Flightster

The Case Against Travel and How to Beat It

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Farnoosh Brock


“Travel while you are young.”
“Travel before you have kids.”
“Travel while you have little responsibility and still interested in seeing the world.”
Or my favorite: “Travel while you still have good knees!”

These words of warning have replayed like a broken record in my ears through the years during countless encounters with others. In fact, these were the fleeting reasons I became terrified of the ideas of having children or growing old.

Then slowly, I realized this is all just an opinion, an empty phrase lacking substance, made popular by society only to create a sense of normalcy and moderation.

In short, there is absolutely no truth to factors such as children or age preventing you from traveling so long as you are a capable and willing human being.

You live your own life, you pave your own path, and if you stop traveling when you still want to travel, you have no one to blame but… well, you get the point.

I admit I have met a few who have given me the best argument against travel and it is fantastic to see they have chosen their path so consciously: the path of not traveling. It is a choice aligned to their wishes and desires, a life on their own terms. Travel is certainly not for everyone and a life can be just as fulfilling without travel as it can be without children or wealth – if that last phrase does not flood the comments section, I don’t know what will!

Yet there are far too many others who long to travel, who pine to get away, who dream of seeing places they once read or heard about and who regretfully tell you that they wish they too could travel like you and me.

“But you can. You absolutely and positively can!” I argue back. “What is stopping you?”

I know a couple – with full-time jobs, part-time schools, three children, mortgage and all – who went halfway around the world for a friend’s wedding. (We went along so we were there to witness!) I know couples that take their children everywhere, to local restaurants and to Asia and everything in between. I know an older couple with more energy and stamina in their travel adventures than most 20-year olds and I know a 70-year old who has a zest for seeing the world beyond your wildest imagination.

And I also know very capable couples and individuals who choose to believe that travel has to happen under certain conditions and at specific times in your life. And what we choose to believe, we slowly become.

The beautiful truth is that travel is attainable for all of us if only we are willing to pursue it. Travel has never before in history been more accessible, safer, easier, more enriching and fulfilling. Gone are the days when only the rich and famous could fly to Europe or Egypt or the heart of Africa. Gone are the days when we had to travel several days in order to cross-oceans or pay a fortune to fly to places. Gone are even the days when you had to plan weeks or months in advance for long international vacations.

Today you can plan and customize your travel style, budget, time, and priorities according to your needs without so much as leaving your house. Advancements in technology have brought you gems of luxury; every day, there are newer conveniences and capabilities you could have never imagined before. The present is, for more reasons than the obvious, the ideal time to travel.

It is the greatest sign of freedom in action when you set out to design your own lifestyle. Maybe that lifestyle will include travel, maybe not, but do not make room for future regrets of travel dreams gone unfulfilled.

“The certainty that life cannot be long, and the probability that it will be much shorter than nature allows, ought to awaken every man to the active prosecution of whatever he is desirous to perform.”
~ Samuel Johnson

Do you live the travel life of your dreams or dream about traveling someday, somehow?

Farnoosh started pursuing her passions only in the recent years where workaholism took a backseat and balance became a survival matter. She has a love for personal expression, writing, reading, traveling, tango and yoga. and explores these elements and more on her blog, Prolific Living.

PG

Srinivas Rao

Srinivas is an avid surfer and personal development blogger at The Skool of Life. He's also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.

14 Comments

  1. 1 year ago
    Farnoosh

    Hi Srini and Flightster readers, it was such a pleasure to write for this space…..! I am so delighted that Srini took this post….and I hope that you remove excuses from your travel plans in 2011….bon voyage!

    Reply
    • 1 year ago
      Srinivas Rao

      Farnoosh

      Thanks for your contribution to Flightster and your ongoing friendship and support in everything that I’ve been fortunate to work on. Your post makes such a great point. I’ve probably made a good amount of excuses for not traveling in my life. But this post is a reminder that I can travel regardless of my situation and it’s safe to say that travel is going to be high on my priority list this year.

    • 1 year ago
      Farnoosh

      I am going to hold you to it, Srini. Although you might have to check in the surfboard which is totally against my travel recommendations ;) !
      You will LOVE surfing in other countries. I can see you….! I hope many sweet travels and amazing waves await you all over the world in 2011!

  2. 1 year ago
    Ayngelina

    I traveled long-term when I was 23 and am not traveling long-term again at 33 and one of the things that pushed me to go now was my drying up ovaries. I’m not sure if I want kids but figured this would be my last adventure IF I had kids.

    But you know since becoming part of the travel blogger community I’ve met so many traveling families and it’s really inspiring.

    Reply
    • 1 year ago
      Srinivas Rao

      Ayngelina,

      I’ve kind of had the same thoughts about kids and travel. But then we I see people doing what they’re doing living their life on the road and giving their children a global perspective on life I realize that anything is possible.

    • 1 year ago
      Farnoosh

      Hi Ayngelina, well that’s one way to put the biological clock’s plans for us. I am older than you and feel younger than I did at 23 but alas, the children thing is certainly a huge dilemma. In fact, I wrote a post about it and am close to 300 comments around the path to fulfillment on whether or not we should have children….! I love that the travel bug has caught you and hope that you respond in kind! All the best in your journeys! And thanks for your comment!

  3. 1 year ago
    Shannon

    Love this post, Farnoosh, and totally agree. We’ve always traveled w/our kids even though many people will say we shouldn’t. With a little planning and determination, you can design your life according to your own rules.

    Reply
    • 1 year ago
      Srinivas Rao

      Shannon,

      Designing life according to your own rules is something I think will become more and more prevalent over the course of the next several year. For too long people have been boxed into ideas and conventions, but that’s going to change dramatically.

    • 1 year ago
      Farnoosh

      Hi Shannon, I enjoyed some of your previous Flightster posts and it’s so nice of you to read this one. And I am *VERY* proud of you for traveling with your kids and I am sure they are/will be when they are older/very grateful that you put them through this experience. “Design your life according to your own rules” – do you mind if I quote you to others? Many thanks for your comment here and be safe during your travels!

    • 11 months ago
      J.T. Wenting

      Problem with kids is that not only does your travel get a lot more expensive, it also gets restricted to school holidays (when everyone else is travelling also, leading to even higher cost, more congestion, etc.) and to places appropriate for kids (most especially younger kids wouldn’t want a week long trip to London or Vienna to see the museums and a theater visit every evening for example).

      And we’re not even talking long duration travel (which many travel bloggers are implicitly referring to, the year+ round the world tours and things like that) which with children between say age 4 and 18 are simply impossible because they’d miss out on school for a year, something that in many countries is illegal.

  4. 1 year ago
    Matt

    This is a great post Farnoosh. The only limitations we have are the ones we put on ourselves. I’m planning to be one of many people who are a bit older but still travel with their kids. Of course every day is an adventure when you have kids regardless of whether you are at home or traveling abroad. Having kids definitely changes your life forever but it’s for the better. Travel with kids offers up it’s own share of challenges but what a great world education for them.

    Reply
    • 1 year ago
      Farnoosh

      Hi Matt, glad you enjoyed it. I am very happy to hear that you travel with your kids and get them used to the idea of being on the go. It will be such good experience for them and you get to travel at the same time. Thumbs up for the courage because I know it takes a lot and for being willing to do this with your whole family, Matt. Here’s wishing you many many happy travels this year!

  5. 1 year ago
    Lucy

    Farnoosh, I’ll have to use your post for inspiration. I’m one of those people that’s always putting excuses to stay put and not travel. You are right, we impose our own limitations! Travel is achievable if you want it.

    I have a friend whose finances aren’t the strongest but manages to travel and enjoy life to the fullest. And another friend with an infant, law school and a job but she also manages to travel. In fact she wants to take advantage and fly with her son before he turns two and has to pay a full price plane ticket. I have to follow yours and my friends’ lead…

    Reply
    • 1 year ago
      Farnoosh

      Dear Lucy, I am so glad this served as inspiration and that you have friends who are paving the way to new world order on travel :) ! Thanks so much for inspiring ME because I love hearing about people who have lives full of responsibilities and commitment and they still travel – without ignoring any of the items aforementioned. And You Can Too! I like to hear where you will be headed first….Best of luck but you won’t need much luck…just some planning and a destination! :) Thanks for your comment!

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