There’s no perfect time to travel

I’ve come to realise over the last decade that there really is no perfect time to travel.

There will always be something that makes you feel it’s not quite the right time to take that leap of faith.

We tell ourselves that next year we’ll have saved more money and be in a better position financially.

That next year we’ll have brought the right gear.

That next year we’ll have researched into the countries we want to go to more fully.

That next year we’ll have received a qualification or milestone at work and once that’s under our belts we’ll go travelling.

That next year travel may be safer, cheaper or more viable for us.

That next year maybe I’ll have found a travel buddy.

That in a few more years I’ll have got that big promotion, and a big salary increase to match it.

That in five years I’ll have saved enough to buy a house, and isn’t that more of an investment?

That in five years I may need these savings for something big like a new car, deposit or wedding.

You can see how quickly it turns from next year to five years, and before you know it travel is a distant dream you once had when you were young and able to do “those things”.

Then there’s the “Well if I wait a few more months” voice telling us that we want to be around for a parents’ big birthday, a family wedding, a christening or an anniversary. We book tickets to concerts and shows sometimes years in advance and then we use those things as an excuse that we can’t possibly go away now.

The truth is, there will always be events and occasions that you have to miss, if you want to live life on the road. But here’s the golden nugget - you can do both. Last time we went travelling, we went away for 2 years straight, no returning home. Some family came out to see us, but we didn’t go home to see the ones that couldn’t come to us. Was this selfish? Yes. Did our family mind? No. They supported us. We kept in contact with calls, facetime and postcards (yes I’m a bit old school!).

This time, we have decided that we are going to make time to come home for events or pre-booked things if we can afford it. So, we are going home in a couple of weeks for my nieces birthday party. She’s going to be 4, and I know she’d like us there! We are planning to be around an hour from home at Christmas so we can see family then too. And there’s a concert in May that I’ve got tickets to which is in Bristol, which I will fly home for.

There is no easy way to ignore the voice in your head. It will always be there, and you will always get home sick and miss your family. But if you want to make a lifestyle that works for you, you need to work out how often you want to go and visit friends and family, what events can’t be missed, and which ones you’d just quite like to go to. Then, make the time in your trip to facilitate this.

We have decided that this is our time to live the way we want to, carving out a life which works for us and we are both content with. You know what I think? I think it’s time for you to do the same too…