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Part of the reason we created Don’t Ever Look Back was to inspire other travelers to follow in our footsteps and take the plunge into long-term travel. Most people we speak to are envious of the adventure we’re about to embark on, but when we ask them “why don’t you do the same?” – they immediately get defensive and fire off a series of lame excuses.
- “I can’t afford it.”
- “I’ve got a good job, I don’t think I could leave it.”
- “I’ll miss my friends and family too much.”
- “I wouldn’t want to travel by myself.”
- “My partner’s not interested in traveling”.
But by far, the worst one we hear is this…
- “It’s not the right time. Maybe one day.”
Why not now, dammit?! We kick ourselves every time we hear this because we’re probably watching another person let their dreams of long-term travel turn into one massive regret. To borrow a brilliant quote we saw from our friends at Over Yonderlust:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
If that quote and our #rtwsoon interviews aren’t enough to inspire you to make a firm decision and you’re still contemplating whether to head on that round-the-world adventure, here are 7 reasons to convince you on why you should do it as soon as possible!
Break away from the ordinary
In our first ever blog post, Why Long-Term Travel?, we explained why we didn’t want to live safe, ordinary lives like most people we know. You don’t have to live life the way you’re expected to so take a risk – do something extraordinary by deciding to travel long-term and don’t ever look back!
A weaker attachment to home
The longer you delay long-term travel, the harder it will be to take that plunge. From a personal viewpoint, if we delayed our RTW departure date another 12-24 months it may never have happened! Careers, friends, family, mortgages and excessive personal belongings all increase our attachment to our home and with every day that passes, this attachment undoubtedly gets stronger. Break the attachment before it gets too strong!
Greater opportunities
Part of our strategy to extend our travels is to obtain Working Holiday visas for Canada and possibly the UK. If you’ve ever looked at working overseas, you’ve probably heard of them – but what you may not know is that most (if not all) of these programs have age restrictions. Once you pass your 31st birthday, it becomes very difficult to get a visa that allows you to work overseas.
If you’re in that 18-30 age bracket, get organized and apply for a Working Holiday Visa! Your window of opportunity is slowly closing and you may miss out on the fantastic experience of working overseas (and also extending your travels considerably).
Experiences > Money & Possessions
If you ask people what their dream is, many will answer with “to be rich”. In order to aspire to this goal, they’ll work 60-70 hour weeks for the rest of their lives, buy a whole lot of nice things and never truly be happy. Studies have proven that buying experiences, not possessions, leads to greater happiness. Just remember, your experiences improve with time. Possessions don’t.
Destinations are changing
Only 8 of the 12 Apostles remain. How many will still be standing by the time you get to Australia?
Only one of the Sever Wonders of the World remain, the Twelve Apostles in Victoria have dwindled down to 8 and the islands of Thailand are increasing in popularity to the point where some of the most beautiful ones are in danger of becoming the next Phuket. Basically, the world and its travel destinations are forever changing and what you see today might not be the same tomorrow. So if you’ve got these types of destinations on your bucket list, best you do them now before erosion or over-commercialization destroys them. Who knows? The Leaning Tower might just fall over before you get to see it!
Life is too short
For people in our mid-twenties, we’ve seen too many of our close friends have their lives cut short way too young. It’s very scary to think about and we’re sure many people put these thoughts out of their minds completely, but the truth is we all do have an end date and it may be sooner than we think. So take a moment to think about what’s important in your life and make the most of every day! Travel now, while you still can!
You won’t regret it!
And finally, as the Mark Twain quote implies, you’re much more likely to regret something that you didn’t do than something you did. If you do follow in our footsteps and decide on long-term travel, we guarantee that you won’t regret your decision!
Do you have any other reasons why you shouldn’t delay travel any longer and leave as soon as possible? Please share them in the comments below!
Amy & Kieron are two travelers currently on long-term travel adventure that began in Hawaii on 26 July 2011.
55 Comments
There truly is nothing to regret if you take the step. Noone ever says “oh, I wish I hadn’t traveled so much and had focused on my boring desk job”! Seriously…what do you have to lose! Thanks for the continued inspiration!! Cheers!
Gillian recently posted..India- If She’s Been Calling You- You Should Go
Haha true that Gillian, we’d be a bit concerned if we ever heard somebody say that! Thanks so much for your continued support!
I’ve been amazed at the opportunities that have popped up while traveling.
I left home in 2007 with the idea I’d have a three-month break. But after three months I was nowhere ready to go home. Four years down the track I am working in Singapore. It’s only taken me seven months to realise that working full-time is no longer for me. I’m planning to drop out again but this time with much more confidence. Last time I quit my job I thought I’d killed my career, that I’d never work again. But I’ve proved that I can get a well-paid full-time job again. My next step is to set up a mobile business so my little family can travel for a few more years. The need to support three people is delaying the next stage of our adventure, but it won’t be for too long.
Twentysomethings should take the leap for sure. Happy trails!
eat-laugh-love-anon recently posted..How Santa Lost His Head In Ho Chi Minh City
That’s a fantastic story! I think coming back to full-time work after long-term travel is a daunting proposition and one that concerns us a lot. Hopefully we’ll be able to set up some sort of location independent income before we depart and extend our travels somehow!
Good luck with your mobile business, it’s great to see families traveling! So often we see people give up on their travel dreams once they have children and it’s inspiring to see you breaking the norm.
To add to your “Destinations are Changing,” it’s not just places that are deteoriariting, but tourism is gaining in popularity in many parts of the world that used to see few backpackers. That has a profound effect on their culture and on your experience.
As an example, my first visit to Laos was in 2006. I visited again this past March. The difference in those years was staggering. What felt like a great “secret” to me originally had turned into one huge backpacker circuit in 2010, with a huge tourist infrastructure set up (whereas before, you hardly had a choice but to rely on local transport).
Aaron recently posted..Beware of the Sleeping Pill…
Completely agree Aaron – we briefly touched on how some of the islands in Thailand are gaining popularity too fast and are in danger of becoming the next Phuket, which was the most over-commercialized place we have ever been. It honestly felt like we hadn’t even left our own country!
South East Asia was virtually untouched years ago and now it’s turned into a backpacker circuit as you mentioned. It sucks but unfortunately it’s bound to happen once the secret of something so beautiful is let out of the bag. Even more reason to go now, before every little piece of paradise is overrun by these huge tour operators and hoteliers!
Well said
In one of my favorite books Delaying the Real World, one of the contributors says, “Every day you postpone a dream you weaken it a little. The longer you wait, the less likely you will ever chase it.” I was afraid I’d never go to Oz because I just couldn’t get my head around leaving. Turns out I’m here now because it’s the *right* time, but I believe that quote is pretty true…just thought I’d add another to your list!
That Mark Twain quote is also one of my faves
Heather recently posted..New Years Eve in Sydney
Fantastic quote Heather! Wish we knew about it so we could have used it in this post!
It’s a very scary thought turning your back on everything you know and have become accustomed to, but once you do take the plunge we’re sure it will be the best decision you’ll ever make more times than not!
The most compelling reason for me is that destinations, sites and landscapes are changing, they are changing fast and not for the better. So, go now.
inka recently posted..A glamorous find in St Thomas USVI
Exactly! Things are changing way too fast and the world won’t know how lucky it is until these destinations and sites are gone.
Thanks for commenting Inka!
Today I met some of my univ friends, and one of them telling me I need to be more serious and not wasting my time further. I need to either enroll in PhD program, or finding a job to start build up the carrier. I know he was just thinking for my best interest, and probably I was thinking like that a few years ago. But not anymore. I feel like “liberated” now. But I didn’t even know how to answer him, we were totally in different page. So I just looked at him and smile. What else I can do…
Dina recently posted..How well traveled are you in your home country
It’s negative viewpoints like this that prevent a lot of people from chasing their dreams and instead choose to play the safe option. It’s near impossible to change their opinions so you definitely did the right thing by ignoring his comments and smiling.
Thank God there’s the travel community that is so supportive of everyone!
I know what you mean by traveling community being supportive. It’s my escape after being bombarded by comments that we are crazy of doing this. Here, I feel like normal people
Most people thinks we are just lucky to happen to be in this wonderful situation, not realizing they could make it work to if they put their heart to it. It’s about choice, what we want to do with our life.
Dina recently posted..Sunsets from around the world- part 2
Great post! I am actually going to spend more time reading and analyzing this in light of Blog homework #3 and Todd’s comments on the forum. I admit it is so hard to take a chance like this and take risks to do what you want. Take it from me – the older you get and the more life changes, the harder it gets. Hopefully your efforts will inspire others to travel as well and may your rewards in your journeys last you a lifetime!
Jeremy B recently posted..A purpose driven travel life
Thanks for the comment Jeremy. We wouldn’t have written this post if it wasn’t for the Travel Blog Challenge and the advice and feedback we’ve received is invaluable! Good luck with writing yours, we’re looking forward to reading it and seeing your new blog when it launches!
We’re only in our mid-twenties and as we wrote, if we left it for another 12-24 months it probably wouldn’t have happened due to career reasons and the like. If we can inspire one person to follow in our footsteps then our efforts will have been well worth it!
PS. We might hit you up for some Sacramento advice over the next few weeks, it should make our list of destinations for our RTW!
Aaron you’re comment makes me sad. I know exactly what you are saying and it makes me almost scared to go back to SE Asia. I first went to Vietnam in 99, where it was like an undiscovered secret and then again in 02 when the cat was way out of the bag. The difference then just blew me away. I can only imagine what it must be like now.
Great points Keiron.
I think there is no such thing as the right time and its about time people started realizing that. There will never be a perfect moment so you might as well go now. And people always talk about wanting to be rich, what they don’t understand is it is not the oodles of money they want but the time freedom that comes with it. Best to travel then. You get that time freedom and if you go to Asia or Africa you can live on next to nothing and feel very rich. Cheap delicious food, massages every day, beautiful beaches…. very wealthy
Caz Makepeace recently posted..Daily Travel Photo- Killing Time in Lijiang- China
It’s scary to see how much things can change over such a short timeframe! More and more places are being overrun by tourism developments and it’s sad to see.
Spot on that there’s no such thing as the right time! It’s not an easy decision to make but if nothing is tying you down, then what the hell are you waiting for?
When we were younger we thought we wanted to be financially rich but we’d rather be comfortable and enjoy the finer things in life like traveling! Definitely right about feeling rich in the more affordable countries, we were looking at dental prices in Thailand today and think we’ll put off most of the work we need done until we get there!
You guys have included so many great reasons to travel here! And beautiful pictures to help people see it all a little more clearly!
You are so right, there’s no better time. If you don’t do something you are dreaming of so much you are just going to spend your life looking-ahead to it and never enjoying the moment you are in!
Annie recently posted..Hostels- Love-Hate Relationship
Thanks Annie! We agree that people need to live life without regrets… if you want something badly enough then go out there and get it!
To steal a quote from Nike – just do it! Our destiny is in our own hands.
Reasons to do things are so much more compelling than reasons not to do things don’t you think? Whether it’s travel or anything else, well done for being “can do” as opposed to “better not”.
We get one shot.
robin recently posted..Mezquita
Completely agree Robin – we only get one shot so best we make the most of it and not just let life pass us by!
All excellent points. When we decided to do our RTW, we came across many of the same questions and excuses from friends. It’s really all about priority when it comes down to it. How badly do you really want to travel. Sure, some things have to fall into place for you, but in the end, if you really want it, you sacrifice to make it happen. After a while of planning, for us, it started to become a crazy idea NOT to travel around the world rather than it being crazy to quit our jobs and take off. Now that we’ve gone and been back over a year, I can honestly say, besides marrying my wife, it’s the best decision I have ever made. When ultimately deciding to take the plunge, we thought that 20 years from now, there’s no way we would regret taking a year long trip around the world, but if we chickened out and never did it, I can’t imagine not regretting it for the rest of our lives.
Adam recently posted..Picture Post-Phish Madison Square Garden
Exactly right Adam – regardless of what your dream is, it’s gonna take some level of sacrifice to make it a reality.
It’s the people who work 9-5 jobs for their entire lives that are the crazy ones! How did you go getting back into work when you got back? That’s one of our biggest worries, never wanting to work again after a year or two of travel!
Too true, thanks for the sharing and ispiration, hoping to expand my own travel experiences by including a rtw for a year from the middle to late 2011, still at the chalkboard stage
Awesome to hear Iain… if the finances will allow a year-long rtw, go for it!
I really enjoyed this post and wish more people had this attitude. I have never regretted spending time and money traveling as it brings me more happiness than personal possessions ever have. I’m at the age where most of my friends have young kids and now this is the excuse many of them are using for not traveling, but you see people traveling with kids all the time, showing it is possible.
Laurel recently posted..Food & Drink in Germany Vs Canada
Thanks for the nice comment Laurel. We always have greater memories of our travels than any of the possessions we ever owned… things like my first car are all but forgotten about!
People who do travel with kids are a huge inspiration – and they’re giving their kids an experience that will shape the rest of their lives! Hopefully one day we can do this for our children.
I couldn’t agree more, I wrote a similar post a while back. You need to live life to the full while you still can, you never know whats around the corner, and before you know it, for health or other reasons travel may become impossible and you would have missed your oppurtunity. People are so afraid to do things these days and its a real shame.
Jozef Maxted recently posted..Why Take A Gap Year Now
So true Jozef – a lot of people are living in hypothetical bubbles, scared of the outside world. As you said, before they know it, their life has passed them by!
Hopefully we can serve as inspiration and get them to break free of their bubbles!
What a great post! I couldn’t agree with you more! I hate all the stupid excuses people give for not traveling. I understand that a life full of travel is not for everyone. After all, I think it really does take a certain type of person to fully appreciate all the things long-term travel can teach you. But, if you really want to make it happen, you shouldn’t hide behind excuses. You should just get out there and MAKE IT HAPPEN.
All the awesome travel blogs I read are proof positive that leaving fears behind and going after your dreams is the best decision a person can make.
Amanda recently posted..Photo Essay- How to Climb the Great Wall of China
Thanks Amanda! Agree that travel isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve got the bug then you should just go for it and make your dreams happen!
It doesn’t have to be a RTW, it could be anything! We’ve been so inspired by other travel blogs including yours and hopefully we’ll be able to do the same for a few people.
Great post – all very good points so I hope you inspire someone reading to just do it! I also love that Mark Twain quote. Live without regrets.
We hope so too Rebecca! All the travel blogs we read have inspired us in some ways by identifying new destinations or providing us with great advice – hopefully we can convince people with this post to follow their dreams!
Totally agree. The excuses we concoct to stop us from doing the things that frighten us most are amazing. I think its a fear of the unknown that stops most people. I also think that nothing conquers that fear faster than getting out there and seeing it really isn’t as scary as you thought.
p.s. We head off in 2011 too. Hope we cross paths.
Thanks for commenting Heather and you’ve made some great points! As we’ve said in previous comments above, it’s a massive inspiration to see families traveling – if they can do it, why can’t everybody else?!
What are your travel plans for 2011? We should arrive in North America around July.
Have just liked you on Facebook and followed you on Twitter so we can keep up with your updates.
Thanks! We head out July 1! We may literally cross at the airport
We’re still formalizing the route but hope to spend Christmas in Australia and New Zealand.
Heather recently posted..March Break already! Deals
Great post guys! You’ve mentioned some very good resons and I hope more ppl will get inspired to travel long term and break away from the ordinary. Esp. for young ppl there are so many bargains, which make traveling not as expencive as one might think. One advise from me as well: Keep your student card and take it with you, even tho is old/expired. I still keep my student card for Germany and was getting discounts all summer round in every country I went to!! It was brilliant, no one looks at the expiration date, believe me. I will use this card until I get awfully wrinkled
))
Thanks Steffy – I really wish I knew about the student card trick, would have kept my old ID card! But you’re right, there’s so many great bargains around it would be crazy not to take advantage.
This post topic comes up all the time, and I have yet to see anyone comment that traveling has made their life worse.
Brooke, WhyGo Austra recently posted..Iconic Aussie Food- As Australian as Meat Pie
I’ve only heard one person say that travel made their life worse – but their reasons for travel were completely wrong, running away from a failed relationship. But it’s definitely a rarity, travel is awesome!
These are some very good reason & these are a few of the reason why I am doing my RTW trip. After reading everyones comment I am really excited and can’t wait to be on the road.
Jaime recently posted..How I Feel…
Awesome Jaime, can’t believe it’s less than 2 months for you now!
Totally agree! I just spent a month in Laos and am so grateful to have seen it before it becomes too touristy and corrupt. It’s so easy to put off the things we want to do and spend our lives on the ‘shoulds’. But life is so short – too short – and what is it about if not following our dreams and trying to live joyfully and with purpose?
Amy recently posted..My Wallet Got Nicked in Hanoi … In Less Than 24 Hours
Thanks for commenting Amy. It’s great that you followed your dreams and made it to Laos, what’s next for you?
great inspiring post guys! my fave is life is too short- we can’t just assume we have all the time in the world. i’m a bit guilty of that one, but definitely doing something about it this year!
Lorna-the roamantics recently posted..Squatting in Sihanoukville- Cambodia
Thanks Lorna, it’s probably one of our biggest reasons (if not the biggest) to go on our RTW. Too many miss out on following the dreams and we’re not going to let this happen to us!
All good reasons!! Like you and some have stated above, it’s true, destinations are changing. Some for good, others not so. It is scary how you can go to a place any given moment, then return a few years later and have a completely different experience. So, I agree that the destination evolution is something that should inspire us to travel now, and to keep traveling to see how things evolve. Great post!
Norbert recently posted..Highlights of a Kenya to Cape Town Backpacking Trail – Part Two
Thanks for the comment Norbert.
You’re completely correct, it’s amazing how much things can change in just a short period of time. Even a place like Singapore, which we’re revisiting 2 years after our first visit, will provide a completely different experience. Newly-built casinos and more tourist-oriented attractions will make it very interesting to compare to the first time we were there.
Hi Amy & Kieron
What an inspiring post – good stuff!
I think a lot of people fear travelling long-term and settle for their annual leave time because it is less risky. Giving up the little securities that you get used to like a regular paycheck and a circle of friends takes some courage. I think it takes more courage the older you get too. Gaaah! As you rightly point out though, if you are prepared to be without these certainties then you will only reap the rewards of travelling and gaining insights into new places and cultures.
Safe travels!
Liv.
Hi Liv, thanks for the comment.
You make some excellent points and completely agree that it’s against the norm to leave the security of a full-time job, whether it be to travel or work independently. The older you are, the harder it is to break free from society! At the end of the day, if our travel dreams don’t work out then we can always go back to this lifestyle… but we’re really hoping we never have to!
Have you got any upcoming travel plans?
Hi Chaps
Thanks for the follow on FB & Twitter. I like keeping up with you guys!
And in response to your question, I always have travel plans!
Keep well
Liv.
How annoying – my CommentLuv thing isn’t quite right. Looks like it might show here, though not my most recent one on diving with Great Whites?! I’m not a web designer – can you tell ;o)
Liv recently posted..Beaches of Auckland
Even though the article was first posted 3 months ago in January, @KenKaminesky tweeted about the article today (24 March).
Thank you for the article, as I’m on my little fence about whether I’d like to do an RTW. I’m about to change country and “career” in any case, and the door of opportunity has now opened itself. All I have to do now is to buck up and step through that door.
Henry Lee recently posted..fotoeins- Thanks for following- @solasphotos @photoaddicts @setadelstudios @Reviloy @margot-lane @photofactsnet @AleishaOransky4 thursdaythanks
All of these arguments are precisely what I’m telling my family to support a rwt. But here lies the problem, where does the money come from to support the trip. How does one go about getting a visa to work in various countries should you stay longer?
That’s great to hear that you’re planning a RTW Grace! Unfortunately the money doesn’t come easily – it takes a lot of savings and sacrifices over an extended period to come up with enough cash to sustain you for an extended period. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our Frugal February section, there is plenty of great advice in there!
In terms of visas, this obviously varies from country to country and depends on which passport you hold – it’s best to do you own research here either online or by getting in touch with the embassy/consulate of the country you want to visit.
Hope this helps!
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