Comments on: Is Travel Worth It In Your 20s?

By: Second Chance

Second Chance — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 04:58:11 +0000

Doing it when you are young is the best time. You have the most energy to see things, and you are generally curious and more willing to try new things. Traveling will generally take you out of your comfort zone, and this is easier to accept at a young age before you get into the routine and normality of adult/family life. Most importantly, experiencing new cultures, meeting new people and trying new things does a lot to shape who you are and what you want to do in life both professionally and personally. Not to say that all these these can’t be achieved if you travel later in life, but it is important to learn these things early so you can live with them for a longer stretch of your life.

As soon as I finished undergrad, I jumped into corporate America because I wanted to make money. I always regretted not taking time off for this type of experience. Fortunately, I never lost site of this desire, and I did a good job of saving up money. After I completed grad school (which I was attending part time while working), I decided to change careers and took advantage of that transition period by traveling for 3.5 months to the Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I experienced some wonderful things and met some amazing people along the way. Unforgettable experience which I think has changed my perspective on life and long term goals.

Fortunately, I was able to save up for this type of trip so it was easier on me financially. I wouldn’t recommend putting yourself into major date to take a trip like this, so plan for it. Make sure you save money, make sure you can put your things in storage you don’t have to pay rent/mortgage, make sure you budget and understand your limits financially. It can get expensive if you do all the things that you want to do, but in my opinion it is worth every penny.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 02:23:35 +0000

Travel as often as you can and never have a blank passport. I have driven across the country (twice) and met so many people who have never left their state/town/county. To me thats sad because the U.S. is huge and its only a small part of the world. There is so much to see and experience. Every year I plan a trip to somewhere, be it abroad or domestic, and I go with no expectations other than to have an experience and enjoy every moment of it.

I have been to Auckland, Sydney, Edinburgh, Cabos, Acapulco, San Diego, and Las Vegas all in the past 10 years (I’m only 29). Set a destination and go to it. This year’s destination is Paris for the second time (I went in high school) to really appreciate the country.

By: Studenomist

Studenomist — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:58:15 +0000

@Craig Middle East? That’s a new one. I usually hear stories about Europe but not the mid-east. Must have been a once in a life time experience? You should definitely write about some of your experiences on your blog.

@youngandthrifty 6 months? Now that’s crazy. I don’t know if I could be away from home for that long. My family might forget who I am lol.

@Austin Agreed. Memories fade but experiences never go away.

@Thomas Do you have any upcoming travel plans?

By: thomas

thomas — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:39:25 +0000

One thing I regret not doing is travelling throughout my school years.

Lets remember that when we are in college, it is the gateway into the real, so why not have as many experiences as possible.
Plus it works wonders for your resume and career.
And, lets not forget that you can actually afford to travel since your responsibility are very little.

I look at it this way, unless you are ready to settle down, then don’t travel but if you haven’t lived life to the fullest, go travel.

By: Austin

Austin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:21:51 +0000

If you’re drowning in consumer debt I wouldn’t be zooming around the globe every other weekend, but for the majority of students it’s worth it.

My best memories are of great vacations/road trips and it’s almost always money well spent.

By: youngandthrifty

youngandthrifty — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:33:48 +0000

It is 100% worth it. I have a friend who is leaving for six months (on her second six month trip) to Asia and I am jealous. You won’t be experiencing the places that you want to experience the same as when you are middle aged. All the adventure traveling stuff- get that down first. You learn so much from traveling, nothing that can be replicated in a book or a course in school. And when you have kids, it’ll be 10x more difficult to travel.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:21:48 +0000

It is worth it. Right after graduation I backpacked the middle east for 3 and a half weeks. I recently just went to the jungle in Guyana for a survival trip. Things I never would be able to do at a future point in time. Travel as much as you can when young.