Actually I’m not asking you that question. I get asked that question myself, and I know it can be a frustrating question to answer. So how do you answer it? What other question do your less or non traveling family and friends ask you? My answer is below.
So how do I afford to do “all that traveling”? Well, actually I don’t feel like I travel that much at all. At least, not near as much as I’d like to travel. It would be interesting to see how often I would get asked the question if I actually traveled to the degree I dream of doing. But really the best answer I can give is the pictures you see when I travel are only the end result. You don’t see the careful planning, work, time, (and most often overtime) I put in to being able to do this. I often have some money on my credit card I have to work off after the trip as well. (Although I try to avoid that because it can really wreak some serious havoc on your life)
Mostly, it is just meticulous planning. Figuring out a budget. Reading a lot of travel books and some of the absolutely amazing blogs I have been blessed by coming across. The community is wonderfully supportive. The more you travel, the less expensive it can become. You build a network of friends who are invaluable. Also, there are things like work/volunteer opportunities, home stays, hosteling, and little known discounts to help as well. Seriously, if you want to find a way to travel, the way will find you if look hard enough.
Probably the most frustrating comment I hear is probably a variation on “Boy, I wish I could travel that much but, …..” I don’t want to presumptuously speak for all travelers but I think many of us would say ” You could if you really want to do it”. Besides, everyone doesn’t have to go to Timbuktu to be a traveler. Travel starts in the heart. It’s a spirit, what W.B. Yeats called “The pilgrim soul”. There are amazing things to discover in your own city and your own country. Going to the other side of town can be traveling if you approach it from a spirit of adventure.
So what say you? What questions do people ask you about travel? How do you answer them? Lets start a conversation.