I‘m not really the most festive person. I enjoy the holiday season because I get to spend time with my family but rarely put up a Christmas tree or any decorations. When New Years rolls around I joke about resolutions but I don’t really feel any different or do anything to change the upcoming year.
That said, I find myself doing something during this first week of 2010 that feels like a big contradiction to the above statement: I’m planning my travel goals for the year.
Don’t get me wrong, I like plans, but I rarely make them further than several days ahead of time. Bad habit? Maybe. Or maybe I just don’t like being tied down.
While I’m in the planning stages I’m finding things that could prevent me from succeeding in these trips. Below is a list of some of the things I’ve had pop up in these early planning stages:
Money
Let’s face it. Money is probably the number one killer of travel plans, especially in the current economic climate we are experiencing.
I’m lucky to have a good job and a steady freelance business but I’m making less money than I was in previous years, just like many others in this country. Money is tight but you can make it a goal to save for your next trip if you really want to. Need some tips on saving money to travel?
Work
Your employer can certainly put a damper on your travel plans as well. Most American employees get two weeks of vacation per year which isn’t much. My company won’t let me take them together which really makes traveling far distances difficult when some flights can take up to 24 hours of travel time to reach your final destination.
My solution? Just deal with it. So you get seven or eight days of vacation. Just figure out a way to maximize your travel time. Take a red eye and sleep on the plane, find direct flights, and arrange or have a plan of attack for your ground transportation.
School
College is difficult and time consuming. Any current or former student can tell you that. But luckily there is plenty of vacation time that students can, and should, take advantage of. Spring break may only be one week for most schools, but that’s hardly an excuse. I managed to go to Morocco for nine days. If your school has a two or three week break, even better.
Don’t forget about the three month summer break or the several weeks in the winter that most students receive off.
Better yet, study abroad!
Are these just excuses or true hindrances?
Sometimes these difficulties may result in impossible-to-overcome odds but for most of us, they’re simply excuses we make to avoid following our travel dreams.
What are you going to do this year? Make excuses or find solutions?
Post-image courtesy of Rajiv Ashrafi
