Travel While You’re Young
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Everyone says to “travel when you’re young”, granted that is easier said than done. I have been trying to do this but you always hit obstacles, whether it’s money, the drive to find a career, school, loans, health insurance, there is always something to stop you. And it would be so easy to say well this is my life now, I am no longer young enough to travel; I have to become a responsible adult. I will get a nine to five job, a stable career and I will settle down and that’s it. Sometimes I think to myself, well I am no longer young so therefore I can no longer travel.
Now I have traveled. I have lived abroad in Europe for over two years and I traveled extensively, along with studying abroad twice and traveling as much as possible in between. I am however, back home now and this is where things get difficult to travel. All of a sudden things start popping up that I have to deal with. I have to realize that I have loans to pay (which to be honest, I have been avoiding like the plague), my health insurance will no longer be covered by my parents in just a few months, I have family engagements that I cannot miss and don’t want miss. There are obligations (some more enjoyable than others) that cannot be ignored. To be honest I have taken an unusual path and my life doesn’t fit into the mold people seem to except. Every job I have had so far was to fund my traveling.
The thing is I cannot stop traveling and I do not want to stop traveling. I think the best way to describe it is a little like being an artist. You have the drive to do something creative, to make something, to make the world beautiful; well for me travel is just that. I want to create new and unique experiences. I want to make the world a better place by visiting it and realizing that we are all the same, that its only the change in scenery that makes it unfamiliar. I want to not only make the world beautiful but travel to realize that it is already beautiful; sometimes you just need a change to realize it. Traveling will be something I will always need in my life, traveling is my career and my one all consuming goal is to see it all.
So I guess I will keep traveling while I am young, because it is what I am meant to do. I can already tell that this temporary settling down will not last. I am already making my escape plan from “normal life”, it is just going to take a little more planning and dedication to get back out there and travel again. Everyone says travel while you’re young but why not just travel? All the reasons that bog us down in normal life are just excuses, if you really want to travel, then do it. I am not going to say it will be easy because it’s not. And if you need to work seven days a week so you can go to southeast Asia for three weeks then do it. If it is something that you truly love you will find a way. Maybe the saying shouldn’t be travel while you’re young, it should be travel keeps you young because no one should stop having new experiences and stop learning about our world.
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Why We Travel
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18 thoughts on “Travel While You’re Young”
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We are Ashley and Alex and we're foodies and boozies who eat, drink and live local. Our goal is to scour the globe looking for inside local tips, the best places to eat and the best places to drink with the locals.
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True. Traveling keeps one young. And that’s coming from an old hag 😉
Yes it does! Ashley and I plan to keep traveling for the rest of our lives no matter what it takes. Thank you for the like and the comment.
-Alex Sexton
True. Traveling keeps one young. And that’s coming from an old hag 😉
It’s funny how I always come back from a trip with awesome photos, and tell my friends they should come next time. They always agree enthusiastically, then back out either at the last minute or before they buy a ticket, with a really flimsy excuse. Its hard to make the first step out there, but when I first took it I knew there was no stepping back. Thanks for the post! I’ll definitely try and keep the travel bug alive!
Thank you for the compliment. Ashley and I really appreciate it. Keep on traveling and following the blog. We want to keep the travel bug alive in everyone.
-Alex Sexton
I absolutely love this! Are you from the US? I’m curious about how you’ve managed to stay long-term in Europe?
Yes both Alex and I are from California. We were able to stay in Rome because we were both taking classes there. We received our student visas for a semester and then were able to get a permesso di soggiorno or a permit to stay. We then just renewed those to stay longer. It’s a lot of paperwork but it allowed us to stay and work. You can also just travel on a tourist visa for 3 months and then leave the schegan states for another three months and travel more independent European countries as well and then you can reenter. Some say you can just leave for a day and then come back. It’s always up for debate and I could never get a straight answer on that one.
Yeah, trying to get paperwork done with Italians is like trying to live in Italy and not eat gelato!
It’s possible to “manipulate” the system by leaving and then returning without having gone for 90 days, but there’s always a possibility they’ll notice and not let you back in.
Haha! I love that! That is so true.
It is definitely a risk. I know a few people who have lived in Italy for years and the only people who ever comment on their illegal status is the US. So it just really depends on what you are willing to risk. I wish there was an easier way for people who want to travel and work somewhat to support themselves around Europe existed like the Australian Work Holiday Visa. Maybe one day!
I’m a big believer of the ‘Travel When You’re Young’ motto. Once you get older and ‘settled’, there’s just a lot of responsibilities to make it difficult (not hold you back, but just make it harder). My parents say I have all the time in the world, but I say there are SO many places to see… A lifetime is barely enough!!
Exactly how I feel! So you just have to go and not worry!
So true! I’m in the same boat as you, I’m at the age where I’m supposed to be settling down like a good adult, paying my bills and such. Honestly I have been dodging some of that but it’s time to face it one way or another. We’re currently working our butt off so we can go to the Asia for the rest of the year but it’s completely worth it. Cheers and happy travels!
Your post is so true! I am addicted to travel, I would quite happily get up, sell all my things and hit the road. The only snag is I met my boyfriend 5 years ago, he is older, has a stable job with only so much holiday per year. While I don’t currently work my feet just want to wander but I can’t leave the ties of a relationship, responsibilities and eventually settle down. We (he) works hard to fund our travels but it’s limited to weekends away and one or two big trips per year. Makes me so sad! 🙁 I know I will never be too old to travel but life can weigh your travel ideas down sometimes! The key is to find the perfect balance!
Absolutely. Balance is key when it comes to travel and you have to find out what works best for you. Hope you find it!