The world is your playground. It’s time to pick up and explore what you like, wherever that may be in the world. Traveling is all about embracing risk, picking up and leaving everything behind for new sights, sounds, experiences, people. Can you handle the fact that this means taking risks? But are you ready for your new adventure?
Here are three basic steps to help you start your journey. These are just suggestions, but it’s an excellent place to get started.
Are You Ready For Your Adventure?
Step 1: Know what you want and why you want it
Traveling is all about seizing life! You may be reading lots of travel blogs and guides, dreaming of how excited you’ll be when you finally go on your trip. But where do you want to go?
Do you need to explore the Mayan jungle searching for knowledge or hidden treasures? Climb Kilimanjaro with an organized group because, for some reason, it’s still not clear whether you’re afraid of heights? Or maybe you need to get away from it all and go on a silent retreat in Thailand for a month, trying not to think about anything.
Know why you want to travel before you pick up your bags. Do the research into what that means for you – do some soul searching. This will be the foundation of your journey, so make sure it’s concrete.
Step 2: Getting down to business
Traveling is an expensive hobby. Many people say “travel is cheap,” but they usually mean “it’s possible to travel on a budget,” which is very different from saying it’s cheap. Traveling outside of your home country is crazy expensive! It’s also challenging to know what you’re getting into until you get out there.
There are several ways to travel, each with pros and cons: backpacking, staying in hostels or cheap hotels, hitch-hiking or taking public transportation, volunteering. As much as possible, try not to limit yourself at this point. Use travel blogs as a basis for how you’d like to go about this journey, as they will have many tips and tricks available. For example, G-Extreme Travel hosts helpful information on traveling across the globe. It will lead you towards better opportunities for your journey.
When you have a general idea of where you want to go, it’s time to start thinking about money matters. The best way to do that is by making a budget. If you’re a more old-fashioned person, you can always use a pen and paper or take out your phone and type down your thoughts.
Step 3: Taking your first steps
Once you’ve determined your plans, it’s time to start researching, looking into costs, logistics, and culture. Everything that will help you figure out if this is the right path for you. Traveling to talk with people who may have traveled in the same country or region will help give insight into necessary preparations for long-term travel. You might find yourself asking locals for advice or having one of those “lightbulb moments” where something clicks.
Now is the time to organize your thoughts, making a list of things you have to do or have with you before you leave on your journey. There are many ways to go about planning – whether you do it as a bulleted list, as a mind-map, or as a full-fledged outline – but the important thing is to make sure everything gets done. There’s no point in leaving for your trip if you don’t have everything ready.
There You Go!
Traveling is a very personal journey. If you feel that now is the time to go, don’t put it off any longer! Make sure you’ve thought through everything and start preparing for your big adventure. Good luck!
