t want me traveling.”
I hear far too often someone tell me that they’d love the chance to travel, but their parents and family doesn’t think all too highly of the backpacking life. I’ve even met a couple of backpackers who were cutting their trip early because their parents weren’t all too thrilled with what they were doing (many of these backpackers were American – surprise!). It’s only natural in today’s world for parents to be nervous for their kids to be out and about without any regular contact or knowing where they might be, but ultimately, you can’t let that stop you. If you have to, lie about it. I’ve definitely left a detail or two out along the way (like not telling my Dad I was going hitchhiking) so as to avoid causing any worry. Sorry, Dad.
“I like my little comforts. I wouldn’t be able to stay in a hostel.”
We all do, and not everyone can do the down and dirty, nitty gritty life of a backpacker. There is nothing wrong with that. There are design hostels that are cleaner, more modern, and have great amenities for a quarter of the price you would pay for at a hotel. Don’t feel like sharing a dorm room? There is most often always the option to stay in a private room. Staying in a dollar a night hostel isn’t the only option you have when it comes to traveling. To each their own.
“What about my career?”
Again, I get it. I do. I worry and get stressed out about my professional life probably 15 times per day on average, especially when I am off traveling. That being said, in the times I have stopped, settled, and gone into work every day for a typical 9 to 5 job, all I can think at the end of the day is, “I have the rest of my damn life to do this.” The question so much isn’t about your career. You can make it happen if you are determined enough and work hard enough. I am realizing it is whether you are willing to make the sacrifice to start at the bottom of the totem pole later in life than if you didn’t travel. I am going to go ahead and say that ultimately, it is worth it. And, oh yeah, for all those of you who don’t know, the above picture is me and my colleagues in Korea.
“I’m too shy to travel, and I won’t make any friends.”
Traveling can be intimidating, no doubt about it. And whether you’re traveling solo or you’re traveling with a friend, it can always be a little bit nerveracking to make that first plunge into a friendship with someone you are randomly meeting at your hostel. But you will make friends. Every traveler you meet is in the same boat you are – away from home, eager to meet new people, share travel stories, and just have new experiences with new friends. You might be too shy to talk to people, but sure as hell people will come up to you and talk to you. It’s just the way it works. You never know who you are going to meet when you travel. I’ve met some of my best friends traveling with whom I’ve created some great memories with. You never know what to expect.
“The world is nuts. It’s not safe out there.”
Fair point, but I have to disagree. Think about 9/11. Think about the Boston Marathon. Think about the Sydney Siege. Think about the London bombings in 2007. A month or so ago, I was trying to walk to work and found there was a bomb scare just a block away from my office. True the world isn’t safe, but no one place – in my opinion - is safe than another anymore at this point. The world is ridden with danger, from major terrorist threats to things like disappearing planes to deadly shark attacks. If you let fear stop you in life, then it’s like not even living. Some people might scoff at me, but the way I see, the world is a dangerous place regardless of where you are.
What if I hate it?
We had been about two months into our trip when Molly confessed to me she was unhappy when we first started backpacking. She was homesick, but she felt too scared to tell me. I seemed like such a natural at it, she said, she was just going to sound like a baby. Not true. There is nothing more normal than being homesick, than getting frustrated from time to time, than needing a time out sometimes and taking a break. It by no means makes you a failure or a baby. And if you hate it, you know what? You can always go home. I came home when I felt unhappy, and it was the best decision I made for myself. More than anything you need to be happy. At least you know you gave it a shot.
