Dreams of exploring and travelling
It’s safe to say that ever since I could remember, I have dreamed of exploring and travelling the world.
I have never really got stuck into a sport or taken up a hobby but I have always known that travel is my life-long goal and I WILL achieve it, no matter what.
Some of you may have caught onto this vibe when I published my post about my travel book but until now, I have never really shared or thought deeply about what exactly drives me to want to pack my bags and go round the world.
When I think about it right now, the thought of experiencing different cultures and changing as a person is magical and I feel that I am at the point in my life where this all needs to happen.
My inspiration
However when I was younger, it was all about being Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, mainly because she stumbled across adventures so easily and never really died despite being attacked by tigers (I played that game far too much).
From my time at an American summer camp and university, I now have many international and national friends who are/have been travellers and I am happy to admit that I am 100% jealous of them. But one important thing I remember is that they are my also my inspiration and are vital advice givers when my travel dreams finally come true.
One thing I do want to make clear is that when I say travelling, I don’t just mean I want to stay in grand hotels and go round taking pictures of street signs. I am meaning cheap hostels, meeting new people, working wherever I can and living out of a great, dirty rucksack!
My time doing this in India, in 2010, was somewhat stressful as it was my first experience but looking back, I would do it all again and I am grateful for what it taught me. Without all of these inspirations, I don’t think I would be the daydreamer I am today!
I have previously come across those who think dreaming about going travelling (when you are a poor student) is unpractical and will not result in anything. However my answer to those people was and still is that I am a passionate dreamer and I WILL make it come true as I’m not afraid of hard work.
Living my only real dream in life is somewhat more important to me than anything else, obviously I do want a career and a family one day but without travel, I would be miserable.
Another thing I have also found is that a lot of young people want to travel but put it on the back burner for more conventional things i.e. moving in with their other half or starting a family. I am definitely NOT saying this is a bad thing and I applaud those who know what they want.
But to me, these kinds of things are just part of a social mould and I want to make my young life different so I can tell my kids about all of my adventures one day.
I know that a lot of people go travelling so it isn’t a hugely unique thing to do but I certainly believe that everyone has different adventures and its these experiences that mould them into a person they are comfortable with in later life.
This is one thing that I wish for more than anything, I can speak with experience when I say that not knowing who you are when you are only in your early 20’s is something you don’t want to feel.
I know in my heart of hearts that I do not want to rent/buy a house anytime soon and marriage is off the cards for a long while so I know where I’m heading.
Home life
But at the same time, these decisions can come with judgements. I often find that still living/returning home when you are 21+ is perceived as a negative thing, like you have failed in some way for not yet leaving the nest even though you are an adult.
But as much as I get frustrated with home life and as much as I would love to be able to move out and save for travelling, I just can’t. I believe that trying to do both will land you in either a huge heap of debt or depression because from my experiences, the housing/renting market is a harsh and unforgiving world!
I’m not a completely negative person and I often have thought about moving in with my long term boyfriend because it does have a certain amount of romance and excitement attached to it but at the same time, I know it would shackle me down to one place which depresses me.
So I have all these dreams and ideas about travelling but what next? Now I have a job, I can tell you all that it starts becoming that 1% more real that I could actually be on my travels within the next year/two years (depending on where I go and what I do.)
Positive steps
What makes it better is that I have actually started to make positive steps towards making it happen. For instance, I have just opened a savings account and plan to set up a monthly direct debit. You may be thinking that this is all a bit strict but let me tell you, I am awful at keeping money, I just find it extremely difficult.
I have started to sell a few things online and am always ready to take on more hours at work and even though it can be boring, it actually makes me feel really good.
There was no way that I would have had time to travel before now because of education plans and lack of confidence but I can feel it in my gut that now is my time to take action.
The only other problem I face is that I am extremely impatient and get bored with things easily if they don’t start to improve or show positive signs, this is something I know I am going to battle with. However I haven’t set myself a stupidly short time limit for all this saving, I know that it will take me probably more than a year just to go on one trip let alone a worldwide one!
Staying positive
The best thing for me to do is just to stay positive and remember that this is what I have wanted for most of my life and I think I may have just found a like-minded someone who can help me with that.
My inspiration for this post came from a fellow blogger who writes about her travelling adventures and I couldn’t be happier that I accidently stumbled across her blog. I really felt like I connected with her style of writing and what she was saying about saving and making your travelling dreams happen, in my mind a connection like this is rare.
I can honestly say that her blog is now my inspiration and something to keep me going when I’m still stuck in my overdraft in three months time, I cannot tell you how much of a pick me up this is.
Thanks to her, I am now determined to follow in her footsteps and use her advice solidly to help me along the way!
If her blog sounds like your kind of thing, visit her site, Pack your Passport, here.
