Ok so the title may be a little misleading,even click-bait-esque… But hey I’m here to grab your attention. Recently I got back from a 12 day trip to Europe. I was able to visit three countries, multiple national parks, and at least 1 “Wonder of the World”. I generally play down how cool it is that I get to do these things because I don’t want to be “that guy”,  who is talking about his life changing trip from who knows where. That being said, I do understand that I am pretty lucky, this being my second year in a row traveling to at least three European countries. Having the opportunity to visit places that I learned about in geography and history class in grade school is crazy. Seeing things older than our recorded history, or simply buildings that predate the founding of our country and virtually all of Americas monuments is mind-blowing when you think about it. Anyway… to the point of this little article. (Cue Entrance Trumpets)

Why you should travel. Sounds like a sort of silly thing to write about, but I think its something that merits a little thought. Travel is one of the things that I love to do, duh. I believe that it is something many people feel is a difficult thing to do, whether it be for financial reasons, working too much, or just not “finding the time” to make it there. If you want to go somewhere then go. There is always a way to get there. Instead of simply telling you to get to your dream destination im going to give you a few tools to aid in your future travels. Here are a few basic things you can do to further your goals of venturing out into the world.

1. Choose your ideal place… This is the easy part, simply determine where you want to go. If you do not have a dream spot then think about what you like, do you enjoy the beach, hiking, riding elephants, or something else. This can direct you to what sort of place you want to visit.
2. Choose a time you can go… This step can be a little harder. Find a time that you are able to take a vacation. If you are working a full-time job it can be difficult to get the time off or find someone to cover your shifts. It also doesn’t hurt to take a look at when the off-season or cheapest time to fly to a certain place is. For me it worked best to just choose dates I knew I would be free and start my planning.
3. Decide your method of transportation… Depending on where you want to go will dictate how you get there. Maybe you just want to see mountains or the beach and live in the mid-west, so flying is not your only option. You can drive, take a Megabus, train, or a myriad of other means of transportation. There are obviously perks to various means of transportation, but don’t think that flying is only way to get to where you want.
4. Just book it… This is sometimes the hardest thing to do, actually purchasing the ticket/room. I can almost assure you will question yourself beforehand if you got the best deal or right room/right flight, but after you get to go on your vacation you will thank yourself.

Things to think about…

– If you cannot afford to go overseas or to another country, there are countless beautiful places here in the united states to visit. We have so many national parks, various landscapes, and locations that I would say there is somewhere for everyone. This is something I sometimes forget, as im always trying to plan the next “big trip”.

– Try something new! Just yesterday I was talking to my dad about his trip to Colorado and one thing he said was that he could almost kick hisself for not going sooner. As a kid, we took a family trip to Florida almost every year for quite sometime. Dont get me wrong, I do enjoy a beach and some sun, but Florida isn’t the only state with a beach. So what im saying is take a risk and try somewhere you normally wouldn’t go, see the world. If you hate it, worst case scenario is you know your self a little better and don’t visit that place again.

– You dont have to go for a long time. It is great if you can travel for weeks or months on end, but if you cannot, do not let that dissuade you. Take advantage of a long weekend or a holiday break. Getting away is great for any length of time, its always worth it.

– If you want help planning than ask. I am sure that your friends who have traveled would be happy to give advice or tips. I know that I would! Seriously, if you want to get somewhere I will help anyway I can.

Just look at what you’re missing!