I recently received an email from a young woman who really wants to travel but has questions about how to get started and some fears to work through. As I thought about how to answer her, I realized that I was thinking about myself and the choices I made more than 15 years ago when I was finishing college and getting ready to start a life abroad…
In San Gimignano, my first morning studying abroad in Italy!
I have to say that things fell into place pretty well for me those years, but I can see now that there were some factors that played a role in how things unfolded. One was my family’s encouragement and willingness to remain flexible with me; their open-mindedness meant that I never felt like someone was doubting my choices, even when I called from the Czech Republic because I had suddenly decided to move there. Another was that I never had a specific plan for my future, so I didn’t set myself up for disappointment by not reaching certain goals. Instead I made decisions according to how things felt at the time. Finally, even though I didn’t exactly have a plan, I did have certain expectations for myself, including getting a good education and being independent, which quickly turned into a confident and adventurous spirit that wanted to try new things and see the world.
But before all that happened, like many new travelers with less confidence and more fears, I didn’t know that was how things would play out. If I could talk to my early ’90s self, this is the advice I would give her:
1. Mainly, DO MORE.
No matter what you are doing, try to do even more because you will never have the time and energy that you have now. I wish I had done more, seen more, experienced more than I did. At the time, it felt like I was doing a lot, but I could have pushed it to much greater depths, and now it’s so hard to do those things because I have kids and a tenured teaching position. Sigh.
Studying Renaissance art history in Florence, 1995
2. Plan to study abroad in college.
Why? If you plan ahead, you won’t let the opportunity slip by. Studying abroad is probably the best way to travel overseas for the first time. The trip is arranged, so you don’t have to worry about where to stay, what to do, or who to go with. Staying in one place allows you to experience a new culture in a comforting way– you get to know the area and always have friends with you. You can also easily travel to nearby places on weekends or after the course finishes.
Isn’t it expensive?! Don’t talk yourself out of it because of the expense! A lot of study abroad programs can be paid for with scholarships and financial aid. The prices vary depending on where you go. The more traditional programs in Europe can be expensive, so some students are choosing cheaper options like Buenos Aires or Oaxaca. To make sure you have plenty of options to choose from, don’t forget to look into programs through other institutions or even language schools abroad. My study abroad experience was just a month-long course in Florence, but it was life-changing!
3. Mix it up.
Try a variety of travel experiences. Volunteer, visit friends, try homestays, mix urban and rural destinations. Such a diversity of experiences allows you to explore who you are and what you want to be. You will be challenged and will grow as a result. I hit a lot of the big urban centers in Europe after college, but I also loved the rural areas of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and I found that I learned more about myself and the people around me in those quieter places.
Studying German in Munich was an unexpectedly pivotal experience for me.
A great way to spend some time overseas is to study at a language school. One of my favorite times was learning German at the Goethe Institute in Munich, where I studied with people from all over the world and enjoyed German hospitality. I had enough time to get to know the city, take day-trips, enjoy the nightlife, and get to know locals at the school and through my homestay. It was expensive but totally worth it.
My only regret of my previous travels is that I didn’t mix it up enough in terms of geography. I wish I had started traveling to some other continents early on, but I guess we can’t always do everything, right?
Tagging along with a friend in Italy, 1996
4. Take advantage of opportunities.
You never know when an opportunity is going to come up, so be ready to take advantage! I have been fortunate to have friends and family to visit in various places in the world. For instance, the year after I studied abroad in Italy, a friend returned to Florence do an independent study on Giotto. I grabbed the chance to come along for the month, and we had a wonderful time soaking up the art and local life in the relative quiet of Italy in January (see above photo).
Look for airfare sales and discounts on travel packages so that you can get out there as often as possible.
I first fell in love with Prague at 23 and kept coming back, finally with my husband 10 years later.
5. Have no debt so it’s always possible to pack up and go.
When I was in my twenties, my life was so much easier than it is now. I could spend a few months working and then take off for a few weeks or months. I made sure that was possible by having no debt, often staying with my mother or father to save money, and not getting into a career until I was out of graduate school. I did have student loans but was able to defer them most of the time. I lived my life mostly for myself, which I think at that age is perfectly OK. When I was tired of my job or situation, I quit and moved on to something or somewhere else.
One mistake that a lot of young people get into is thinking that they need to have everything, like a nice car, lots of clothes, an apartment with cute furniture, etc., and then the debt begins to add up. There’s plenty of time for jobs and all that permanent stuff, so why not take advantage of the freedom that being young affords most people? Trust me, you’ll never look back on when you were 23 and wish you had worked more!
6. Connect with the travel community.
Well, it wasn’t so easy back in the 1990′s when connecting with the travel community meant meeting travelers and expats at cafés, but the resources now are vast. If you’re serious about traveling, try connecting with the thousands of travelers on-line who eagerly share their stories through blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. The advice, support, and inspiration you can get from other travelers is invaluable. Here are a few young travelers to get started with: Suzy Guese, Adventurous Kate, Travels of Adam, and Don’t Ever Look Back.
7. Document.
Even today I love looking through all my old travel photographs– I’m so glad I did a good job documenting my travels because otherwise I would have forgotten a lot over the years. Take lots of pictures, keep a journal, and back-up your stuff in case it gets lost. Consider starting a blog, and if you’re serious about doing it for the long-haul, check out this article from Travel Blog Challenge on how to build a good site from the get-go, or consider joining Travel Blog Success.
In the Czech Republic, my former home
8. Consider living abroad.
I’m a huge proponent of living overseas, as I explained in “Living Abroad: 5 Things I Learned.” There are many ways to do so, including the Peace Corps, getting TEFL certified to teach English, teaching English without certification but with a college degree, WWOOFing… and remember that there’s no right way to do it. I lived in a small city, a place where the local people helped me fit in and I could find my way around in a matter of days.
I would encourage everyone to travel to some places first, talk to people who are living abroad, and choose a place where you can imagine living for a while. Your life will be richer for it!
Do you have advice for young people who want to start traveling? If you are a new traveler, what worries or concerns do you have?
I love this post! So true about looking back into your 20s and not thinking you wished you worked more. I’m in Ecuador right now (my first night!) and will be in South America for the next 4 months. I think before I started this journey I was worried about the costs..but it is honestly not bad and so worth it. Considering my rent in Hollywood, CA and all the furniture, eating out, the extra “stuff” I bought, traveling is so much more economical and there are so many options now!
I’m glad I ran into your post; perfect timing for me.. Thanks! Looking forward to reading more abt your travels
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you found this timely. It sounds like you are on a great adventure. Happy travels!
Nice post! I recently was thinking about something similar, how as we get older we have less and less options. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but almost every little decision you make in your life puts you on some kind of path. It’s good to at least be aware of that, so you can actively carve out the life you want.
I agree about being aware of the impact of our decisions so we can carve out the life path we want. Time goes by so fast, so it’s important to choose what we do with our time wisely.
Jenna,
I love how you came up with a great list of ideas. I now know you did a lot of great things to become the traveler you are today.
The best thing is “Do More”, love it! Don’t postpone, because that will certainly not improve the experience.
When I read about fears (especially fears to start traveling) I cannot help but to point out that great Fear Crushing Travel Guide that was recently published.
You can read about it here: http://bit.ly/jqt04f
But anyway, enough promotion
Indeed, use the blogosphere to get inspired. If you start planning a trip, you just have to post a question on one of the social networks and you will get tips immediately. This great advice from the online travel community will give everybody piece of mind.
Emiel
Great tips, Emiel, and I agree that the travel community is a wonderful resource. Anytime you ask a question, you are bound to get lots of suggestions from all the experienced travelers on the Internet.
Great Article Jenna. This is my first time to your site and I am glad Emiel let us know about it.
I couldn’t agree more about connecting with the travel community. We put our blog up just a few months ago and have met so many people. It all happens so quickly and it really helps ease you into travel, as well as give you a ton of connections abroad. Always nice to know someone who can show you around while traveling.
Great note on the debt as well. That is always a killer.
Keep the good stuff coming.
Justin
Thanks, Justin. It seems like we have traveling as a family in common, so I’m glad you stopped by.
Here’s my regret – #2. When I was in college, I a Rhodes Scholar nominee. I knew it was a great honor but I never really even considered it. Now I am kicking myself for it because the chance to study in England would have been awesome! I had actually been overseas and gotten the travel bug because of trips to Estonia. However, I never bothered to pursue it.
Who knows where I would be in my life if I had? Maybe my life would look completely different now. However, I wish I had pursued travel more when I was younger and really gotten into languages more. I see where I am now and the opportunities I had and realize how lucky I was.
I guess I would just encourage anyone who is young to just travel. If it’s not something you enjoy or want, then you will learn that. But don’t look back and wish you had done it when you had the chance and when it was easier!
Yes, the chance to study in England would have been wonderful. It’s true that we should travel as much as we can when we are young and then see how it fits into life– if we don’t like it, we will learn that, but at least when we are young, we have the chance to do it.
Great tips and great travel experience you have! I too consider myself lucky that my family not only doesn’t criticize my choice of constant traveling, but they even encourage me. There are difficult moments, and probably without their support I wouldn’t be as brave
Thanks, Angela. Family support is important no matter what we do, and when I was young, I was so happy to know that they didn’t think I was nuts or didn’t excessively worry about me, like a lot of parents might.
Very nice tips. Studying abroad is a very good option.
Do you have any recommendations on how a single mom on a budget can begin traveling with two children ages 12 and 10?
A small trip maybe in the U.S. somewhere? Unfortunately we are located on the east coast (S.C.) and the west is where I would love to visit.
I’ve been to Rio twice and fell in love and I want to take them there one day as well.
Hi Shay, Thanks for stopping by! You have a lot of options for traveling with kids their age. You could think about NYC, Washington DC, the Anapolis area, or Florida if you are on the east coast. You may get some ideas from this post about NYC with kids: http://thisismyhappiness.com/2010/01/22/rethinking-great-destinations-nyc/#more-315
A budget option for traveling with kids is to take a road trip since you avoid paying for plane tickets for all of you. If you fly to the west coast, you might want to look into multi-city tickets where you fly into 1 city, pick up a rental car, and fly out of another city, which eliminates the need to backtrack. Your kids would probably love San Francisco! And there are so many national parks out here that you can visit by car.
Rio is certainly expensive, mostly because of the high airfares.
If I were you, I would solicit advice from a large number of people and see what kind of feedback you get– try the frommers.com forum, either the U.S. section or Family Travel section. There are lots of knowledgeable contributors who can give you some great ideas. Happy travels!
Thanks for the mention here Jenna and great advice! I know studying abroad really shaped me into who I am today and what career path I decided to follow. I even found a way to stay in Italy and study that was more affordable than my home university. I think your point about seriously planning to study abroad or go abroad in some way is incredibly important. When I was in college, all of the red tape to get abroad seemed almost too much to go through, but I’m so glad I did. Living with locals is also a great thing to do while you are young.
I agree, if one doesn’t seriously plan to go abroad, it’s too easy for it not to happen. I also agree about living with locals. I did that a bit and always learned so much from the people. Very important experiences!
You offered some very specific and good advice. I just think that if you want something enough, you’ll find a way. Think outside the box. There are so many possibilities — get creative. I’m doing the opposite — I’m 54, my children are grown, and I have no one to travel with…….. so I head out alone and am loving every minute of it. I’ve gone from 2 weeks per year, to 4 weeks per year, and this year it’ll be 3 months overseas. I’m hoping to work up to 6 months per year. One of my daughters has the opportunity to take a semester in Italy next year and I’m fully encouraging her to go for it! Each of my children has been to at least 3 countries other than the U.S. It’s so important and life changing. Great article.
Rosann, I love your ideas for traveling alone every year. It’s very inspiring to think about ways to travel after our kids get older. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Jenna, thanks for the mention with the TBC. All great points you make. I have never been a journal writer, but somehow I really took to blogging. Now I wish I had been documenting my travels since I started 12 years ago rather than from the middle.
Todd, Thanks for stopping by. I think blogging opens a new avenue for recording travel for people who normally would not have written in a journal (like you and me). There’s something about seeing it on screen with pictures and color that makes it so much more exciting than the traditional way. I actually started blogging partly to document old travels before more years passed in case I forgot everything!
Really great post! Weirdly enough, I feel experiences like traveling the world really help people grow later in life. A lot of your advice can be said for college kids transitioning from adolescence to becoming adults.
GREAT tips, Jenna! I agree with everything, especially the tips to study abroad, have no debt, and take advantage of every travel opportunity that comes your way.
I started chasing my travel dreams in college — and it was perfect that way. I didn’t have a career, a family, or any real ties to a specific place. I also didn’t have a lot of bills or responsibilities to worry about. So I studied abroad for a semester, and went on every school-sponsored trip I could (for example, I joined marching band my freshman year so I could go to Italy!). And you know what? I’m SO glad I did.
I couldn’t agree more. College is the perfect time to start getting out there. I think it’s really important for young people to get educated, but traveling is a wonderful way to learn more about yourself and the world– a complement to what you learn in the classroom. And I don’t think young people realize how much freedom they really have.